What happens in Vegas...

[There are more pics on Facebook, and even a couple of vids. Just search on my hotmail address, and "be my friend"]

When I turned 40 (no, really, you wouldn’t have guessed, etc) , two things occurred; firstly, a preponderance of grey pubic hair, and secondly the overwhelming urge to make sandwiches each time a long car journey is mentioned. And they have to be whole-meal with ham and cheese on, with some crisps and possibly a boiled egg.

Thus furnished, off we went on our hols to Vegas (one drops the Las). Luckily, this genetic mutation had also forced me into the local Barnes and Noble beforehand to get a quantity of mags, dot-to-dot and pens for T and bridgjo, in case of boredom. Quite fortuitous, as the big-seller at the airport that week was the pop-out (hmm) Barack Obama stand-up doll (in traditional vest and knickers); “Dress the President in an exciting array of pinstripe and tweed!”.

We stayed in the Desert Rose at the South End of the strip, just behind Hooters (find your own link). It was jolly cheap $80 for the first night, for a two-bedroomed suite with equipped kitchen, then the last two nights of the trip we down-graded to one-bedroom for $50. (The resort doesn’t quite look like the picture, BTW, but the swimming-pool was great, and the breakfast OK if you got up early enough and grabbed enough to make sandwiches for later (somebody stop me)).


But blimey, it was hot. Obviously this has an impact on hotel prices, but I’ve actually lived in a desert before, dontcha know. But this was something else. Really, which idiot thought of building there? (Duck! Oh, sorry, Bugsy, I didn’t see you standing there). All that water! All that electricity! A few years ago, they tried to market it to families, but it failed….a lack of transport infrastructure and a variety of proof of Nevada’s rather lax prostitute laws probably had an impact on that Business Model.

In Singapore, you don’t need to go outside, just walk from one end of the block to another through each of the department stores. In Vegas you have to scoot along the walkways through the casinos (and although children are allowed in, you can’t even stop to tie your shoe-lace. Even if the slot machine does have unicorns on), come outside, and get into the next one and so on down the street. And it is massive. On the map you think “Hmm, let’s nip to the Bellagio to see the fountains”, and on the map it’s only one block away. But each block is about 1 mile long. It was built with no underpasses (there’s a 10 lane highway which forms the strip, with infrequent crossings), and a mono-rail which only seems to have about 4 stops. Wynne , where we had a brilliant buffet one night (ideally seated between the sea-food, and the chocolate-mousse-on-a-meringue-base stands), had had a shuttle between the monorail and the hotel, but had discontinued it shortly before we went. Didn’t stop us though.

But you know, in spite of the grumbles, it is quite amazing. I kept finding a slightly daffy look on my face, gawping at Luxor, MGM and the Venetian, and thinking “Wow!”.

Yes, I gambled. One whole dollar at Caesar’s Palace. I won 20 cents.

And the food was really reasonable too. I went there expecting London prices (no wonder Americans moaning (quietly to themselves until they get back) when they go to the UK), but we had an enormous steak dinner (there’s posh) for around $100. And when I say enormous; I usually buy a 6oz fillet steak and split it between JB and I on a Monday. There we each indulged in 22oz monsters. I now eschew, rather than chew meat. I think it cured me.

It has an overwhelming party atmosphere (judging by the people walking down the strip holding two foot high cocktails), and at night it really is just like the pictures. Sort of Disney, but everso slightly adult. I’d have loved to have seen a show – I think Penn & Teller would have been good. I’ll save it until a certain person is a bit older.

There’s lots of building going on at the moment, which makes the Strip even more difficult to traverse. After all, what Las Vegas needs is more hotels. Really not much of an economic slump in evidence there.

But it really, truly is as exciting, loud, lively, bright, sparkly and as trippy as anything you could expect (although if you go with a 5-year-old expect several conversations along the theme of “But why do the naughty ladies catch cold when they dress like that?”).