The Shocking Truth about Las Vegas
Why Las Vegas may not be the city you think it is
The world famous Bellagio.
Las Vegas is a shocking city. No, I’m not talking about the shocking things one sees as you walk down The Strip. The ubiquitous sex, debauchery and excess; that’s all to be expected, and therefore not shocking in the slightest. What shocked me, on the contrary, was the depth and magnitude offered by this city. Spending a week in Sin City offered a much more profound travel experience than I had anticipated, and I didn’t step foot in a casino (well…I’ll explain…)
When I told people that we were going to Vegas there were two invariable reactions. The first was a slow widening smile, eyes drifting up and away, a slight nodding of the head and blank stare as the listener took a moment to reminisce about their own exploits. Typically this was accompanied by a “heh heh, oh man…Vegas! You guys are going to have so much fun!” The second reaction was quite the opposite. An immediate casting aside of the entire city, with remarks such as, “I’ve never been a Vegas person.” Or, “Why on earth would you want to go there?!” One person went so far as to tell me that they hoped I came home alive, which, I suppose was a nice sentiment. Better than the opposite, if nothing else. For these people, I’m sure Vegas still conjures images of hacky lounge singers in baby blue bell bottom leisure suits crooning in smokey casinos as old ladies mindlessly pull slot machine handles over and aver again. Or perhaps they see mobsters skimming money in casino vaults. Or, possibly, they imagine a “Fear and Loathing” style brain warped, wobbly-legged stumble through Circus Circus. With both of these groups, however, I found that there was something missing. In both cases, much of what Vegas has to offer is being missed.
Something inevitable is happening in Vegas: time is passing. Along with that passage of time, comes the slow, incremental addition of passages of history, like paragraphs and chapters in a story still being written. Just as the hotels of Las Vegas become taller and more massive year after year, adding on addition after addition, so too has the history of this desert town grown. Las Vegas is a city that is constantly changing its visage. It’s forever razing buildings and erecting ever taller, ever larger, ever more incredible over-the-top resorts. As the city’s buildings continue to grow and evolve, so too does the city’s history.
Las Vegas is embracing it’s past, sordid and debased though it may be. 2012 saw the opening of The Mob Museum, a fantastic museum dedicated to the history of organized crime in the United States. It tackles both those that perpetrated the crimes and those in law enforcement that sought to bring the organized crime syndicates down. Housed in a former US Post Office and Courthouse, it now has three floors of fascinating & immersive exhibits. There are exhibits that delve into the history of prohibition, an area that discusses the history of Las Vegas itself, and, perhaps most notably, you’ll find the wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The bottom floor of the museum houses an underground speakeasy and distillery. It’s a fantastic way to spend an afternoon and it can entirely change your perspective on Las Vegas.
The Mob Museum
Click each photo to expand
Las Vegas is also home to some of the best live entertainment on the planet. Nothing in Las Vegas is done on a small scale, and “O” by Cirque du Soleil is maybe the best example. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. For 90 minutes I was perched on the edge of my seat, my head on a constant swivel trying to take it all in. The entire stage is one gigantic swimming pool. One moment a performer will dive from 30 feet in the air, and the next moment another performer will be walking in that same spot. Something on the side of the stage would catch my eye, and by the time I looked back, the entire stage had changed. There wasn’t a single moment of the show that went by that I wasn’t thinking, “how in the world did they do that?!” I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil shows in the past, and they’re always a spectacle, but this was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It reignited a feeling of childlike wonder that I, as an adult, have not felt in many years.
There wasn’t a single moment of “O” by Cirque du Soleil that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.
Absinthe at Caesar’s Palace was another incredible show. Part burlesque, part Cirque du Soleil, part stand up - it was one of the best shows (or, perhaps “spectacle” is a more appropriate term) I’ve seen in a long time. This one is definitely raunchy, and not for the faint of heart. It’s essentially Las Vegas in show form. But I can honestly say that I haven’t laughed that hard at a live show maybe ever. The seats are uncomfortable as hell, but if you have a sick twisted sense of humor like me (and everyone else in the Speigeltent), I can honestly say it’s one of the best shows you’ll see in Vegas.
Ever since Celine Dion changed the game and started her residency at Caesar’s Palace in 2011 (or, depending on how you look at it, you could argue looking back even further at Elvis and his famous comeback show at the Intentional Hotel in 1969), Las Vegas has become a hot spot for the world’s biggest performers. While Las Vegas once conjured up images of “washed up has beens”, now you’ll find some of the most famous names in entertainment taking the stage. Singers like Elton John, Adele, Garth Brooks, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Brittney Spears & Kelly Clarkson have all had Las Vegas residencies, just to name a few. It makes sense - why travel all over the world performing when you can simply hop in an elevator and make your way downstairs to perform each night? Make the people come to you, not the other way around. You can have a life, settle down for a while, and still perform in front of sold out crowds every night. Las Vegas was once seen as a place where old performers went to die when their careers were over. Now, it’s a badge of honor to have done a Las Vegas residency.
