10 Random thoughts on visiting Las Vegas for the first time
I know it's crazy but I've lived in SF for 12 years now and never made the short trip to Las Vegas. Well I finally did make it there this past weekend - and here's some random thoughts.
1) OMG - I've never seen so much free parking in my life.
2) 80's music - it's everywhere - in the casinos, the restaurants, the hotel lobbies - really cheesy "Oh Mickey you’re so fine" 80-s music. Guess that says something about their target market these days.
3) The roller coaster cars at New York, New York's roof top coaster are shaped like taxis. Lol
4) I realized that I really don't believe in something for nothing. The whole lure of getting rich quick by gambling is lost on me. I have a very fundamental belief at the core of my person that you only get things in life that you are willing to work hard for.
5) Cirque du Soleil's 'O' is one of the most amazing theatrical events I've ever seen. It is such a brilliant marriage of a multitude of performance traditions such as theatre, circus, street performance, cabaret, vaudeville and it all works so well together. The show really took my breath away several times.
6) Cirque du Soleil's Beatles tribute called "Love" was even better than "O"
7) The Bellagio fountain is WAY bigger than it looks on TV and entirely enthralling to watch.
8) Sure it's mostly OTT and totally cheesy at times (ok often)- but Vegas offers subtle thrills too if you are observant. Little things like the completely bare box white sushi restaurant decorated with nothing but thousands of goldfish in bowls, or the lounge decorated with hundreds of iridescent hand blown glass bubbles to give the illusion of sitting inside a champagne glass.
9) Everything in Vegas looks like Americans think it should rather than how they actually do. From the Bridge of Sighs which is easily 4 times the size of the actual, to the Gondola's floating through crystal clear pool water rather than the brackish, pungent sludge of Venice Canals
10) I liked it alot more than I expected I would. I sorta get the allure of weekend in Vegas and think I'll be back.