Vegas Baby!

I was recently informed that Wichita was looking to build a casino. It's a big money maker of course. After the city studied the suggestion, they came to the conclusion that all that money made goes to the builders and the owners. The casino makes virtually nothing for the city.

The notable exception, of course, is Las Vegas.

This represents my fourth trip to Sin City, and they've all been highly enjoyable trips. There is just something addictive about the place. A 'mob rule' feeling permeates everything, and the rule is to spend money.

The city is in continual flux. Things change pretty quickly, and a number of things had. The airport was undergoing major construction in the main advertising room, sometimes called the baggage claim. TI had closed its external show for cleaning. (Though one cabby indicated that the Sirens weren’t doing very well, and it may in fact be reworked.) Two new casinos had appeared on the skyline since my last trip and two more were being built for 2009.

Vegas' biggest new trick was with a paint brush. Some foolish individuals decided that the hotel architecture wasn't the only kind of advertising they wanted. They decided to paint ads directly onto the sides of the hotel. I mean they covered the entire side of the building. The Luxor, which is a sleek black pyramid, placed an Absolute Vodka bottle on the front of the pyramid. A 400 ft liquor bottle greets you as you roll into town.

It's basically a giant sign saying "We have no class!"