By now I think its fairly well established that I enjoy my beer. My days of a continuous hangover are hopefully well behind me now but there's nothing better than being able to sit down with a pint, a notebook relax and who know, get chatting to someone. Its even better when there's a new beer or 2 to try!
Seattle is actually well known for its Microbreweries (as are Vancouver and Portland, the next 2 destinations on my hit list) and its almost harder to get away from them than it is to find them. My first evening in The Emerald City had been a beer tasting extravaganza in Collins Pub where a whole host of tasty beverages, unknown and untried by my tastebuds were unexpectedly awaiting my approval. Bizarre names abound, it was the Flying Dog Wheat that hit the nail on the head this time around.
This, I was discovering, was only the tip of the iceberg. I'd wound up meeting a bunch of people from all over the place whilst back at my hostel that first night and together we wound up at the Pike Brewery, a bar come restaurant with its own Brewery attached. An array of beery delights awaited us again and from the menu we selected a couple of their rather odd sounding ales to try out. 2 large pitchers were placed down before us and the beer tasting began!
Places like this seem to add an extra edge when it comes to going out to the pub. At home its always been the same 3 or 4 beers on top, a pint of the usual and all that. The sheer variety adds so much to the experience. I'm learning to know what I like and don't a lot quicker now, learning about the different tastes and styles and enjoying my beer drinking far more.
Indeed the whole bar/pub experience feels so different to that of an English one. My status as a foreigner, always experiencing something different and in being so am an interest to others unlike I would be if I was local could be playing a huge part. That is something I will likely never know.
The bar scene, such as it is, seems to invite a certain randomness of events that would be unthinkable at home, especially is such a closed off environment as London. I'd decided to plonk myself in a bar for an hour or so not far from my hostel. The idea to just have a beer and catch up with some writing. I hadn't been in the bar for very long when a couple started talking to me. I remember very little about them although I still have the messages they wrote for me on a card at home, it was the simple act of talking that remains with me. They seemed totally unafraid to open up a conversation with a complete stranger in an environment that to me has always seemed closed off to that. They left to be replaced by three woman and once again, conversation started.
For the life of me I couldn't tell you any of their names and feel almost embarrassed that I cant but there's something about the way the events went that night that may well have me recounting the story till the day I die. The events themselves are actually quite trivial but in context it had a huge impact on me.
Sat talking to one of the girls they told me they were off to see some improv theatre across the road and asked if I'd like to join them. having only just met them less than an hour ago I was unsure but reminded myself that opportunities are there to be seized. Looking back now there is no question that I might the right choice in going. For the next couple of hours I proceeded to laugh my head off, relax and totally unwind, talk to some lovely, genuine people and do something I would never even thought about doing in Seattle!! It wasn't a tourist attraction, it wasn't really anything, just some half decent local theatre. It was, however one of the most memorable evenings of my trip!
We ended up going on from the theatre to the arcade, all of us rolling back a few years and having some fun! Again, just not something I ever would have done if it hadn't been for these three people and whilst its far from unique it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I'd been on the road for 2 months and it was the first time I went and just did something, well, normal. Its funny what sitting in a bar can bring you sometimes!
Friday, 28 September 2007
Thursday, 27 September 2007
I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For
Some days, some places, they just seem to conspire against you. When you really need to find something it so often cannot be found. Its as if the Gods have decided to play a little trick on you, hiding away what it is you're after. Surely, you think to yourself, it cant be THAT hard to find.
Sometimes it just is. Travelling from place to place, all of them now new to me there's a certain amount of orientation to be done. To find my bearings within the metropolis I find myself residing at any given time. Some places everything just seems to fall into place. You find the places you want to visit, the right bus, the bar or whatever it is just seems to happen. Others, like here in Seattle, it becomes a mission of epic proportions. Simple tasks become enduring and the magic of being in a new place drains from your soul.
My arrival day presented me with the first of these simple tasks: Go for a walk, find a bar and chill. Not much can go wrong with that can it? I mean, I'm in Downtown Seattle, right in the heart of things, what could possibly be difficult about that? Actually, quite a lot!
It would seem Seattle's bars like to hide away. They like to be where you wouldn't think they'd be. I had expected to find them dotted about the place as frequently as the coffee shops that adorn every street corner, yet I seemed to walk and walk and walk and find nothing! I would later discover that the myriad of bars were located around Pioneer Square, an area that was as yet unknown. My disbelief continued and anxiety heightened as minute after minute ticked by with no bar in sight.
