What is it about Vegas?
 

There's an interesting post that asks for favorite and least favorite U.S. cities. Las Vegas keeps popping up in the Least Favorite category. Yet, when we visited recently, there were lots of people there? So, I thought I'd ask, why does it seem to be so popular and yet so disliked as well?

Well, it's a place of extremes. Also while I adore it, I don't really think of it as a city per se, but a large and dissolute tourist attraction. It is unbelievably surreal, as well, and while that is much of the charm for some people, others find that disconcerting. My sister finally found herself there, mostly by accident, after years of insisting that she would hate it because it was frenetic, and morally bankrupt, and an environmental disaster, all of which is likely true. She loved it, mostly because she has a finely developed sense of the absurd. I have always claimed that it is the end of western civilization as we know it, and as such, utterly fascinating, and she completely agreed with me. It is beautiful, and strange, and often unbelievably tacky.
Of course, there are all the people who like it because they just want to gamble and eat buffets, too.

I'm going next weekend for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it for the reasons persimmon's sister got a kick out of it. That and, though I don't gamble, I like to drink lots and lots of alcohol now and then. (It'll be my brother's bachelor party.)

Vegas is fun for two days and then gets REALLY old. After you've lost hundreds of dollars, stuffed yourself, bought $10 drinks and seen all the overweight and tacky tourists you are glad to get out.

The only think I enjoy is the shows in Vegas and I've seen almost all of them by now.

Las Vegas reminds me of a restaurant Yogo Berra once talked about: Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Las Vegas is really two different places, much like New York City. For those of us who live in the area, it's home. It has all the neighborhoods, attractions, charms, and problems that any other medium sized city has. In addition, it has the visitor attractions it's famous for. Most visitors rarely see the family-orinted side of LV. Most residents spend little time in the visitor-oriented areas but it is nice to have them there when we want to party a bit.

I believe that many people object to it on moral grounds and post negatives without ever having been there.

I'm not saying that they would feel any different after going, only that they feel that Jesus doesn't like Vegas.

I used to HATE Vegas, based on one childhood trip and two group (work) trips as an adult.

Then I went with my husband. He knows all the great eating / shopping / entertainment places and helped me learn to gamble without losing much money, and suddenly I loved it!

Wouldn't want to go more than once or twice a year for just a couple of days, and would not choose Vegas over other "real" travel, but I really have fun there now!

I agree with most all of you. I have been to Vegas on several occasions, had a great time (no buffets) and actually won money. From a foodie viewpoint it has some great restaurants where you can drop some major cash like: Alex, Joel Robuchon and Delmonico.

After 3 days, I was ready to go home. You can only take in so much in a city like that. I will stick to my vote as Reno as being one of my least faves. It is like a very tired, sleazy Vegas IMO.

some people object to the gambling

some to the Disnesy-esque qualities

most people i know are fascinated by Las Vegas... in small doses

I've seen Hoover Dam and the other non-gambling attractions. But for most people (like me), "Las Vegas" means the strip or downtown gambling areas.

I don't gamble. I don't enjoy it. I don't like sitting in one place (I've admitted to heresy on the Europe board that I am too restless to sit in a Parisian cafe and people-watch). I don't like the constant "clanging" sound of the slots, I don't like the smoke and stale alcohol smell of the casinos.

The shows are over-priced and many seats have terrible views. There is some really good food to eat (and some really bad food) but I cannot just eat all day, just as I cannot sit still and gamble all day.

I don't care for the flat, desert environment; I prefer mountains and greenery. Also, the air is too dry for me.

The architecture is midly interesting, but some hotels' theme of copying world landmarks is just tacky to me.

I don't like to shop.

So, Las Vegas is not high on my list of destinations. My husband, on the other hand, likes to gamble and goes there a couple times a year. Different strokes.

I love Vegas. The countryside is beautiful, the weather is great, many choices of excellent restaurants (at all price points) and good entertainment. While I don't really gamble, and I don't drink - I have never had trouble being entertained there. Vegas has been one of my favorite cities for years .......

Vegas to me is like going to the county fair every summer. You see the best and worse of society, you stuff your face with things your normally would not and you can only stand to go for one day (unless your under 12).

I have to go to Vegas about 4 times a year, usually about 10 days each time.

Everytime I go I watch all of the international travelers taking tons and tons and tons of pictures - like I do when I go to Europe or some other beautiful place.

While watching all of these non-American's take pictures I only hope that they don't think that what they are looking at is really a representation of America.

