Skip to main content

Fare Thee Well Love/Wakin' Up in Vegas - A Medley



Yesterday I woke up so close to the Atlantic I could smell the salt in the air.  Today I woke up in a city carved out of the desert.  Modern travel is weird.

Spent yesterday with my long-lost buddy Mike (long-lost in that I hadn't seen him in 25 years -- he knew where he was the whole time).  I had a mild scare with fusion-Dave (they saw some mild damage which I told them I took a picture of at Pearson but they had no documentation on hand -- later they called me back and said it was on the record as pre-existing so crisis averted).  Afterwards Mike took me out to Peggy's Cove.  You know Peggy's Cove, with the rocks and the lighthouse?  Even if you've never heard of it or seen it, just imagine what Nova Scotia is.  Yep, that's it.

After quick visit to the Swissair Memorial nearby it was lunch and the airport.  Getting out of Halifax was only slightly later than expected but I was on edge.  I only had 85 minutes of layover time according to my boarding passes.  By the time we got off the plane it was 75 and race was on.  First through American Security, then a long line through customs documents pre-screening, then I got to the room with the screens.  The room with the screens is where you wait for your checked baggage from your previous flight to be x-rayed and okayed to be put on your American-bound flight.  Until this happens you cannot leave.

This felt interminable.  But eventually it ended... and only twenty minutes after the start of boarding!  I ran out of the room and... joined the line to the final customs screening by a human being.  I answered a couple of questions, and the officer  tapped on his keyboard.  I did my best not to look nervous and fidgety even as I imagined my plane sailing into the clouds.  Eventually he told me I was all set and I made a run to the gate, expecting to have the door shut in my face.  Instead I found the line was still waiting to get in.  So I relaxed, bought some water, and then headed to my seat.

Five hours or so later and I was in Las Vegas.



It's a disconnect, going from what is arguably the most Canadian place in Canada, to the most American place in America.  Vegas is a city of dichotomies.  The sexy and adult at war with the family-friendly.  A microcosm of America's culture war built on a foundation of suckers getting parted with their cash.

I took a walk on the strip this morning.  The desert heat is made bearable by the fact that you rarely have to walk outside--instead slipping into casino after mall after casino all the way down.

I haven't got a full view of Vegas yet but one thing is certainly true: everything costs something.  The question is, is it worth the price?

I suppose I'll find that out.  In the meantime, I'm gonna go part with some cash.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In the Shadow of Honest Abe

The first thing you notice about Washington is that it's short.   None of the buildings are over 12 stories max -- something to do with making sure the Capitol Building isn't overshadowed.   Coming out of New York it certainly has a different vibe, giving a small city feel to what's a pretty big city. It rained all day today, but I was determined to get some shots of the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument.   Mission accomplished.  Still, the way the rain was falling the front of my shirt was soaked through by the time I got to ol' Abe.  The Lincoln Memorial was,  for me, the real object of the trip.   Even in a cold wet spring day, the sight of the greatest American President carved out of several tons of white marble perched on his chair and literally larger than life still gives one the feeling of being in the presence of greatness.  His words etched on each side of the memorial are still as eloquent as the day he spoke them.   After I got
2 comments
Read more

Florida in the Key of West

Yesterday was not a pleasant day.   10 hours of driving only to end up at the Best Western in Jacksonville, just so I could stand around waiting for my laundry to finish because the hotel in Key West that I'm staying in for 4 nights had no laundry mentioned on their website.   So it's 10:30 at night and I'm sweating on the second floor between the world's loudest dryer and the local ice machine for an hour.  And that's following 30 minutes of washing.   I even had to hang dry some stuff because even after an hour it still wasn't dry yet. It's times like that that make me question whether or not this trip was even a good idea.  It usually happens in the waking moments before sleep when I'm lying in my rented bed in the middle of a town where I know no one.  Why am I here?  Am I learning anything?  Is this just a giant waste of time and money? And then there's times like the Wendy's.   I got in too late in Jacksonville and the hotel was far enough
3 comments
Read more

A long time coming but I'm finally here

So I made it to New York. That's the long story made short. Here's the story at longer length: I got out of the house and on the road about an hour later than I expected to, but judging by all the maps I was looking at I would still be able to make it within a reasonable amount of time. The thing about trips though is you always forget something. I knew that once it was too late I would realize I forgot something that I absolutely needed. That's just the way it goes. I was dreading the border most of all, it would have really sucked to have to go through a hassle just cause some border guard is having a bad day. As I was approaching the Queenston/Lewiston crossing I picked a spot with two cars in front of me. The first car got the point. As in please park over there sir so we can ransack your car . The second car also got the point, and now I'm thinking is this the designated point guy for the day?! Am I gonna cavity-searched cause it was his turn to search everybody?
2 comments
Read more