On our way from California to Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday, my family stopped for a night in Las Vegas. On our nighttime walk down the strip, I was struck by the contrasts.
On the one hand, Vegas is beautiful and enticing. As a foodie, I was taken by the opportunity to eat at restaurants run by the best chefs on the planet (if only my pocketbook made it more possible!). Walking through the quiet corridors of the Bellagio and the Venetian, I felt nostalgic for my years in Europe as I saw replications of some of my favorite places in the world. Vegas is like an amusement park for those who enjoy or aspire to enjoy the finest things in the world. The kitsch is just real enough to take you in for a while.
But the moment we left these idyllic spots, we were walking among South American immigrants passing out thousands of pornographic cards advertising peep shows. These cards littered Las Vegas Boulevard. ("Just don't look down," we told our daughters.) Twice, we saw people crying outside of casinos, presumably brokenhearted over their losses. When we walked through the casinos, our daughters noticed that no one looked happy. The emptiness of people's lives and the injustice that creates and sustains the sensation of Vegas was apparent everywhere we looked.
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