Las Vegas

I freakin' love Las Vegas. I was so looking forward to civilization after almost 3 weeks of living out of my car. I couldn't sleep again at Zion because of the wind so I was out of there by 6:30am and into Vegas by 9am. Vegas sits in the middle of the freakin desert and really does look like an oasis because it is pretty ugly all around it. I tried to check in early but that wasn't possible so I decided to head out and hit the strip. I should mention it was already 100 degrees and by the end of the day it had had 111, the hottest day so far this year. I started at the Excalibur and walked almost 2 miles up to the other end. I wandered in and out of hotels because they are tourist destinations in themselves. I saw the Flamingo (which had a smelly fish pond out back), Caesar's Palace, New York New York, and the Venetian. All of these hotels have tons of designer shops and the ceiling is painted like a sky which was kinda cool.
I think my favorite was the Bellagio. It was just so classy. Then I walked outside and there were pictures of topless girls scattered all over the sidewalk (just like in Ocean's Eleven!). I didn't buy anything because the clearance rack was around $1000. As much as I want to go hiking in a couture gown, I just don't think it has the durability. (the conservatory at the Bellagio)
I was getting pretty hot so I headed back to my hotel to check in. I had to wait about a half hour because the line was so long. It was nothing like the Hampton Inn. I was so excited to have a bed (actually 2!), indoor plumbing, air conditioning and Internet. I did head back out to go to the In N Out Burger because I'd heard it was really good and it's only on the West Coast. It was pretty delicious. One thing that annoyed me about the hotel was the parking. I'm pretty sure by the time I found a spot it was outside city limits and then I had to walk through the hotel for a few miles before I got to the elevator for my tower. I waited until the sun was going down before I ventured out again. In Zion, when the sun went down the temperature went to about 75/80 degrees. However at 10pm it had fallen to 100 with a nasty hot breeze. The Strip was beautiful though. I watched a couple fountain shows at the Bellagio and wandered down to the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and the Luxor because I hadn't seen them earlier. I was pretty tired though so I decided to go back and use my coupons for free drinks. I gambled and lost of course so I got another drink. It was getting late though and I couldn't wait to sleep in a real bed so I retired for the evening.
I didn't know if I would like Vegas but I thought it was a fun town where anything goes. I'd love to come back maybe when the temperature's below triple digits and really get dressed up and go out. Or pull a heist, I've always wanted to do that...