Tuesday, February 16, 2010

VEGAS BABY!

Finally after 4 years of living within a drivable distance from Vegas, I've entered the land of lights, "hot babes," flexible laws and endless buffets.
A friend was celebrating his 23rd birthday, so James and I decided to drive down and meet up with about 15 of our wonderful fun co-workers. We met at the Playboy club, where I needed to talk my way into a pass to get in...thank God I have the girl thing going for me, but James had to pay $20. We ascended to the 52nd floor where a million dollar view and $10 beers awaited us.

The club was fun and it was great to see everyone dressed up, but we weren't allowed to put our coats at a table unless we paid for a $400 bottle of vodka. We decided to throw all our belongings on the floor and dance around them, but security quickly caught on and made us pick it all up. A little uptight compared to our local watering holes, but the DJ was incredible and of course we danced the night away!

We stayed at the Luxor, the big pyramid shaped hotel on the Strip, and enjoyed the sights of Vegas. NY, New York was the most fun with a sweet roller coaster that I would rate a 7, and that's coming from a girl who had a season pass to Kings Island in 6th grade. And of course we ate a ton after the roller coaster experience. The dessert buffet made decisions difficult! I accidentally poured hot chocolate into my ice cream bowl...oops, but I wasn't too upset about it.

It's unbelievable how much sex is sold in Vegas. Everywhere you go people are handing out cards of naked girls (and I caught James scraping a bunch of them up off the street corner =) The casinos are dark and maze-like and my eyes took some time adjusting to the bright sky outside. And yes, I did gamble, and lost all of my $10 on the slots, but got a free drink out of it!

We watched the fountains at the Belagio put on a spectacular show and I found it funny when people took pictures and wondered at the imitations of the true classic European art, sculpture and architecture. The Vegas replicas are cheap and modern, but ya know, I've seen the real thing and it looks pretty much the same.

Overall, Vegas is cheesey, smokey, expensive if you're not gambling, and full of strange strange people. Only in Vegas will you see midgets being exploited as advertising leprachans and Elivises. But the 8 hour drive through the desert was worth it to see the famous sights of fabulous Las Vegas!