Remembering Las Vegas

About twelve years ago, some friends and I flew down to Los Angeles. One friend in particular convinced us to do a road trip to Las Vegas, partly because it was so close but mainly because he was particularly taken with the idea.

I remember two things keenly about that road trip.

I remember thinking that there was a remarkable amount of plant life (cacti, brush and scrubland) in this so-called desert. Having grown up in Kuwait, I associated the word 'desert' with barren sand dunes.

And I remember cresting the mountains and seeing Las Vegas for the first time, the pyramid of Luxor standing out like, well, like a 350-foot tall pyramid encased in black glass. I thought we had maybe 15 minutes tops before we hit the city limits, but we just drove and drove as that pyramid got bigger and bigger and bigger.

It was my first introduction to the sheer scale and whimsy of the Strip. It seemed wasteful and extravagant and I couldn't fully appreciate it.

The thing about Las Vegas is: to enjoy your time there, you have to spend money, either on the shows or on gambling or on drinking. The thing about me at the time was: I was a student with barely any money, I didn't care for gambling and I didn't drink.

Needless to say, I didn't particularly enjoy my visit. The casinos were full of cigarette smoke, which I detest, and I was somewhat beholden to accompany my friends around. We had dinner at the overrated Planet Hollywood, went on a lackluster ride film at the Luxor, ventured into an adult boutique off the strip (where we were somewhat stunned by the sight of a large prosthetic fist), and partook of the international buffet at Feast Around the World.

The highlight of that trip was the New York, New York coaster. It seemed a somewhat tame affair, given that the start and end of the ride went through the building itself. I woke up early, leaving my friends asleep, and went to try it out. I didn't bother putting in my contacts because how bad could it be, really? It's practically an indoor tram, right?

I tell you, once that coaster got started, I had to hold on to my glasses for dear life. I was thrilled by the speed and the turns, and more than half scared that my glasses would fly off and hit one of the tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge. It probably would have been different had I worn contacts. The reason why I remember it so well, why that ride was one of the most exhilirating I've ever been on, is precisely because I spent the entire ride with a death grip on my temples.