I was just about to turn around and find my way home when, of course, now not looking for one, a bar seems to appear, as if just placed there by the Gods. That's how I found myself in Collins Pub and sampled my first beer Seattle style! You'll just have to wait to hear all about the hoppy goodness of Seattle's finest!
The first mission then was eventually accomplished. As was the 2nd, in the end but the need to find a replacement charger for my mobile phone led me on a several hour long wild goose chase around Downtown Seattle.
Simply put, my charger decided its days were numbered in Albuquerque and with nothing approaching a nearby cell phone store either there or in Vegas (no, its ok, I didn't even bother to look), here in Seattle was my first chance to bring some life back into said device.
Once again, thinking to myself "hmmm, Seattle's a large City, a modern City, mobile phone shops are likely here en mass". Wrong, wrong wrong! My assumption that, like at home, I'd be bamboozled by the sheer volume of shops offering me every phone and deal under the sun was, in no uncertain terms, utter rubbish!
I did find a phone store, just the one but it would seem the Nokia phone is a rather Alien concept this side of the Atlantic and my request for a new charger for such a phone was met with wide eyes. I walked and I walked and I walked failing to find anything remotely like a phone shop. I was actually going through emotions of disbelief when, out of the corner of my eye a glorious image of a T-Mobile store glittered, welcoming me in.
A good hour and a half and $30 after I had set out I celebrated the new charger now residing in my bag! The old cliche that you never find something if you're looking for it never seemed to ring more true!
Sometimes it just is. Travelling from place to place, all of them now new to me there's a certain amount of orientation to be done. To find my bearings within the metropolis I find myself residing at any given time. Some places everything just seems to fall into place. You find the places you want to visit, the right bus, the bar or whatever it is just seems to happen. Others, like here in Seattle, it becomes a mission of epic proportions. Simple tasks become enduring and the magic of being in a new place drains from your soul.
My arrival day presented me with the first of these simple tasks: Go for a walk, find a bar and chill. Not much can go wrong with that can it? I mean, I'm in Downtown Seattle, right in the heart of things, what could possibly be difficult about that? Actually, quite a lot!
It would seem Seattle's bars like to hide away. They like to be where you wouldn't think they'd be. I had expected to find them dotted about the place as frequently as the coffee shops that adorn every street corner, yet I seemed to walk and walk and walk and find nothing! I would later discover that the myriad of bars were located around Pioneer Square, an area that was as yet unknown. My disbelief continued and anxiety heightened as minute after minute ticked by with no bar in sight.
I was just about to turn around and find my way home when, of course, now not looking for one, a bar seems to appear, as if just placed there by the Gods. That's how I found myself in Collins Pub and sampled my first beer Seattle style! You'll just have to wait to hear all about the hoppy goodness of Seattle's finest!
The first mission then was eventually accomplished. As was the 2nd, in the end but the need to find a replacement charger for my mobile phone led me on a several hour long wild goose chase around Downtown Seattle.
Simply put, my charger decided its days were numbered in Albuquerque and with nothing approaching a nearby cell phone store either there or in Vegas (no, its ok, I didn't even bother to look), here in Seattle was my first chance to bring some life back into said device.
Once again, thinking to myself "hmmm, Seattle's a large City, a modern City, mobile phone shops are likely here en mass". Wrong, wrong wrong! My assumption that, like at home, I'd be bamboozled by the sheer volume of shops offering me every phone and deal under the sun was, in no uncertain terms, utter rubbish!
I did find a phone store, just the one but it would seem the Nokia phone is a rather Alien concept this side of the Atlantic and my request for a new charger for such a phone was met with wide eyes. I walked and I walked and I walked failing to find anything remotely like a phone shop. I was actually going through emotions of disbelief when, out of the corner of my eye a glorious image of a T-Mobile store glittered, welcoming me in.
A good hour and a half and $30 after I had set out I celebrated the new charger now residing in my bag! The old cliche that you never find something if you're looking for it never seemed to ring more true!
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Welcome to Seattle!
As introductions to a City go, Seattle's was probably amongst the worst I'd ever experienced. Nothing bad happened to me, in fact it wasn't any one event that stands out in my mind but as an advertisement for the City into which I'd just arrived, several people did their darnedest to make me dislike it!
In reality it all happened in the space of a bus. Well, two buses if you cant the one that refused to open its doors to let me in, despite seeing me there lugging my bags around at the airport bus stop. Nope, this stubborn ass driver had taken a leaf straight out of the London manual for bus drivers. Thankfully (or not) a 2nd bus arrived not long after to which I was invited to take a seat.
