Vegas, baby! (part 1)

My flight through LAX to LAS was late enough in the morning that I was able to drive some of the kids to school. Simeon had taken my car to participate in some junior statesmen event that started early. The shared van ride service was on-time and traffic was light. The driver was an air force brat from the SF Bay area.

Security was crowded, slow, inefficient, and incompetent.

LAX is large, smoggy, crowded, and my time there was uneventful. I sat in the departure lounge eating the veggie-burger lunch I had packed and listening to "The Forever War" audio book in my phone. I tried the MacDonald's iced coffee and it was disappointing.

Landing in Las Vegas the local temperature was 97-degrees Fahrenheit. I took one of the $6 buses to the strip. It's interesting how everything is air conditioned and all loading / unloading bus / taxi / car / limousine areas are covered. There is never more than 30 seconds where you are outside and even then there is air conditioning blowing at you from some large building. Vegas is also very crowded all the time with people trying very hard to "have a good time." They are constantly smoking, drinking, forced-laughing, shouting, or otherwise expressing some primal, base desire.

Arriving at the Imperial Palace, I discovered a long line to check in and a bustling crowd of gambling guests. The primal, base, carnal idd desires are on display everywhere. You are surrounded by ads for in-room entertainment. Many women and a surprising number of boys are showing off their bodies, undulating and posing. I found the music and fleshy displays nauseating and disgusting. I started regretting going to Vegas. Most people wore the same "uniform," men in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, women in short cocktail waitress-like dresses. Standing a few people behind me in line was David! He has grown a mustache but looks just the same as when we lived in Fremont. We called and messaged Robert who was in his room.

My nice, large room was missing standard business traveler amenities such as a mini-bar or coffee machine. The tv had a screen smaller than my laptop. We met at a bar downstairs and went for a walk along the strip. We had dinner at a food court where I got my favorite (rice and vegetables) dinner. We saw the dancing fountains, played the penny slots for $1 to get free drinks. We walked a few miles along the strip to see the free shows in front of treasure island and the dancing fountains. I bought a great pair of running shoes because I forgot to pack my own. Many of the casinos have look-alike rock stars from the late 20th century, including Elvis, Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury. Others have more primal, base T&A shows with "pole dancing." Many of the guests and gamblers had little kids with them.