From what I remember of Vegas—and that’s
always the hard part—it is a whimsical playground of hotels
lined up to provide access to anything you can dream of. On the
surface, the elegant masterpiece is one of sophisticated architectural
accomplishment. Each new hotel when first erected, represented the
pinnacle of what money could buy in terms of a few thousand rooms,
and a pool.
The buildings are immense. When we checked into
the Tropicana, the maître’d joked with us about the
relative minisculity of only 1,900 rooms. But standing across Tropicana
Blvd. from the MGM Grand—“City of Entertainment”,
with over 5,000 rooms—it cowers in obscurity.
The unique thing about Vegas, is there’s really
nothing besides the hotels to see. For a road running down the middle
of a desert, there is nothing to see except what’s been created.
What goes on is the real attraction. The first major
factor is the activity level one is expected to adhere to when there.
(Make sure you go with a group who will expect you to keep up.)
The first thing you’ll want to do is get a cocktail or beer
at the bar and go outside and walk down the street with it. There’s
something extremely liberating about walking out in the sun in public
with a quencher. The awkward look you get from touristy families
and their kids, is worth more than the quarter slots. Plus, you
don’t want to waste any time getting that buzz on—after
all, you’re on vacation.
The next thing you’ll notice, in the lobby
of the next hotel—besides the familiar glassware—is
the pleasant blast of environment. The obvious change is the AC.
Coming from the home of the world’s largest thermometer, this
is a much needed relief. On top of that, a carefully chosen fragrance
overlays the oxygenated air. The invigorating nature of the aroma
exudes affluence. So much, the extra money people spend gambling,
justifies the exorbitant cost.
Ching, chink, chink—the sound of coins dropping
into the payout trays of the slots lure in just about any one. Don’t
doubt it for a second—Vegas is a mind trap, and the casino
designers have pulled out all the stops to get you to pull out all
your money.
For those souls that have a real appetite for exotic
forms of debauchery, drinks are just the beginning. Next, there’s
porn proliferation on the streets. Six or seven Hispanics on each
corner slap full color cards against the stack to make people look
when they walk by. Prostitution is legal there, and these bacchanalian
bandits are serving a sexual buffet to please any appetite. Strip
clubs, topless dancers and video erotica await.
That really leaves only chemical recreation, as
the last major vice of the human condition. Even though that is
still firmly illegal, you could probably get anything you want.
As I stood next to the craps table awaiting my free drink—going
big with odds on 6—the guy next to me asked if I knew where
he could get an 8-ball. Apparently the fact that it was 6 a.m. marked
me as a candidate for someone who would know.
Luckily, post-dawn walks allow plenty of time to
check out the strip. Generally, the south end of Las Vegas Blvd.
touts more of the newer hotels like the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
The north end houses some of the originals like The Sands, Frontier,
Sahara and Circus Circus. Right in the middle, at the light bend,
you’ll find not only the highest density, but also the newest
hotels to date, replacing those recently torn down. Aside from The
Palms just off the strip, Aladdin Desert Palace, Paris and The Venetian
are the newest to date and therefore are the most elaborate and
expensive to stay at. Across the street, Caesar’s Palace and
The Bellagio are two of the most renowned.
Each casino has its own special feature that makes
it an entertaining attraction for everyone—even those perfect
families, just stopping through on the way to the Grand Canyon:
Acrobatics at Circus Circus, a pirate show at Treasure Island, a
flaming fountain show at the Mirage, dancing water beams at the
Bellagio; and roller coasters at the Stratosphere, The Sahara and
New York, New York. The Tropicana has an enormous courtyard, with
wrap-around pool, fountains and multiple hot tubs. (Which incidentally,
are amazing to visit at 8 a.m. before retiring to bed after a night
of exploratory partying and wild dancing.)
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