Hostels in the US are funny old things. They're few and far between compare to their counterparts in many other parts of the world. Boston and Chicago for example have 3 a piece compared to a total of around 70 in Barcelona. The US hasn't really taken the hostel to its heart and instead Motels are the budget accommodation of choice it would seem. My single experience of one of these places had come in Memphis and as expected they're rather more ideal for someone with a car than without! The lack of hostels has meant I've often had trouble booking where I want to stay and, on occasion, booking anywhere at all!
With just 2 hostels, Seattle becomes just another City here with a lack of backpacker accommodation and I'd been pre-warned about one of these said places. Though not far from each other the HI and Green Tortoise come at you from very different angles. The Tortoise was the place I'd been made wary of, its location next to the Needle Exchange Centre, home if addicts from all around. Hardly an ideal location! This had more than contributed to my desire to stay at the huge HI place, that whilst only a block or 2 away was in a somewhat less shady locale.
Once again though the lack of options had left me somewhat out in the lurch. the HI, huge place that it is was actually full for the final couple of days I'd planned to stay here and meant I would be swapping hostels midway through my stay. I'd been reluctant to take the Tortoise option up but even they were short of beds and hotel options were out of my reach money wise. It was simply a case of if I want to stay I'm going to have to stay there.
You couldn't witness more contrast between two such nearby places if you tried. HI hostels here in the US have a reputation of being clean, comfortable, organised and regimented. Evidenced none more so than right here in Seattle. Hostel workers walked around dressed as if 1970s Phys Ed teachers in uniformed shirt and shorts, an almost comedic sight. No Alcohol was permitted on the premises but things were unquestionable clean and well thought out.
The HI hostels often fill up with large groups in town for a conference or school kids here en masse. They're family friendly places and more often than not extremely well located. They are, ideal if fun is not on the agenda. put simply, you know what you're going to get and fun filled nights are far from its inhabitants minds. Basically, they're brilliant but ultimately boring!
In contrast, the Green Tortoise could hardly have been more different. The run down looking building housed a run down looking hostel, emphasised more than expected due to their imminent move to a new location. The rooms were fine but had clearly seen better days, the computers used or internet access were falling to pieces, half of them not in working order, faulty keyboards and mice without balls aplenty. Grungy looking seating that Kurt Cobain would have been proud of adorned the common areas. whilst staff seemed blissfully unaware of anything going on around them.
To use an old cliche though, the place had character. Its inhabitants more social, a place unlike the HI where I figured I might actually meet people! in many respects I felt more at home here than in the stuffy HI down the road despite its obvious flaws.
Indeed my expectations were met when, sat outside on the balcony I got chatting to Sandy, a woman from Corpus Christie, Texas. It just seemed the environment I was now in was geared to this happening. Having already enjoyed a few pints of something local earlier in the evening we decided to hell with it and ventured out to find a suitable drinking tavern.
We wound up in Pioneer Square. My first taste of the City's best known nightspot and Saturday was the perfect evening to soak up the atmosphere. Bars and clubs were overflowing, spilling out onto the streets as I saw Seattle rockin' for the first time. Neither of us particularly felt like clubbing so we bounded from bar to bar managing, somehow, to find all the ones that closed early! It was great to sit back and watch a City thriving on its weekend, the atmosphere was infectious and I was happy enough to let it all go on around me as I sat back taking it all in.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Friday, 28 September 2007
The Beer and The Bars
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!
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!
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!
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