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Published: March 21st 2006
Ooops
This is my third interaction with a cop whilst in the States sofar...although Chris is the one who got the ticket. Can you blame him for speeding on such a open highway?I hit the road for Nevada with two lads from the UK. As I have a rail pass, is this a mistake? Will I be excluded from half of the camaraderie as I 'wouldn't understand'? Well, I did have my quiet moment when they showed their gangsta moves to the tunes, and when Joffie wrote a few naughty words in the crusty dirt on the car doors, but apart from that the cruise to Vegas was a blast. The straight open road ahead of us was a contrast to our motorways in the UK, but then absolutely nothing is similar to life in the UK so who knows why I still refer to it?
The traffic came to a stop as we approached Hoover Dam. I jumped out for some fresh air and a few photos for all the engineers in my life. The stillness of the water made me pinch myself a little, am I really seeing this? I imagined myself swan diving from one of the intake towers that created Lake Mead. This daydream came to a drastic end upon realizing that my svelt swimsuit and I would then be swept into one of the turbines, and
James Bond girl I am not, so best to just walk over the top like the rest of the tourists. But then I saw the 750 foot cemented drop on the other side and imagined running straight into the skydive. I quickly learned how dangerous daydreams can really be as I lost my ride and spent the next couple of hours searching for the boys.
Vegas is only 30 miles from the Hoover Dam and the drive was pretty straight forward. Billboards greeted us with an invite to a gun show whilst the lights along the 'Strip' began directing us to their feature presentations. The 'Sin City' hostel sign flashed us at the end of the main drag, and after dumping our gear we turned around and hit the sights. The first thing that we (remember, I am with 2 boys) noticed were the traditional looking newspaper stands we passed along the sidewalk. There weren't really any top stories on show, just topless girls inviting all. A reminder that this town isn't really going to feature firemen rescuing cats from grandma's tree. We cruised into the Stratosphere (the tallest building west of the Mississippi) for the view also
being embraced by newlyweds. Joffie and I opted for an adrenalin rush on the mini coaster over the edge. I think the newlyweds night will be more exciting than the ride was.
The sun began to set and the blinking attractions along the Strip began to have more of an impact. The lights at Circus Circus, the gondolas along the 'Grand Canal' at the Venetian, pirate ships parading in front of Treasure Island, and erupting volcanoes welcoming us to the Mirage. All in an hour cruising Vegas. Baby. It didn't feel real, but then it isn't, is it? Vegas is in a league of it's own and I can assure you, there's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. Thank God. Or maybe I should be thanking Elvis as I at least managed to see him!
We sauntered inside a few of the casinos to scope out the scene. Well, we were searching for the $5 tables to be honest, but this is Vegas-we can pretend right? I saw people casually put down $100 only to lose it the next second. Another $100, and another and another. I kept trying to calculate how many
nights of accommodation and meals these guys were losing out on, but couldn't keep up. I must admit, I'm really not a gambler at heart so perhaps it's best if I try out the simplicity of the slots for awhile. I passed the pros (earplugs and two machines on the go at the same time) to search out the 25 cent machines, ordered my free beer, and started pacing myself. $5 down, time to call it a night for me! Chris was much luckier on a poker table at the Bellagio, $50 up! Can you imagine the luxuries one could afford with that? All the glamour and glitz for the night caused a sensory overload and we opted for an outdoor poker game for pennies at the hostel. Travellers can make their own style anywhere.
Joffie was off to LA in the morning and I decided to stick around for another day to check if everything I had seen so far was real or not. Chris and I went for a drive through the surrounding areas and were a little mystified by what we saw. We had all ready experienced the long straight stretches, but along this route
we saw fenced in areas...but fencing in absolutely nothing. This is 'Area 51', also known as the unknown area (apart from the government). I kept my eyes peeled for spaceships and aliens, but only came up with Chris and as he was driving I didn't want to upset him. We continued cruising and listening to tunes whilst passing through the sagebrush plains and ghost towns. There were a couple of slowpokes we left in our dust before catching sight of the police cruiser coming towards us. Busted, and my third interaction with a cop in the States. We tried to point out to the officer that we thought the straight stretch roads were meant to emulate the stealth fighters route above us, but he didn't go for it. There was clearly no getting out of this one, so Chris accepted the hefty fine and shoved it to the bottom of his suitcase. I'm not sure if the officer grew a disliking towards us because I tried to take his photo poking out of the sunroof, or whether he stopped to read the message Joffie had left above the bumper. (we really didn't wish that the officer's mother was as dirty
Travelling with the boys
The moves from the front seat as the car!) It was clearly a no win situation. We crept back onto the road and approached the Death Valley, an interesting afternoon that I'll fill you in on in the California entry as we had technically left the state for the day.