The other thing that makes me crazy aobut Vegas is the people who bring their babies - not teens - but babies in strollers....walking down the strip....in the over 100 heat.

I want so badly to walk up to these people and ask them WHY...WHY would you do this to your child?

Too hot in the summer, WAY too cold in the winter. The hotels are too big. Just not my kind of place, been once, won't go again unless someone else is picking up the tab, and, even then, maybe not.

I never thought I would find myself in Las Vegas as I don't gamble, I don't drink, I hate to shop and fancy restaurants are wasted on me, but my sister took me there for a surprise 50th birthday present. Wow! did we have fun just looking at all of the wild places and wild people there (and hitting a couple of shows). My sister chose Vegas as my birthday present because she thought it would be the craziest thing that we could ever do together and it was. While I don't feel the need to ever go back to Vegas again, I'll always have such great memories about by "Birthday in Vegas".

Amen!

I HATE Vegas, but have thoroughly enjoyed my three trips there. Perhaps that is part of its magic.

There are only two things I like about Las Vegas. 1. The airport - since it is one of the only places we can fly nonstop from our area on the east coast. 2. Its close proximity to Zion Nat'l Park and the beauty of southern Utah. And, although we've flown to LV many times, we have never spent more than an hour or so there.

I think many of us who really do not enjoy anything about Las Vegas are people who prefer the solitude and beauty of the natural world. To me, LV is the epitome of mankind's excess and waste. But I'm glad that so many people love it. It keeps them out of the beautiful places that I love!

We just returned from Vegas/Bellagio 2 days ago. We went on our first visit 4 years ago, to see what it was all about and thinking we would hate it. We loved it. We have gone 2-3 times per year since. We live 20 minutes from NYC, and we enjoy all kinds of vacations. Vegas is what you want it to be. I spent 5 glorious mornings at the spa, had wonderful lunches with my husband, met great people at Petrossian, played, drank, relaxed and just enjoyed. We also come home with $8,000.00 more than we left with. I find the finer restaurants and shows are no more expensive than NYC. I know it is American Cheese, but if it's so bad why is it so packed with people from all over the world? It's not for everyone, it's not a contest. There's a whole world out there to see, the only thing that counts is that you enjoy yourself.

It's place / environment you're either going to love or hate. My wife and I love it and my brother & sister in-law despise it (not on moral grounds). Reasons we love Vegas:
1. We like to gamble...especially sports betting
2. Unlike years ago, Vegas has some top notch restaurants
3. Though we're a bit old for "The Scene", there's great club action
4. Great golfing & pools
5. Great weather
6. Contrary to popular belief, there's good sightseeing (Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, Grand Canyon)

closer52, I'm not exactly sure why that is, but when you find out, the same "rules" apply to Disney World.

I like it as a destination, but not so much as a city.

I'm an Aussie travelling to the US later this year. In all the travel brochures I got, Vegas is included as one of the key destinations. As too is Anaheim/Disneyland and Orlando/WDW. A lot of Americans may not like these places, but that is how the US is marketd - at least in Australia. It may be different in Europe - they have their own Disney there.

I'm headed to Vegas to see what all the glitz is about. My friend wasn't keen until I told her they had a Manolo Blanik (sp?) and giant Apple store there! We're also spending a few days at Disneyland.

For years I hated it..then I started going with my now dh and I love it. We see shows, have great meals, I go to the spa - I have my very favorite make up guy at Canyon Ranch and always feel like a princess after exercising, spaing and then having my hair blown out and my make up done...then going out to eat.

I do not gamble... maybe a few slots for a few minutes..but it bores me... and I only like to stay 2 nights really..max 3...

Although we ended up going to Vegas for our 10 year anniversary after the Alaska Cruise got canned due to my back issues - and so did a trip to Northern California... and we stayed for about 5 nights... we really had fun!

I love the great restaurants and great hotels that would be a lot more expensive in any other big American city. People watching is great, too!

I don't think Las Vegas should count as a city at all.

It's really just an adult version of DisneyWorld - including all the fake versions of major cities. It exemplifies exactly the same glorification of greed and fantasy - but with gambling and sex added.

nytraveler has given an excellent description -- which also explains perfectly why it is so popular. What more could someone looking for a fun, wild, decadent vacation ask for?

It used to be, you could walk into a LV casino, just stand there a few minutes and listen to slot machines paying off winners, people getting excited because they were winning at blackjack and craps tables etc etc.

But now, try the exact same experiment. You'll be very fortunate to hear anyone winning anything.

