Sin City.

Ah, Vegas. Isnt this place hell on earth at 110 degrees? When I first arrived and walked out to the 100 person long cab line in the sweltering heat, the thought did cross my mind. Then, I was assigned to my cabbie who was generously pumping the AC and the bass. It seemed appropriate, ‘Chicago’ was playing. It was a cheesy tune with all the horns and whatnot, and the back speakers nearly blew out. I almost laughed at loud. I was in Vegas. Cheese city. My Cabbie looked like a well tanned transplant from some ocean paradise on the Florida Pan handle, and apparently he had had too many beans in his burrito at lunch.
Luckily, my destination on the strip was only a short drive away..

If you have never been to Vegas, it is like nothing I have ever seen, ever. This place is intriguing to visit, but almost a little repulsing at the same time. I am not a big gambler, but I do like to eat, and the shopping is kind of fun. So, we did plenty of walking. It was so hot that we ended up walking through the casinos, which is quite the clever ploy on their part, clever indeed. Suck the people into the cool depths, and get them spending. The hotels all have their themes, which is quite amusing and pretty fascinating. Where do you want to go? Paris, Venice perhaps? Each themed hotel has its own little shopping area to mimic the real thing; whether it is a cobbled street in Paris, or the Grand Canal, complete with gondola rides. It is Disneyland for adults. And, the construction is never ending. We must have passed at least 3 projects in the works: a new shopping center, just down the street from two other shopping centers, and what do you know, another casino and resort.

It is so hot during the day that the city really comes alive at night. This is when the scenesters come out, and apparently La Lohan too. We took the more adult approach to nights in Vegas and instead of hitting the Pure nightclub or the beach at Tao (on top of a hotel, I guess), we hit the Cirque du Soleil shows…twice. I had never seen one, ever, so the first night we took in a show called “Ka.” It was amazing, but not as amazing as the highlight of my trip, the “Love” show. This is a Cirque show dedicated to the songs of the Beatles, and I am a huge Beatles and John Lennon fan. Have been since I was 5. One of my first music memories is listening to John Lennon’s ‘Double Fantasy’ record with my oldest friend, singing our hearts out. It brings me such good memories, and seeing this show made my trip. It was that excellent.
So, I highly recommend it, ok?

All in all, I’ll be honest. I don’t love Vegas, but it fascinates me nonetheless. It may take 5 more years, but I imagine that I will be back.