Two weeks of vacation are up, and it’s time to go back to work, unfortunately. A few notes, in no particular order, from a winter break I wish didn’t have to end:
1) Is it a bad sign when you go to a club and it’s so early you have nothing to do but think about the electronics behind the lights that move and pulse in time to the music?
2) I only dropped a total of $6 on gambling.
3) *People* live in Las Vegas. Nearly a million of them, too! Incredible, for a town situated in the middle of the desert and, but for the grace of technology, really shouldn’t flourish.
4) Lone Mountain is really lonely.
5) Hiking the Calico Tanks trail in Red Rock Canyon was unbelievably fun. The weather was perfect and the hike wasn’t too strenuous, just some rock scrambling here and there. It was only too bad that when I reached the summit, the city was mired in smog (though my brother informs me that it was not smog but dust).
6) New Year’s on the Strip was, of course, crowded as hell, but I realized how much I missed the energy and excitement of a large city. The fireworks were, well, fireworks; it got dull after awhile but somehow everyone managed to continue yelling and screaming–why were there no off-key renditions of “Auld Lang Syne” to be found? Probably because no one really knows the lyrics.
7) The precise moment at which the clock struck 12 kind of sneaked up on everyone: we got a 30 second warning, then a 15 second warning, then, in rapid succession, FIVEFOURTHREETWOONEHAPPYNEWYEAR!*explosion* *explosion* *explosion* W000000000000000000000000000000000000 etc. etc.
8) Outside of the Strip, pretty much everything in Vegas is located in a strip mall/plaza-ish dealy. I think it’s a sign of how sprawled-out everything is out there. I like driving, but I also like the amenities and atmosphere of traditional neighborhoods.
9) Pedestrians are so well-behaved when it comes to crossing intersections! Maybe it’s because they’re all tourists, heh. But where are the New York-bred visitors who defiantly cross against the “don’t walk” sign? I don’t know, there’s something that doesn’t seem right about a mass of people congregated at a corner, obediently obeying the crossing signals and waiting their turn…when there are no cars at all coming through the intersection, and there won’t be any for awhile.
10) Imagine you’re hungry, so you stop off at the MGM Grand Buffet for a bite to eat. It’s New Year’s day, everyone’s out; you get in line for the cashier. While you are waiting, you spot a group of people hanging out, they’re not yet in line; they seem to be waiting for other people.
Maybe fifteen minutes later, you make it to the cashier. You pay the lunch fee, then you get in another line–this is the line to be seated at a table. From what you can tell, it’s pretty long. It snakes around, folds back maybe three times. The group you spotted before is still there. Boy, are they in for a wait, you think to yourself.
Another fifteen minutes later, let’s say, you’ve made some progress. You’re almost at the head of the line. You’re looking around, and who should you see walking up the handicapped ramp, shortcutting the line altogether, is that group of people you saw earlier, now fourteen strong. Just…bypassing the line completely. Who do these people think they are? Sheesh!
Yeah, that was pretty cool. I laughed (to myself) at the people who were waiting in line.
That’s about all for now, but I’m sure there are others that will come later.
All of the pictures I took (that I care to share) have been uploaded to my photo album. You can find the following:
Good night for now…