There's a reason for this. Since the advent of Indian casinos, state lotteries etc, Vegas' revenues are down -- way down. It has gone from an exciting place where people stood a fair chance of winning, to nothing more than legalized robbery.

In a very long list of things I hate about Vegas, first on my list is the overwhelming pall of depression which is palpable (at least to me) in every casino because of the above. Hundreds and thousands of elderly people feeding their savings to rigged, soulless machines, gambling addicts getting their fixes, obnoxious drunks, and on and on. It's like watching a city full of heroin addicts shooting needles into their veins. I can stand about 5 or 10 minutes of it before I have to leave for some fresh air.

You're absolutely right about that lack of lots of winning going on. When I first started going to Vegas they posted the returns on slots -- usually somewhere around 92 to 97 % of what went in would go back out in payoffs. They don't do that any more and I've heard it is as low as 70%. Add to that the difference in the sizes of the jackpots and you realize they can't pay out a lot of $1000 or so ones when they are working up to several million at a time. The whole pay off ratio on slots has drastically changed in the last 20 years, and there are far fewer "winners" than there used to be.

When we went to Mohegan (for shows), I was astonished at the number of handicapped and elderly players, along with parents taking turns watching small children while they gambled (late at night!).

I didn't see much, if any, winning going on there, either, except at one craps table - and I would love to have known whether it was all lost before the player left, but we didn't hang around.

I was in Vegas for the first time in late Dec/early Jan and would never go back. Only reason we went is because it was the most logical airport to go home from after seeing the Grand Canyon. We were in Phoenix before that, so didn't want to go back. Now I'm having a hard time determining which city I hate more, Phoenix or Vegas...

My parents used to take me to Vegas from when I was 4. I liked it back then and have some nice memories with my parents (we went to other places too)....now as an adult, I LOVE it! My mom gets a kick out of watching me gamble, and I wish my dad were around to see it, too. but, I digress.......

I need about 5 days in Vegas because during the day, I literally shop till I drop. There is so much walking to do (with bags) that I need to pace myself so I can ideally take a nap before hitting a nice restaurant or buffet. Then I gamble at night, preferably at the tables. And I drink, too! I'm the very picture of excess in Vegas, and I love that it's so over-the-top as an adult playground. I go once a year, and will be there this October for my class reunion (it's a popular vacation place for Hawaii people).

I also love meeting people there. Gambling is not just about the gaming, but a social activity for me as well. Fortunately, unlike other gamblers, I have a fairly rigid budget and rules for myself on when to walk away.

sharondi pretty much summed up my feelings about Vegas and the reasons for them.

Our first trip, which was really to Bryce and Zion, we spent 2 nights in Vegas, one in the beginning of the trip and one at the end. One of the hotels in DH's chain was there and we can stay free. It is way off the strip and we had a lovely suite--very enjoyable. We went to one of the Cirque shows which was also terrific. You have to walk around and ogle, but my feelings were much like Sharon's and nytraveler's. I can't imagine anyone walking into NY NY and being thrilled by it. Take me to NY please, or the real Paris, (where I'd no longer bother actually going to "La Tour Eiffel"). :) I have absolutely no qualms about others gambling, doesn't bother me in the least, but personally, it bores me to death, I hate the smoke, and am impatient to get out of the casino. It just all seems tacky, to me anyway.

Our 2nd trip through Vegas, this time with only Zion as a destination, we had one night at the end of our trip before our early morning flight the next day. We didn't even bother going into the strip. None of us...kids, their spouses, nor DH and myself had any interest in it.

Now that hotel has been sold, no more free rooms, and although we'll go back and pass through for Zion, and vicinity (it's a cheap flight) we'll won't bother to stay there again.

When we first decided to go to Vegas and do the Sedona GC, Zion and Bryce circle, I thought Vegas would be way too tacky for moi. I used to think of Vegas a la Godfather 2, and rat pack crowd, and I was wayyyy to yuppified to enjoy anything that tacky. I went and I had a great time and will be going to Vegas for 3 days nexy week. Then to restore sanity, we will be going to Zion for 3 days for hiking and nature. Hey lifes too short and Vegas is fun, but only in small doses IMO.

We go to Vegas for the craziness and the golf! I enjoy walking down the strip and checking out the scenery....a little people watching. We do not stay on the strip which makes it nice....it is like going back to you hotel/condo on any other vacation. This Feb we are going fo a week and doing the of the Strip touristy things like the Hoover Dam, Red Rock, etc...along with a show or two and of course some golf.

We do not gamble or drink but enjoy checking out the casinos and what is going on.