Las Vegas: America's most irritating city? (rant)

[Coventina]

I went to Las Vegas this weekend. I've been there before, but this trip was so annoying that I don't think I'll ever go back (by choice).

1. Whatever happened to Las Vegas being cheap? We had to spend over $100 a night just to stay at Imperial Palace! Everything else on the strip was at least DOUBLE that!

2. Service is terrible! Everywhere we went we had waiters, waitresses, bartenders, etc. who were either surly, forgetful, overworked or just plain MIA. Our favorite was the guy who just automatically tacked 18% on to our bill without saying anything ahead of time.

3. Navigating the strip should be simple, right? It's just a street with all the casinos lined up along it. No. The casinos have been allowed to fence off the sidewalks, erecting all kinds of barriers that force you to take long detours through crowds of waddling tourists, people trying to sell you timeshares, people trying to hand you pornography and piles of refuse and vomit.

4. The place just gets kind of depressing after awhile. It's a lot of eye candy for sure. But after about the first 24 hours you start to notice the human wreckage that goes along with it. Young girls trying to pick up johns, old people in trances at slot machines. Not to mention what an environmental nightmare the city is. Of course, any desert city is an environmental nightmare, mine included. But there's something about the over-the-top use of water and electricity in Vegas that makes it especially nauseating.

Ok, I feel better now.
:-)

[Jokerman]

1. I was irritated by Vegas during a 5 minute layover.

The airport was filled with noisy slot machines but they were nothing compared with the P.A. system blasting out welcome messages from washed-up celebrities. The whole thing just seemed really weird to me.

Fortunately the plane I arrived on was late so a 30 minute layover turned into a 5 minute dash between gates. That was more than enough for me.

[miss_kitty]

2. Yes Las Vegas is most annoying

It needs to get over itself. But it won't, until some horrible smiting occurs. Now they have to compete with the relaxation of gambling rules across the country, and Native American casinos. It's a sad thing.

[Zomby Woof]

3. HST had it pegged years ago

:D

[hvn_nbr_2]

11. What did Truman say about Vegas?

Oh, this is the lounge. You meant Hunter S. Thompson. O8)

[Taverner]

4. Vegas is the death of the American Dream

Another poster had it right when they said HST had it right

One of his quotes about Circus Circus could be re-interpreted for the whole fucking city. Las Vegas is what America would be like every Saturday night if Hitler had won the war.

I like the city personally, but not in the way most people like cities. It is the celebration of Capitalism's mighty sword severing the head off the last vestiges of humanity from the American soul.

I think it needs to serve as a reminder that America, Democracy and Ideals all rot into decaying corpses when left unfed and cared for.

[underpants]

13. I dragged my wife to Circus Circus, just to see the bar

well that bat is not running 24/7 anymore-only on weekends. It is located in the middle of carnival "please take my money" games and Circus Circus looks like a dirty resort for Carnie employees of the month.

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty.

[Chovexani]

5. My aunt lives in Vegas

I don't know how she does it. It really is depressing after a while.

[MN ChimpH8R]

6. I find Vegas fascinating

I usually go there every January for the Consumer Electronics Show. Five days or so is enough, but I feel like Margaret Mead amongst the Samoans - it's a completely different culture and mindspace. People-watching there is very interesting - you see every subspecies in the human zoo. Not sure I'd want to live there, but it's an interesting place to visit. It probably helps that I don't gamble - not that I have any objections to it, I just prefer cheaper entertainments.

[bliss_eternal]

26. I agree--it is fascinating.

:) Lots of people there to watch--most are drinking, smoking, gambling, trying to get picked up or trying to pick someone up. Very interesting...

[pitohui]

7. huh

to be honest i prefer the new upscale vegas to the old vegas of scrungy $2.99 buffets

i like the central strip location where you stayed v. much altho not necessarily imperial palace when you got caesar's, mirage, venetian, etc. nearby

i don't find it depressing

to each her own i guess

[eyesroll]

8. I'll be heading there next week for business.

I'll probably be going to dinner one night with a good friend who got mugged the last time he was there. (He was not hurt, and didn't lose a lot of money, but was very shaken.) He won't be back, except for business.

[Taverner]

20. You're not going to VMworld are you?

Just wondering .....

[eyesroll]

29. Nope.

It's a cleaning show. Yippee.

[matcom]

9. i hate vegas. always have

they can nuke the place for all i care.

[Coventina]

12. Matcom replied to my thread!!! I'm in heaven!!!!

Does this mean that I'm now a real DUer?

:loveya:


On edit: This is no way a disparegement of the other people who replied to my thread. It's just that I remember Matcom from the days when I was just a lurker and hadn't even registered yet. He & Kef were the two posters that always "stuck out". In Matcom's case, probably his big yellow ass! :D

[matcom]

14. LMAO! no, the only thing it means is.....

you probably need a shower now :D

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. On edit ....schmon medit....

Posting snob....:eyes:



Disclaimer: This post was only intended for use as to tease the OP, any other use or implication was purely unintended and not prohibited.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. We stay at the Stardust and it's usually about $75 a night which is

decent because it's a nice place, centrally located. It pisses me off though that bottle water is so damned expensive. :hi:

[bliss_eternal]

25. Isn't the price of water insane?

A cabbie tipped us off on how to handle that. We were asking what the closest store was, so we could stock up. He took us to a 7-11. Which was great as we stocked up on water for a lot less than it cost at the hotels.

