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Flesh For Sale: Las Vegas

Posted on April 24th, 2008 jean 1 comment

One thing that really surprised me about Las Vegas was not necessarily how they have bastardized every significant monument in the world, but rather it was the blatant flesh for sale. Vegas, essentially, is a theme park for the seven deadly sins and an interesting sociological study.

We’ve all heard the adage: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I had no idea that some folks actually take it quite seriously and that casino owners are embracing it. The weekend folk seems to be there to prove the adeage is true and were a bit more wild than the weekday folk. During the weekend there were lots of young people looking for action. Girls wearing barely there dresses that could cause you to confuse them with hookers. Guys strolling around on the prowl, trying to catch the attention of passing gaggles of girls. Shops with slutty outfits in the windows. Hotels with topless pools, oh sorry, I mean, with an ‘European Experience’. Sculptures based around nudity. The weekend seemed to emphasise the Vegas flesh experience.

And that’s is to be expected. Vegas is where a sexual whack-job can go to be free. However, what was a bit startling were the lines of Hispanic men wearing bright t-shirts boasting: “GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS. Delivered to your door in 20 minutes.” Wow, it’s like pizza. If it’s takes longer than 20 minutes, does that mean they’re free? But not only are the men wearing the shirts advertising the phone number, they have a stack of coloured business cards with photos of half dressed or nude (white) women (where is the diversity?) and a phone number. All hours of the day there are lines of these guys up and down the strip, and particularly in areas where people have to squeeze by them as there is no other way around. Every hand that went by, they would try to slip a card to them–even though I never saw anyone other than loud drunk young men take a card–one group was collecting them like sports cards. But it was the flicking that really got to me. Whenever you walk by, even if you are holding the hand of a large man, they flick their cards with a thumb making a ‘flicking’ noise and try to slip a card into your hand. By the end of the trip, I was ready to grab one of those stupid cards and shove it up a nostril (not my own nostril in case you were wondering). Isn’t it obvious that I prefer men and am not looking for ‘company’?

So although the flicking nuddy cards were annoying, it was the discarded cards scattered on the sidewalks that really annoyed me. It is rather disconcerting for someone who likes to walk briskly and often checks where they are walking to have their attention always being caught by cards underfoot. Always walking, always walking on a half-dressed or naked woman cast down like garbage upon the ground. Littering the sidewalks in compromising positions, slowly being ground into the cement. Bothersome. It affects one’s psyche.

But that’s not all. Newspaper boxes that line the sidewalks don’t hold newspapers, they hold call girl catalogues, the yellow pages has 100 pages of ‘entertainers’–yes I counted. Everywhere you look, flesh is for sale. You look out into traffic and there is a moving billboard with a scantily clad woman with a phone number and the words, “Hot Babes. Delivered to your door in 20 minutes.” Is there some central warehouse? How big is Las Vegas anyway? It takes me 20 minutes just to get through my hotel/casino and up to my room! So, up and down the strip these billboards drive, sucking up fossil fuels, rubbing super-sized breasts in your face.

Oh, and I forgot about the showgirls. What would Las Vegas be without showgirls? Of course the casinos have waitresses wearing barely-cover-your-bum outfits and sport dancers and large posters of buttocks and ads for showgirl performances. Our ‘do not disturb’ sign for our hotel room door had showgirls on them. Even scultptures in Vegas are naked.

Sadly, Vegas has even turned Toni Braxton into a ‘showgirl’ and alluded to that her singing show may be a nuddy show by calling it ‘Toni Braxton Revealed’. Check out the side of the hotel where she plays:

It’s no wonder that after awhile you feel the urge to start dressing like a slut. Okay, no. But I could see how someone might if they were one of those who enjoyed walking the strip with their alcohol in hand–which also appears to be legal–and likes the experience of grinding with another woman on top of the bar at Coyote Ugly and taking their top off at the pool.
Travels Las Vegas, Women
Where Are We?: Las Vegas

Posted on April 23rd, 2008 jean No comments

Have you ever walked into a place and thought, “Where the hell am I?” or “What the hell am I doing here?”

I had one of those moments last week. My husband and I went to Las Vegas for a few days. In the dead of the night (well, okay, dead anywhere else except Vegas which had traffic jams) we arrived at our hotel–after spending an incredible amount on cab fare. We walked into the shiny, glamorous entry of the hotel, our backpacks slung over our shoulders only to be met by a gaggle of Howie Mandel’s girls from ‘Let’s Make a Deal’. Okay, okay, not really. But they could have been stand-ins judging by the way they were done up. Or maybe they were call girls. Really, how can a country bumpkin like me tell?

So, after weaving through the look at me giggles flicking their blown out fancy hair, we found ourselves in a sparkling, shiny casino. Huh? All I could think was, “Where the hell are we? And cigarette smoke?” The stale booze smell wasn’t nearly as shocking as the stunning cigarette smoke. It is incredible how quickly you get used to public spaces being free of cigarette smoke. (It is banned where I live, but not in Vegas casinos!) After my husband dazedly turned a circle, he discovered the check in desk behind us and off to the side. Whew.

The next stunner was customer service. They immediately began upgrading us and I of course, began panicking. But all for naught. Evidently upgrades are free. And thank goodness the room was said to be smoke free as I could already practically feel my lungs seizing up. So, off through the jangling casino we strolled, feeling self-conscious with our luggage slung over our shoulders. Finally, we arrive at the elevators. In case you are curious, no 13th floor. Up to our room which of course, smells like stale cigarette smoke. <Sigh.>

The next day, after a HUGE (and pricey–$3.50 for a beverage) breakfast we headed out to check out the strip. This in itself was an adventure as after walking for approximately forever, we discovered all sorts of things that were not in fact the strip (flamingos, a topless pool, people still drunk from the night before, a grocery store that advertised guns and booze, and some homeless people). And then at last, the strip. Wow, are Casinos really hard to get out of! We soon discovered that it usually took two of us to navigate through their wily keep-you-inside schemes. (In one Casino, we walked for over a km before finding our way out at the other end. Those things are mammoth!)

But we found the strip. Unfortunately, we wanted to cross the street. But it was blocked! Tricky, tricky. Eventually, we discovered that the escalators we had been avoiding were actually a way up to the fancy pedestrian bridges that we had previously not noticed. These pedestrian bridges were tricky too because they would often dump you into a casino. Sometimes, there would be stairs back down to the street–often set back so if you weren’t paying attention you would land in the casino. All the tricks to get you to spend all your money!

Here is a photo to show an amazing walkway which will spit you into a casino:

But soon, we were experts on making our way around the strip and put over 35km on our poor little legs in 3 1/2 days and found that the strangest things became entertaining rather than brain puzzles.
Travels Las Vegas, Travels

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Welcome to my Website and Blog

I am an aspiring fiction writer (children's, women's and commercial) and a represented nonfiction writer. I am also a member, critiquer and site moderator over on AgentQueryConnect.com. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to jump in the conversation and leave your thoughts in the comment section.

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