I'm sitting in a big grey Chevy Tahoe driving across the brown and spotted-green plains of lower Nevada. There's some black mountains to my left, two sleeping girls in the passenger seats and Matt driving us towards the horizon. It's about 7:30 in the morning, so the world has a welcoming eastfacing glow. We're leaving Las Vegas driving back towards Los Angeles.
The feeling of awe after going somewhere with no real idea for what to expect, living out a couple days of brand new experiences and then returning to 'normal' just never gets old. And its right now, when the car is packed and our minds at ease and focused on the road ahead that I recognize the significance.
So it goes after visiting Las Vegas for the first real time - the past two days were like a flash flood of manmade experience, packed with visual stimulation, pyrotechnics, carefully developed marketing, repetitive surprises and (most importantly) people looking to vent and express freely without worry - hundreds of thousands of people traveling to a manmade adult playground in the desert so they can finally let it all go and play. With no holds barred, no inhibiting society to tell them otherwise.
You know what I think the most interesting part of Vegas was? The service workers. Sure, water shows are gorgeous and phenomenal - but I'm just as fascinated by the Mexican woman mopping the spa floor at 3am, or the thick-spoken taxi driver, or the overly boisterous server or revealingly busty bartender.. or even the $1 water vendors. Or Mabel, the charming white-haired dealer who just glances sideways at you and laughs because she's seen you and people like you a thousand times. Who cleans this place up at 6am? What girl is manning the hotel gift shop on the overnight shift?
But I'm heading back now, getting mildly carsick and you know my thoughts. Matthew Hunter, thanks for the amazing trip. Plenty of new. And some great comedy, drinks and food. Farewel Vegas. Back to our other desert playground - LA
3 comments:
i like what you pay attention to migs. problem is i loathe las vegas like nothing else on this earth. i mean, not the people who live there or anything, or gambling, or drinking, or the heat, but the whole entire THING of it. the lasvegasness of it. soooo disgusting to me and it only gets worse as i get older. but it's true that people go there to play and i guess that is a good thing. i am all for that. just wish it wasn't so damn big, gaudy, ugly, cement, fake, cheap, unnatural, offensive, superficial, condescending, vulgar, contemptible, mediocre, stupefying. okay i got that off my chest. now i will say i'm glad you had fun and i'm glad to know there are people like YOU keeping it real in vegas from time to time.
The last time I experienced Las Vegas and probably one of the only times, was when we Beattys and friends and spouses went through there on our way to Mooney falls (furtherest destination at that time)Boy it seemed really hot. I took my AC car but seems like I had traded places with someone and was in a small van--can't recall, but couldn't get comfortable. It was one of the very few negative things about that trip that I recall; and it wasn't really that bad since we were so pointed in a direction of having a great time. Yea, Las Vegas isn't one of my favorites.
we stop in vegas usually once a year--since we cruise right by--and eat up whatever cheap or free entertainment a small family can have during just a few hours (m&m store, shark reef aquarium, lions at mgm, rainforest cafe, fremont street experience, berlin wall in the men's bathroom at main street station (!), etc).
we've overnighted before too, with others. at least it's good people-watching, a kind of fascinated sidelined aloofness. you're in the place--and therefore part of it--but more to watch the wackies and have a wee bit of fun than to BE a wacky.
vegas can be vegas, but i'm personally offended by it, mainly because of its sprawl in a DESERT that consumes unnecessary and unsustainable amounts of water, and requires other states to keep nasty things like lake powell around to enable their growing habit. i have many, many thoughts about vegas. spanning the gamut.
mikie, what did you think of the finger-clacking dudes (and dudettes) lining the streets after 7 or 8, handing out the porno business cards? hilarious and sad.
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