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anotheranonSo, I'm back from my first trip to Las Vegas. I liked it, almost in spite of myself and itself.
To be more specific, I saw the Strip. This is my sister's and C.'s favorite part of the city that they have visited several times, and they were the planners of this "girl's weekend".
The Strip really is a Disneyland for adults, and that's both a good and a bad thing. I think I spent the first few hours just gawping: everything is so polished, so perfect, so huge and over the top. We stayed at the Venetian, and it really is done up like a gilded, frescoed Italian villa/castle/thing, and the surrounding shopping area has a canal with gondoliers and a St. Mark's Square, all underneath a ceiling painted like the sky and lit to imitate the time of day.
All of the Strip hotels are like walled villages this way, themed acres of self-contained shopping, dining, housing, clubs/theaters, and of course, gambling. All roads lead to the in-house casino, and it was fascinating how the entire system was set up for just this purpose - and kind of annoying too. Understand, I have no qualms with other people gambling but I got frustrated every time I was trying to get somewhere and ran into a bank of flashing slot machines.
Still, I couldn't help thinking that a science fiction convention or twelve would fit in perfectly with the massive, glittering edifices (I didn't see a Ruby Rhod [YouTube], though I wouldn't have been surprised. I did see an Elvis impersonator, and, I think, a Thin White Duke-era Bowie [?]), though I imagine the Strip would be too expensive for most fandoms.
Jarring too were the similarities and sheer luxe of the different properties - I can think of no other major city that has 3 Chanel boutiques within a couple of square miles yet no bookstore in sight. Pro: I got to fondle the latest Lanvin collection and see other haute couture up close and personal in a way that I can't here unless I plan a trip to Saks. Con: no bookstores.
What I really enjoyed were the shows - these I would visit again for. We went to Tournament of Kings, David Copperfield (my mom is a fan of long standing and had a fantastic time), and Peepshow (site mildly NSFW). Despite the reputation as "Sin City" the entertainment was pretty much good clean perfectly choreographed fun - yes, even the burlesque.
C. and I went on the late-night Haunted Vegas tour. Whatever you think of ghosts, it is a good introduction to local history, albeit of a morbid kind. Standing in the cold night wind (to my surprise it can get real cold in the desert) under the flashing pink and orange neon of the Flamingo with palm trees waving to and fro and 80's pop wafting on the breeze while viewing a dead gangster's monument offered perhaps the most surreal part of the trip.
We did a lot of walking and by the last day my blisters had blisters, so I was grateful to go to the spa/fitness room with C. I've had massages/mani-pedi before but never did the jacuzzi-sauna-salt room-"taking the waters" style things and now regret waiting so long! My favorites were the aromatherapy sauna and something they called "experiential rain" showers. I was lucky to wake up enough to get to our last show.
I'm also fortunate that C. is a physical therapist and gave me some good pointers on correct form for crunches, and showed me how to use the assisted pull-up machine without falling through the floor :P
Short version: Las Vegas isn't what I would have chosen for myself, but the window shopping, shows, and spa were fantastic, heavy on the "fantasy". I found the all-flashing, all glittering vibe invigorating but tiring, and truth told I started to reach saturation point after about 3 days. Perhaps next time more spa, less time on my feet and some non-Strip day trips would be good.
To be more specific, I saw the Strip. This is my sister's and C.'s favorite part of the city that they have visited several times, and they were the planners of this "girl's weekend".
The Strip really is a Disneyland for adults, and that's both a good and a bad thing. I think I spent the first few hours just gawping: everything is so polished, so perfect, so huge and over the top. We stayed at the Venetian, and it really is done up like a gilded, frescoed Italian villa/castle/thing, and the surrounding shopping area has a canal with gondoliers and a St. Mark's Square, all underneath a ceiling painted like the sky and lit to imitate the time of day.
All of the Strip hotels are like walled villages this way, themed acres of self-contained shopping, dining, housing, clubs/theaters, and of course, gambling. All roads lead to the in-house casino, and it was fascinating how the entire system was set up for just this purpose - and kind of annoying too. Understand, I have no qualms with other people gambling but I got frustrated every time I was trying to get somewhere and ran into a bank of flashing slot machines.
Still, I couldn't help thinking that a science fiction convention or twelve would fit in perfectly with the massive, glittering edifices (I didn't see a Ruby Rhod [YouTube], though I wouldn't have been surprised. I did see an Elvis impersonator, and, I think, a Thin White Duke-era Bowie [?]), though I imagine the Strip would be too expensive for most fandoms.
Jarring too were the similarities and sheer luxe of the different properties - I can think of no other major city that has 3 Chanel boutiques within a couple of square miles yet no bookstore in sight. Pro: I got to fondle the latest Lanvin collection and see other haute couture up close and personal in a way that I can't here unless I plan a trip to Saks. Con: no bookstores.
What I really enjoyed were the shows - these I would visit again for. We went to Tournament of Kings, David Copperfield (my mom is a fan of long standing and had a fantastic time), and Peepshow (site mildly NSFW). Despite the reputation as "Sin City" the entertainment was pretty much good clean perfectly choreographed fun - yes, even the burlesque.
C. and I went on the late-night Haunted Vegas tour. Whatever you think of ghosts, it is a good introduction to local history, albeit of a morbid kind. Standing in the cold night wind (to my surprise it can get real cold in the desert) under the flashing pink and orange neon of the Flamingo with palm trees waving to and fro and 80's pop wafting on the breeze while viewing a dead gangster's monument offered perhaps the most surreal part of the trip.
We did a lot of walking and by the last day my blisters had blisters, so I was grateful to go to the spa/fitness room with C. I've had massages/mani-pedi before but never did the jacuzzi-sauna-salt room-"taking the waters" style things and now regret waiting so long! My favorites were the aromatherapy sauna and something they called "experiential rain" showers. I was lucky to wake up enough to get to our last show.
I'm also fortunate that C. is a physical therapist and gave me some good pointers on correct form for crunches, and showed me how to use the assisted pull-up machine without falling through the floor :P
Short version: Las Vegas isn't what I would have chosen for myself, but the window shopping, shows, and spa were fantastic, heavy on the "fantasy". I found the all-flashing, all glittering vibe invigorating but tiring, and truth told I started to reach saturation point after about 3 days. Perhaps next time more spa, less time on my feet and some non-Strip day trips would be good.
