Paris, Venice, New York – Welcome to Las Vegas.
Posted on October 3, 2011 by bob in Features
story and photos by Alex Nicholson
Ornate ceiling and grand staircase, Venetian Hotel-Casino.
Las Vegas was built on gambling, and gambling remains at the core of this unique American city. As additional methods of separating people from their money have sprung up in other parts of the country — bingo parlors, state lotteries — Las Vegas has morphed into what may be best described as an amusement park for adults. Or, as one fellow slot machine aficionado put it, Disney World, with gambling. And really good food. And more entertainment than you can shake a stick at.
But you can also stroll through a French village, amble through Manhattan, listen to soaring arias sung by pole-pushing gondoliers along Italian canals, watch a pirate battle, and ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Bally's is a Las Vegas institution and adjoins the much newer Paris hotel-casino.
If you buy into the Disney World-other-world fantasy, you can have a grand time, whether you gamble or not. If you buy into the other fantasy, that winning in Vegas is possible (the fantasy they really want you to believe), you’re a perfect fit for this desert oasis. Even losing at the penny slots has its value.
A mixed drink (you call it: gin & tonic? Scotch & soda?) can set you back $6 to $10 bucks. Six to ten bucks in a penny slot machine, with just a bit of luck (a word you hear a lot in Las Vegas), can net 45 minutes of right arm (or index finger) exercise while sipping complimentary drinks. A couple of free drinks during your $6-to-$10 45-minute battle at the penny slots puts you ahead of the game.
Comfortable room at Bally's for $43/night.
Accommodations run the gamut, from several hundred dollars a night, to $43 a night. The later is available at, among other places, Bally’s, not the newest but not the oldest hotel/casino combo. The rooms are clean and reasonably large. Ask for one that’s been recently-renovated. Treasure Island and others have similar prices. A web search followed by an old-fashion phone call will uncover the best bargains.
One advantage of Bally’s is that it adjoins the much newer Paris hotel with its Eiffel Tower, French village and gut-busting buffet. Be warned: check-in time almost anywhere means standing in line for a very, very long time.
Reasonable-priced food can be found at, of all places, casinos.
Las Vegas dining can be expensive. You can eat more cheaply by patronizing the fast-food establishments we have come to know and love – subs, hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. – or by taking advantage of casino meal-deals. After all, they want you there to gamble; eating’s just a byproduct and in some cases, probably a loss-leader.
My favorite visual juxtaposition of fast-food and gambling is the McDonald’s next to the venerable Harrah’s Hotel and Casino.
Burger, fries, and a roll of the dice.
Bally's slot machine parlor. Craps, roulette, Blackjack and other friendly games are also available.
Whoever invented penny slot machines should be knighted. Or beheaded, depending on your luck on any given night. There are also quarter machines, dollar machines, video game-like machines, theme machines, plus poker, craps, roulette, baccarat, and other unrecognizable forms of parting you from your funds. If hanging around a casino or strolling through Italy or France or New York City isn’t sufficient, there are The Shows.
Gondolas ply the calm waters of the Venetian, cruising inside and outside the hotel.
During any week a couple of incarnations of the long-lived Cirque de Soleil are in town. This includes Love (Beatles music, unfortunately not playing when we were there), Elvis, and one titled Mystere’.
Mystere’ was very interesting but a bit repetitive after the first hour. In addition, the Master of Ceremonies was difficult to understand, sporting a thick French accent, authentic or imitation (hard to tell.)
During the performance there were moments of gymnastic brilliance and daring, though these tended to be the same acts that brought us to circuses in the past — trapeze artists, tumblers, trampolinists. Unlike circuses from our childhoods, however, there were no animals. Not even a monkey.
Interior of the Venetian.
For sheer wattage-wasting brilliance there’s nothing like the color pallet-defying spectacle of Las Vegas. These incredible light displays are a show by themselves, but perhaps the best show is that of people-watching.
Treasure Island hotel-casino boasts a pirate ship.
All manner of individuals inhabit the neon-lit streets and semi-smoky interiors of the casinos (smoking is allowed.) From tuxedos to blue jeans to Bermuda shorts, from spit-shined wingtips to tennis shoes to flip-flops, you see it all. Some patrons are wide-eyed and animated, others sit rock still, eyes glazed over, their only movement the monotonous, repetitive pull of the lever or push of the button. That is until the bell goes off and people gather ‘round and everyone cheers. Then, with renewed determination, onlookers turn back to the slots or poker tables or roulette wheels with renewed confidence that they, too, are just a few dollars away from hitting The Streak.
Everyone should visit Las Vegas at least once, if for nothing more than to witness the accumulated excesses of our self-indulgent, money-driven society. Then maybe go back a second time, because maybe, just MAYBE, there’s a lucky slot machine tucked away in a seldom-visited corner of some nondescript casino waiting for your dollar. Or your quarter. Or your penny. Good luck.
