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Published: April 13th 2006
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Paris Casino
Another monument to the amount of money people will throw down slot machines....but hey! It's Vegas, you're not supposed to be sensible! Heading into the glittering array of lights, we pondered the reasons a town built at a railroad junction in the middle of the desert could possibly have for becoming a beacon of showy capitalism, consumerism, and probably every other kind of ism. We couldn't think of any justification, and after a little while in Vegas you realise there isn't any - there's pretty much no reason for any of it, other than because it can.
After a directionally challenged map tried to have us believe up was down and south was north, we figured out the way to our hostel was just a little matter of driving up Las Vegas Boulevard, past some of the most recognised, not to mention idiotic structures in America, through insane traffic, and then turning into an extremely unsavoury neighburhood, and there we were!
Immediately upon arriving, we were informed of the evening's adventure nightlife tour, costing only $20, which was a great deal considering the clubs here all have massive cover charges. So we signed up and headed to our room to get slightly less travel stained, finding there a pair of Irish lasses set on the same adventure as us.
Half
Pink Champagne!
We were much too busy enjoying ourselves to take decent photos of the inside of the Hummer Limo. an hour later, we joined 15 other like minded travellers clutching plastic champagne flutes and climbing into
a white Hummer Limosine! Riding in style, the Limo accomodated us all quite easily and even allowed for moving about inside so that everyone could stick their head out of the moonroof at each end of the cabin - yup, Jenny and Ju have ridden down Las Vegas Boulevard head and shoulders out of a white Hummer Limo while drinking pink bubbles!
We didn't think the night could get any better, but then our extemely able guide, Moses, headed us into the famous New York New York Casino, where we marched across the gleaming and bustling gambling floor and up to the entrance of.... Coyote Ugly! (We could definitely get used to walking straight through the door of a club while the queued up masses are let through one by one.) Anyway, the place inside looked exactly like the bar in the movie, complete with the packed floor and girls doing routines on the bar, which they broke off every now and then to let other hopefuls strut their stuff. Egged on by James, a fellow kiwi working at the hostel, we
headed on up to show them how.
The next stop for the night - the House of Blues at the Manderley Bay Casino - was a short tram ride away (the Las Vegas Strip is 8 miles long!) Usually playing 70's music on a Saturday, they had changed it up and it was a pretty average
doof doof that met our ears, although we were impressed by the gyrating dancers elevated above the club floor, and by the almost exclusively Latino clientele.
At this point we decied we couldn't be in Vegas and not have a go, so we headed to the 1 cent machines, where we each lost a dollar in rapid order, although happily met with a waitress who gave us drinks in return for dollar tips. The ploy didn't work for Casino - instead of staying at the machines we headed off on an adventure to find the restrooms, which it turns out are always hidden. Why they think anyone looking for relief is going to stop at a slot machine to lose a few bucks on the way, I don't know, but happily a burly bouncer covered his surprise at our accents long enough
Hanging at Coyote Ugly, Vegas
Where we stopped to admire the brave young lasses gamely entertaining the crowds. to tell us the way, and on our way back we found some of our party similarly overwhelmed and shared a taxi back to the hostel.
Daylight savings kicked in that morning, so by the time we awoke and adjusted our watches it was already fairly late - or rather, the perfect time to sample the pizza and soda deal at the Pizzeria next door to the hostel. Well satisfied, we ventured out to the Las Vegas Public Library for some internet time. Internet and laundry pretty much filled up our time until dinner, which was a very filling BBQ put on by the hostel and eaten around, or in some cases partly in, the pool. Nothing quite like sitting outside in downtown Las Vegas, eating a burger with your feet in a hot tub, chatting to people from all over the world, most of whom you'd met the night before while riding in a Hummer Limo!
After tea we headed out for our own tour of the strip, wanting to see a few more of the famous sights than the hectic excitement of the night before had allowed. Parking in Treasure Island's lot and negotiating the casino
Mirage Volcano
A crowd of people barring the footpath, we thought we'd better watch the amazing pyrotechnic display outside the Mirage Casino. floor to the street, we took in the eruption of the Mirage Volcano, which turns from a lush jungle waterfall into a steaming, lava spurting, flame throwing inferno every 15 minutes nightly, walked past the Venetian's gondolas, down the block long Caeser's Palace, including the Forum Shops, and window shopped in the Bellagio's array of deisgners - Prada, Fendi, Hermes, Armani... until it was time for the incredible display of the Bellagio Fountains. They were so good we had to watch them again, and it was different!
Setting off down the block, we hiked past Paris Las Vegas, featuring the Eiffel Tower and a giant Balloon, and New York New York, which has a Statue of Liberty, a NY skyline of skyscrapers, and Boston Bridge out front. Looping through the middle of all this is a roller coaster, which Juliet earmarked as worth the $13 it cost to ride, but not find a willing accomplice this time around has it down as something to come back for!
Excalibur the giant Castle next, then the Luxor's black glass Pyramid, Obelisk and Sphinx rounded off our adventure, and catching the tram partway back to alleviate Jenny's rapidly forming blisters, we
The Bellagio Fountain
We had to watch it repeatedly of course. An amazing choreographed display to music, quite something. trekked back to the car through the crowds, hazes of cigar smoke, and a few unsavoury salesmen and women. The atmosphere here definitely changes after midnight, when the free shows end - it becomes less playful and more of a grimmer, harder place - or maybe I was just tired. We liked Las Vegas far more than we had imagined, given its crass commercialism, and it was definitely an experience!
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