Vegas

^{Image borrowed from Wikipedia}

A few things about Las Vegas:

First off, the drive there is pretty but boring. I'm sure when it's the 109152365th time you've driven through the desert it becomes bleh, but when it's the first time, it's a nice view.


This picture is actually smoke from a brush fire. Evacuate the immediate area!

Secondly, the elements in Balrog's level in Street Fighter II aren't on the strip. That's all on Fremont were all the lights and the street cover are. The strip itself is in fact south of Fremont on Las Vegas boulevard with the northern end being older and newer casinos popping up as you go south.


Not the Strip! Don't be fooled.

Third, casinos are REALLY good at keeping you in them as evidenced by my lack of pictures of the Strip. We stayed at Treasure Island and didn't leave. Instead we played Pai Gow poker until 6am the next morning. The legend about pumping oxygen on the gambling floor might not be true, but something kept me awake all night. Maybe it was the rush of slowly losing fifty dollars.

Finally, Vegas looks amazing at night with all its shiny flashing lights. But come the next morning, it's just a bunch of bland gray buildings.

A couple of things about the trip. My cousins took me to an In-N-Out on the way there. The double doubles (aka burgers) were extremely tasty. They use only the freshest ingredients there. The fries were just a bunch of potatoes freshly cut and dropped in fresh oil. In-N-Out gets the two thumbs up. At a gas station on the way back, I spied an entire fridge just for Vitamin Water. It made me think of Davies and Danielle.