Vegas
Vegas is an ugly town. At first it seems interesting. After all, it is like nowhere else on earth. A giant adult theme park full of replicas of the streets of New York and Paris, the canals of Venice, the pyramids. Walking around it felt like I was on the set for one movie after another. Then the lights and the noise and the crowds became overwhelming. Everything seemed too big. It took too long to walk from one place to another, even though everything looked close together. The cigarette smoke gagged me. It was everywhere, inside and out. The clanging raucous sounds from the casinos gave me a headache. The throngs of people made me claustrophobic. The lights and the gaudy faux theme park setting made me sick: the waste, the conspicuous consumption, the fact that this place sits in a desert. The theme of this giant theme park is sex and money. My hotel room key had an advertisement for a topless show on it, for pete's sake. I couldn't turn a corner without being assaulted by lifesize signs for this strip club or another one. People were handing out pornography on the streets, and the resulting litter was everywhere. Everything was expensive. It's a myth that you can eat cheap in Vegas. Not anymore. I nearly dehydrated myself walking around because I didn't want to spend that much on a bottle of water.
It wasn't all bad though. I tried hard to have a good time, and it worked a little. I went to see Cirque du Soleil one night: KA. It was glorious! I would like to see that over and over again. One night I danced after many drinks at the gala's open bar. Another drunk told me I was the life of that party, which made me laugh, but I did have a lot of fun. I tried to learn craps, which was fun. I didn't gamble a single dime though. Everyone else was managing that for me. I rode the roller coaster at New York New York. I watched the lions at MGM Grand. The caught the fountain show at the Bellagio several times, and it too was impressive. I spent time in the pool and hot tub at the Luxor.
I see no reason to go back, but I'm glad I went. All knowledge is worth having, right?
It wasn't all bad though. I tried hard to have a good time, and it worked a little. I went to see Cirque du Soleil one night: KA. It was glorious! I would like to see that over and over again. One night I danced after many drinks at the gala's open bar. Another drunk told me I was the life of that party, which made me laugh, but I did have a lot of fun. I tried to learn craps, which was fun. I didn't gamble a single dime though. Everyone else was managing that for me. I rode the roller coaster at New York New York. I watched the lions at MGM Grand. The caught the fountain show at the Bellagio several times, and it too was impressive. I spent time in the pool and hot tub at the Luxor.
I see no reason to go back, but I'm glad I went. All knowledge is worth having, right?