Rose Bowl Road Trip: Post 4

Day 5: Las Vegas was our destination and goal for Day 5. The problem is of course that after this day, the days start to blur. We woke and were out of the hotel by about 10 am. This led us to a free parallel parking spot just off the strip that we would not return to until well after midnight. We walked up and down and up and down the strip, most likely putting in the neighborhood of 15 miles on our shoes (rough calculations done using Gmaps Pedometer). We got a chance to see a lot of impressive casinos and some fantastic architecture. It was all so very over the top. Especially the insides of some of these casinos. Little cities are built up inside of them. It all feels very fake though, like everybody is looking for something and can't quite find it, so they substitute the glitz. As for the casino's gambling areas, other than a couple pieces of decor, they are all very similar. Flashing lights, crazy people, and super expensive drinks. We spent so much time walking around and finally got a chance to chill as we waited for Mike to join us from his airport arrival, making our journey complete with four members. We then proceeded to sit outside of New York, New York to see a band play to count down to New Years...yea that's right, New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. So many people were in the streets, as the law enforcement closed them off (picture 4). We counted down to 2008, and then missed the fireworks because there were none behind the casino we were looking at, but there were some behind every other building it seems, so we got to hear them and see them on tv screens strewn around. This led to our scramble to the car, an intense trek up the strip dipping and diving through people trying to survive while getting to the car. We arrived at the car right around 1ish and were headed off to Pasadena from there, no sleep unfortunately.

My impressions of Vegas weren't all that unexpected. It looks like Mos Eisley Spaceport from a distance. It just sticks up in the middle of the desert. I just feel like it isn't my kind of town. But it was still a great experience to visit such a growing community. Of course, if you weren't aware, the glitz of Las Vegas Blvd. and The Strip extends about 2 blocks either way, and then you realize how much like other places this is. It seems like there are many hurting people there, just as any other place, but the juxtaposition between them and the glamour makes it all the more noticeable.