Barstow to Las Vegas (Monday)

If ever there was a great example of man’s ability to artificially manipulate the environment to suit himself, Vegas would be it! Las Vegas is in the Mojave desert. Average rainfall per year is about three inches and the temperature during the summer is well over 100 degrees farenheight, yet here is this bustling metropolis of about 1.4 million people.

Some Spanish dude stumped his toe on a natural spring along time ago and found it could support life out here in the desert. The town of Las Vegas was eventually born but only since the beginning of the 1900s. Initially it was a church town but the mafia moved in during the 1930s I think, and introduced gambling. From my understanding the mob moved out here to distance themselves from the annoying authorities. Illegal gambling prospered and so did Vegas. The state of Nevada eventually legalised gambling here and the town really took off. Its success has surprised everybody and it is still growing rapidly, despite the financial crisis. There are problems here because of the crisis. Las Vegas has the highest rate of home foreclosures of anywhere in the US. One in four homes have been foreclosed by the banks. Some major new Casino construction has stopped or mothballed. But generally Las Vegas is alive and pumping. There seem to be a lot of tourists here and there is money about in the cars and exclusive shops.

The touristy part of town is mainly the Las Vegas boulevard where the big Casinos sit side-by-side, all with their own theme and attractions to lure prospective punters into their gaming rooms. Caesar’s Palace has Rod Stewart (is he still alive?) and Celion Dion will follow him (is she still alive?). Australia’s boy band ‘Human Nature’ is somewhere and Cirque de Soule is permanently here somewhere. And Michael Jackson is here somewhere too. Very clever! Some offer free shows that can be viewed from the walking paths. Treasure Island Casino has some pirate action happening but of the few I have seen, the water symphony would be the best. It’s a spectacular dancing water fountain synchronised to music and lights. Then there are the clubs, shops and bars interspersed with the casinos. The ‘strip’ is the part of the boulevard where this action is concentrated. Walking the ‘strip’ and beyond at night is visually exhausting. Whether it is the dry heat or all the lights, my eyes sting. You have no doubt seen the photos of Vegas’s nightscape. It’s far more powerful seeing it live as you would expect. The Americans are certainly masters of the instant message and the technology for getting the instant message out there. They use everything here to promote product. Entire buildings become billboards or multi-media screens. Even McDonalds has a bug video screen under the golden arches. Then there are the synchronised light shows of the casinos, each trying to outdo the other. It is truly spectacular.

And then there is the Fremont Experience! A casino-clad section of Fremont Street is converted into a mall that runs for several blocks. Apparently this is the original part of Las Vegas, and then the ‘strip’ came along. To compete with the ‘strip’ at the other end of the boulevard they have done something interesting. The mall is roofed with a conical cover that looks innocent enough during the day but at night it goes off. The ceiling is a multimedia display of some sort with which they use to put on an effective colourful show. It’s very unique and a feature here in Las Vegas.

The huge amount of resources required to make all this happen boggles the mind (my mind anyway). The desert heat is kept at bay by air-conditioners working full-time and it can be uncomfortably cold in places. How many power stations are committed to this place? None-the-less it is happening and for now, it works…surprisingly. Vegas’s success defies the experts, particularly during these tough economic times. Perhaps these times have some people going back to university to retrain while others turn to gambling to change their fortunes. One thing for sure, their fortunes will change!

This is the Riveria Casino and Hote where I am staying for $25 per night!