It has been years since I have traveled out of state, until recently when I traveled to Las Vegas with my mom. I was excited to get away for a few days, and it was even more exciting to travel to a new place. During our time in Las Vegas, we did a little partying and gambling and found more enjoyment in exploring the city. Each day I was there, I learned something new about the city and myself.
The first night that we arrived in Vegas, we decided to visit The Neon Museum of Las Vegas. This was a beautiful and informative experience that takes the audience through art, culture, and history. The museum is outside where hundreds of retired neon signs reside. I distinctly remember the collective hum of the lights as we strolled through the maze of signs.
After enjoying the bright lights, we headed over to Fremont St., which is considered downtown Las Vegas. This experience compares to nothing else. The entire street is covered by a dome-like projector to create the illusion of being inside. The canopy is about 27 meters high, and travels 1,375 ft across Fremont St. Beneath the canopy are hundreds of people—some locals, many tourists, and a plethora of street performers.
Along the street, there were several different stages that housed unique bands and performers. Many of the restaurants and bars had ‘outside’ service and seating. Almost everyone had a drink in their hand or a joint in their mouth, as they bustled to the different casinos and shops along the street. To me, this seemed the epitome of Las Vegas culture: gambling, partying, and absolutely no rules.
My mother (who was not even halfway through her first drink) began to slur her words and stumble through the crowd of people before we decided to stop in a casino restaurant to eat. We ended up at Binions Cafe, eating the best buffalo wings that we had ever had. Shortly after this, we decided to make our way back to the hotel we were staying at on the Las Vegas Strip. As soon as we exited the enomole of Fremont St, reality set back in. Las Vegas is just like any other city, with a large unhoused population. I will never forget leaving the lavish and overstimulating Fremont St. experience to see a woman trying to sleep and keep warm from the cold desert night.
As I lay in the hotel bed that night, I tried to make sense of the past three hours. Warmer weather, bright lights, wild people, and an experience like no other. I was grateful to be somewhere new, with almost no worries. It was at this moment when I realized that the stress of my life back home began to fade. I realized that my corner of the world, and my small sliver of life in East Lansing was so far away, and I had never been happier to be gone.
The next morning my mother promptly woke me up at 7 a.m. to get breakfast and explore the Las Vegas strip. In my mind, we would have a similar experience to the night prior with intoxicated people roaming the streets, and loud music blaring at all times. The sidewalks were pleasantly vacant at eight in the morning, and the city seemed calmer. We made our way down the strip and stopped at The Forum Shops at Caesars. The elegant and lavish architecture alone gave me goosebumps. It was a unique feeling to be somewhere with such wealthy energy. As a college student living paycheck to paycheck, I typically don’t find myself in such places. As we made our way to the underground shopping mall (that doubles as a tunnel to Caesars Casino and Hotel), we passed by Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Rolex and more. The decor of this underground mall was Greek centered to give a lux feel. Although I knew I could afford nothing in any of these stores, something about them gave me a sense of hope. My mom and I decided to enter the Guess store to find a wall of purses, racks full of beautiful clothing, and the nicest workers. Again, I was fully aware I could not afford any of these items, but as I touched the fabric, and imagined a Guess purse slung over my shoulder, something happened within me. This sounds dramatic, but I truly feel like I was manifesting my future life. I have never been a materialistic person, but being there in that store gave me faith that one day I will be able to shop there. One day I will have a closet that reflects the beauty and power within me.
These same feelings came over me later in the day when we visited a Tiffany’s and Co. store. I had never seen such clear and sparkly diamonds in my life. That entire day we wove in and out of luxury hotels and casinos, just enjoying the architecture and people watching. This day of exploration was my favorite part of visiting vegas. It opened my eyes to a completely different part of the world. The night before I had made up my mind that Vegas was only about sex, drugs, and money. But Vegas is so much more. It is one of those places that gives people like me a vision, unlike anything my mind could have made up before.
On our last day out west, we decided to visit the Grand Canyon. This was something that I have always dreamed of doing. The three-hour bus ride from Las Vegas flew by while our tour guide taught us about the unique plant life and history of the mojave desert.