Words of Wisdom

So, the trip is over. The glitz and glam of Las Vegas have been left behind in their desert home and we are once again reclining in our Memphis-area home, reflecting over the past few days. I’m not always the smartest fellow, which I proved once again by forgetting my laptop cord and ending up with a dead computer before the end of our first 24 hours in the city. But, I paid attention to our surroundings and have done my best to give you a quick rundown.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect in a trip to Vegas – truth be told, my only experience with the city has either been through the avenue of television or the surely super-inflated stories of others who have been to this small oasis of decadence in the Nevadan desolation. We arrived Tuesday evening, and soon stepped into another world, an unfamiliar realm in which the wrong was turned right and things termed bad were flipped onto their metaphorical side, confusing the internal moral compass and leaving us in the ever-perplexing world of gray.

As I mentioned earlier, there were even slot machines in the airport and there was no escaping their omnipresent, seductive electronic eyes beckoning you to enter their dark world from which escape is very nearly impossible. Like sirens of old they call out to passer-bys with their alluring lyrics, pulling their prey beneath the depths to a near-certain doom. Luckily, though, we were able to resist their enchantments for the most part and only lost around $50 over the four days living just above a full casino.

Our room was on the 20th floor of the Flamingo Casino and Resort, which is located on the strip, directly across from Caesar’s Palace.
The Front Entrance of our Resort:

Our Room:

Our 20th story view:

We spent a lot of time walking around the city, seeing well-known sites such as:

New York, New York:

MGM Grand:

And, of course, the obligatory Vegas strip at night:

With the cheapest tickets in the $70-80 range, we didn’t catch any of the famous Vegas shows, opting instead to walk the strip, hang out by the pool, and engage in always-entertaining people watching. We were able to have some excellent meals, though, including one at Wolfgang Puck’s Bar and Grill in the MGM Grand, where I was able to savor a large plate bursting with steamed mussels in an excellent garlic-butter sauce accompanied by toast and a glass of wine.

In all, it was a fine trip, though I cannot say that Vegas will be on my itinerary for future excursions. There was just something about the city itself that I found incredibly bothersome. Perhaps it was the unabashed hedonism on which it thrives and survives, with little purpose outside of the entertainment of the individual. Perhaps it was the noticable lack of character inside a city whose most famous landmarks are mere caricatures of real places and things. There is just something about basking in superficiality that I find particularly disturbing and shallow.

So, it was an interesting experience and I am glad that I have now walked the streets of Las Vegas, but I have little desire to do it again.

As a postscript, let me just say that when we arrived back at home there was a rather shocking surprise awaiting and I promise to fill you in on it soon.