Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
There was a reason I did not enjoy revisiting this city after 25 years, but it took me a week to understand why
Prelude
“Where have you been?” you ask. Well, first I came to Miami from Istanbul. Then, before I had time to rest, I packed up for a week in Las Vegas. During all this travel, the second book in my domestic series began its journey through the marketing world, en route to publication. That required loading it everywhere for distribution, first to the ARC team, then for author proof copies, and finally for the publication date. And there are cover errors that I couldn’t fix myself. You get the picture.
I spent a week in Las Vegas, attending the Author Nation conference for indie writers. (There’s an upcoming post for those AN details.) It was previously known as 20BooksTo50K, and that was before my time as a published author. Rebranded as Author Nation, it was worth the time and effort to attend. But see the other post if you’re an author…
I got stressed. And I got behind. I needed to rest a bit before jumping back in. I’m back. And exploding with information about Author Nation. But first—
Las Vegas!
What can I say about Las Vegas? You either love it or hate it. Glitz, glamour, lights, and gambling. Noise, grubby tourists, filth, and artificiality. This city has it all, good and bad.
Below is a snippet of machines that are everywhere in Las Vegas—in the airport, in all hotels, in the shopping areas—literally everywhere. While the ones in the airport have been updated, clearly, these in the Horseshoe have not. This is actually the lobby of the Horseshoe. The reception area is shoved against a wall on one side.
It’s all about the money.
During my college years, I passed through Reno, NV, on a trip to California. I only used one roll of nickels in a machine and almost had heart failure after losing them all. Nickels. Trust me, gambling is not my thing. I don’t mind taking risks, but only when there is a clear-cut path to a positive outcome in the end.
Having visited Las Vegas several times, one trip included my Turkish mother-in-law. My husband and I had client meetings scattered across the west, and she watched our children while we worked. In Las Vegas, I learned that she enjoyed gambling. And to have a drink or two. Wait, what? This is my straight-laced mother-in-law who speaks no English and has an opinion about everything.
She loved Las Vegas: the glitz, sequins everywhere, the showgirls on the street, the crazy Elvis impersonators. And the slot machines. This trip, I envisioned her sitting before one of these machines, a drink in one hand, pulling the arm (they had arms back then) of the machine, happy as a lark. (I miss you terribly, Nana.)
This time, Vegas was different, but I couldn’t understand, at first, why.
The Neon Museum
Las Vegas, particularly the Strip, is one big, long light show. The community kept these lights when they were replaced and stacked them in essentially a junkyard, which they called a “boneyard.” I had a friend visiting with me for several days, and this was one of the places she selected on one of our nights out. It was interesting.
I could see having a cocktail party here for a charity. It would be a great venue.
Many of the signs still worked, while others didn’t, such as this Sahara sign below. Visit the link above for more details and better videos.
The Hotels
The Author Nation event was booked in the Horseshoe, part of the Caesars Palace conglomerate. I would not recommend that hotel, particularly when a much better, albeit more expensive option, The Bellagio, is right across the street. There are other, less costly options if you take the time to find them. (One of the locals told me that, in her opinion, The Wynn was the best hotel. I can see why she thinks that at these prices. Not for me.)
The Horseshoe is worn and tired, and the casino area is filled with smoke, which grows increasingly worse as the day progresses. I stayed there because it was conveniently located near the conference. But it was more than just an old hotel. The way Vegas is set up is irritatingly inconvenient.
There are no coffee makers in the rooms. You have to walk 20 minutes to a Starbucks or take your chances in the Reception area with a small sandwich and coffee vendor that is set up for the bar, and hope their coffee hasn’t been sitting there for a while. A large coffee is $9—just coffee, no espresso at that “cheap” price. Room service is available from select restaurants, offering extremely high-priced and unhealthy selections.
It’s the desert, so I should have brought electrolyte packets. Just off the plane from Istanbul, I didn’t think about it. I was dehydrated by Monday morning and had to catch up for 48 hours to feel normal. The water is not drinkable in Vegas. Water bottles are $10 each. Be prepared if you come. The numbers attached to everyday items are ridiculous.
Next year, I’ll go elsewhere. I’ll be prepared with a kitchen in a room or apartment, a trip to a grocery store, and packed lunches and snacks for the conference. There has to be a better way.
A Different Definition for Garden
Below is the Bellagio Conservatory and Gardens. My friends at the conference said it was one of the things “not to miss” in Las Vegas. I admit, I was expecting a full-blown conservatory with live plants in a humid environment. I’d seen pictures of something like this on the Wynn’s hotel page. Yeah, I forgot I was in the desert.
I felt like I was in Disney World.
This “garden,” although made of live plants, was mainly composed of dried ones. Elaborate? Absolutely. Interesting? Disappointing. This was Wednesday, and I was having tree/grass/green withdrawal symptoms. I actually pulled up the map to find a “park” to walk in. A private golf course, several miles away, appeared green on the map. That was it.
But, you remind me, that is what Las Vegas is about—building worlds in a desert that copy other real locations. The glitz, the glamour, remember?
And that is the problem. It’s gone.
Las Vegas Has Lost Its Mojo
The last two visits I made to Las Vegas were notable for the massive number of visitors. If you’ve ever been to Times Square in New York on a weekend night, you know the claustrophobic feeling. Even so, in Las Vegas that I knew, there was so much to look at. So many Elvis impersonators. All types of street performers were present at night, offering many interesting shows that were free to the public. Tigers in glass cages. Festooned dancers. Things you’d not believe.
“Am I jaded because I live in Miami?” I asked myself. We have a lot to see, and our city is vibrant and a bit chaotic. Miami is alive. You can feel it.
Las Vegas isn’t.
I arrived on a Sunday evening, standing in line behind six—not sixty—people waiting at the hotel reservations desk. That was my first indication that things might be different this time. The next morning, I went outside to find a sidewalk with only three people on it. I caught a ride to a breakfast place with a lovely couple from Texas. The three of us just wanted a normal breakfast. We were off the plane and hungry, and a stale croissant was not going to cut it. It was Monday morning, and the restaurant wasn’t crowded, although reasonably busy.
Walking outside at night on the Strip on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights was a shock. The streets were empty. Winding our way through the crosswalks and into the malls and hotels during the day on Wednesday was also a surprise. Where were all the people? I’m used to hundreds of people packed at the crosswalk to go from one side of the Strip to the other, not twenty-five. Where was everyone?
They finally started to arrive on Thursday afternoon for the weekend. The locals were a bit strange about it when I asked. Waitresses said it was simply the off-season, yet everywhere I ate, a comment was made about how slow it was. I checked online, and it is slower in November until the Formula One race begins. There is slow, and then there is SLOOOOOOW. Since I have so little to say about Las Vegas that is positive, I’ve included the opinions of others on Substack so that you can get their perspectives.
The MSG Sphere
Yes, I went to Las Vegas and blew this off. I think you might want to see this, however. It’s this big glowing ball. With my schedule this trip, I didn’t have time.
The Mayor’s Press Conference to Canadians
Finally, if you want to read a much better description of Las Vegas, then this is the one. Tag’s statement summed it all up for me: “This impossible town, built by Rat Pack swagger, gangster power plays, and absurdly outsized dreams from the Hoover Dam to white tiger magic shows had become just another branded node of real estate speculation and profitmaxxing, crammed with samey chains, false luxury and zero sense of its former style.” (emphasis original)
BINGO. This is it.
So there you have it. Take your money and go somewhere else. Enough of Las Vegas. But were the drinks good? Absolutely.
