Vegas: Summer nights and nostalgia part 3

Without any doubt, summer is the season that Las Vegas really springs into life! Kids get out of school and teachers are set free for a few months of unabashed adulthood, while parents suddenly have more freedom to haul their younglings off for a vacation getaway without having to write prodigious pamphlets excusing their absence. Whatever it is, there's just something in the air stirs a little extra energy into everyone. Maybe it's the longer days and/or the warmer temperatures, at least here in the northern hemisphere, but despite being extremely hot and arid (hey there, welcome to the desert, folks) the streets of Vegas flood with teeming hordes of excited tourists and locals ready to pound the pavement, and maybe some drinks, too. There's a constant buzz of excitement pulsing through people with an edge of uncertainty and potential danger, as the ever-present ambulances hovering at the periphery of most any casino properties would hint. When you're actively pumping booze and adrenaline into people to fuel their gambling or adventure, there are invariably going to be some people who can't hang.  

“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.” 
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Intentional sensory overload, a brash and unapologetic tackiness and, often times, desperation, clings to the veneer of everything in the city, the way condensation gathers on a glass on a hot day. The Las Vegas strip is awash in any and all forms of sin, titillating and tantalizing any taste buds with a smorgasbord of nearly unimaginable variety and the temptation of delights. Whether you're looking to splash your cares away in a VIP cabana (for the right price, of course, as they don't come cheap) or have a wild girl's night out with the ladies hooting and raving at Thunder from Down Under (or Magic Mike, or any of the other shows out there), take in a show (or five) or do some serious plastic-melting shopping at any of the different shopping centers (be it more middle and high end at Fashion Show or one of the two outlets)... there is something for everyone. And the city pulses with that liveliness of thirsty visitors looking for excitement, entertainment, or enticement just around the bend. It's hard not to get a rush from the palpable energy, when the street is a teeming mass of sweat and shorts and awkward heels stumbling around.  It's a real trip, man. One you should take at least once in your life. Once you scrape past that greasy sheen that covers the majority of Vegas, there's some genuine beauty hidden under the warpaint, too. 

All photos in this post were graciously taken by Antho Jay. 💗

AJ's Day out 4: Sunset

As with all good things in life, unfortunately, it all must inevitably come to a close eventually. Antho's day out, which saw him wandering through Harrah's, the Linq Promenade and the Flamingo's Wildlife Habitat before eventually winding back to the Linq for sunset was a fun ride and the photos have been fun to find. It's always illuminating to see the world through someone else's eyes and photography is an excellent medium for doing so. I'm glad I handed off my camera to Antho and I hope you enjoy seeing these photos, as I have.  This is our Vegas, not the one you're likely to see advertised in the glossy print advertisements that bombard any freeway facing our city for 800 miles or so around, or the adverts that pop up on Facebook as you're planning your trip. Every experience is what you make of it, really, isn't it?

Another way to gain a different perspective, quite literally, is to hop on the 550-foot tall High Roller Observation wheel that stands proudly (and often quite colorfully) at the end of the Linq promenade. Antho and I rode it back when it first opened, years ago, but I don't think I got photos. We'll definitely make it back up there again in the future! It's not terribly expensive and they have all sorts of package deals and promotions depending on where you stay and what you want to do in the observation wheel itself. There's even an open bar package, though inevitably that's going to cost a pretty penny for the unlimited flow of booze. I imagine that's more for the, ahem, high rollers themselves who have the bankroll or the luck at the tables to consider the cost insignificant.  Personally, we don't have that kind of money, but if you do then have at it! There are so many things to do in this city, and so many ways to have fun, at any budget. Antho opted to spend most of the evening relaxing and people watching as the sun sunk behind the horizon and he waited for my shift to come to an end. It wasn't a bad day, not at all.