I’m back home.
I was so happy to see Don waiting for me at the airport. So happy to get back to green grass and humidity (yes, you heard me right!)
Did I like Las Vegas?
Nope.
This was the view from my hotel room window – the smudges you see are dirt on the outside of the glass. The cream-colored building is the Smith Center, an Art Deco-inspired performance center. That’s where Anastasia was playing.
The temperatures were well over 100 degrees every day and I had to walk from the hotel to that building a couple of times of day and let me tell you, it was awful. Being in Las Vegas in August is not advisable. Yes, it’s a dry heat, but who the heck thinks about that when wave after wave of hot air smacks you in the face and you can barely walk? When your skin turns to sandpaper and your eyes are filled with grit and your body can’t adjust to the extreme temperature and atmospheric change?
But more than that, the whole casino thing turns me off. I’m not into gambling. I’m not into the amusement park-like atmosphere that is life in the casinos. I stayed at the Golden Nugget, one of the older casinos, which is near the theater. It has a long history. Everywhere I tried to walk in the hotel, there were crowds of people and I mean CROWDS – no matter what time of day or night – loud music playing, slot machines, a whole world designed to keep you inside, so you’re close to the slots, the pool, the restaurants, the bars. It was constantly noisy and not at all my cup of tea. First of all, I don’t like crowds. It reminded me of present day Times Square (and that’s not a compliment), only indoors and with the addition of miles and miles of slots.
Surprisingly, my hotel room was fairly quiet. And it was spacious. So, I’m grateful for that. Not much available on the tube, but I suspect that’s because they think and hope you’ll be occupied elsewhere; betting on slots, playing cards, etc.
The thing about Las Vegas is that it’s a world some people decided to create in the desert. It’s like something a child would create with Legos, only life-sized. Like Disneyland for gamblers. I’ve never understood the appeal and I understand it even less now. Though I know there’s a whole other world beyond that of the Strip and if I had a chance to learn more about it, maybe my attitude would change a bit. I have a couple of friends who live there and love it. I can tell you that it is absolutely not the world for me.
All that being said, I watched the show on Wednesday night, fueled by a wish and a prayer as I was going on 3 hours of sleep and two late flights. But once I had a good night’s sleep, I felt better and my work with the actors on Thursday and Friday was very satisfying. I’m grateful for the work, believe me.
I quickly learned that if I wanted to explore at all, I needed to do it in the morning. I used to work with a company that did national tours of shows and I often flew off to a city that I hadn’t been to before. I love exploring cities and towns. The temperatures in Vegas were prohibitive and, of course, I was mostly working. But I did discover a restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel that had great healthy food and that served Peet’s coffee. (Most mornings I was up early and had to partake of the dreaded Starbucks in the hotel.) They also made great smoothies. The minute I found that place, I felt better.
Found on my explorations.
Ditto.
The saving grace was an independent bookstore that I discovered through a Google search. It’s called The Writer’s Block. I thought I’d have to take an Uber there, but I was delighted to find it was within walking distance of my hotel. I have nothing but raves to share with you about this wonderful shop, but I’ll wait until tomorrow to write about it as it deserves its own post.
It was like finding water in the desert.
I liked it so much I that I went there twice.
As much as I dislike this city, finding the positives in any experience is always important. And these two little oases were positives.
Anyway, more tomorrow. Don was very busy back here as he had a costume fitting in the city, audition on Thursday, and a day of filming in Greenwich Village on Friday. This series – Starling – is airing on Apple’s new streaming network and one of the producers is Sara Bareilles, who Don got to spend a fair amount of time with. He thinks she’s great, down-to-earth, friendly, and kind.
We go from no work to lots of work in a short amount of time. Crazy!
Happy Sunday.
Congratulations on the work– both of you! Welcome back.
I think humidity beats dry heat anytime.
Six of one, half dozen of another – I don’t like either!
Vegas is like a separate world. I don’t gamble and the noise is awful but I did enjoy my time by the pool, people watching a little bit and of course spending time with Ashleigh. Then of course it has a special place in my heart since this was where we were when Ash gifted me my trip to Paris. Hot yes (and I was there in May). Loud yes, dirty yes (in more ways then one). Desire to go back…ZERO! Glad you are home.
August heat is a whole other thing. May isn’t all that bad there. But August is deadly.
So glad you are home! Your trip sounds eventful. Can’t wait to hear about the book store. Missed reading you while you were gone …. that’s how much I value your blog.
