My recent tript o Vegas was my first ever. I’ve been all around the world, several times over, but for a number of reasons I’ve just never made it Las Vegas.
Although my trip to Sin City was motivated by factors other than the amazing nightlife in Vegas, it wasn’t until nighttime that the Strip really came alive for me. Here are my favorite things about Las Vegas by night.
What are yours?
1. The lights!
If I forget for a moment that Las Vegas is one of the most unsustainable cities in the world, then its gross over-usage of electricity spellbounds me, rather than disgusts me. Even the most ardent environmentalist would be hard press not to feel charmed by the fake Eiffel Tower on Las Vegas Boulevard!
2. Strong drinks – drunk in public!
What’s better than drinking a frozen Bacardi 151 concoction out of a 32 oz. mug shaped like a skull? Doing so while walking down the street, which is illegal in much of the U.S.
3. Pop culture nostalgia
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw casino marquees adorned with Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Céline Dion – i.e. the radio darlings of my middle-to-late childhood – everywhere I looked. What I really wish now is that I had seen one of their shows!
4. Tragic and/or trashy people
Speaking of the pop culture of yesteryear, one of my most memorable Vegas moments – which occurred, incidentally, while I was taking in the lights of Las Vegas Boulevard with my skull mug in hand – was walking past a balcony, while a middle-aged woman belted out Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Don’t we all?
5. Random performances
In this case, I’m talking about professional ones. After picking up my skull mug, for example, I walked past Señor Frogs to find that the pirate ship that usually sits idle in front of the bar had become a veritable stage, and a song/dance/pyrotechnic performance ensued. They say that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but I personally wish stuff like this happened outside Vegas more often!
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
