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JFK Airport is sad and shabby and dull. We flew out from it and landed in Vegas. Las Vegas Airport is happy and zappy and lively. Why, it even has slot machines right next to the luggage carousal so you can play while you wait for your luggage to come off the plane. Who would have thought?
Our hotel, Hurrah's, is on the Strip and is as big and flashy as most of the others. Driving from the airport to it at night was an eye-opening feast of razzle dazzle light in a balmy desert night. We quickly checked in, dumped our luggage, resisted the generous offer of purchasing the entire contents of the mini-bar for $25 (I know, what a bargain!), and joined the other wide-eyed, open-mouthed throngs promenading up and down the Strip.
Where do I begin to explain the wonders I have seen? The noise and brightness of the night were replaced early next morning by a pleasant calmness and warm glow of sunlight lighting up the buildings that are Vegas. The night crowds were in their beds except for the die hard gamblers who were still at it, hoping for that big win to ease their financial burdens.
Now, what to have for breakfast was the first big decision of the day. We settled for the grand slam (bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes) from Denny's washed down by a bottomless cup of coffee. Somehow we just couldn't bring ourselves to order the bacon maple milkshake (you heard right - a milkshake made with vanilla ice cream blended with diced bacon and maple syrup and topped with whipped cream). Only in America my friends, only in America.
Fueled with the food needed to spend another day walking, we proceeded to be gobsmacked time and time again by the graduer and the glitz of the hotels and casinos we passed: the Venetian, complete with gondolas floating around canals, beautiful bridges and St Mark's Square; Caesar's Palace, the granddaddy of all casinos with its Forum shopping centre (this part alone bigger than the Hyperdome), Colosseum, grand curved sweeping escalators, Roman statues and fountains including the Trevi Fountain out front; Paris Las Vegas, right there with the Eiffel Tower looming over it. There are many many more, as grand and as bold. And yes, I also saw Elvis on the street as bold as brass.
Tacky you may be thinking? Too glitzy? Too over the top? Nah! This is Vegas baby. This is how it should be. Fun, fabulous and just a little bit freaky. I love it! Oh, and I have been so busy walking around in awe, I haven't even touched a slot machine or thought of gambling. Maybe tomorrow ... or the day after ... if there is time. As Elvis once sang, "If I only had time."
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