Famous singers aren’t the only ones getting in on the act. Las Vegas has long been a hot spot for some of the world’s greatest comedians. Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, John Mulaney, Tom Segura, Kevin James, Brian Regan, & Daniel Tosh are just a few of the comedians doing shows THIS YEAR! That’s just this year! That’s not to mention people like Carrot Top and Penn & Teller and dozens of others who have a long-running shows. We haven’t even begun to talk about all the magic shows and the myriad of other spectacles offered throughout Las Vegas every single night. You will never run out of shows to see in Las Vegas.
Fun fact - the story goes that seeing “O” by Cirque du Soleil convinced Celine Dion to start her residency in Vegas. So technically, we have Cirque do Soleil to thank for all the A-List performers in Vegas.
That brings me to the hotels. You would be hard pressed to find more world class hotels in such a compact area of land anywhere else on the planet. We spent an entire day simply wandering around the hotels, pools and casinos on the Las Vegas strip. From the dark, moody interior of the Luxor with its Egyptian theme, to New York, New York, with it’s vibrant interior New York street scene and outdoor roller coaster, to the gardens and fountains of the Bellagio, to the canals of the Venetian - these are some of the most incredible, mind-blowing feats of human engineering and imagination ever conceived. Granted, they are over the top and at times, shamefully ostentatious, but no one can deny that they’re impressive. I’ve stayed in some of the world’s greatest hotels from Milan to Minsk, and I would say without hesitation that many of hotels on the Las Vegas Strip could easily compete with the most luxurious among them. And if you’re in the mood to pamper yourself, most of those hotels also have spectacular spas on site as well.
Mon Ami Gabi at The Paris stood out as one of the best meals of our trip, and it offered great views of the Bellagio fountains.
Las Vegas was once the home of cheap, all you can eat buffets. Those days are gone, but in their place you’ll find some of the best restaurants anywhere in the US. It all started with Wolfgang Puck when he introduced Spago at Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace (now moved to the Bellagio). At the time, no celebrity chef would dream of putting a restaurant in Vegas. But Puck ignited a foodie fuse and Vegas is now home to restaurants from other celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, David Chang, Giada De Laurentiis, Jose Andrés, Buddy Valastro and Bobby Flay (just to name a few). But it’s not all celebrity chefs and high end eateries. Some of the best places to eat have no celebrity name attached at all. Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris & the ever popular Peppermill Diner are always big hits, and there are a thousand more besides.
If you like to shop, then you just may think you’ve found yourself in heaven. You can’t turn your head around in Vegas without seeing a place to shop. There are shops on shops and malls on malls. Several resorts have their own malls, including the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace and the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. The former has a “sky” that changes throughout the day and the latter has cobblestone walkways and a painted sky complete with fountains and the famous Venetian Canal meandering right through it. You’ll find hundreds, if not thousands of stores in Vegas. Most of these are high end luxury shops - too rich for my blood. I can’t even afford to window shop in these places. But if you’re in the market for a purse that costs more than my first car, then you’re in luck. But throughout Vegas, you’ll find stores that run the gamut from high end to outlet.
As if all of Las Vegas itself weren’t enough, within a few hours drive you’ll find the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, perfect for a day trip outside of the strip.
Don’t get me wrong, Las Vegas is still Las Vegas. Good times, bad decisions, regrets and great stories are still in ample supply. I don’t think the spirit of the city has changed at all. I think, rather, it has expanded. It has matured into a new era that at once embraces its role as the incubator of our basest desires, while simultaneously untangling its roots and finding and integrating its history. Las Vegas is, more than ever, proud to be Las Vegas. Things that once were seen as “Vegas kitsch” are now cherished. Even Wayne Newton is now cool!
Now, for many, this is no news at all. Millions of people, particularly on the west coast, flock to Vegas year after year. They have played witness the slow changes happening over time. But for those on the east coast, and for those that have written off the city entirely, I think it may be time to reconsider your position on Vegas. I still don’t think Vegas is a place for families (although, if you do bring your kids, there’s plenty for them to do and enjoy while they are there), but I do think that writing off the entire city wholesale is a mistake. If you enjoy history, world class entertainment, incredible hotels and amazing spas, along with some of the best shopping and restaurants in the world, then Las Vegas just may be worth putting on your radar. You won’t even have to step foot in a casino (well, maybe step foot in one, perhaps on your way to a show or something, but you know what I mean). And if you also like to gamble, drink too much, take in adult entertainment, and act like a fool at an all-day pool party, well then you’ll be in good company for that too.
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Las Vegas is a shocking city. Just not in the ways you may think.