Vegas
I know you were all waiting with baited breath to hear about my shark adventures, but sadly the pool was closed by the time we checked in on Saturday. I could see the sharks but I couldn’t get close. Alas. It was a very disappointing moment of realization for Ian and I. We decided to cut our losses and head for the Strip. As my first time there, it was utterly overwhelming.
If you want an exercise in sensory (over)stimulation, Las Vegas is your town. It is an absolute assault on the unprepared visitor. Vegas is full of blinding light and advertisements blaring from speakers, a strapping example of commercial enterprise at its finest, all trying to get you to spend your money and most importantly, distract you from just how bad it smells.
Vegas reeks of alcohol and perfume, sewage of every degree, and most pervasive of all, cigarette smoke. The smell wafts through the air, permeates your hair, your clothes, your skin, your life. I’m a nonsmoker and it was horrible. I had a headache for two days straight. I realize how much I’ve taken for granted California’s anti public smoking laws.
It was fun though. It was good to be with friends but ultimately Vegas just isn’t my town. I’m not super into gambling, which is pretty much what you do in Vegas. In high school the PTO organized a prom after-party to keep kids from going out and getting into trouble. They had a casino section at the party and gave every student Monopoly money to gamble with, in order to win real prizes. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing my fake money and having none, so I kept it. That is just how lame I am. I did partake in Vegas though, and I won a whole ten dollars. Enough to buy me breakfast in the morning. So all in all, it was a success.
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I am the just about the same way about gambling!
I like to play poker, when we just play for poker chips. But as soon as you start playing for something like pretzels or M&Ms… I have slightly less fun. Then, if you play for pennies or nickels… NO FUN FOR ME! My father reminds me constantly of how ridiculous this is, and even offers to give me five dollars so that I can play, but I don’t know, I just can’t handle it, haha
Despite this, and my general distaste for all things commercialized and glitzy, I went to Vegas two summers ago with my parents and brother, and I had an AWESOME time. I mean, seriously, I loved it! My dad, being a dad, gave me forty bucks to gamble with, and I just sat at the nickel poker machines and drank free booze until I got brave enough to sit at the quarter poker machines and drink free booze. In one freak hand of computer poker, I won SIXTY bucks. It was amazing! I decided to quit gambling right then, and be ahead sixty bucks. Unfortunately, this was the third day of our week-long trip. Bored, I ended up gambling the sixty bucks away, never winning anything again, until on the last day, I broke even and quit while I was able to say I at least hadn’t lost any money, with a bitter sense of disappointment.
BUT… it was a FUN TRIP. hahaha….