Someone, someone high up clearly wanted me to take that bus! Maybe I was finally detaching myself from London life, relaxing more and getting stressed less but what happened on that bus, although seemingly nothing to particularly get excited about, made me realise just how uptight or just plain annoying some people can be.
It seems rather funny to me now that something so simple, such a daily routine can be worth such thought, but the more I think about it, the more I realise its exactly this sort of thing that I needed to take a step back away from!
Let me begin with a young teenage guy sat on the bus, minding his own business when a n older guy decides he wants to sit next to him. The young lad is rather baffled by this, as am I. It wouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary except for the fact that the bus was left than half empty and there were plenty of completely empty double seats to be taken up. It wasn't at the front of the bus, the guy wasn't disabled, he seemed to just want an argument. Whatever it was the older guy wanted he was clearly going to argue about it, getting the driver involved in his little episode.
As I said, really its nothing. Its hardly ground breaking events but it made me see just how petty some people can be. How someone who clearly was old enough top know better, who could see the myriad of available seats could deliberately cause aggravation just for kicks is beyond me.
Which leads me nicely onto the 2nd incident. Nope we haven't even left the bus yet. Enter 2 guys who, it seemed wanted to be magically teleported to where they wanted to go in a matter of seconds. Every traffic light, every stop to let someone on or off, every moment that bus wasn't moving forward in a timely manner there was a huff from one, normally followed by a puff. The journey seeming to get evermore huffersom and puffersom as the minutes ticked by. Once again, this is hardly something new and I've lost count of the number of occasions I would yell at a imminently departing tube or bus that I'd just missed or that was making me late for work. However for me to be noticing such things and to be astonished by them makes me proud. If I was like this once, I would hope to God that now I've seen it for what it really is I will never go back to doing such things.
Most notably though it was something I hadn't really noticed in the US as a whole, (maybe I just HADN'T noticed it), yet within the space of 30 minutes or so I'd been subjected to all the things I'd been trying to get away from and felt an anger and a resentment of the locals that I'd not felt anywhere else. I hoped it would get better but as a "Welcome to Seattle" its hardly a positive advertisement for the City!
In reality it all happened in the space of a bus. Well, two buses if you cant the one that refused to open its doors to let me in, despite seeing me there lugging my bags around at the airport bus stop. Nope, this stubborn ass driver had taken a leaf straight out of the London manual for bus drivers. Thankfully (or not) a 2nd bus arrived not long after to which I was invited to take a seat.
Someone, someone high up clearly wanted me to take that bus! Maybe I was finally detaching myself from London life, relaxing more and getting stressed less but what happened on that bus, although seemingly nothing to particularly get excited about, made me realise just how uptight or just plain annoying some people can be.
It seems rather funny to me now that something so simple, such a daily routine can be worth such thought, but the more I think about it, the more I realise its exactly this sort of thing that I needed to take a step back away from!
Let me begin with a young teenage guy sat on the bus, minding his own business when a n older guy decides he wants to sit next to him. The young lad is rather baffled by this, as am I. It wouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary except for the fact that the bus was left than half empty and there were plenty of completely empty double seats to be taken up. It wasn't at the front of the bus, the guy wasn't disabled, he seemed to just want an argument. Whatever it was the older guy wanted he was clearly going to argue about it, getting the driver involved in his little episode.
As I said, really its nothing. Its hardly ground breaking events but it made me see just how petty some people can be. How someone who clearly was old enough top know better, who could see the myriad of available seats could deliberately cause aggravation just for kicks is beyond me.
Which leads me nicely onto the 2nd incident. Nope we haven't even left the bus yet. Enter 2 guys who, it seemed wanted to be magically teleported to where they wanted to go in a matter of seconds. Every traffic light, every stop to let someone on or off, every moment that bus wasn't moving forward in a timely manner there was a huff from one, normally followed by a puff. The journey seeming to get evermore huffersom and puffersom as the minutes ticked by. Once again, this is hardly something new and I've lost count of the number of occasions I would yell at a imminently departing tube or bus that I'd just missed or that was making me late for work. However for me to be noticing such things and to be astonished by them makes me proud. If I was like this once, I would hope to God that now I've seen it for what it really is I will never go back to doing such things.
