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I guess everyone has there idea of what Las Vegas is like. I certainly came here thinking it was all about gambling, and certainly there is a lot of that. However, it is much more. It is an amalgum of Hotel, Holiday Resort, Casino, Food and Drinks, Shopping Mall, Conference Centre, Theatre and Concert Venue. I spent most of the evening wandering around with my mouth open, stunned by what I was seeing. Every time you think you've seen everything, you turn a corner and see something new: A wedding chapel, a monorail, the "cathouse"!
An odd thing is how quickly these extrodinary sights become, well, ordinary. After a couple of hours it seemed perferctly reasonably to see a bridal party dashing through the casino. Well why shouldn't it be that way? And then another new sight gets you (slot machines embedded in the bar top) and your jaw drops again.
Initially, I thought that Las Vegas was all about helping you loose money. (I was pretty convinced that if I looked hard enough, I would even find some insurance salesmen). But then I realised that that wasn't it. What they sell here is indulgence. If you really want something, you can get it here.
Another though I had is that I've seen some amazing sights during my trip through the US, for example Manhattan and Grand Canyon. With each of these, I could sort of see how they evolved. For example, Manhattan is an obvious port and as people arrived, they put down roots, spilled away from the port area, and the city grew. The Grand Canyon formed over millions of years through water errosion, and while the scale in both time and space is mind boggling, it starts with what's there and becomes what it is. But Las Vegas seems to grow out of nothing. In the middle of the desolate stretch of land, we have decided to create this human oasis/den of iniquity (delete as appropriate). It is quite something.
Before coming here, I would not have recommended Las Vegas to anyone as a place to visit; I would now. It is extreme - a real eye opener.
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Andy Abel I'm no gambler, but I do still take visitors to Vegas. So much to see. We enjoyed the Pirate Ship at Treasure Island, and having a gondola serenade us on a canal through the streets of Venice inside a casino!