Why is there such hype surrounding Las Vegas? I don't see the attraction myself. Having stayed there in the summer of 2003, I hope to never return. Here's why.
Vegas is in its own little bubble. It's a heaven for consumerism, obesity, greed, and tack.
First of all, the heat overwhelmed me. It made it impossible to go outside for any longer than a few minutes at a time. The air is thick, heavy with the desert heat.
It makes people there very lazy, as the whole system is set up so you don't have to walk far. There is a mini train in Vegas that takes people only around 100 metres. Large fans line the sidewalks to blast passers by with freezing cold air.
Sunglasses are an absolute necessity, without them you will be squinting constantly (day and night!)
I didn't hate everything about the city. I'll get the positives out of the way first. The best thing about Vegas was the drive there from Los Angeles. It was beautiful and probably one of the best drives I have have been on. The scenery went from mountains to desert. Halfway, we were struck by a storm, which subsided to reveal rainbows over the sand dunes. The sky went through every possible colour and seemed so vast.
The other good things about Vegas are the cheap prices, and the food. My first night there, I ate like a princess: dishes I had never tried before,
such as crab, monkfish, authentic sushi. The best all you can eat buffet is undoubtably the Bellagio (that's the casino/resort with the dancing fountains outside, as seen in Oceans 11). It cost $25 for an international buffet cooked by gourmet chefs. My mouth is actually watering remembering that meal.
There is certainly lots to see in Vegas. Walking up and down the Strip, you can see casinos of every kind, from an Egyptian pyramid (the Luzor), a half size Eiffel Tower (the Paris)and a reincarnation of Manhattans skyscrapers (the New York, New York).
Arriving in Vegas is an experience like no other. Approaching on the desert road, you can see the bright lights miles away, and upon entering the Strip, everything is larger than life. I had my head right out of the window trying to take it all in, gawping at everything.
I stayed in the Boardwalk hotel and Casino, which is just off the strip, behind the New York, New York. It was around £15 each for a large double en suite room. All the hotels in Vegas are reasonable, after all, they want to pack in the punters to the casinos.
How do you spend the day in Vegas? Gamble, shop, and eat, that's how. As I don't gamble and don't have much money for shopping, I got a little bored. The water park is only open at weekends, so we couldn't go there. Most hotels have pools, which are refreshing given the draining heat, but you don't need to go 5000 miles to go swimming.
I don't gamble, which I imagine coloured my perception of Vegas. The tourist board tries to market Las Vegas as suitable for everyone, whether they gamble or not, and are trying to promote the city as being a suitable destination for families. I would have to disagree. There is very little for children to do there, aside from watch the circus shows at the Circus Circus casino. If you gamble, you will love it, but otherwise, you are not missing out by not going there.
There are lots of shops in Vegas, including many tacky dollar stores along the strip selling everything from lucky charms to those US most wanted card decks, as well as great mounted photographs and maps. Inside malls, such as the amazing Venetian, more upmarket stores prevail.
The Venetian is a relatively new resort, and even impressed me. It's designed to be a working replica of Venice, with its own canal system, gondalas, and the most amazing shopping centre I have ever been to. It is all indoors, but looks like the streets of Venice, with ornate bridges, live musicians, and the breathtaking ceiling which is like a real sky, with changing weather and the times of the day.
Food lovers will also love Vegas for its buffets. Some are better than others, but even the cheap ones (at around $5) will fill you up and offer a wide range of dishes. I'm glad I only stayed a few days or I would have put on so much weight from all that food!
Several casinos offer free ice creams, which bizarrely, my friend and I had to show our ID to recieve. Cheap alcohol is everywhere, especially huge cocktails, but we avoided drinking for fear of passing out in the heat.
Other things the non gambler can do:
- Every night, twice an hour, the fountains outside the Ballagio "dance". It's very crowded, but it's a lot of fun watching the huge fountains move in time to music such as Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston.
-Watch the free circus shows at Circus Circus, several times a day
-Traipse around all of the casinos and collect free gifts, such as mini lucky trolls and packs of cards with naked women on
- Go and see magicians Siegfred and Roy's famous white tigers at the Mirage. Last October, one of the tigers attacked Roy, but they still live at the Mirage, although the magic show has been cancelled. They are beautiful creatures and I felt sorry for them, stuck in a glass box with people gawping at them.
-Catch a show if you have lots of dough. Nightly entertainment includes world famous Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, and occasional performances from other stars. Elton John will be playing at shows in Vegas next year. There are also tacky "adult entertainment" shows all over the place.
-Go to the Big Apple bar in the New York, New York complex. There is no admission charge and bands play nightly. There are a lot of good bars in the NY, NY, including Coyote Ugly.
-Take a helicopter ride along the Strip at nighttime - warning - expensive
-Take a day trip to the Grand Canyon
- Go to Freemont Street, the "old town" part of Vegas. There are yet more casinos there, with nightly light shows
Beware- everyone expects to be tipped in Vegas, even if they just hold a door open for you or say hello. I had to virtually fight the porter off and convince him I was perfectly capable of carrying my own bag, thank you very much!
I saw people from all over the world in Vegas- men in pristine Arab dress, Japanese tourists, young men in Englandfootball shirts, and a majority of American families on their vacation. Most of the people working in Vegas are Hispanic, Asian and Black. I can't imagine it's a very happy existance living in that strange world.
In the casinos there are no clocks, in order that punters lose track of time, and it's easy to get lost. They are huge, vast places, lined with money taking boxes and tables, and I just wanted to get out. Only as soon as I got outside, the heat threatened to strangle me.
A taxi from the centre to the airport costs around $8. Flights go virtually anywhere, domestic or international. It's a modern, small airport, with a very poor selection of books in its shop. My flight was delayed for several hours, and apart from my courtesy can of pop and "ranch mix", I was incredibly bored. Vegas is not a destination for book lovers, so I suggest you take your own with you in case of delays.
I was very relieved to finally leave Vegas and head to New York. I only stayed for a few days, but that was more than enough for me. I'm glad I have been and seen it for myself, but there was nothing there for me. I like history, culture, and human life. I found the whole thing pretty soul less.
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Hotel - 3801 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA, 3801 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, NV 89109, United States of America - 2 Stars - 1878 Rooms
Brilliant review! Even though Vegas clearly wasn't for you you still managed to give a balanced review that listed all the things that other people might enjoy! Great review. I myself would love to go but I couldn't sacrifice a beach holiday for it!
LIZKEMPO 27.04.2006 18:08
i loved Vegas so much - it was one of my best ever holidays! Lizziex
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Advantages: Totally out of this world experience, so much to see and do, great hotels and casinos Disadvantages: Sleazy in places, a few days isn't long enough to see it all
junkboxjules 10.07.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Las Vegas
Oct 30th, 2004
(Oct 30th, 2007)
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