Las Vegas
where we manage to do as little gambling as possible in the gambling capital of the world…
After a great night spent stargazing and sleeping under the stars in Joshua Tree National park we were headed for Las Vegas. For some, Vegas is the ultimate destination, for us it was more a curiosity and a pitstop along the road. We looked forward to seeing the lights, soaking up the crazy atmosphere and experiencing the (infamous) madness for ourselves. On the flip side, neither of us are all that into gambling and our favourite places so far on the trip have been the quiet nights spent camping in one scenic location or another. Vegas was the antithesis of those nights. One night there would be fun and different. One night, we felt, would also be enough. Time would tell if we were right.
To get there from Joshua Tree meant driving deeper through the Mojave Desert and the heat and scenery matched the desert description – it was HOT and a very dried out landscape made up our view in every direction. With not that many food options along the way, we drove straight except for a couple of stops to change over driving duties and fuel up.
As we got closer to Las Vegas, the road surface got much better and the road works fizzled out – at one point we passed a sign that read “road works next 30 miles” just before coming to a stop for traffic works that kept us sitting on the baking tarmac for at least 20 minutes. In place of roadworks and poor roads we got traffic, very heavy traffic even grounding to a halt at times. Still miles out from the city, we filed past a couple of small fender bender car crashes that were either the cause or the result of the over-crowded roads. But then before we knew it, we were turning onto the Vegas strip, just a short four hour drive after starting out from the Yucca Valley.
The motel we were staying in was just off the main strip. A Super 8 motel, picked for it’s location and balance of cheapness and quality. Having started early that morning we reached the motel just after lunch time. Soon we were in our room – which wasn’t the worst considering the price, though the carpet felt suspiciously sticky – chilling out and deciding on what to do for the day. The motel came complete with a crappy casino but it wasn’t the sort you’d want to spend much time, and definitely not sober.
After a quick change out of our camp clothes we were off exploring the Strip and in search of food. Note to selves: do not wear any clothing that has even a small chance of showing up sweat here. You can walk a huge part of the Strip without walking outside, safe from the heat in the maze of casinos and their air-conditioned interiors, but if you do step out for even just a short stroll you are sure to instantly erupt into a ball of sweat under the sun here.
Excalibur Castle Casino
We grabbed pizza in (the aptly named) 800 Degrees Pizza after finding really good reviews for it online. Unfortunately it was on the other end of the Strip which meant a long hot walk but the pizza was incredible and well worth it and along the way to it we nipped into some of the more famous casinos for our first taste of Las Vegas.
800 Degrees Pizza
$5 delicious pizza – yes please!
The first thing that hits you, once your eyes adjust to the dimmer light, is the perfumed smell in the air but it doesn’t take long to figure out that the perfume is covering the smell of tobacco in the air with every second person puffing out of a cigarette or cigar. People are strolling around with drinks in hand in all sorts of containers (cans, bottles, novelty cups) and because many of the casinos are owned by the same corporation you can stroll in and out between the casinos with your drink. This means that street drinking is really common and doesn’t seem to be an offence. What else would you expect from a party town like Vegas.
After noticing all that (or maybe even before), the show that is Las Vegas takes over. Dimly lit but with bright flashing lights, what stands out is the noise, slot machines, craps tables, bars and drink servers. Then there’s the obese people, thin people, wealthy people, down-on-their-luck people, drunk people, sober people, young people, old people – so much of society is represented here. Carpet is also a big thing in Vegas and it’s everywhere; on the floors, walls and ceilings, soaking up both the noise and the drinks.
Walking into the casinos, the sad cases are not hard to spot. It’s not difficult to see how people can get sucked in. The slot machines are plentiful and sucking up money all day long on low value bets. The tables are doing it on higher value bets. There’s an emphasis on youth and beauty here but at the same time there’s a very definite (and maybe intentional) dated feel.
The Bellagio is one of the better known casinos in Vegas and where the typical casino experience is concerned, it doesn’t disappoint. A weekend could easily go by without leaving the building.
The Bellagio
Just across from the Bellagio is Caesars Palace which is huge. The hotel reception, if you can find it, is even worth a look.
Caesars Palace
MGM Grand is as big as you could imagine and we got lost in here just trying to find the way back out, though that’s not an unusual feature in Las Vegas casinos. We looked at going to some of the house shows but at the prices advertised, they just weren’t worth it.
The Flamingo seemed different to the other casinos. There seemed to be a different clientele in there and different servers. It felt more like an everyman casino, less fancy than the others, slightly more sleazy. There’s a heap of other casinos along the Las Vegas Boulevard and we spent a little time in most but after a while they all begin to look the same and more time is lost trying to get out of them. There’s something to be said for picking one and staying in for the day if that’s what you’re after.
In truth though, you don’t need to go inside the casinos in Las Vegas to see what it’s all about. The footpaths outside come to life as nightfall sets with tourists, lights, street posers. The billboards on the sides of the casinos are enough to light up the sky. There people dressed up as superheroes and other film characters, jugglers and more street performers can all be seen trying to make a buck from the passers by. As the sun sets across the desert, the lit up buildings are a show in themselves.
The Bellagio Fountain is probably the best outdoor sight and is a must see to at least once while in Las Vegas, though it’s free and frequent so you could catch it several times over even a short stay. They erupt on the hour every hour but you need to be punctual, they last less than 5 minutes. That’s still pretty impressive considering the power needed to toss all that water through the air. People start gathering long before the hour mark is reached and it can be difficult to get a spot at the railings. Not that it matters all that much, the views are as good from the back and it’s free. The whoever controls the fountains does a good job matching them to the accompanying music. It’s quite a sight.
Final thoughts on Las Vegas…… if you have a very large pile of cash that you don’t mind parting with and some friends who feel the same, go for it. It could work out to be a once in a lifetime experience (á la The Hangover). If you’re looking for a relaxing break from it all or to make your millions off the slots, then this probably isn’t the place for you, though most people know that. We did some token gambling, mostly on the slot machines but opted out of most of the major gambling options. This was down to both a lack of cash and lack of interest. Las Vegas is a machine. It’s designed to give you a unique experience but to take as much money as possible from you. See it for what it is, enjoy it for that and leave before/when it stops being fun. For us, one night was enough.
The following morning we were up early with a four and a half hour drive to our next destination. We got a quick and free continental breakfast served up in a cafe just off the crumby casino, still busy with people leftover from the night before, and hit the road.
Overall we were happy to catch a glimpse of Las Vegas and see what it was all about. We were even happier to be moving on and we were looking forward to spending some quality time exploring our next stop, the Grand Canyon.
our next destination: The Grand Canyon ⇒
1 comment
Comment by April Yap
April Yap June 9, 2016 at 3:22 am
Vegas will always be the most fun and great place for me. It represents the world with it’s outdoor sight and a lot of things that makes the Vegas famous.