Monday, July 6, 2009

I've been told by more than one person that it seems like I know everybody... I've run into friends randomly in St. Louis, Baltimore, Italy, and now Las Vegas. One of the people i was with was somewhat surprised that people from a Christian group I'm in would be in Vegas. I know I grew up with the impression that Vegas was not a place Christians should go, but it seems like that's the same sort of thinking that makes some Christians avoid and begin to judge people they see as "sinners". Honestly, I don't think that's the Christianity of Christ, who spent time with those the religious leaders of the time deemed as sinners.

I went to Vegas just wanting to see what it was really like, stereotypes and sermons aside. I was disappointed in the buildings and overall shock factor (accurate scale models of the eiffel tower, chrysler building, and statue of liberty my rear end... the only building I liked was the Wynn)... but I did have a semi-encounter with a guy who was calling his mom to tell her he had been drunk and gotten married at one of Vegas' many wedding chapels to some random girl the night before without realizing he was being married. So I guess some of those out-there Vegas stories do actually happen. 

Mostly Vegas is seen as a gambling city. In some areas, (aka. Fremont St.), I would agree that that's pretty much the only thing going on. I've always been against the idea of gambling because of the friends I've had over the years whose families have been ruined by family members betting away money that should have gone towards food, housing, utilities, and other family needs. I always wondered how someone could be stupid enough to do that, but being in Vegas did help me see how addictive the idea of easy money is. I admit, I stuck $10 on a Casino War table and a dollar in the penny slots. Mostly because the idea of Casino war seemed hilarious, and I like the feeling of the slot machine handles, but making $81 dollars did feel pretty good. I also realized that there's 2 kinds of gamblers: the kind that thinks they're gonna win, and the kind that know they wont and just play the games for fun. Of the first kind, it was amazing how fast people would be willing to spend hundreds of dollars on tables even with odds stacked against them. It kind of scared me thinking that some of the people I was watching might be some of those fathers/mothers blowing money away.

There was a lot to do without gambling though. Shows, restaurants, and neat little stores. Things in Vegas definitely had character. Ka was impressive. The Bodies exhibit was also a wow... I loved the atmosphere at Battista's hole in the wall and Ichiza (Japanese restaurant near Chinatown... I only wish I knew more Japanese), both restaurants off the strip. And while people say there's no cheap food to be had, Ellis Island and the Grand Lux Cafe were some of the yummiest cheap deals I've ever had. Light shows, the Bellagio fountains, free chocolate, and dollar deep fried twinkies... 

Oh, and there was an original copy of Learning from Las Vegas signed by all three authors for sale in the Venetian rare books store (just for architecture nerds...)! Seeing an original copy of Common Sense by Thomas Paine was impressive too... I suppose.

Overall it was just a nice time of relaxing and spending time with people in a place I had never been before. The locals we met were some of the friendliest, easygoing people I've ever met, but for once, the overwhelming amount of tourists around me (basically everyone) didn't bother me so much either. What else can one expect from a street that was built on tourism?

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