Looking through the pictures of my recent vacation and cross-country trip to the West Coast I have been trying to decide which of them represents the trip best. Las Vegas clearly represents the best and worst of it. The trip was full of moments-most of them fleeting-that in a picture or social media post represent the perimeter of joy in my life today. Wife, family, friends, nature, and then....inevitably, Vegas. Just like the old preacher's description of her as the "Whore of Babylon" suggests, Vegas is a filthy disgusting display of conspicuous consumption, sex, excess, pipe dreams and ultimately dissatisfaction for most. In my case, having only stopped briefly to give my guests from overseas a snapshot or two of the best and worst of American culture, it was by far the most satisfying trip I have ever made there. Primarily, this seems to be due to the fact that I had only one expectation and desire. That was to ride the "Big Shot" with my new brother-in-law and to experience the fear and thrill of being thrust 160 feet up above the roof of the tallest tower in Vegas and catching negative G forces on the way down. My brother in law has never been to an amusement park, on a roller coaster or any other thrill ride in his life, yet we both experienced the same terror and joy. In this microcosm of the city's emotional joy and fear I believe I learned something about what it may be like to truly know Vegas. For the occasional tourist passing through like me its just a thrill-ride for a minute or two before the open road. But, for the degenerate professional gamblers, alcoholics and other addicts it is a place where one can achieve temporary joys and the beautiful extreme fears followed by a settling down to earth again being resigned to one's fate as a human being and "placing one's feet on pavement again." During that journey, whatever trip one is on, there is a complete release from "earthly bounds." Jobs, bills, relationships, stress-simply melts away in pursuit of one's own personal "El Dorado', (legendary city of gold for those unfamiliar with the conquistadors). The adage, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," was a mind-set long before the marketing folks in the casinos figured out that's what people were after who went out there. Now its become a haven for bachelor parties, nostalgia music-even rock and roll acts from my youth (that's enough to make you feel old), and despite the economic woes in the rest of the US and the world it is still full of people willing to take a stroll on the avenue of possibility spending far too much on spinning wheels and casino games designed to rob customers of their hard earned cash. Walking along "the Strip" I was overwhelmed by the changes in the last ten years. It seemed like the lights and "action" were all carefully planned and choreographed to give visitors the ultimate satisfaction at having "arrived." This is not your father's Vegas which was frequented by the Rat Pack and misplaced gangsters trying to go "legit." This is corporate Vegas and there's nothing cute or quaint about it anymore. It has become a Disneyland on steroids for adults, families, and anyone else who has a few bucks (or not) to toss into the casino coffers. Luckily, my gambling days are long behind me so I was able to take advantage of the cheap accommodations and eats while giving my visitors a once in a lifetime view of the spectacle that is Vegas, and by extension, America. My previous visits left me far less satisfied, far more broke, hungover and yet intrigued with what Hunter S. Thompson said about the old tramp. "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed." Today I'm grateful to share it with others much like a trip to the local zoo. "Here are the monkeys, here are the jackals, here are the armadillos. Don't feed the animals, don't put your fingers in the cages-have a nice day."