Thank you Cindi.
I think I could have written this post! Been there (multiple times to help Rick with the trade shows) and really dislike it. There are a few bright spots (no pun intended) and I was there in November/December so the weather was actually welcome but still, not into the gambling thing or the crowds and Vegas has plenty of both. I didn’t know about the bookstore. Well done!
It has absolutely no appeal for me. Zip!
Welcome back! I haven’t been to Las Vegas since I was 21….it was a novelty back then. Now…I’d only go back for Hoover Dam, and the mountains….and only in the winter. I’m not a fan of crowds either….give me scenery any day. I am anxious to hear about that book store, though.
The weather here in southern Wisconsin has been delightful…low to mid 70’s. We are finally finishing our outdoor projects that we planned on doing last spring….yay! Glad you had a good trip. Enjoy your day! ;)
The weather here, according to Don, has been nice, too. We also had quite a bit of rain while I was gone.
Welcome home! I’ve never been to Vegas and for the same reasons as you, have absolutely no desire to ever go there. I hate crowds, noise, lights, gambling and excessive drinking. I’m glad your hotel room was quiet though and that you found a wonderful bookstore.
Thanks, Melanie.
You know how I feel about “dry heat”. ugh. The noise is horrible. I remember being so hot that we took a couple of shortcuts through casinos, and that constant dinging noise bore into my soul. It is awful. And even walking on the sidewalks, with the amount of people and the blasts of hot air if you came near a huge AC unit, was unreal. It was like one of the 7 circles of Hell. (or was it 9?) We did visit Hoover Dam on one of the 2 times I was there and that was truly amazing. Hard to put those 2 places together. I am bewildered to think of the amount of people who are there every day of the year, and go back again and again. Guess that is why everyone is different!!
Hopefully you are enjoying better weather now that you are home. We have been having lovely weather here as Donnamae said. So cool every night and sunshine and 70’s during the day. Of course school starts next week, so sometimes the temps go a bit wild for that occasion, but we will take these diamonds of days now and enjoy them to the fullest.
I couldn’t understand the amount of people that were there! In AUGUST! Go figure. I look at it this way. There are enough people to keep the Vegas economy going so I don’t have to partake. Ever again!
Welcome home, Claudia. I echo almost everything you wrote about Vegas. Ive been there at least 5 or 6 times , but don’t expect to visit there ever again. So glad you found the bookstore and some of the quirky sights, and found the work satisfying. Wonderful that both you and Don’t have work.
Thanks, Wendy!
Welcome home Claudia…
The heat in itself is wearing and although I’ve never been it has never been my yearning either. Such a contrast from your home oasis!
So glad to be HOME!
glad work went well for you and there were a couple other things you could enjoy (bookstore, peet’s coffee). and don’s had more work, too.
i want to go everywhere on the planet (war zones obviously excepted) and been blessed and made efforts to travel quite a bit. las vegas is on my list, but it is very, very low on my list of places i want to go … for the reasons you stated (the north and south poles are on the top). glad you made the best of it.
glad you are home now, too.
kathy in iowa
I’d much rather see the North and South Pole, Kathy. Vegas is more like the fiery furnace!
you would think that a town like Vegas would have all their roofs covered with solar panels. Personally, I think it should be a national law, but you know the times.
I’m can’t speak to that, maybe they do. I didn’t really see any private homes.
Onward and upward, you two are back at it, lots going on.
I do SO hear what you’re saying about Vegas which absolutely holds no appeal for me although, back in the day as kids, we were once quite mesmerized by the new Caesar’s Palace (being underage, we could only be in the lobby areas, but it was enough people-watching and seeing those waitresses in Old Rome Hollywood outfits). It’s a artificial environment for sure, and it undoes some people with the gambling addiction, flowing booze and, in the old days, don’t know if that’s how it is now, cigarette smoke for ‘air’. I remember someone saying to me that it’s so sad, of how people who work and live in Vegas, can blow their whole paycheck in one night of gambling, and then they’re in desperation til the next pay period; can’t even put food on the table. But of course there are thousands and thousands of people who live in Vegas who never touch foot in a casino.
