Leaving Las Vegas

I’m beginning this post as I sit in the gate area of my departing flight from McCarran International, and taking advantage of the free wi-fi connection (HT Jay Reding). This is an enjoyable feature and gives me time to make a list of the other things I enjoyed in Las Vegas during my brief stay:

1. The Key Lime pie at Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant, which was very tart and creamy and quite unlike the midwestern versions I usually experience where it is considered sufficient to simply add a green tint to the dessert.

2. The dancing fountains show in front of the Bellagio in the evenings.

3. Air-conditioning.

Other than that I suppose you can say that the party animal in me has long since had his hide tanned, mounted and banished to the attic (you’re not bringing that thing into my house), and Vegas is best enjoyed at hyper party speed where things are thrown at you so quickly you don’t have time to look too closely. At a slower, more cynical pace it can still be interesting, however.

Strolling down the strip you can see faux versions of Rome, Venice, Egypt, New York, Paris, tropical islands – and faux grass in front of (I think) the Wynn Las Vegas, which no doubt serves pate de foie gras inside. In addition to the architectural mimicry, there were other superstructures that also appeared to be less than authentic (you go, girl). Every so often I could get a glimpse between buildings of the mountains flanking the city; taken together in frame the juxtaposition of false facade and rocky reality can be startling.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.