Las Vegas ... so many ... Hotels & Casinos

Our son decided that we should experience Las Vegas and we would probably never go on our own ... so he bought a trip for us. It was a different kind of holiday, but a wonderful get-a-way! We took off from Vancouver Airport - looking over the Fraser river, Point Grey and the coastal mountains.We followed the Pacific coast for a while, then turned inland and soon we were in a different topography - desert mountains.Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Incorporated in 1911, gaming became legal in 1946 and in Nevada alcohol flows freely.LV is located in a desert valley with artesian wells, the name meaning 'the meadows'. Although known as a tourist town, LV has a diversified economy. Here is the skyline of hotels.The hotels can be divided into three groups. The first casinos are in 'old town, the original 'mob' hotels on Freemont St. We only had 3 days, so never got there. I'm told it is worth seeing.

The tourist area is concentrated along 4-5 miles called 'the strip'. Fast aerial monorail zips you from Wynn to MGM. Moving sidewalks move you up and over the streets ... into the next casino.

The Second group is the Mega-casinos: built in the 1990's: MGM, New York, New York. A rollercoaster snakes through the skyline.Caesar's Palace has a 'ruin' with huge reproductions of mythical figures. One tells the story of the destruction of Atlantis with 10 foot robotic figures of the king and his quarelling children. Atlantis crumbles and falls into the floor, to be replaced with Greek figures.

The third group of more luxurious recent hotels are 4 and 5 star. Paris - complete with reproductions of Paris buildings, a scale model of the Eiffel Tower, Fountains, a huge signature balloon and the Arc de Triumph. The Hotel is in the background with 3000 rooms.

We had dinner at the tower restaurant with a view of the Bellagio fountain light show.The Bellagio is Italian with a musical fountain. Press the arrow and have a look ...

Inside, gardens sport a network of model trains set in with some interesting background. The Venitian Hotel comes with indoor and outdoor canals. My husband treated me to a gondola ride with a singing gondolier.The Whynn, with modern design, hosts the major international shopping boutiques.We never did figure out if this huge structure had a purpose. There are probably 20 major casinos and they are estimated to take in millions of dollars each day. The casinos drive the economy and enable the building of these extravegant hotels.

A new complex called 'City Center' is costing 8 Billions dollars to build.

Psychologists can have a playday here. Casinos are designed to keep you circulating, exits are not easily seen. Lights blink in a hypnotic way. The sound of a 'hit' reverberates through the casino. The ceilings are high and often painted either 'sky blue 'or 'night sky', causing a loss of sense of time. Drinks are free to gamblers. You see: young and old, well and sick, poor and rich sitting at the tables. Hotels even run TV shows on how to play pocker, etc.

One thing that surprised us was the amount of young children with their parents. They walked by Mexican kids handing out cards for prostitiutes. A poster ...We never thought in terms of taking our kids to an 'adult city' for a holiday. A friend told us a story that took place 20 years ago. Her husband and 7 year old daughter walked through a casino and tried one of the machines. He was told that his daughter couldn't be in the casino - but could sleep in the entrance with the other children. Thank goodness that no longer happens!

Las Vegas is the entertainment center of the world. Shows by international stars run nightly. Elton John was opening in June. The Las Vegas Showgirls are legendary.

Truly a fascinating city that never sleeps. Few fortunes are made, many are lost!

If you don't gamble ... what do you do in Las Vegas?

Each hotel has a special display - from art to zoos.

The Mirage hotel has dophin pools. They do not have 'shows' but, rather 'interactions' on a regular basis during the day. I found this interesting ... the mirror formed by the water surface reflects the dophin.We know that Vagas is very open about sex. Trucks drive down the street with huge signs advertisng girls who can be delivered to your hotel in 20 minutes. Even the dophins get to play with 'sex toys' to prepare the adolescents for the 'real thing' when they mature.The Flamingo Hotel has a man-made grotto with palm trees and ponds ... and, of course ... they have flamingos! Swans: white, black and mixed float around the ponds while wild birds nest in the trees and swoop by.Perhaps, someone can identify this bird for me. Cute little ducklings paddle and bob while mom tries to keep them all in her sight. Carp float by and share their space.Caesar's Palace has a huge indoor aquarium ... where fish seem to fly! The Mirage Hotel has a minature 'game farm'. The lamas were in a dry rocky compound, very different from our local ones living on farms. Meal time was near and the jaguar was watching ... Lions who are very 'laid back' and pose for the tourists. White tigers ... an endangered species. As much as I love to watch these magnificent animals ... I hate to see them in such a restrictive habitat. We are told that they are animals never lived in the wild and have been used in movies. They spend a few days in Vegas and have their real home on a large animal farm.

Looking at the details of Las Vegas ...

The Bellagio Hotel has a huge reception room with Dale Chihuly's beautiful blown glass art work. Take a look at his link: www.chihuly.com/ Everywhere you look, there is beautiful design in tiles, marble and glass. This main hall of the Venition Hotel has vaulted ceilings painted in Italy 'in the style' of Michael Angelo. The spacious feeling of the interior buildings gives a feeling of classic European buildings. Here is a question: did Jane Sassaman use this rug design for inspiration or did the rug designer see a Jane Sassaman quilt? Or where they both influenced by ancient Turkish designs? The largest chocolate fountain in the world ... estimate - 15 feet high with hundreds of pounds of chocolate. After four days living in a fantasy world, we are heading home ... and the sky over Seattle is glowing like embers.