By Bob Harris
After a recent weekend visit to Las Vegas, I have concluded that one either loves it or hates it. We hadn’t been there for 30 years so we decided to take advantage of a good deal offered by AAA.
The casinos are the center of each of the big hotels, each of which seems to have a mile of slot machines and gaming tables. Several of the hotels have as many as 3,000 rooms. We stayed in the Aladdin Hotel because that is the one where we obtained the good deal. It is new and I guess it wants to have exposure to as many people as possible. It is amazing how big the rooms are considering the large size of the hotel. The buffet is also large in the variety of food available and the amount presented to the customer. It costs the same as a full breakfast.
“The Strip” — Las Vegas Boulevard — is only a few blocks long but it is gaudy, decorated with bright lights, has all kinds of fancy buildings and is full of people on a weekend evening. They have prevented people from getting hit by cars while crossing Las Vegas Boulevard by lining the sidewalk with cement barriers and fences. The crosswalks are carefully designated and there are overpasses equipped with escalators at certain busy intersections.
At night “The Strip” reminds me of Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, except that it is brighter although it seems just as crowded as I remember it from years ago. Restaurants are crowded. Taxis are available to take people to other opulent places. Hotels have their own cars which I believe are for the high-roller guests. Some sections of hotel gambling areas are reserved for select people who are the real gamblers. Of course, free drinks are available for those who sit and gamble continuously.
Lights flash continuously in the casinos and the tinning of coins indicate that someone has made a “hit.” The various slot machines are decorated with the illuminated pictures of stars from the entertainment world, movie screen and the theater.
We did discover “The Book” room which has a number of TV screens following the various sport activities taking place at that time. This area has chairs with arms and tables where people can plan their betting strategy.
One does not have to gamble — an activity which goes on 24 hours a day — but one can go from hotel to hotel to see the different themes. The Luxor is decorated with relics of ancient Egypt. It even has an exact replica of King Tut’s tomb which you can visit for $5. You can gaze at the statues of King Ramses and the sphinx.
New York, New York has smaller replicas of famous sites in the Big Apple. Excalibur has the medieval theme. Caesars Palace has the ancient Roman theme with fountains everywhere and a free show every hour, at the end of a corridor of shops, at the Festival Fountain.
The Mirage has an erupting volcano plus pools and an aquarium. The Venetian Hotel features an Italian theme in which singers and actors perform in the corridors and a gondola is available for hire after a suitable wait.
On a planet faced with the stark reality of civil wars which stem from racial or ethnic or religious difference and with hunger and plagues ravaging countries, it is strange to go to this area of conspicuous consumption. I have to also admit that a cruise ship is just about the same.
We often hear that terrorists attacked us because of our wealth and what we spend on luxuries. They probably begrudge us what we have labored to build for generations. One can dismiss that argument because many people often do anything to sneak into the United States and some western European countries to take part in the good life.
It still bothers me that we spend more money on fertilizer to make our lawns green and our flowers bloom than many countries spend on fertilizer to grow food to feed people.
Good and Bad News of the Week
An article in the Caribbean Daylight, a free newspaper I pick up on Hillside Avenue, says the government of Bangladesh has banned the use of polythene plastic bags in the capital city of Dhaka. It seems that polythene bags are used to pack food because they are light and waterproof. The problem is that these plastic bags are thrown away and are doing damage to the environment. I don’t think they have the extensive garbage and sewer system we have.
The plastic bags have clogged the once mighty Buringanga River. The disposed polythene bags do not allow the emission of toxic gases and pollutants from the earth. They block the ultraviolet rays which are needed for the natural fertilization of the soil. They block the sewers and cause water logging and the spread of harmful microbes and bacteria.
The plastic bags are tilled with garage and disposed of on the streets or in any open lot. The hold rainwater and thus become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, thus heightening the risk of dengue fever, filiariasis and malaria. I wonder if our West Nile problem was caused in this way?
This ban was tried in 1994 but the plastic bag industry complained. Now people are switching to jute bags and cotton bags which are reusable and also paper because they just have to. Interesting!
Reach columnist Bob Harris by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 140.
