A few days ago, I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas.  The National Association of Broadcasters (or NAB) expo was going on and a friend offered me a place to stay and a free ticket.  I had never been to Vegas before (I don’t count the time I flew in to the airport there on my way to my Grand Canyon Adventure) so this was going to be a new experience for me.  You all know how much I enjoy new experiences.  How could I pass this up?

NAB

Regarding NAB, I can only speak about the expo floor.  I didn’t go to any of the sessions with lectures and such.  I’m sure the expo had some great stuff but I discovered something about myself.  I’m not a tech-head.  I don’t care that much about new camera technologies and data management.  I want to hire DP’s and technical people to take care of that stuff – I want those guys to be tech-heads.  But as for me, I’d rather leave it up to them.  So walking around THE BIGGEST BUILDING I’VE EVER BEEN IN, I wasn’t that excited about the technology.

This year was the year of 3D.  Everyone had some 3D technology they were peddling.  I don’t know if 3D is around to stay or not.  But if it isn’t, a lot of people are going to feel really silly.  My biggest question that I wanted to ask but didn’t was – “Why do we need 3D News?”  And yes, some company was there peddling the ability to do 3D news – he was showing graphs and such floating around the newscaster.  No thank you.  Not practical.

VEGAS – The Good

Now regarding Las Vegas, I have to say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.   But I also didn’t like much about the town.  Before I go on, I must point out, I’m not the target market Vegas is aiming at.  I don’t gamble, drink, or go to strip clubs.  So remember this as you read on.

I was fortunate to go with some people who knew how to do Vegas.  They knew how to get comped rooms, comped drinks, and even comped money to play the slots.  So watching them beat the system was a lot of fun.

Another fun thing to do was to see the Hotels and Casinos.  I went to Paris, The Flamingo, Caesar’s Palace, The Venetian, Planet Hollywood, and The Bellagio.  These buildings were enormous.  I couldn’t believe it.  I thought the World’s Showcase at EPCOT was big.  This was MASSIVE!  The architecture was beautiful and the best part about Vegas for me.

By far, my favorite hotel was The Bellagio.  It was the only 5-star hotel I went to.  And it is obvious why it is a 5-star hotel.  Top quality.  And classy.  I didn’t like some of the other hotels because they were too cheesy and skanky.  The Bellagio was total class.  And the water show out front was the highlight of my trip.

I can’t forget to mention the buffets.  I bought a 24-hour pass for $30 that allowed me to eat as much as I wanted at 7 different buffets as many times as I wanted for a 24 hour period.  I ate so much.  That was a blast.

VEGAS – The Bad

What I didn’t like about Vegas primarily was the objectification of women.  I have a real problem with the whole system out there.  These women get paid to do various things from as minor as wear revealing clothes while serving drinks to far more indecent things.  This is wrong.  Maybe I’m being a prude but I was raised to value a woman for more than just her body.

I couldn’t help feeling sorry for these girls.  It’s a bit extreme but it reminded me of what it must have been like in the South before the Civil War – here was an entire group of people being treated as sub-human, having no value but to fulfill the bidding of their masters.

The other thing that bothered me is that no one sees a difference between desiring the women (as mind and body) and desiring ONLY their bodies.  But there is a difference.  I like the female body as much as the next guy but I guess I’m too much of a gentlemen not to think that these women are someone’s daughter, sister, or mother and should be treated as such.

The “flickers” as we called them, flicking cards with pictures of naked women on them as you walk down the street (promising that they could be in my hotel room in 20 minutes) killed any family friendly vibe the city might have.  I wouldn’t take my kids anywhere near Vegas.  And that’s a real shame because there are some fun things to do there that kids would enjoy.

It’s the oldest profession and I can’t change the way the world works.  But I wish I could.  Maybe if we all treated women with more respect and women treated themselves with more respect, we could change things.  Where is the National Organization of Women in Vegas?  Anyway, enough of my rant.

Top 5 Vegas Movies

Finally, I’d like to share my favorite Vegas/Casino movies.

5.  Rounders (1998) – Okay, so technically, this movie isn’t set in Vegas but Atlantic city.  But, it still captures that same feeling.  I love this movie.  Matt Damon plays a guy who is really good at cards.  I still side with him over his nagging girlfriend.  He’s got a gift – let him use it.

4.  Swingers (1996) – The best scene in the movie is when Vince Vaughn and John Favreau are driving to Vegas.  It is a 4.5 hour drive from LA to Vegas which I know from first hand experience.  At first they’re all excited but as time passes, their enthusiasm dies – it is a long drive.  I experienced that first hand too.

3.  Casino (1995) – Martin Scorsese.  Must I say more?

2.  21 (2008) – Although this isn’t a great film, it sure inspired me to want to form my own card counting team to try and bring down Vegas.  It’s the fictional fun side of what it would be like to be a high-roller.

1.  Ocean’s 11 (2001) – This movie makes Vegas look crisp and clean and classy.  That’s how I want to think of Vegas.  I wish it were exactly like this movie.

What Vegas movies did I miss?  What is your favorite Vegas hotel?