Somewhere I Have Never Been Before!

I am in Las Vegas. Dave and Dan are golfing--what else?
What a place.
Has anyone not been here?

Actually, I spent a lot of time there in the 60's when I lived in Los Angeles area. We would drive there and gamble all night and drive back. Me, I slept on the machines as I found gambling totally a waste of time. However, I went along with my friends. I had a Corvette then and remember most the return in a sandstorm with the hard top left in Los Angeles...

I think it's very changed since my experience. In my day, they had ordinary hotels that were extraordinary. Today they have extraordinary hotels that are beyond the pale in their opulence and fantasy.

Dear Alice,
I have been there. It is a wonderland close to Disney. I think you have to have some money to go there.

Long ago, I lived in Kingman, Arizona. People went to Las Vegas like it was the mall of today. We were so poor we could not gamble one bit. I was pregnant and nasuea had been my daytime malady. How things have changed from the 1960's!

What I love about the desert is the clean air, the rocks and the desert streams. Mostly, the rocks. Florida has no rocks.

Love,
Betty

Dear Dk,
I remember the experience of dust storms in Arizona. It was not like here in Florida, there was no warnings. I wonder if the warnings are there now. Those dust storms were blinding.

Love,
Betty

and painful!

Betty Fasig wrote:

... Long ago, I lived in Kingman, Arizona. What I love about the desert is the clean air, the rocks and the desert streams. Mostly, the rocks. Florida has no rocks. ...

OMG Betty!

I LOVE Kingman AZ. My husband and I have driven through there so many times. It was the last place to stop for a Whataburger while going west. But now the Whataburger is gone

It is a nice little place to take a break.

I always love the name Kingman.
I ended up using it in my novels. My female MC is named Lily Kingman.

I've driven the California/Michigan routes, southern, middle and northern about six times. I think I remember Kingman and the Whataburger - but not certain.

I love Las Vegas! Where are you staying? Our family has gone there three times. We stayed at the Luxor first, then the Bellagio, then the Venetian. Each hotel was great. Seeing any shows?

I've been there a long time ago. I have no lasting memories. I did hear a story, don't know if it's true, about a man that went to Vegas in a $20,000 Cadillac and returned home on a $100,000 bus.

What I remember are the coin machines. Pulling those handles caused my wife muscle soreness.

I remember it being very hot. Not my idea of a vacation spot.

I live in Nevada, but up North in the Reno area. The climate is VERY different from Las Vegas. Been through Las Vegas more times than I remember.

It gets pretty hot, but at least it is not humid.
Slot machines are everywhere in Nevada: in the airport, the laundromats, the grocery stores, the truck stops, the convenience stores ....
But at least now you don't have to pull a handle, just push a big button!

And it isn't even called gambling anymore ... Nevada uses the 'nicer' word GAMING. It implies that people are spending their money for entertainment, rather than taking chances with money they can't afford to lose. Heh!

Shows are great ... lately I've been seeing some Billboards for "Thunder from Down Under". Looks pretty interesting. Wow! LOL

I've never been to Vegas and am looking forward to hearing about your experience iof the place, Alice.

That, in fact, might be a good topic for your next book. You and Dave travel so much, and you have such a delightful way of telling about your experiences, you could write a travel book.

Hey, it could become a companion book to Forever Travels.

Ann

My son and I were there a year and a half ago on our trip across country. We stayed at the Mirage and saw the Beatles Cirque du Soleil Love Show there. It was a fantastic experience and energizing adventure! I hadn't been to Vegas since the 70's and what a change!

Neither of us gambled, but we loved walking around, and the Beatles show was the best!

Until you're actually there, you just can't imagine the electricity!

Abe, my friend lost that Cadillac. He was from Michigan and received the car as a graduation president. He promptly drove to Las Vegas - and had to call home for bus money.

I was there with a couple of friends back in '96. I prefer to call it "The City of Lights", cos thats all I ever remember about Vegas. We stayed in Boulder City up the freeway and I drove the Chevrolet at night down to the "City of Lights" to check it out. I wonder if that's what prompted me to name the alien city in my second novel "The City of Lights" ?

Anyway, my happiest memory is of watching the cartoons on neon in the roof of Fremont Street!.What happy memories!

dkchristi wrote:

Abe, my friend lost that Cadillac. He was from Michigan and received the car as a graduation president. He promptly drove to Las Vegas - and had to call home for bus money.

Sorry to hear that DK. But the lust for money often overrides sanity. Good thing there is still bus service, that's affordable.

That was a long time ago - I had a big crush on him until I realized he gambled, drank and thought fist fights were "manly." The lost car was the final straw. We were in our 20's at the time. I often wondered about him - he was sooo attractive and such a bad bet ...

The good news is if you've not been to Las Vegas, you've haven't missed anything much. I much prefer our hiking and camping trips.

We are not gamblers, drinkers, eaters, or showgoers. I know once is more than an excellent sufficiency of this place.

I love Branson, MO. Disneyland, Euro Disney, The Swiss Alps, Hawaii, Tahiti, London, Paris, etc.

I attended a conference there. The main thing I remember is traveling there in winter thinking it would be like Florida (dumb, dumb, dumb) and going to Penny's to buy a winter coat to stand the wind howling between the conference buildings.