the joys of las vegas

My trip to Las Vegas was mildly disappointing. Too many bright lights, intoxicated white men, a lackluster wedding, and the over-satiated gaudiness of the place all contributed to my antipathy towards returning for a second round. The entire city is a giant conceit composed of its mini-conceits. The first casino’s interesting. It’s all downhill from there. Whether we’re standing in a miniature pyramid or the Eiffel Tower, the gilt, carpeting, and ambience all blends together.

Having actually worried that I would enjoy gambling a bit too enthusiastically before going, I shouldn’t have bothered. Gambling is not terribly fun when you’re extremely averse to losing money. I lost fifteen dollars, but God help me if I had lost any more than that. Maybe I should have tried actually playing at the tables, but the buy-ins were, well…much more than fifteen dollars.

The Rockies were absolutely breathtaking, however. I spent a lot of my time staring at the mountains and wishing I were climbing them. I probably should be more appreciative that people actually built a mecca in the middle of the desert out of neon lights and slot machines, but it’s hard to feel for Las Vegas. Much of it probably has to do with the fact that I’m not a fan of the crowds. Walking on the strip, there is a general crassness about the people. Everyone’s drunk and laughing raucously. Maybe it’s like how teetotalers feel in a room surrounded by drunk people.

A fun lesson I learned in Las Vegas (though not so fun at the time) is that buffets are evil when you want to try everything and when you don’t have much self-control. True, I do have more self-control than I had several years ago. Instead of eating until I can’t move, I merely felt very stuffed. After deluding myself after the first buffet that I would be able to control myself in the future, I ventured into the second buffet a few days later and…presto! Nothing happened. I overate. Yet again.

Still, I’m glad I went. It will probably be the last vacation that I take for a long time. It is nice to spend three days in a place where everyone’s ambling around slowly and having the time of their lives.