Las Vegas, NV, USA
April 9 to 13, 2006
Trevor and Sharie McTavish


This month Sharie and I visited man's den of worship to money and vise – Las Vegas. Now, I'd passed through Vegas back in 2000 and was content to never return, but after spending three days in the city and getting up close to some of the attractions, I can honestly say that I enjoyed myself.

The trip started with a direct flight to Nevada, which happened to arrive at 11:30pm. By the time we'd cleared customs, taken a taxi and arrived at the hotel it was close to 1:00am. But the place was still bustling with gamblers! It was also at this time that we realized that Nevada allows smoking in public (as well as drinking), and everyone was partaking.

Morning came late for us, somewhere around 9:00am. We'd probably slept longer, but there's another casino being constructed nearby and construction began at dawn. So with the metalworkers' banging and riveting serving as an alarm clock, we proceeded to have breakfast inside the Imperial Palace, then venture out onto the streets. First on our itinerary was a trip to the show counters – first for the Blue Man Group, and then for Bally's Jubilee. Since we didn't want to sit at the very back of the balcony, Sharie and I had to content ourselves with tickets for the far side on Wednesday, the last day of our stay. We took them, and were lucky to do get where we were, apparently they're more popular than I thought.


Part of Caesars' Palace


Inside the Venitian


A gondola at outside the Venitian


Inside the Venitian

For several hours the two of us walked around the area north of the Imperial Palace, seeing Harrah's, the Venetian, Wynn, Treasure Island and the Mirage. The later hotels were very impressive, with large outdoor displays; parks with waterfalls, a pirate's cove with pirate ships, fountains and statues, and most of Venice, Italy, represented outdoors. As the heat of the day approached, we ducked into the Fashion Show Mall, across from the Wynn resort to cool down and find a bite to eat. While I'm not one for fashion, this mall was filled with brand name stores, including some for very pricey designers. Needless to say, we didn't spend much.


Sharie at Treasure Island


Details on the outside of Treasure Island


Part of Treasure Island's pirate cove


Details on the outside of Treasure Island

Escaping the heat of the day lead us back to our hotel room for a quick snooze. I should point out that even thought temperatures exceeding 100F are common, in three days, we spotted not a single public water fountain, pop however was readily available at $3.00 a bottle. All little tricks used to pull you back into the casinos.


The Mirage Resort


Sigfried & Roy statue

After dinner and a little gambling on the 1-cent slot machines, we took in the late show of Ballys' Jubilee. Sharie enjoys singing and dancing shows, so this show, with girls in flamboyant outfits, dozens of singers and dancers should have done the trick. I enjoyed the show, and no, it wasn't just because there were topless dancers. There was a section about the RMS Titanic that I felt was lacking, and this was followed up with a chorus of Yankee Doodle, which was very much out of place in a story about a British ship. It was back to bed at 1:00am again.

Our second full day was rather slow. Since we didn't have a show to attend this evening, we took it easy, having lunch, snoozing and reading before venturing out in the late afternoon. Today, we began exploring the casinos to our south; Paris, Aladdin, Monte Carlo and New York, New York. Sharie and I both agree that this was not the brightest thing to do. Between the Aladdin and the MGM Grand are several blocks that could be best described as slummy, downtrodden, or filthy. Compared to the walk north, where everything was kept clean, this area was strewn with papers, crowded with lower class and homeless and knockoff stores.


The two of us in front of the Mirage


Bikini bull riding at Gilley's

I should take some time to explain that Las Vegas has a certain appreciation for the female form. In the resorts, like the Monte Carlo, the Venetian and Treasure Island, bare breasts are featured on many sculptures and statues. But elsewhere its the escort business that shows the flesh. Apparently business is booming because girls like Star, Natasha, Autumn and Mystiq can have hundreds of immigrant workers standing on sidewalks passing out cards. I called them collector cards since I managed to collect two dozen in a matter of four or five minutes, but they included phone numbers and rates – classy to say the least. But it didn't end there. There were newspaper boxes stuffed with booklets, each covered in advertisements and at least three billboard trucks driving up and down the strip. I snapped a photo because I couldn't believe the openness of the sex trade. I guess Sin City, still has its sin.


A Parisian fountain


The Eifle Tower, next to New York City

After getting to New York, New York, we found ourselves disappointed with the casino. It was huge, but it was absolutely crowded. No fewer than seven casinos populate the building, which makes it very congested. It also means that few employees know enough about where things are to help. I watched as one lady tried to find her favorite game, but the person simply said, “I don't know which casino you're talking about,” and rushed off, leaving the lady bewildered. For us, New York, New York, was a place to grab an Italian dinner and then leave.

As darkness settled onto the strip, I took the time to take photos, as the strip really comes alive, bathed in spotlights, neon tubing and music. Leaving New York, New York, we spotted the Eiffel Tower through the uprights of the Brooklyn Bridge, spotted Greek-style status amongst the fountains of the Monte Carlo and were impressed by an illuminated Eiffel Tower. But for Sharie and I the best, free show on the strip were the fountains at Bellagio. Every 15 minutes, a short display of water and music played. We stayed for three shows. I'll also point out that the Bellagio is the only hotel we visited were you don't walk right into the casino.


Looking through the Brooklyn Bridge


Gotta love the Ballys sign


Paris at night


Wayne Newton and the Barbary Coast

Wednesday started with a trip up to the mall to do our shopping and lunch. We followed it with some gambling in the Treasure Island casino. The best I did was put $1 into a slot machine and return 12. We left the strip and the hot afternoon breeze by returning to our hotel. Later, we returned to the Venetian for some gambling and the Blue Man Group's show. Bluephoria was entertaining, and while I was hoping for more music, the group lived up to their reputation as an interactive experience with audience participation throughout. Looking for dinner afterwards was a bit of a challenge. Considering that Las Vegas never really sleeps, their buffets all seem to close at 10:30pm. Luckily the excellent buffet at Treasure Island was still open for us.

After three full days in Las Vegas, we were both ready to leave. Taking a shuttle bus to the airport saved us a couple bucks over a taxi, and we were booked and through security quickly. The flight home however took about seven hours, almost one hour of which was spent just trying to get off the ground in Vegas.

I did enjoy myself, but as one old gambler said, “I've done it once, now I can do something else.”