Las Vegas 2011

The last time that I has spent any appreciable time on the strip was in March of 2003. Prior to that I'd been there a few times with my wife earlier, and in 2010 had been there with another school trip, but we had avoided the strip.

So last week I ventured to Sin City sans wifey (on a business trip) to spend some time with friends and do the town. By doing the town I mean a little drinking, talking, good food and perhaps a little night life. I'm not a gambler and my friends avoid the tables too. Oh we all tossed a twenty into the slot machines but other than that did not gamble. And yeah I got a little work done too!



I stayed at the Luxor, a 4,000 room hotel connected by interior halls and the monorail to Mandalay Bay on the south and Excalibur on the north. Mind you this was Spring Break week. There lot's of college kids drinking, carousing and generally having a good time.

What struck me immediately was the aggressiveness of the "skin" vendors hawking escort services and the people on the street and inside the hotels pushing shows, clubs and hotel events. The street folks have always been there but never with such aggressiveness, sticking photo cards with bare breasted women adorning in your face as you walked the street. I am always amazed at the amount of paper thrown down in the street. Las Vegas street cleaners must have their work cut out for them!



The hotel review? It was massive. That's all I have to say about that. Food offerings were spotty. Apart from the the taco bar overlooking the casino floor I preferred the restaurants in Mandalay Bay. Expect to drop $30 a person for the buffets and $50 or more for dinner.

This dismaying part of the hotel showed up immediately. There is no wifi; only wired complimentary internet service. And the reason is that there is something in the walls that block reception. I could not get a clean cell phone signal anywhere but the casino and the lobby areas.

Rooms were clean and roomy but felt a bit dated. The TV is an old-fashioned tube number. But who stays in the rooms in Vegas? Mostly guests are out and about. And I was!

I walked the strip, 4 miles from Mandalay Bay to The Riviera, at least three times, wearing out my legs and toes. Why? The sites along the strip alone being so damned intoxicating. Oddly dressed tourists, show girls, characters from popular movies to pose with on the street for tips; people bringing snakes and lizards to lure tourists, musicians playing for their own tips.

And always the homeless, often with creative, unique signs; here a man laying in the gutter with a dirty cardboard sign reading "Why lie? I need a whore", there a sign being held by a man that said "I need help - I'm black". You just shake your head at some of these people but you also realize the town has not only attracted tourists, but alcoholics, the mentally unstable, the homeless and feeble minded. And all of these people coexist juxtaposed with the Gucci stores, extravagant hotels like Bellagio, Caesars Palace and The Winn hotel group.

Despite all of the gaudiness of the casinos and the desperation of the many on the streets I love this town. Putting all of this in perspective you must experience this desert show for sure at least once in your life .