I Lost My Heart in Las Vegas

I thought it was about time that I write a post about Las Vegas and why I love it. I’ve made no attempt to hide the fact that I think it’s the best place in the world by commenting on people’s blogs and generally just being green with envy talking to people who live there. So I thought I better tell you why I love this tacky, neon gamblers paradise. And the reason is…….because it’s a tacky, neon, gamblers paradise. Pure and simple. Nowhere else in the world can you visit several cities within a city (New York, Paris, Venice), watch kings from European countries joust on horseback while you scarf down a cold beer, or watch some of the most fantastically bendy athletes in the world (I’m talking about Cirque Du Soleil here, not just some random people doing acrobatics on the Strip in the middle of the day; although I may suggest that to the Las Vegas tourist board as it’s about the only thing you actually can’t see in this city). Anyway, the point is this: whatever you want to do, you can do it in Vegas. Whoever you want to be, you can be in Vegas.

The first time I took a holiday in Las Vegas I was a youngster fresh out of high school and was basically tagging along on my parents’ trip. I wasn’t old enough to gamble, but that didn’t matter. As soon as I had heard the “ching ching” of the slot machines at the airport, I knew that I had started a love affair that would last forever. I was in awe. Everything was so big. And I mean BIG. The hotels, the pools, the buffets, the limos that rode up and down the Strip, the shopping malls, the theatres. I had been sucked in. I think the deal breaker for me was the all-you-can-eat buffets. Wall-to-wall food of epic variety; fresh seafood, Mexican burritos, Italian pastas, Japanese sushi, Indian curries….the list is endless. Not to mention some of the crazy meats on offer – I noticed kangaroo and ostrich steak at one hotel, but am sorry to say I tried neither. I quickly realised that in Las Vegas, anything is acceptable and everything is there for your pleasure and enjoyment. Where else in the world can say that it caters to your every whim 24 hours a day in such a way as Vegas does?

Fast forward about six years and I was back in SinCity. And this time I was legal. There was a new excitement. I could drink multi-coloured cocktails by the poolside before heading into the casino to fritter away some coins in the slots (I have only played table games in the UK and even then I pretty much suck at them unless I have someone very experienced with me). I had a new-found appreciation of the many shows, ‘O’ at Bellagio being my absolute favourite. I had progressed from the buffets to sampling some of the amazing restaurants. And I could actually walk into Tiffany’s with the intent of purchasing. Wish I could say the same for the Ferrari dealership next door, but hey, you can’t win them all. It was as though I had enhanced the Vegas experience even more with my coming-of-age. I could now fully appreciate its allure. I was also shocked by how much development had gone on since the last time I’d been there. New hotels had sprung up all along the Strip, with yet more foundations being laid whilst I was there. The city was constantly developing, striving for bigger and better resorts, facilities and entertainment activities. It’s this constant competition with itself that ensures that Vegas will never age. It will always cater to whichever generation chooses to experience it.

 

No matter where else in the world I travel, no matter how many humbling or exotic experiences I may encounter, I will always hold a place in my heart for Las Vegas. The love affair continues……