I personally felt the same way as Vegas when on a cruise ship for four days (one of the major cruise vessels, although older; I can’t remember, it was Princess maybe?). Like Vegas, the endless buffets and too much rich food; the casino/gambling/drinking. My cousins loved that ‘club’ atmosphere of the music, lights, ‘bar’, etc.; man, not me. I wasn’t into the gym or spa treatment situation although I could have utilized the swimming pools. I did enjoy an ice-carving demonstration; ice sculpture. I know when my parents went to Alaska, they enjoyed touring the ship’s kitchen and Mom went to crafts classes. Dad would go to the ‘movies’. (It was a larger ship than the one I was on.)
Frankly, I was bored with the whole ‘at sea’ thing. (Just as today, I’m pretty sure I’d be bored with the Vegas thing.) Diff strokes; everybody’s different. I did a lot of walking from one end of the ship to the other, but how many times can you do that; blech. There was a sort of reading room/’library’ I’d use; I have friends who spend the whole day on deck chairs, reading, when on cruises. Unfortunately with my cousins, they were mostly hanging out in that dang casino and I felt like I was at a carnival, too long at the Fair. But that’s just me; I have a couple of different friends who think cruises are the bomb, and they just go on one after another. (I imagine/didn’t I hear this, that the cruise lines offer incentives for multiple trips. One friend of mine who travels on ‘Mom’s Money’ [his words; big inheritance] cruises all over the place – – South America, Europe, Caribbean; you name it. It’s better than sitting at home doing nothing as retirees if you’ve got the health and the bucks to travel; although, of course, some people have no desire to travel.)
But we’re talking about Las Vegas, not cruises. To me, the same, though.
Mother and Dad would always try to make family vacay trips/road trips educational in some way, so I do recall as a kid being in Vegas (it was just a stop on the highway along the way to points east for the purpose of visiting relatives in neighboring states as we made our way from Calif to Colorado, New Mexico, etc.) and, since Vegas wasn’t exactly ‘educational’ for kids, my folks would include side trips, like going to Hoover Dam (Mom had a fascination with dams and locks, somehow related to her ancestors working the waterways on the Erie Canal and, before that, in The Netherlands).
I’m glad you survived the trip, Claudia. Thank goodness for your sleuthing, and to find that bookstore. Love your kitchy photos of Vegas. I do recall as a kid that it was fun to walk around at night (hot nights) and see The Strip (do they still have a Strip?) all lit up, old hotels not there anymore; I can recall The Dunes, the Flamingo (I’m sure those are gone now).
Noticed my first Fall leaf yesterday. Fall is coming to SoCalif now, too.
So, I just googled and I guess the Flamingo in a newer version is still there. And, yes, Virginia, there is still a Las Vegas Strip! The Dunes is gone, along with other mid-century hotels in Vegas like the Sands, the Riviera, the Sahara, Desert Inn and Aladdin. (As a kid, I really loved the neon-light ‘signage’ at the Aladdin.) We’d stay as a family in some modest one-story motel, I guess more on the outskirts of Vegas, and sometimes they’d have free ‘postcards’ in the room which advertised the diff hotels, and I’d collect those cards, which is probably why I remember some of the hotel names as well as I do.
I do have a ‘story’ from being a kid in Vegas. We were walking as a family on The Strip and a car whipped around the corner just as we were stepping onto a crosswalk, which was startling, and someone next to us said, “You almost got run over by Sammy Davis, Jr.!” Never knew if that was true or not. And in one of the big hotels, a VERY tall man was walking thru the casino, heads above the rest, and another person said to us, “That’s Wilt Chamberlain!” (Professional basketball player, now deceased. My dad knew of him. I guess he played for the Lakers and, of course, we were from L.A. environs. Me? I know basically nothing of sports figures, or sports!)
Yes I saw the Flamingo. And Caesar’s Palace.
No desire to take a cruise here, either. I don’t like being a captive audience – stuck on a boat with hoards of people. That’s not my thing. Just as taking a tour of Paris or London or Europe isn’t my thing, either. I want to explore on my own! My cousin used to try to talk me into taking a cruise – he loved doing that – and even then, 30 years ago, I had absolutely no desire to do that.
Different strokes, but we love to travel. Just not on a cruise or a tour.
I didn’t like being part of the gathered ‘herd’ for the next dinner seating on the ship each night. I think I read that a cruise ship is different from an ocean liner (that an ocean liner is more luxe … ? … you know how Susan Branch doesn’t fly, but she takes the big liner back and forth to England; is it the Queen Victoria and/or the QE2). But on the cruise ship I was on? Too many people, everywhere I went; I thought it was really crowded and, like you and some of the other readers have said here, I can’t handle crowds in a confined space.