Most notably though it was something I hadn't really noticed in the US as a whole, (maybe I just HADN'T noticed it), yet within the space of 30 minutes or so I'd been subjected to all the things I'd been trying to get away from and felt an anger and a resentment of the locals that I'd not felt anywhere else. I hoped it would get better but as a "Welcome to Seattle" its hardly a positive advertisement for the City!
No Words
I must admit I debated it! Looking on now I'm not sure quite what it was I was debating. II was always going to go but the money I'd been spending here in the US had been adding up and making this trip would be a large chuck of change out of the account again. Its the Grand Canyon though. How could I not?!
The pressure had been put on me straight away to make a decision about taking the trip. As I was checking in I was pretty much asked to make a decision there and then and whilst I would have loved time to debate and look around a various companies I was really short of time and committed myself to do it. It was, after all, on my "must do" list. When money's short though, decisions like this seem to weigh more heavily on your mind than you think they will.
Its not a short drive over the State border into Arizona and in order to get the most out of the day it was an early start and onto the bus at 6am. Part of my decision to take this particular tour (I was given some choices) was the inclusion of the Hoover Dam along the way. Its an impressive structure but the short stop was probably just about spot on. Unless your a hardened Dam fan you really dont need longer than 20-30 minutes to take it in. Besides the greater prize awaited beyond.
Before we'd even arrived at the Canyon the views were impressive all around. As we drove through the surprisingly green desert, hilly vistas swept before my eyes, Joshua Trees appeared on the roadside and the magic of the area swept around me. Bugs rebounded off the windscreen at a rate of knots causing a speckled mess I'd not seen rivalled before, or indeed, since. The slow traffic filled last mile or 2 were interjected with stories of Tarantulas and all manner of insect nasties that put the creeps into me somewhat, yet, secretly maybe, I half hoped to see one once I got in!
As you enter the park you start to wonder what all the fuss is about. Then it hits you, quite firmly straight between (and on) your eyes! A view that really no photo, no words, no movie can ever do justice too. Its simply something you HAVE to see for real. Stretching out before me, left and right was a scene that looked unreal. It just looks like it must be fake, a screen there, its just a sight that your brain cant compute is actually there, that exists.
I took my time walking along the South Rim track, trying to take it all in. Maybe its because you cant touch it or maybe your eyes cant adjust to the distances involved but even though you know its all real it still looks like a plastic recreation. I'd just sit on a rock for a few minutes trying to comprehend it. I couldn't, of course and I'm sure I had a glazed look of amazement over my face for the entire time i was there! Its simply stunning, no words can make it sounds any better than it is, just see it for yourself!
Wildlife is also plentiful and all around you, I don't think I managed to truly appreciate it as my jaw on the ground facial expression and mind boggling thoughts were taking up most of my brain power. You could easily spend days here, let alone a few hours! My time at the Grand Canyon came to an end in amusing style as the rather friendly squirrels seem to pose just for me!
The day could have ended there and I'd have been more than content but as we drove back down Route 66 towards Las Vegas once again, I would catch sight of views out of the front of our coach, classic images of the open road ahead, and with the sun setting it seemed to just be perfect! If I could capture an essence, this would have been it!
So I'd spent my money, I'd had my day and boy was it worth every last Cent! You can see the Canyon on your TV set, read about it in a book or view pictures of it on the internet but none of these will ever do it justice. Its simply magical!
The pressure had been put on me straight away to make a decision about taking the trip. As I was checking in I was pretty much asked to make a decision there and then and whilst I would have loved time to debate and look around a various companies I was really short of time and committed myself to do it. It was, after all, on my "must do" list. When money's short though, decisions like this seem to weigh more heavily on your mind than you think they will.
Its not a short drive over the State border into Arizona and in order to get the most out of the day it was an early start and onto the bus at 6am. Part of my decision to take this particular tour (I was given some choices) was the inclusion of the Hoover Dam along the way. Its an impressive structure but the short stop was probably just about spot on. Unless your a hardened Dam fan you really dont need longer than 20-30 minutes to take it in. Besides the greater prize awaited beyond.
Before we'd even arrived at the Canyon the views were impressive all around. As we drove through the surprisingly green desert, hilly vistas swept before my eyes, Joshua Trees appeared on the roadside and the magic of the area swept around me. Bugs rebounded off the windscreen at a rate of knots causing a speckled mess I'd not seen rivalled before, or indeed, since. The slow traffic filled last mile or 2 were interjected with stories of Tarantulas and all manner of insect nasties that put the creeps into me somewhat, yet, secretly maybe, I half hoped to see one once I got in!
