Sometimes the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. Sandwiched between a business meeting in Orange County and time in our AZ winter home, we found ourselves with a few days to spend. As much as we love New Hampshire, we decided that going back for four days to more snow was not our first choice. Ergo, a few days in Las Vegas seemed just the ticket.
This is my first visit and my impression is that it is like a Disneyland for adults--thousands of people walking around looking for something that will make them happy. I am not a gambler. Ever since I lost my weekly grocery money in a card game back in college I have had a subconscious fear of hanging around in a cafeteria bumming food.
Our chosen form of entertainment tends toward shows and people watching. Vegas is an excellent venue for both. We were searching for people who looked happy. There could have been a lot of happy people there but it was difficult to tell by their faces. Our observation was that there were more Japanese happy people than Caucasian happy people during our time there. Especially the Japanese people for whom we snapped pictures in front of the fountains. We sat next two four Japanese girls at a buffet where we had lunch. They would retrieve food, take pictures of the food, then taste it. At one point they had a dozen desserts in the center of the table to photograph them, then they each sampled every dessert. They were having a lot of fun. So were we. (that would be six happy people)
Money is the dominant force in Vegas. People want it, spend it, lose it, make it. I read that the backbone of the gaming economy is the slot machine. Most slot machines cost 1 to 25 cents per play. On the backs of the 1-25 cent decisions spectacular temples rise out of the desert as a testimony to people's regard for and desire for money.
I have long believed that money is an amplifier. It makes a person more of what they already are. For instance, if a person is generous, more money will make them more generous. If a person is a greedy, they will become more greedy. Which brings me to my story today. Ginger and I were filling the time between our lunch and the 7:30 presentation of Cirque de Soliel's "O". We went outside and stationed ourselves front and center in front of the Bellagio. Every hour on the hour, the fountain erupts into an aquatic dance of light and droplets orchestrated by who knows how much hydraulic horsepower under the surface of the man made pond. As the street was filled with beautiful music, I was mesmerized by the creativity and the magnitude of the palette on which the artist displayed their vision. A Sample:
I was overwhelmed with the beauty and creativity on display. It would be easy to say that this multi-million dollar extravaganza is a waste of money. I prefer to say that this money has amplified the creativity of talented people to extract beauty from pumps and water, light and music. It was a moment to appreciate the seeds of the Creator sprouting in the middle of the desert.
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