Fear and Loathing in Vegas. A Savage Journey to the Loss of 15 Dollars

This is the view of the sunset as we left Hoover Dam and entered Vegas. It made me think of a quote of Hunter S. Thompson's on San Francisco in the 60's and how much changed between '67 and '72 by the time he visited Vegas:

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda... You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning...
And that, I think, was the handle — that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply PREVAIL. There was no point in fighting — on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave...
So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark — that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.    

-Hunter S. Thompson "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Although the buffoonery of the 60's drug culture wore off at an early age for me (seriously, Jim Morrison... enough said about clowns...although he sang well. 'Lizard King'?...okay... have fun Jim), some of the literature and ideas still ring true. Writings by Thompson and Kerouac still have a profound effect on me, and this piece alone made me want to visit Las Vegas. No offense to Elvis' perfectly performed "Viva..." song. But there was (and is) a dark underbelly to the Vegas idea of a good time. Now, Ash and I did not consume drugs to a lethal point as Thompson and his attorney in my other favorite book, but it is definitely true that this is not the place for such things. This town is over the top folks. Some may think "Why visit New York or Venice when it's all here?" but there is no comparison, and I'm sure I'm not convincing anyone here. Venice and New York have so many wonderful cultural things to offer, and Vegas has none. Seriously, without Hunter Thompson's book, I would have no interest at all.

There is a sadness once you leave the strip area, as illustrated here by a photo of Ash when we were in the laundromat (when she was updating this very blog). As Thompson said about the people in LV "...And, Sweet Jesus, there sure are a hell of a lot of them - still screaming around these desert city crap tables at four-thirty on a sunday monring. Still humping the American Dream...". Cest la vie. To each their own though.

We did get a sweet deal in the Luxor though, which has the strongest light in the US pointing straight skyward. How telling of Vegas dreams, don't you think?
Two accounts of people are worth retelling here. One is when I was wandering around our hotel's casino after Ashleigh had passed out (after one Long Island ice tea... yeah, I was disappointed in her tolerance as well). There was a woman sitting above me in the bar. It went down as follows:

Woman: Do you have the time?

Jeff: Yeah, sure (fumbling for cell phone). I think it's 2:30

Jeff:... Uh, looks like 3a.m.

W: Ok, thank you.

J: No problem.

W (as J was walking away): How are you doing? (awkward one second pause in her sentence, as if she forgot something) How are you doing, sexy?

J: Ha ha ha ha... Okay (uncomfortably walking away)...

W: Are you here alone?

J: (realizing this is a prostitute) No, I'm here with my wife, but have a good night.

W: You too (as Jeff essentially runs from the area)!

Another was a rough, Brooklyn-ish fellow that was trying to sell us a time share. We had learned this on our way in to check in. We were corralled by a nice older woman to welcome us. Suddenly, she had us at a desk where we were offered Chris Angel tickets for half price.

"Seriously, I wouldn't watch that douche nozzle if he were performing seppaku on my front lawn" I thought.

"No thank you", I actually said.

But after we knew of the scam for half price tickets to horrible shows, we were wary. Vinny, the Brooklyn-guy refused our brush off.

"I'll give you a free room" he threatened. Seriously, it sounded threatening. Almost as if to say, "I'll punch this free room into your face". Needless to say, we declined. I've illustrated him here:

His fists were really that big.

After all this, it was on to old Vegas, to see Circus Circus, where Hunter, Elvis and the old Rat Pack hung out... It was the saddest show on Earth. The juggler looked so defeated as he murmured "excuse me" and sulked by us for his performance.

We had to drown the sadness of this performers tears in some fantastic food. So on to Venice. Where the canals are as fake as the juggler's smile (but cheaper than a gondola ride in the ACTUAL Venice... I recall making a decision in Venice in 1999. Something along the lines of 'Do I want a 30,000 lire gondola ride or wine for the next 30 nights?'. You do the math. I'm sure you know my final answer).

The food in Venice was absolutely wonderful. Ash and I will return just for this...

Then, after sweating out the 116 degree weather, we decided to take an evening dip in the luke-warn Luxor swimming pool. Despite the 72 degree water, it was a much-needed chlorinification. Glorious indeed. But be aware, Vegasistes, the pools close around 7 p.m. They way we figured it, is that you weren't spending money in the pool, so they advise that you send the kiddies off to bed, and spend some of your hard-earned dollars on scotch and beer... The way Sinatra would have advised you; "Make it one more for baby, and one more for the road".


Although it may sound like a slamming of Vegas, I will admit, it's a hell of a place. Despite all the sadness of crushed dreams and spent money, it has a certain charm about it. Ash and I even gambled a bit. The total loss was 5 dollars (USD). We were up 16 at one point, but I had to go get another scotch, and blow it. Ash helped me make this decision though, so it wasn't all me.
"Bright light city gonna set my soul, a gonna set my soul on fire"

-Elvis Presley, "Viva Las Vegas"