As you enter the park you start to wonder what all the fuss is about. Then it hits you, quite firmly straight between (and on) your eyes! A view that really no photo, no words, no movie can ever do justice too. Its simply something you HAVE to see for real. Stretching out before me, left and right was a scene that looked unreal. It just looks like it must be fake, a screen there, its just a sight that your brain cant compute is actually there, that exists.
I took my time walking along the South Rim track, trying to take it all in. Maybe its because you cant touch it or maybe your eyes cant adjust to the distances involved but even though you know its all real it still looks like a plastic recreation. I'd just sit on a rock for a few minutes trying to comprehend it. I couldn't, of course and I'm sure I had a glazed look of amazement over my face for the entire time i was there! Its simply stunning, no words can make it sounds any better than it is, just see it for yourself!
Wildlife is also plentiful and all around you, I don't think I managed to truly appreciate it as my jaw on the ground facial expression and mind boggling thoughts were taking up most of my brain power. You could easily spend days here, let alone a few hours! My time at the Grand Canyon came to an end in amusing style as the rather friendly squirrels seem to pose just for me!
The day could have ended there and I'd have been more than content but as we drove back down Route 66 towards Las Vegas once again, I would catch sight of views out of the front of our coach, classic images of the open road ahead, and with the sun setting it seemed to just be perfect! If I could capture an essence, this would have been it!
So I'd spent my money, I'd had my day and boy was it worth every last Cent! You can see the Canyon on your TV set, read about it in a book or view pictures of it on the internet but none of these will ever do it justice. Its simply magical!
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Vegas Baby!
Las Vegas is one of those places that cant help but have a romance about itself. The quotes from "Swingers" swirled around my head at every turn. Vegas Baby! I was here and I wanted to take it all in! I knew my time here was limited having decided to take the plunge and spend my dollar on a day trip to the Grand Canyon so it would be a case of trying to do the Vegas thing in just a couple of days.
The Vegas thing, of course, meant casinos. Lots of them! Having taken some advice from a few people at the hostel a few of us had headed down The Strip to register with a casino or two in order to get some vouchers to play the slots for free. Whilst this is a brilliant initial idea it can wear a bit thin when you realise just what you have to go through to get any money back. Basically you have to hit the jackpot on one of the machines designed for this free play stuff. Anything less than the JP and its a case of playing on. One guy in there had several thousand dollars in the bank that he couldn't get at because he didn't actually win the jackpot! Me? I flitted mine away in about 20 minutes.
I did manage to get a free Harrahs t-shirt and a free pic of me with one of the Showgirls out of it before succumbing to put some of my own money into the machines. We'd decided between us that we would all play the penny slots and take advantage of the famous Vegas hospitality, otherwise known as free drinks! Whether its a beer or a cocktail or anything in between, a small tip would secure one for you. And another and another. Playing those penny slots and drinking all sorts you quickly lose touch of the outside world . It could have been any time of the day or night and it wouldn't have made a difference. Stepping back outside into the 115 degree heat reality hits you as does the concept of escaping to the nearest air conditioned room you can find. Oh look, another casino!
As you walk along The Strip you are greeted by something impressive at every corner, at every step. Whether its the hugely impressive Fountains at the Bellagio, Ceasers Palace, New York New York or any one of the multitudinous elaborate gambling dens you cant fail to be impressed! In reality there are just so many of these places ta ht its nearly impossible to take them all in. Entering the MGM Grand, I felt like I was in Oceans 11 for a brief moment or 2. Outside Ceasers Palace I recalled scenes from countless boxing matches.
Inside the casinos though its different. I'd bounded between numerous ones in a day long adventure and in the end you realise that really, they're all the same. The elaborateness of the building is best seen from the exterior. The interiors all just blend into one in the end. Machine after machine after machine, players from all over and waitresses serving up those free drinks in the hope that with a big win, the tip might just be bigger than a buck or two.
I had decided that I couldn't come to Vegas without having a proper gamble though. So the penny slots behind me I withdrew about $80 and set out to play Blackjack. Win or lose it wasn't really what this was all about. I was in Vegas and I was playing blackjack, the romance of that notion was enough for me! Cheap tables are few and far between here and it wasn't long before I had to step up in minimum bet. I lost, of course, but as I gambled deep into the early hours of the morning I knew I was realising a little dream of mine. It had its price but I wouldn't change it!
