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Published: October 11th 2009
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A place has never been more worthy of its name. Known as ‘Disneyland for adults’ this money pit is ready to swallow you whole. Bright, flashing lights send you into a daze as you wade through numerous hands thrusting business cards advertising an array of illustrious women into your path . If you avoid the temptation of a yard of margarita for $5 then you will inevitably fall foul to one of the casinos. It’s Vegas baby!
Having never been to a casino in my life I feel like Vegas is one hell of an introduction. You can’t help but be filled with eager anticipation of what the night will bring as the lights hypnotise and entice anyone and everyone walking the strip, each place fighting for your attention, determined to take you in. The extravagant buildings seem to get more and more ridiculously out-of-this-world as you walk further along. Hotels with roller coasters, canals and gondolas, pirate ships, lion enclosures, you dream it, Vegas has it.
I prepared a budget of over twice what I had previously been living off for this stop, and you better believe it has all been used. After checking into the Sahara (the
cheapest hotel at only $31 per night) and soaking in the fact I had my own en-suite room complete with double bed I headed to the hotels casino to try my hand. The Sahara is located at the Stratosphere end of the strip which is a good 30 minute walk to get to the more familiar names; Caesars Palace, The Bellagio etc. Consequently the casino is home to some cheap dollar tables, which is where I set up camp. On changing money for chips I found it difficult to appreciate the monetary value assigned to the chips, similar to finding it easier to spend foreign money because it does not seem so real. Fifty dollars disappeared very quickly that first night on a mixture of slot machines, blackjack, and roulette, but it was an experience to be had. The beast had been awoken and I was already looking forward to the following day to hit the casino once more.
Once the sun comes out Vegas is transformed into a very different place, giving its visitors a whole new perspective. I spent a full day walking all the way along the strip marvelling at the architectural delights of each hotel.
You cannot help but let your jaw drop as you see some of the lengths the hotels have gone to in order to retain some individuality. The money spent on these hotels is just phenomenal. I darted in and out to check out the interiors and found the indoor garden area of ‘The Bellagio’ to be particularly fascinating, along with the canal running through the centre of ‘The Venetian‘. The New Yorker literally had miniature replicas of buildings and streets from New York within the hotel which was an eerie and quite unbelievable sight. I virtually touched paws with a monstrous lion when walking through the glass walkway passing directly through the MGM Grand’s $9million lion enclosure. The strip ‘s shopping centre’s provide another avenue of opportunity for the tourist to empty their pockets with their big brand name clothes shops.
Something I was particularly looking forward to in Vegas was seeing a show of some sort. I hadn’t decided what exactly to watch but went to a ½ price ticket store (selling tickets for that nights performances) to see what was available. As soon as I saw the Blue Man Group was there I strolled purposefully to the
counter and bought my ticket. If you have not heard of the Blue Man Group it is effectively three men dressed in black clothes with completely blue heads and hands who specialise in percussion. This show was absolutely incredible. It was hilarious from the beginning, with a mixture of comedic and awe inspiring displays. The show was very heavy on audience participation with two different people being dragged up on stage at differing points in the show along with numerous other occasions of interaction. The men themselves did not speak throughout the show, instead the show was ripe with confused and searching looks between the performers which resulted in plenty of laughter from the audience. A band dressed in luminous skeleton-like outfits backed up many of the songs performed to add more depth and really get the crowd fired up. I feel it would be unjust to attempt to describe any particular parts of the performance as I know it would be impossible to convey its sheer brilliance in words. What I can say however, is that with a vibrant display of colours, music, and humour throughout, the Blue Man Group Show was mind blowing and is an absolute must
see for anyone visiting Las Vegas.
Much of the rest of my time here has been spent in and out of casinos, and just plain relaxing either in my room watching a film, or by the hotel pool. Vegas has been one hell of a stop for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, however it is a place that could have been made a definitive highlight of my trip had I been with company. Although it has been nice to stay in a hotel room, it has meant I have not met other people to socialise with. Sure, I have met people at the betting tables, but unfortunately my money does not allow me to sit there all day.
I will return to Las Vegas but when I do, I will be bringing a big group and a shitload of money!
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alice again
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sold it to me man! sounds amazing!!! though the thought of spending that much money scares me!