Love to Vegas

We have been to Vegas many times and rarely take photos or even visit the typical tourist spots anymore. We have dined at the high end casinos and stayed at the cheapo casinos and timeshare condos as well, both on and off the strip.  

Usually when we go to Vegas we look for the free or cheap entertainment: MGM lions, pet circus, Chihuly glass ceiling sculptures, indoor gardens, Shark Reef, rock memorabilia displays at Hard Rock, play games at Circus Circus, take in views at Stratosphere, Pirate show at Treasure Island, watch the fountains at the Bellagio, or taking in the Ambiance at Vooodoo lounge. I am not even sure which of those things are still available anymore.

We are not big gamblers, but if we decide to hit the tables, the Rio or the Orleans off the strip are usually fun to play roulette because they allow lower minimum bets. 

Our recent trip to Vegas introduced us to the Fremont Street Experience. As we walked up the road we were greeted with a multitude of scantily clad street performers with tape over their nipples, body paint, platform heals, and man-thongs. One man dressed as cupid. We saw a Wolverine and KISS. We saw a contortionist wrap his arm backward around  his body and another hop on his head like the weird orange "Chilly down" creatures do in Labyrinth. We saw small children with zero dancing skills street performing for money with their parents and a boom box.  One ragged looking man had a native American marionette and a boombox of tribal beats to which he made the puppet dance.  A middle aged white woman sat in a motorized wheelchair with a basket in the front and held up a sign that just read "Fuck You."  As we walked out I saw three women dressed as sexy cops in hotpants and fishnets and were bent over with their rears toward the camera as they draped their bodies over a man who stood there with his hands in cuffs posing in a flirty "what  am I gonna do?" position.  Multiple women strutted across bars in boots coaxing people to buy booze. An old man who appeared to have no teeth help up a "Fuck Trump" sign. Chris' favorite was the contrast of the overweight slovenly middle aged white guy in a dirty giant bunny costume (not the sexy kind) with a sign that read "Fuck you" and beside him stood a tall, thin blonde standing awkwardly in negligee with a young African-American man standing guard next to her. One man stood atop a go-cart and blared out tunes from his saxophone while several men stood guard.  We passed two free concerts happening along the street with bands that were trying to establish or re-establish themselves and just beyond the bright stage lights and busy alcohol fueled crowds you could see the rubble of a half destroyed old Vegas hotel...seemed kinda symbolic of the old city. It was the most entertaining, unapollogetically Un-PC free entertainment I think we could have ever found.

We got there just minutes before the 10pm light show when several Imagine Dragons videos began playing over our heads along the giant light display. People zoomed over our heads like birds on their ziplines while the music thumped. Around us people crowded together on their phones as they took photos and videos before returning to the street fair.

After the show we walked through the throng of people to the outer parts of the street and discovered some interesting art on display.  Loved the heart of padlocks. The shooting massacre in Vegas took place a couple days after we left and we had family calling to make sure we were OK given our music and traveling proclivities. We were safe. Our hearts go out to everyone who was not and who has been affected by this tragedy. Although the lights have dimmed for many, the light of the city will still burn bright, as will the memory of everyone whose heart has been touched by the fallen. May we all one day find the wisdom in our hearts to heal all that is broken.

You can donate to support survivors of gun violence and toward prevention at the Brady Center
and directly to the victims at this GOFUNDME account

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