In Vegas everything has to be impressive. It wouldn't be Vegas if it wasn't. Outside of the gambling its the shows that are one of the biggest draws. These things can be extraordinarily expensive and with no inclination to pay $60 to watch Celine Dion a group of us settled to watch what is widely regarded as the best of the free shows, at the Treasure Island Casino.
Have no doubt that just because its free it means its not worth seeing. It is, and then some! It may last just the half hour and you may be packed around the action like sardines but its worth the effort to see this daily show!
I left Vegas feeling I'd done it proud! Late nights, slots, drinks, shows and, of course a bit of blackjack! I may not have seen every casino on the Strip but I'd seen my fair share and in truth I felt like I'd seen what I wanted to see. I'd had a blast for a few days but any more would probably have been overkill. Hey, it's dead in here anyway!
The Vegas thing, of course, meant casinos. Lots of them! Having taken some advice from a few people at the hostel a few of us had headed down The Strip to register with a casino or two in order to get some vouchers to play the slots for free. Whilst this is a brilliant initial idea it can wear a bit thin when you realise just what you have to go through to get any money back. Basically you have to hit the jackpot on one of the machines designed for this free play stuff. Anything less than the JP and its a case of playing on. One guy in there had several thousand dollars in the bank that he couldn't get at because he didn't actually win the jackpot! Me? I flitted mine away in about 20 minutes.
I did manage to get a free Harrahs t-shirt and a free pic of me with one of the Showgirls out of it before succumbing to put some of my own money into the machines. We'd decided between us that we would all play the penny slots and take advantage of the famous Vegas hospitality, otherwise known as free drinks! Whether its a beer or a cocktail or anything in between, a small tip would secure one for you. And another and another. Playing those penny slots and drinking all sorts you quickly lose touch of the outside world . It could have been any time of the day or night and it wouldn't have made a difference. Stepping back outside into the 115 degree heat reality hits you as does the concept of escaping to the nearest air conditioned room you can find. Oh look, another casino!
As you walk along The Strip you are greeted by something impressive at every corner, at every step. Whether its the hugely impressive Fountains at the Bellagio, Ceasers Palace, New York New York or any one of the multitudinous elaborate gambling dens you cant fail to be impressed! In reality there are just so many of these places ta ht its nearly impossible to take them all in. Entering the MGM Grand, I felt like I was in Oceans 11 for a brief moment or 2. Outside Ceasers Palace I recalled scenes from countless boxing matches.
Inside the casinos though its different. I'd bounded between numerous ones in a day long adventure and in the end you realise that really, they're all the same. The elaborateness of the building is best seen from the exterior. The interiors all just blend into one in the end. Machine after machine after machine, players from all over and waitresses serving up those free drinks in the hope that with a big win, the tip might just be bigger than a buck or two.
I had decided that I couldn't come to Vegas without having a proper gamble though. So the penny slots behind me I withdrew about $80 and set out to play Blackjack. Win or lose it wasn't really what this was all about. I was in Vegas and I was playing blackjack, the romance of that notion was enough for me! Cheap tables are few and far between here and it wasn't long before I had to step up in minimum bet. I lost, of course, but as I gambled deep into the early hours of the morning I knew I was realising a little dream of mine. It had its price but I wouldn't change it!
In Vegas everything has to be impressive. It wouldn't be Vegas if it wasn't. Outside of the gambling its the shows that are one of the biggest draws. These things can be extraordinarily expensive and with no inclination to pay $60 to watch Celine Dion a group of us settled to watch what is widely regarded as the best of the free shows, at the Treasure Island Casino.
Have no doubt that just because its free it means its not worth seeing. It is, and then some! It may last just the half hour and you may be packed around the action like sardines but its worth the effort to see this daily show!
I left Vegas feeling I'd done it proud! Late nights, slots, drinks, shows and, of course a bit of blackjack! I may not have seen every casino on the Strip but I'd seen my fair share and in truth I felt like I'd seen what I wanted to see. I'd had a blast for a few days but any more would probably have been overkill. Hey, it's dead in here anyway!
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Welcome to Sin City!
Arriving in any place is quite the experience. There's part excitement and there's part nervousness and there are no doubt several other emotions that run there course over the time it takes from leaving one hostel till arriving safely at the next. There's an even stranger feeling when you arrive in a City or place that you've seen so many times on telly over the years that part of you feels like you should know it before you even get there. Las Vegas is undoubtedly one of those places. You'd have to have had your head buried in the sand for the last 20 years to not have an idea of what the place was like without ever getting there!