A question for you. Interesting piece I came upon recently; don’t recall the source online. But it was talking of how you need to think twice about being a tourist in New York City. If you don’t like wall-to-wall people on a sidewalk, you may not like NYC as well as you think you might. Crowded subways. Crowded small grocery/deli stores. Crowded small restaurants. You and Don are ‘of’ the city, going in for work so many times; does it affect you this way? Like you can’t wait to leave and get back to the country? It seems that when Don had the apartment for Margaritaville (that Las Vegas sign had to hurt; salt in the wound) and the coveted key for the little private garden, it was all quite heavenly (I wanted it to last & last for you two; all such a perfect setup). And you’d think that Central Park would give enough space for anybody to feel like they could ‘breathe’. Just curious; your thoughts.
Like any city, New York can be crowded. The same holds true for Boston or Chicago. The only place I find intolerable is Times Sqaure and that’s because it’s been Disneyfied and turned into a plaza and hoards and hoards of tourists clog the sidewalks. I will do anything to avoid walking through Times Square. I haven’t found restaurants or delis particularly crowded. Again, it’s a CITY where people live and work. Of course there are going to be a lot of people. Subways are crowded at rush hour, just like freeways are. But at other times of the day, they’re not at all crowded. Sounds like the writer had an agenda. There are plenty of neighborhoods where it isn’t crowded at all – The Upper West Side, The Upper East Side, Soho, Greenwich Village.
That being said, we love to return to our cottage. As we get older, we crave quiet and we crave being nestled in our house. Our only problem with the city is that we’re usually there on a tight schedule; a rehearsal we have to attend, then we have to speed walk to catch the bus home, or an audition, where Don has to travel via subway and walk several blocks to the venue. When we’re there to work for a short time – on a day basis – the journey takes 3 plus hours round trip and then we usually have to hurry to our destination. It can be exhausting. But that has nothing to do with the city other than everything happens there in terms of our work.
Thank you for commenting on any of this – – my only real connection to a large city is Los Angeles and even in Downtown, where I once spent a week while my husband was at a convention (the Bonaventure; we got to stay there, too; very nice, back in the day), it just never seems full of people (and believe me, I did WALK the downtown; even took walking tours for sightseeing). I lived in southwest Houston for a few years but I stayed completely out of the megalopolis; kept to the burbs. So, I appreciate your perspective. I think I’ve seen too many movies with clogged New York City sidewalks as part of the scenes. I’ve been fortunate to travel to large foreign cities but I was younger; maybe I just didn’t notice the crowds on the street at that age. I guess the aforementioned two cities of L.A. & Houston are somewhat ‘spread out’ whereas I perceive NYC being much more centered & dense although of course I know it extends into all the boroughs.
I’m still going to somehow get myself to NYC as a first-time tourist; wish I could get ensconced and stay a whole month; there’s SO much to see and do. For years, I’ve collected all kinds of articles and clippings into a folder of things I don’t want to miss if I’m lucky enough to visit.
It does seem that New York is where you should be for the work you get now (you and Don both). Los Angeles is supposedly such a hub for actors – – I’ve read them being quoted as saying they live in L.A. ‘for the work’ (big film studios I guess; TV studios, too). It always confuses me, though; like, if I was a young and not-established actor, which city would I choose? Thru the years, it seems that most fledgling actors always go to New York City first. Not just for the stage. Or is it for the stage? To get a start, to hone their skills night after night in a play, perfect their craft. Is it then that they go out to L.A., hoping for work outside the theater, like in film and TV? I’m not informed about it. How it works. How such a career starts. Sometimes it seems that so much is left to chance and lucky breaks.
People don’t walk in Los Angeles and Houston because they are car-cities. NYC, Paris, and London are cities for walkers.
There’s more money in films and television, hence the move from east coast to west.
Ah, so that’s it in a nutshell. Got it. You always concisely nail down the answers to my questions, cutting thru my murk, especially when my naivete and ignorance clouds my comments! Maybe some of it is because you’re a teacher and you have to patiently instruct and explain things to students. I think in the end, I’m just not very worldly about a lot of things. Thanks. Again, I appreciate the perspective.
Oh, my goodness, no problem! xo
Welcome back, Claudia!Not wanting to be rude about somewhere I’ve never visited, Las Vegas just looks a bit tacky. I’ve only visited a casino once in my life and it wasn’t long after I was first married. An older couple invited out to the casino in a nearby city because it had a very good restaurant with an excellent silver service three course meal extremely reasonably priced. Of course the incentive was that you would stay and gamble.
