a visit to sin city!

When I was a kid, we had a cat named Tuffy. He was put outside every night then came back in every morning. Sometimes I’d take Tuffy up to my room at night and snuggle with him until my dad came looking for him, then I’d reluctantly turn him over. While we were waiting for my dad to come find him, I’d sometime rub Tuffy’s fur backwards in the dark to see the static electric sparks fly off his fur. He was patient for a short time, then he’d scratch me or nip me to let me know he didn’t like it. Why am I telling you this story?

Well, we spent a day and half in Las Vegas at the beginning of this week and most of the time we were there, I felt like I think Tuffy must have felt when I rubbed his fur backwards! Unlike many of the other towns we have visited on this trip, Vegas is NOT a place I’ve ever wanted to go. But we figured since we were so close we may as well see it. Well, right from the moment we drove in I knew it was not where I wanted to be! Smutty billboards of mostly naked women plastered everywhere didn’t make it a nice welcome. They call it Sin City for a reason!

The afternoon we got there we swam in the pool, which the kids enjoyed, then headed over to Circus Circus. We had parked our RV in the KOA “campground” behind this casino. (If you can call a hot asphalt parking lot a campground!) The kids loved the rides at the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. They enjoyed it so much we went back again the next day and spent more time. Zara and I rode the rollercoaster then she went on all the other “scary” rides alone. Zara was fearless! Bella and Thor enjoyed the little kid’s rides as well.

That next afternoon I decided to catch a bus down to the opposite end of the “the strip” to get tickets for the Lion King Musical that night. During the bus ride there and the walk back I just couldn’t get over the excessiveness of all the big resorts. Everything in Vegas is BIG, grand ….. over the top…. and I couldn’t help thinking of all the precious natural resources that went into building them, then running them, not to mention keeping “the strip” lit up all night, every night. What a waste of energy! This is a smallish city, smack in the middle of a desert, with a massive ecological footprint. I just didn’t feel comfortable there. It rubbed me the wrong way and sent sparks flying!

Speaking of sparks…. on my walk back, there were men on many street corners handing out flyers for “women to your room in 20 minutes”. The streets were littered with cards and flyers of naked women. These guys were shoving cards into the hand of every man who walked by INCLUDING men walking with their wife or girlfriend! I found it appalling and disgusting. If you had been near me, you would have smelled the smoke from all the sparks!

On a more positive note, that night we completely and totally enjoyed the Lion King - a fabulous show with amazing costumes and beautiful singing. It was a fun, late night outing! It ALMOST made the trip to Vegas worthwhile!

I hope that anyone reading this who likes Vegas will not take offense to my thoughts on this city. Everyone sees things through their own unique filters, and personally, I just couldn’t see past the excessive and ugly side of Vegas. It felt so “in my face” most of the time. I’ve seen Vegas touted as a family get-away….. oh my…. I can think of so many better places to take my family!!! This is certainly not a place we’ll be returning to!

It likely didn't help that we had just come from 6 blissful days in Sedona, a spiritual mecca with the most amazing energy! Vegas is at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum and the contrast was shocking. Two "h" words come to mind when I think of the contrast! Any guesses what those words are?!?!

From Vegas, we drove to Los Angeles, and have been having a lovely time with family. It was so nice to get out of the desert and to an area that is lush and green and full of beautiful flowers! The purple jacaranda trees are in full bloom as are the bouganvilla and so many others. Will post more about that soon. (I promise my next post will be much more positive!)