Las Vegas and the desert southwest.

I've had a cold. It hasn't been fun. But now I'm felling better, finally, so here's an update!

Day 23 and 24, 10-2/3-08: Las Vegas Nevada.

So, Las Vegas. City of Sin, Gangsters and hit CBS TV shows.

Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed. I made a hotel reservation online at the Vegas Club Casino Hotel, which is on Fremont street. I finally arrived around 6 in the afternoon and right off the bat, things were going poorly. My clutch made an ominous and sharp squeak whenever I pressed it, and my car smelled like brake pads, all a legacy of Death Valley. Anyways, after driving in circles trying to find the specific hotel and more importantly its parking deck I managed to go the wrong way on a one way street just long enough to duck into the parking area.

I made my way to the Club Casino check in area to learn that in fact my reservation is not at the Club Casino, but at the Plaza Hotel and Casino, which (of course in Vegas) is owned by the same company. So I lug my armful of bags to the check-in at the Plaza, across the street, and find my room. It was spartan but inexpensive and served my needs. Mostly. I went back to my car still at the Vegas Club parking deck and move it to the Plaza deck. But, I'm in the north tower, which, as opposed to the south tower does not have it's own parking deck. Did I mention it was Biker Week?

Note that on this trip I packed for camping more than hoteling and all my stuff is in Rubbermaid totes, as opposed to suitcases. This is logical for camping, as well as stuffing are car full with, but not for walking through the casino floor from south to north tower. Three times. Yes, I could have used a valet, but they are expensive, and really, that would ruin the rugged individualist thing I'm working on.

I finally get to my room and decide to watch TV. Alas, there are 3 channels. Noting that in Vegas they want you to leave your room, I understood this clever ploy and pulled out my laptop to blog thereby defeating the evil capitalists. Lo and behold, the $20 fee for internet for my stay presented itself, and I began to understand why Vegas is said to run on money and little else. I blog, I eat and I relax under the din of the loud and not very effective AC for a few hours, before braving the desert heat for a walk around Fremont Street.

Fremont street is old Las Vegas. Where the original casinos stood. Thus, it is more run down that other parts of the city, and they needed a shtick to make people to want to continue gambling there, as opposed to the shiny new places down the strip a few miles. So, they built the Fremont Street Experience. Basically an awning that covers the street, it provides protection from the desert and entertainment through it's ability to light up and 'play' shows. Also the street vendors, musical acts and other kitsch set the mood; I was reminded heavily of the Red Light District of Amsterdam, especially when passing the solitary gentlemen's club defiantly displaying its flesh for the masses.

I ambled about taking in the sites and sounds, and deciding whether any of this was a good idea. It really made me feel lonely, in this crowd of people, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. At least in other big American and European cities the people were there to do touristy stuff or otherwise live. Here it was full of retired folks in their go-cart like scooters, zipping around from one buffet to the other. The multitude of gamblers, casino employees and miscellaneous inhabitants all seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. Eerie, and depressing. I've been to casinos in Minnesota and Atlantic city, and they never had the sort of garish 'waiting for the endtimes' vibe I got from Fremont street. Maybe it's different at the nice places down the strip, but here, I really wasn't that comfortable.

Then there's the alcohol, and the casinos themselves. You can buy and consume beverages anywhere on the street, it's like an open beer garden with motorcycle daredevils racing around in their ball standing in for the background music. And people often gambled while blitzed, and while I can understand the benefits of this from the casino's standpoint I really marveled at how people so blindly let themselves be fleeced. And none of the casinos had doors; just wide open expanses where people could amble in and out at will. Admittedly, the psychological impact of this much glitz and guilt was impressive, and I came to understand, on some level, what people find so appealing about Vegas.

And then I found my vice, or maybe more appropriately, the level of vice I could afford: $3 blackjack! I played for 3 hours, losing about $20 an hour, which is a respectable rate.

By now it was 11pm, and not wanting to test the 24-hour nature of the place too much I retired to my room. I discovered that the mattress is lumpy.

Day 24:

I awoke nice and late, ready to do some sight seeing. I found one of the famous buffets, and ate the cafeteria quality bacon, eggs and fixings til I was set for most of the day.

I then discovered that, really, there isn't all that much to see in Vegas that I cared to experience. So I walked down the strip to the famous water fountain (a la Ocean's 11). This took most of the day and I concluded that it wasn't a very good idea to walk about Las Vegas.

I arrived back at my lumpy mattress containing room and took a nap and blogged some more. Then I planned tomorrow's trip past the Grand Canyon, went and found some more $3 blackjack tables, and proceeded to gamble away another $60. Next I watched a Queen montage and tribute on the Fremont street awning, noting the irony of all the bikers miling about googling at the Queen Experience. I bought myself a nice, big, ~30oz beer in a container shaped as a football (after the gambling was done :) ). Then I headed for bed.

All in all, I don't really like Las Vegas. Or maybe, what I should say is that I don't like Vegas on a shoe-string budget. "Duh" may be the appropriate sentiment when you consider the context and purpose of Las Vegas, but still, I didn't go away from the city feeling like I had added anything to my trip.

And no, I didn't take any pictures in Vegas. I didn't want the hassle when moving through casinos (and their potential security). Sorry!

Grand Canyon and environs next!