We officially survived our first encounter with the devilish attractions of Las Vegas. It was a brief trip, but high density and thoroughly exhausting. Apparently I couldn’t be bothered to take many photos, and certainly no documentation as ridiculous as the camera found in “The Hangover”. Unlike that Sin City story, no one in our group was lost, and all teeth remain firmly embedded in their respective jaws.
Quite the view from our room.
Even the flight from Boston had some above average thrills, such as the terrifying announcement, “If there is a doctor or RN on board, please ring your call button!”. AAAAHHH. I immediately shrank in my seat, terrified that if someone didn’t come forward soon then they would start screaming, “If there is an under-qualified and over-tired fake medical student on board, we need you to futilely perform CPR on a hemorrhaging elder!” Thankfully, the crisis was a simple case of pre-party vomiting and blackouts. Such chaos is probably a standard feature on Nevada-bound flights.
Our casino experiences were nowhere near as lucky as our Christmastime Roulette streak, but the rest of the Vegasity was definitely as impressive as hoped for. The Bellagio Buffet, for example, left us satisfied to the point of requiring no further nutrition all day – save for a just-because-it-looks-good gelato and a couple of we’re-losing-so-we-deserve-them free drinks around the slots machines.
The most memorable experience by far was the “O” show by Cirque du Soleil last night. It was overwhelmingly creative and far more thrilling than any meager winnings that came and went while gambling. Boatloads of danger, magic and gymnastic glory, with a surprisingly beautiful soundtrack and inspiring water tricks that made me wish I had taken that one diving class more seriously in 8th grade.
Overall, it’s definitely time to tone down our hedonistic vacation streak and focus on tapering to more humble local trips this summer, such as hiking and camping around New England. Time to save pennies instead of shoveling them into others’ pockets, and to quietly enjoy nature instead of caging ourselves within crowded, overfed party zones. It’s been fun, but I’m looking forward to embracing the simple things this year.
