Las Vegas is Not All It's Cracked Up to Be

My first trip to Las Vegas was one preceded by excitement and anticipation. As a person who has watched a lot of television that depicts the city as one of instant gratification, non-stop fun, and reckless debauchery, I expected to be treated to one of the most fantastic weekends of my life. After spending a few days in famous city of sin, I realize that television wasn't even close to telling the whole story about Las Vegas. It's unfortunate that what happens in this town often stays in this town, because people are continually left in the dark about what Las Vegas really is all about.

We've all seen the commercials. We've all seen the television shows and we've all probably conjured up fantasies about what Las Vegas might be like. In reality, some of those things are true, but Las Vegas is mostly a place for suckers. It's not even about the money, either. Las Vegas purports to sell excitement and cheap thrills. People don't come to the city for that, though. Instead, they look for fulfillment and satisfaction in a place that is miserably short on those amenities. A twenty minute walk down the street in Las Vegas will tell a traveler all he needs to know. Drones without voices pop cards at any and all passersby. On these cards are naked women with a price. For only $50, you can enjoy the thrills of a woman named Jane. On one side of the street stands the Bellagio, a place that represents everything that's right about Las Vegas. Its sheer size, elegance, and extravagance cannot be questioned. Folks who don't have the bankroll to make a stay at the resort stay elsewhere, but they flock to the famed casino for a little bit of action. For a few hours at a time, these folks feel like high-rollers. They're small fish swimming in a big sea.

The youngest and brightest come to Las Vegas, but everybody's in the same boat. At a small stakes blackjack game, I sat down to enjoy some play. A wonderful young lady sat down beside me and we had a grand time. Any other day, she is a budding star in a big-time marketing firm. On this night, though, she turned into a degenerate gambler. Willing to pull hundred dollar bill after hundred dollar bill from her purse, the beautiful gal looked somewhat sad as the casino raked her chips. In the end, she knew that she had come to lose instead of coming to win. That's how it goes in Las Vegas, though.

Normal folks don't come to this city to win. They come here to lose and lose considerably. Their eyes are dark, deep, and needy. Everybody's looking for something or someone, but no one is finding it. Empty cards and broken bets tell the story that Hollywood won't tell. After all, they don't build billion dollar resorts by paying out money to weary travelers.

This modern day Sodom and Gomorra stands tall in the middle of the American desert. They say that everyone has to go to Las Vegas at least once in their lifetime and I'm glad I got mine out of the way early. When I board the plane to leave, it'll be one of the happiest days of my life. This trip, you see, was one that was meant to gain perspective. As a recovering problem gambler, folks told me I shouldn't have come to Las Vegas. There's too much temptation, they said. I'm glad I came, though. Losing a few hundred dollars was a small price to pay in order to identify the lifestyle that I hate so much. There are no high-rollers or low-rollers in Las Vegas, only people looking to fill their voids with thousands and people trying make themselves feel better with hundred dollar bills. Even the best gamblers in Las Vegas look miserable. That's what this city does, though. Slot machines ring and table games draw you in. When the dealer wins, it's just bad luck.

Las Vegas us a place you have to see once. Don't be surprised if you're ready to head home after a couple of days, though. When in the presence of so much luxurious sin and lavish emptiness, there's only so much a person can take.