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Press Release : Article : Denver Colorado
The Magazine
Leaving Las Vegas
By Bev Saidel
Viva Las Vegas!
When was the last time you were in Las Vegas? I recently had the
opportunity to re-visit Las Vegas for a regional meeting. If you haven’t
been there lately, you may be surprised to find that the city has really
changed from the sleepy little gambling community that it used to be. The
remnants of the city that "Bugsy" Segal built are hidden just out of sight
from the glimmer and glitz that is now Las Vegas. Many of the old haunts
are gone and remain only as images in some of the movies that used to
entertain -- Robin and The Seven Hoods, Viva Las Vegas and etc. Now it’s a
whole new ballgame. Las Vegas has been transformed.
It is still fascinating to see the lights that make night seem like day on
The Strip. They used to be amazing. Now, they take your breath away.
Everything is bigger, brighter and some think, better. The shows are more
expensive, the rooms are no longer inexpensive and if you are in just the
right spot in your hotel, you can watch couples get married, one after the
other, a production line varied only by the clothes being worn by thewedding
party and the individuals within them. And you see more children walking
past the gaming areas than ever before. They are there with their parents.
Yes, it’s true, Las Vegas is no longer a place for Adults Only. The days of
the Mustang Ranch are long over. Las Vegas has become a family oriented
city where children can ride roller coasters, play games in dazzling arcades
and participate in events that are billed as "just for kids". Las Vegas
seems to have become a neon, color-bulbed lit mutant Disneyland – where
there is literally something for everyone and every age.
Walking down the street at sunset, I traveled from Ancient Rome on moving
sidewalks, to Paris rues, and to Venice where I could ride through the
canals on a gondola, all within a very short time. As I ventured forth with
hundreds of other explorers (who were openly carrying alcoholic beverages as
they walked) I heard the sounds of the three tenors and watched dancing jets
of water sway and jet to the wonderful serenade. A few steps further and I
witnessed the eruption of a large volcano, complete with spouting lava and
fire that leapt into the air. People stopped in their tracks, gawking at
the sight. I traveled further still and to my surprise encountered a
full-blown ship battle between a British navy vessel and a pirate ship! I
experienced amazing murals and Roman statues that came to life. I
encountered the Eiffel Tower and the New York cityscape within a few blocks.
And further still, Medieval England and ancient Egypt.
As I walked further, I realized that I was not in a Fellini movie or a
Salvadore Dali painting. I was in Las Vegas, Sin City USA, a playground for
the rich and not so rich, and the haves and have-nots. I found myself in a
city that is not really a city; a place that showers visitors in the awe and
splendor of the unreal; a place that appears to have turned the desert into
a paradise; a place that must garner its electricity from Hoover damn and
its water from neighboring states. Las Vegas is a desert after all, but it
is one that pretends to be something else.
The irony that is Las Vegas became clearer as I got in the taxi that would
take me to the airport. The driver was playing his transistor radio. On it
was the Sunday morning gospel hour. My driver asked, "Do you mind if I
leave this on?" I replied, "Everyone needs a bit of this once in a while."
He was thrilled and apologized for the poor reception. Being Las Vegas I
gave the driver a big tip as I departed at the airport. I hoped he would
use it to buy a better radio…
Beverly A. Saidel is the owner of Cheap Shots Photography in Denver, Co. (303-331-9932)