My intentions of staying in Las Vegas for just one night (I thought a gambling town just wouldn't suit a good girl like me) became an ongoing joke each morning between Chris and I. It was nice to have found a mate to explore and hang around with so what's the rush? We spent the next morning filling our bellies with a traditional American breakfast.
As much as Chris might protest, square Scottish sausages and black pudding just can't compare to crispy bacon and eggs over easy. We followed up our meal with a visit to the American coffee institution. Who knows how many Starbucks there are in Vegas? Perhaps Austin Powers might be the best person to answer that question, as he finds them on top of towers. I felt like a bit of a British spy myself when I spotted the Starbucks drive in that we hit. Yes, I know everybody in
America knows about the drive ins, but I still can't quite get over the shock value. Somebody recently pointed out to me the joy of a drive in for a mom with 2 kids in tow. Okay point taken, but shouldn't they be the only ones allowed to use a drive in? For a coffee? Wake up! Pry your ass off of your heated car seat and walk to the counter to enjoy a more personable experience!! Although, the Starbucks 'partners' that served us through the window seemed rather pleased to be offering us cream with that, it still seems wrong to me.
All buzzed up and ready to go, we hit the strip for a bit of daytime action. As I wasn't going to be making my fortune at the tables that night, we decided to get some tickets to one of the shows in town. Roseanne Barr, Jackie Gleeson and Celine Dion were offered and kindly declined as I had visions of high kicks and feather boas. Decisions decisions, what ticket did we go for? I don't really know how it happened, but somehow Chris convinced me that 'The Art of Seduction' would have an impact
Lookin Down
from Hoover Dam. I had no parachute so was stuck just lookin on me. And as Chris has a girlfriend, maybe he was just looking out for his new mate. Considering my track record with men, I agreed it might be a learning experience. And Chris was just there to tag along of course.
We entered the theatre in the MGM Grand just in time to see the first high kicks. I averted my eyes for a moment upon realizing there were no boas to cover the top halves of the dancers. The stage was small and set an immediate intimate relationship with the entire audience as it was only a few feet away from each of us. The show began to define itself as a classy sexy striptease without the full strip. The dancers were very good, and I wasn't as embarassed as I thought I would be. And when I next try to seduce somebody I'll let you know if it really was a hit or not.
After sipping our drinks in front of the fishnet stockings, we hit a few casinos and took a few more photos of the action around town. Tigers played in front of the zoned out gamblers in the MGM whilst
east coast accents hollered out offers of hot dogs amongst the slots in New York New York. Our feet began to drag and we admitted to ourselves that we were approaching the overdose point of life in Las Vegas. My head soon hit the pillow on my bed I began to dream of my life somewhere else.
After our routine breakfast, Chris and I popped into "The World's Largest Souvenir Shop" for a couple of classy keepsakes. Seeing all the traditional momentos of town sparked us to create a couple more lasting memories before we hit the road. We visited the Little White Chapel just like Brittney did, and posed as man and wife. All talk and no action of course! Then we fanned out our one dollar bills and entertained all those entering the casino,
"You won all that?"
"Yup, my new husband here is soooo clever! He laid his last paycheque on the table and bluffed his way against the big boys an now we can get us somethin real special!"
It was a very entertaining afternoon to say the least. But finally we had to face facts and it was time
to hit the road to San Diego. I continued laughing with my new travel buddy as we passed billboards informing those living in Las Vegas how easy a vasectomy could be. It's definitely time to leave Nevada!
California here we come!
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alisonb
non-member comment
You found Elvis! Nuff said! Alisonx