Las Vegas, then and now (Walking Blog #11)

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to Las Vegas and see all the sites. Now for everyone in my English class that may think that it’s not a big deal to Vegas, think again. This was only the 3^rd time I’ve been to Vegas, and the first time was with my parents for less than 24 hours, and the 2^nd time was for the State Cup Soccer Tournament.  Being able to walk around the Strip with friends who knew it like the back of their hand was a really memorable experience.

Driving into downtown Las Vegas

It was Saturday night after the Nevada versus UNLV football game, and Anita, Terrayna, Travis, Hannah, and I were ready to have an adventure. Before I get into the story of our time at the Las Vegas Strip, I want to be sure to mention that Nevada won the football game, and the Fremont Cannon remains blue. Now, back to the story.  Everyone who I was with had grown up in Las Vegas, so I was the only person new to the Strip. Before going, I Googled the Strip’s history, and I found out a few interesting things that I can now compare it to. Something that I learned from my research is that in 1910, gambling was illegalized in the state of Nevada, and it was all shut down until 1931, when it was brought back to earn taxes to help pay for public schooling. While walking through down town Las Vegas, it is hard to imagine what this town would be like if gambling was never re-legalized. So much of Nevada’s economy and well-being is directly affected by the tourists who come to Las Vegas (and Reno) to gamble. As I look around and see so many spectacular hotels of every color and theme, its just weird to think about what else would take its place if gambling was not a prominent part of our society.

The sign all lit up

Anita had our whole night planned out. We were going to walk from the Bellagio parking garage to Serendipity III at Caesar’s Palace. We crossed over the street on one of the walking bridges, and we walked past some fountains to Serendipity. While there, we all ordered frozen hot chocolate (what a strange, yet delicious, concept!) and enjoyed them next to a dazzling fountain. Las Vegas is the only city with a Serendipity other than cities on the East Coast. The only others are in New York, Florida, and Washington D. C. This shows how large Vegas is and how well it attracts tourists, if a small but amazing desert chain decides to put its only West Coast location here.

Anita, Terrayna, and I under the Las Vegas sign!

Las Vegas must have been a much different place before 1931, when gambling was legalized. Its insane how much this city has grown and evolved into a popular tourist attraction since then.