No matter what you've seen on tv or what you're told though nothing quite prepare you for the real thing! As the plane began its dissent into Las Vegas Airport the blackness of a desert at night is suddenly illuminated. And how! A dazzling array of light comes into view it stands alone yet seems to go on for forever. Its expansive yet contained and the buzz of energy hits you before you've even landed.
Arriving late at night in the City that never sleeps I hadn't expected any problems in getting to my new hostel. That was exactly what I got though. My hostel may have been on The Strip but not one of the 7 shuttle companies wanted to take me. Leaving a tired and drained me, sitting outside the airport close to midnight now not knowing what to do for the best. It wasn't walkable at all and I'd been told a bus could take me 2-3 hours as my new accommodation was on the other end of The Strip. I hadn't expected this at all. I'd deliberately booked into the Sin City hostel because the location of the USA Hostels place was notoriously bad.
In the end I was left with little option but to spend $30 and take a cab. Vegas was already taking a hit on my wallet and I hadn't even entered a casino yet! As the taxi drove me down towards my new sleeping quarters I realised I didn't really know this place at all. Nothing was familiar. We avoided The Strip which it seems is slow moving at any time of the day or night and instead took an alternative route which avoided anything I may have found remotely recognisable. This wasn't quite what my imagination had conjured up before arriving here!
I arrived at the Sin City Hostel, tired and drained sometime around 1am o find people getting ready to go out. I managed to grab a beer or 2 and got chatting to a few people outside the hostel for a while before my body and soul brought me to my bed and not long after, to sleep. I would need to be well rested. I was in Vegas now. The party was about to start!
No matter what you've seen on tv or what you're told though nothing quite prepare you for the real thing! As the plane began its dissent into Las Vegas Airport the blackness of a desert at night is suddenly illuminated. And how! A dazzling array of light comes into view it stands alone yet seems to go on for forever. Its expansive yet contained and the buzz of energy hits you before you've even landed.
Arriving late at night in the City that never sleeps I hadn't expected any problems in getting to my new hostel. That was exactly what I got though. My hostel may have been on The Strip but not one of the 7 shuttle companies wanted to take me. Leaving a tired and drained me, sitting outside the airport close to midnight now not knowing what to do for the best. It wasn't walkable at all and I'd been told a bus could take me 2-3 hours as my new accommodation was on the other end of The Strip. I hadn't expected this at all. I'd deliberately booked into the Sin City hostel because the location of the USA Hostels place was notoriously bad.
In the end I was left with little option but to spend $30 and take a cab. Vegas was already taking a hit on my wallet and I hadn't even entered a casino yet! As the taxi drove me down towards my new sleeping quarters I realised I didn't really know this place at all. Nothing was familiar. We avoided The Strip which it seems is slow moving at any time of the day or night and instead took an alternative route which avoided anything I may have found remotely recognisable. This wasn't quite what my imagination had conjured up before arriving here!
I arrived at the Sin City Hostel, tired and drained sometime around 1am o find people getting ready to go out. I managed to grab a beer or 2 and got chatting to a few people outside the hostel for a while before my body and soul brought me to my bed and not long after, to sleep. I would need to be well rested. I was in Vegas now. The party was about to start!
Friday, 14 September 2007
Its a Funny Old Game
It was always going to be rather strange being in the US for the World Cup. This is, afterall, a country where the term "football" means something quite different than it does at home. I knew it wouldn't be the same as watching it in England but in a strange way I was looking forward to experiencing it in a totally different environment. I hadn't really know what to expect before I'd left home. I didn't even know if the games would be shown anywhere let alone in local bars and so on.
I had been in Nashville for England's opening game and amongst many a Brit also interested in seeing the match. The owner of the hostel was himself interested in watching the game and had meant an early start for all interested parties as we gathered in the common room for England v Paraguay. There was some frantic channel flipping to find the game where we discovered unlike the coverage back home, the programme started just as kick off was being taken. The performance on the pitch unfortunately didn't exactly excite the room and would have been enough for anyone unsure about the sport to wonder what all the fuss was about!
I'd watched the third of England's group games at the hostel in Dallas. Sat in the living room with the owner. As a guy of Mexican origin he was pretty exited about the Tournament and we had watched Mexico's game together as well. Obviously with no bars around it was pretty much my only choice for watching that particular game and was pretty enjoyable to watch it with a fellow football fan.
