Hoover Dam was the first stop on our Vegas itinerary. It’s not as big as we thought it was going to be. In fact, we were a little under whelmed, so when Fin went on the tour of the power plant I read for a couple of hours in the sun.
We headed to “the strip” afterwards and walked for miles just looking in a variety of casinos and watching the ridiculous shows they put on to draw the crowds. There’s little to do in Vegas if you’ve got no money. It’s a soulless place that strips you of your wealth and leaves you bemused in the cold chaos.
We watched the Sirens of Treasure Island show, which consists of a svelte bunch of half naked women prancing around on boats with half naked muscle-men singing in front of fireworks and explosions – all manner of visual-shocks are covered in Vegas. After this we went to The Venetian to see the indoor canal and Gondola rides they offer.
It’s near impossible to actually cross a street in Vegas. You can only get across half of them by taking the outdoor escalators to the walkways that lead into casinos. You then have to find your way out of the casino, which is a labyrinth in itself filled with mindless bodies slumped in rows of chairs in front of slot machines. They stare, gormless as they push the button to spin the reels. Note that there’s no need to use your arm to pull the lever anymore. The levers are still there of course, but why exert more energy than necessary? Flicking your right index finger will leave you vigour enough to get up and stand at the craps tables.
We walked down the strip to see the erupting volcano outside The Mirage, which spat out fire and water. We walked past Paris and The Bellagio with its dancing fountains (to Your Song by Elton John) before reaching New York, New York and losing our way in MGM Grand trying to get back. We ended up watching a preview of Flashpoint in the Grand and rating it before stumbling wearily towards to the car, trying our best to avoid the drunken horde and slipping on the carpet of sex cards on the way.
On our last day there we relaxed for a large majority of it. We watched some Curb… and Forest Gump, had Chinese for lunch and then headed to downtown Vegas where everything was born from the dust of the Nevada desert. We watched the light and music show on Fremont Street, which is displayed on an overhead canopy that stretches further than five football fields and blasts Queen or whatever band they’re showing above you. We saw a lot of vintage neon signs in Neonopolis and visited Mickie Finnz (as recommended by our host) before heading to IHOP to get some horrendously greasy food.
On our way to Los Angeles we stopped off in a couple of places, namely Amboy, where we saw a defunct cinder cone known as Amboy Crater and what I like to think of as the “Big Fish” tree. It had hundreds of shoes thrown onto it and I’m happy to believe that somehow it leads to the magical town of Spectre. We also stopped at the Bagdad Café which is apparently the star of the eponymous film.
5 Comments
March 10, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Amazing to read this travelblog, Danni. I’m a little embarassed for America!
March 10, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Green, green, green, green, green….I green with envy, what fantastic trip, have fun, be safe….
Mike
March 11, 2009 at 1:02 am
Got your card today, it was great. Love the pics and love the words miss you x x x x
March 11, 2009 at 8:12 am
America is a melting pot of cultures, don’t be embarrassed for Vegas. I don’t think anyone can
March 11, 2009 at 8:13 am
Also, dad – excellent, I was wondering when that’d get to you. Miss you too x