Then he told us, if you are in the casino, and your thirsty--sit down at one of the nickel slots and ask the waitress for a drink--water, soda, whatever--it's free if you're gambling. Sometimes, we just pretended to use the machines, and waited for the waitress to approach us.

[underpants]

15. I liked it.

We were with my in-laws and stayed way off the strip but we had a pretty good time. I didn't gamble much. Eh it was okay. Tough to run in the desert heat.

[meganmonkey]

16. I think it is the grossest place in the USA that I have ever been

and I will only go there again if it is some special event like a wedding of a friend.

And the wierd part is, I love partying and debauchery, so it isn't the 'sin' that gets to me...

[SeattleGirl]

17. I love Las Vegas.

I really do. I'm going there this Wednesday, and will come back Monday. My second trip this year. And I'm staying at the Imperial Palace. I'm surprised at the price you paid for a room -- did you have one of the deluxe rooms? We're staying in a regular room, and because we belong to the player's club, we get a great price -- our 5 nights are costing us less than $200. And the rooms are clean and decent, which is important to me.

I do get annoyed at the people standing along the sidewalks, snapping those pamphlets. We just ignore them, or sometimes we'll take one and snap it at the next person trying to pass them out. We just laugh at them.

I've rarely run into bad service there. Sorry you had such a bad experience with that. I hate bad service, and have been known to complain to management about it.

I do have to agree 100% with you in terms of navigating the strip. It is difficult in spots, for sure. Sometimes when I'm caught up in a particularly slow-moving crowd, I have an urge to "moo"!

For me, it's a total escape. I don't think about work or other responsibilities when I'm there. I dunno, maybe I am just a Decadence Queen!

[fishnfla]

22. Hey, we're going same days

Mrsfish and I are going with a big group of folks! Viva Las Vagas!

[SeattleGirl]

27. Wow, cool!!!

Viva Las Vegas indeed!!!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. It's rather expensive. Buffets are still (relatively) cheap, but eating

at regular restaurants is very expensive. Strip hotels aren't cheap. Most of the "name" shows are about 100 bucks or more a ticket.

I find the deal where you can't just walk straight down the strip because of the barriers and escalators to be ridiculous as well...

If you are on the Strip, I think 3 days = maximum sensory overload.

On a first visit, to see the unbelievable glitz and lights is actually very cool and overwhelming, and you want to see each and every hotel.

Then you soon realize that they are all glass and neon glitz palaces, shaped with some tacky theme (ancient Rome, Venice, Egypt, etc.), with the same winged design to give the rooms the same view of the Strip, but the black, beating heart of the beast is still the Wheel of Fortune slot machine with the 60 year old lady from Columbus, OH pumping money into it at 3AM. Or the ten dollar blackjack table with the Filipino dealer.

It is the very representation of decadent American capitalism run amok, in its purest form. The fact that people like Abramoff and the shrubco procurement guy were shills for the Native American casino gambling industry pretty much tells you that they've got their hooks into shrubco very deep.

[bliss_eternal]

24. The barricades...

I got trapped by those. I was trying to get back to my hotel. My nose was bleeding, and I was feaking out over it--wanted to get back to my room to take care of it. I was also kind of afraid someone would see and think I was some coke monkey, instead of a woman with hideous allergies run amock in their dry, smoke filled climate. LOL!

I kept getting this image of being arrested for having a bloody nose, and them patting me down searching for the drugs--and finding nothing other than anthistamines! LOL!

I got so frustrated with the street barricades, I gave up and hailed a cab to get back to my hotel. :crazy:

[TX-RAT]

19. Been going to Vegas for 30 yrs

We always stay downtown at the Nugget,(sometimes Binions) Everything is and easy walk, and tons of great restaurants.

[bliss_eternal]

23. I'm so sorry you didn't have a good time.

:hug:

I know how you feel. I made some of your same complaints on my trip there last week.

I was miserable, because of the dry conditions--and didn't factor in all the smoking there (no smoking indoors in CA). For someone with lots of allergy and asthma issues, it wasn't much fun. My nose bled the entire time I was there and two days upon return. :(

But I did enjoy Avenue Q at the Wynn! It was a wonderful show! The Wynn was a beautiful hotel! Also had a tasty buffet at Treasure Island and a delicious breakfast buffet at the MGM Grand!

We stayed at the Grand. They put us in the newer West Wing. I didn't like our room, as it was all high tech-y and not very functional. I joked that I needed instructions to use the room. LOL! But I get that they don't really expect people to spend much time in their rooms... It did offer an interesting view.

My nose hurt so much, I vowed to not go back. LOL! But I think if I travel when the weather is cooler, it would be ok for my health issues. I'd love to return and see more shows--so many to see there!!

But I totally get you on the excesses--the people with the dead eyes--the naked girls--those things were a bit disturbing. :hi:

[Omphaloskepsis]

28. I had a bad time on my last trip there.

But I did spend four days at a homeless shelter in North Las Vegas.