For my very first go, I won £17 with a £1 stake and refused to bet again. The others were astounded that I would not bet my winnings but the way I figured £17 was a decent amount of money back in 1980! My motto is quit whilst you’re ahead. I just don’t gamble and I was the only one who came home with a profit!
Happy Sunday
It is tacky, in my opinion. I’m sure there are areas of the city that aren’t. I’m speaking of the strip and the hotels/casinos. Don and I went to a casino in California once. We had a limit of $20 each. We made a profit. We went home. And we’ve not gambled since.
I gambled once, ever in my life; in of all places, Lake Tahoe in California; well, it wasn’t Calif, it was the part of the lake/city on the Nevada side. Won $60. Kept it. First try, and never another try. I think I made that $60 off a row of quarters in a slot machine. Pretty good deal! Everybody around me said to go for it again but I just slid away; no way was I giving up that kind of ‘found’ money!
Agree!
I was never interested in visiting Las Vegas. Congratulations on your work there. Welcome back.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn.
I love exploring for bookshops when I’m away from home. Las Vegas isn’t very far from here, so my neighbours go twice a year to shop at the designer discount malls. (Cross-border shopping is still a popular past-time.) I’ve never been, but I don’t feel as though I’m missing out. We already have more than our fair share of dry heat and casinos here.
There a huge outlet mall behind the Smith Center.But I have no desire for designer clothes or for shopping for them in 110 degree heat! Thanks, Barbara.
Uh oh, forgot to mention I’m sending you an email.
xo
I’ve never been to Las Vegas & have never had any desire to go there. Now I have even less. Everything you said correlates with what I’ve imagined about it. Not For Me Either. As I mentioned earlier, I have a sister who loves it there [she’s the family gambler]. I think she’s been there 3-4 times, and if her entire family wasn’t on the East coast, I think she could happily live there. But in our family, that cheese stands alone. I would not be happy that to visit her, I’d have to go to Las Vegas. I guess I’d do it, but I would definitely grumble about it. And probably not quietly – haha. But I’m really glad you got to find some positives about having to go there [other than the income, of course]. Looking forward to hearing about the bookstore especially. Glad to know there are some of them still out there [for now at least]. Do you think you might snag some more work soon because of this trip? Fingers crossed! Enjoy the weather back home – it’s just about perfect here in Rochester today. Classic upstate Summer. Peace.
❤️🌿🌳☀️
#Resist
#25thAmendmentNow
I think I’ve said this before, but Independent Bookstores are – on the whole – stronger than ever. A good sign!
My brother met his wife in Las Vegas. Truth! At 19, he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and attended the local Baptist church Youth Night where he met several people including his future wife. They were married there, after he got out of the service he worked at the Air Force Base. They lived in Las Vegas for several years. Their children went to the local schools, they were very active in their church. They had a pool and had family-friendly parties. The guys who worked at the base often went to the Strip area to eat lunch at the cheap buffets offered there… then back to work. No gambling for them. They had a normal small-town life there! He was transferred with his job about 10 years later. I remember visiting them in June, we rode through the downtown area just we could see what it looked like. We saw Hoover Dam, and local enjoyable sites. Never went gambling.
What a great story, Jan! That goes to show you, there are people who live and work there and have nothing to do with the Strip.
You’re lucky to be able to travel for work and find things to enjoy wherever you go.
I don’t travel for work very much anymore, though I used to do it quite a bit. I’ve been fortunate!
Welcome home! Altho I don’t like crowds and noise, for some reason I like the artificiality of Las Vegas while finding the gambling addicts and drunks sad. The lights and colors and decor of the fancier places please me. My favorite Vegas story is that I was there alone once and was in a dedicated knitting phase. I called for a cab and asked the driver to take me off the beaten path of the Strip to a yarn shop. He was so flummoxed that I think he would have driven me for free. Apparently, no one stays at the Bellagio and goes searching for yarn! LOL. In fact, he drove around the neighborhood (a strip mall in the middle of nowhere one would need a cab) unasked while I shopped so he could drive me back to the hotel. I found some nice yarn!! So happy to hear you found a healthy restaurant and bookstore, touchstones in the desert!
Love that you found a yarn shop and that your driver ‘understood’ your need for yarn!