Somewhat unexpectedly, Cute and I find ourselves in Las Vegas and without a bunch of plans for every minute. Since it's almost 100 degrees here, we're not bicycling in a marathon. Even the so-called dry heat thing is not working for me. It's hot.
Cute was here a few years ago on his Route 66 escapade; it's been MUCH longer than that for me. It's huge . . . that is an understatement. It is, in fact, almost unrecognizable to me except for the neon and some familiar casino names.
So far, besides people watching and watching money disappear even faster than magic, two things stand out: the difference in a rejuvenated downtown (btw, Circa is the coolest new hotel and its speakeasy, The Ski Lodge, and the Mob Museum and its speakeasy are fun) and the difference technology has made. In gambling, I'm not fond of the technology -- the machines are automated (I know, they have been for a while) but by that I mean it's just not slots but now you can play roulette and craps and almost every other game by yourself at a machine. People look grim. There is loud, loud music everywhere. There are no sounds of coins, no group cheering for a win, no camaraderie, and you can spend even faster. Good for Las Vegas I know. Yes, I'm apparently a Luddite.
More entertaining is that technology has brought a nice improvement to downtown since it's now covered with a great domed roof that shows one image after another. You can get the idea in the video beneath the word technology. There is also The Sphere (not downtown)-- which is a gigantic, yes, sphere, with enormous screens where you can view concerts. If there's not one you want to attend, there is The Sphere Experience every day which is an amazing, photographic, immersive extravaganza with a heavy dose of "we are destroying the earth and the only solution is to leave earth and populate outer space." This seemed somewhat ironic to me since we are in Las Vegas, a place created out of desert nothingness, drinking the earth dry whose sole purpose is entertainment and greed. (But the photography was awe-inspiring nonetheless. The pictures below do not at all show proportions. The middle one is the outside and inside, you were right next to those creatures amid many amazing landscapes.)
And perhaps I'm too harsh. Perhaps I'm smarting for paying for TWO drinks inside that ginormous ball in plastic cups and they cost $78.00!!! Before tip. I almost stopped breathing.
Anyway, Las Vegas is sooo diverting and so unreal in its many bizarre ways. So much is fake from Greek statutes and greenery to the Eiffle Tower to a tattered-hose, feathered girl who told me I must have been a showgirl while trying to sell me something. The place IS a hoot!
And Cute reminded me that he said we'd go to Venice this year -- I just didn't know he meant in Las Vegas. Viva!
Technology not including The Sphere including downtown and the world's creepiest way to sell sunglasses:
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