neon wonderland

fabulous las vegas
I just got back from my first trip to Las Vegas. My impression? It was a wonderland of extremes. Everything about this city is geared to exceed your limits, push your buttons, expand your boundaries. I thought it was wonderful and at the same time discomforting. It is a city where indulgences celebrated and encouraged. Whether your addictions are food, money or sex it's all here for you to partake. I'm glad that I visited this place in my 30's. I think I could've taken to the excesses quite easily if I were younger. I enjoyed every hot sweltering minute. With the exception of 90 minutes at Hoover dam that can be best described "infernal", we didn't spend alot of time outside. With temperatures reaching 120 degrees, you can understand why.
We spent most of the time eating, gambling, shows, site seeing and shopping (in that order). We saw 2 shows that were really good. The first show was called the Havana Night Club. It's billed as the "show that Cuba doesn't want you to see". With token mentions to "freedom" the show wasn't about why the cast defected to the US last year. I felt a sense of longing from the show, a sense that dancing and singing was all they had to connect themselves to the old country.
We celebrated my gf's birthday with a fabulous dinner and saw Jubilee, which can be best described at the campiest, gayest show I ever saw. It had something for everyone: breasts, leather codpieces, dance routines, the Titanic, and Bob Mackie gowns. My gay gene was very satisfied.
I am not much of a gambler, the riskiest game I played was Monopoly. So to say I am a novice is an understatement. I figure I would play the slots, I mean how hard is it to pull the lever, or in most cases push the button. Much to my gf's dismay, I just didn't see the value of placing maximum bets. I decided to try my hand on the roulette table, since at least I can lose my money to a dealer instead of a machine. Despite the fact that I didn't know what I doing and was breaking protocol and etiquette rules right and left I won 100 bucks! Good thing I knew when to stop.
I'm glad that we only had a few days to spend in Vegas. I am exhausted. My senses have been overstimulated, my wallet has been slimmed down while my stomach has expanded. I liked the intensity of the city but I am glad to be back to DC, where things are not so intense.
I am sad I won't be seeing my gf for another month. I'm thinking to taking another 4 day weekend to SA sometime soon...I miss hanging out with my gf and our buddies.