The Tournament itself had been given a lot more press and coverage in the US than I figured for. Advertisements were all over the TV and posters and fliers donned many a bar, however this extra effort seemed to have gone unnoticed in many parts with the majority of Americans I spoke to blissfully unaware that there was a tournament even going on.
One of my favourite moments was while sat up at a bar in St Louis when a guy got wind of me being a Brit and approached me, nervously and excitedly. He just wanted to talk football with someone! You could tell it was like sweet relief to him. Thoughts that had been bubbling around in his mind for God knows how long were bursting forth now and he looked like he was loving every minute of it! THAT is what its all about. I was equally as excited to be able to share that conversation with him.
I was in Albuquerque for England's Quarter Final game against Portugal. I was due to catch my flight later that morning and the airport shuttle bus was due to pick me up what was likely to be spot on full time. I'd had trouble persuading the owners of the Hostel to get their TV out. They didn't believe there should be one in the hostel and it had taken some swift talking to persuade them otherwise. I felt like I'd jumped into a DeLorean and zoomed back 40 years as I watched the game with fuzzy reception on a black and white set that appeared to be on its last legs. It was better than not watching the game though!
As full time approached, England down to 10 men my shuttle arrived. The scores were level and my shuttle was here. I tried to put it off for as long as I could but I knew I'd have to jump ship on the game and get on that shuttle to catch my flight. I asked the driver to try and find the game on the radio but no one was covering it. Not one single station out of the seemingly endless thousands that jam the airwaves here.
I arrived at the airport and disappeared off to the departure lounge just in time to see some disheveled England faces on the screen there. They'd gone out on Penalties, as they so often seem to do. I may have been in different country but that hurt feeling was still there ingrained. My plane was delayed a few hours to add insult to injury! Despite being several thousand miles away I knew I was going through the same emotions as all those on English soil. Still I had Vegas to look forward to! Vegas baby!!!
I had been in Nashville for England's opening game and amongst many a Brit also interested in seeing the match. The owner of the hostel was himself interested in watching the game and had meant an early start for all interested parties as we gathered in the common room for England v Paraguay. There was some frantic channel flipping to find the game where we discovered unlike the coverage back home, the programme started just as kick off was being taken. The performance on the pitch unfortunately didn't exactly excite the room and would have been enough for anyone unsure about the sport to wonder what all the fuss was about!
I'd watched the third of England's group games at the hostel in Dallas. Sat in the living room with the owner. As a guy of Mexican origin he was pretty exited about the Tournament and we had watched Mexico's game together as well. Obviously with no bars around it was pretty much my only choice for watching that particular game and was pretty enjoyable to watch it with a fellow football fan.
The Tournament itself had been given a lot more press and coverage in the US than I figured for. Advertisements were all over the TV and posters and fliers donned many a bar, however this extra effort seemed to have gone unnoticed in many parts with the majority of Americans I spoke to blissfully unaware that there was a tournament even going on.
One of my favourite moments was while sat up at a bar in St Louis when a guy got wind of me being a Brit and approached me, nervously and excitedly. He just wanted to talk football with someone! You could tell it was like sweet relief to him. Thoughts that had been bubbling around in his mind for God knows how long were bursting forth now and he looked like he was loving every minute of it! THAT is what its all about. I was equally as excited to be able to share that conversation with him.
I was in Albuquerque for England's Quarter Final game against Portugal. I was due to catch my flight later that morning and the airport shuttle bus was due to pick me up what was likely to be spot on full time. I'd had trouble persuading the owners of the Hostel to get their TV out. They didn't believe there should be one in the hostel and it had taken some swift talking to persuade them otherwise. I felt like I'd jumped into a DeLorean and zoomed back 40 years as I watched the game with fuzzy reception on a black and white set that appeared to be on its last legs. It was better than not watching the game though!
As full time approached, England down to 10 men my shuttle arrived. The scores were level and my shuttle was here. I tried to put it off for as long as I could but I knew I'd have to jump ship on the game and get on that shuttle to catch my flight. I asked the driver to try and find the game on the radio but no one was covering it. Not one single station out of the seemingly endless thousands that jam the airwaves here.
I arrived at the airport and disappeared off to the departure lounge just in time to see some disheveled England faces on the screen there. They'd gone out on Penalties, as they so often seem to do. I may have been in different country but that hurt feeling was still there ingrained. My plane was delayed a few hours to add insult to injury! Despite being several thousand miles away I knew I was going through the same emotions as all those on English soil. Still I had Vegas to look forward to! Vegas baby!!!
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