Las Vegas |
| Wednesday, 29 October 2008 00:00 |
 City of Dreams, City of Lights, City of Sin - there is probably only a few places in this world which have as much written about them as Las Vegas does. Gigantic, bombastic, bigger than life – and there are probably even fewer places where you can spend hours Just talking about the superlative. Las Vegas itself is superlative and and absolute legend. Las Vegas is like a big instantaneous water heater, because in seconds the wildest dreams of riches and fame are fulfilled and in the next second destroyed again. Las Vegas is the American dream with a rocket engine! It actually all started off quite unimpressively with a Mormon settlement in the middle of the desert. Only with the legalization of gambling in Nevada in 1931 did the city really get going. Mafia bosses, fortune hunters and eccentric millionaires were magically pulled in the direction of Vegas. They all wanted a piece of the pie and from the small spot in the desert a world famous city of glitter was born. Casinos and hotels were built overnight. Elvis Presley and the “Rat Pack” performed here for years and fueled the hype around the city. The myth still continues! Today around 35 million tourists from all over the world come every year to the city with 575,000 residents. They are all thrilled with the lights, the incomparable flair of the city and party in excess. But beware! Some have already woken up in their hotel bed and were appalled at the fact that they spontaneously got married the night before. Las Vegas is a dream world, unreal and superficial, yet incredibly attractive. Whether family man from the Midwest, tourists from Europe or a wealthy Asian businessman, all are somehow part of the show on the big colorful stage. Las Vegas is a pocket-sized version of the world. There is the Eiffel Tower („Hotel Paris“), the Sphinx („Hotel Luxor“), the Skyline of Manhattan („New York New York Hotel“), everything compressed into a few hundred yards of the Strip, the center of the city. The amazing brightly lit facades of the hotels and casinos rise to the constantly lightened up sky and prove to everyone that Las Vegas has not limits and everything is possible here. On every corner there is something new and exciting to discover. The huge fountains of Bellagio where George Clooney and his colleagues gathered in “Ocean’s Eleven” and the gigantic „Wynn Las Vegas“ Hotel which cost 2.7 billion to build, one of the most expensive in the world, are only a few steps apart. Las Vegas is the absolute audio-visual overkill, like an undertow that you get stuck in. You won’t be able to sleep because of the fear that you might just miss something. There are shows for young and old, musicals, theater and even Picasso on the walls and of course the casinos. They are the center of the great myth that is Las Vegas. By the way, a piece of Germany has made it to the big stage of Vegas. Since January 31, 2004 there is not only in Munich a Hofbräuhaus, but also in Nevada and it is complete with the traditional dress, veal sausage and Bavarian beer. Those looking for a break from the fast pace of the city should go for the complete opposite and drive into the desert with a rental car. The meditative calm and the absolute emptiness and spaciousness of the landscape let your body and soul relax and you can clear your head. That is, of course, only until the next round of your adventure in Las Vegas. |
Top