Bright Light City

"Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire" – Elvis Presley, 1964.

Christmas Day 2004, and I’m sitting in the Qantas Club at Adelaide Airport with an old Army mate, waiting for our flight to Sydney, the first leg of a whirlwind tour of the US. And I was excited. Why? Because the first port of call for us would be the place I had dreamed of going for years, Las Vegas.

After some 17 hours of flying time, an hour wait in Adelaide, an hour wait in Sydney and 3 hours in LA, we were putting on our seat belts and returning our seats to their upright positions in preparation for landing at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas. My good friend The Chief (a position he held in the Army), had given me the window seat, knowing how keen I was to see "Sin City". It was just before Midday local time and as the desert emerged from the clouds, my anticipation and excitement grew. I was about to realise a dream, and before long my dream was staring me in the face, Sin City, Bright Light City, Entertainment Capital of the World…. Las Vegas!

We landed at McCarran and as we departed the plane we were met by a warm, yet crisp air. This was the Nevada Desert in winter. We made our way through the airport to collect our luggage, and were instantly hit by "CASINO". Banks of poker machines or "slot machines" if you want to go native, were lining the centre portions of the terminal. Complete with players either warming up for their upcoming stay, or trying to win their shirt back before they depart for home.

Our cab driver was everything you would expect from a cabbie working a tourist town. He was polite, friendly, full of information and he was fun. He asked us if we wanted to head straight to our hotel, or would we like a quick tour? We opted for a quick budget tour, he was there to take our money, but he wasn’t their to "take us for a ride". He also ran a side business, he and his wife made fake wedding certificates. You could leave your name, when he dropped you off and if you called him to pick you up and take you back to the airport, he would bring your fake certificate, saying you married Brittney Spears or whoever with him. For an extra fee, he would take your photo and Photoshop a picture of the 2 love birds on their wedding day! While we didn’t take the offer, it was still a great idea and earned him a few extra dollars. He said his biggest customers were blokes on Buck’s Nights.

After about 30 minutes and one of the best cab rides of my life, we arrived at our digs for the next few nights, the Luxor. Now if you don’t know the Luxor, it’s not hard to spot on any TV show or movie that has Vegas in it. It’s the giant, black glass pyramid. It also has an intense beam of light shining straight out of the top into the pitch black sky. Story goes, that when it was first built, after a week or so the FAA had to make them turn the light down as it was blinding pilots! The Luxor is everything you would expect out of a novelty casino, it has an Egyptian theme and everything is just screams "Las Vegas". The one thing that certainly surprised me was that it didn’t scream "Christmas", in fact, nothing in Vegas did. I saw one little Christmas Tree on check in counter and that was it for the whole of Las Vegas. To them it was just another ordinary day.

We spent 3 and a half days in Vegas, although one of those days was taken up with a day long tour to the Grand Canyon, an experience I will never forget but that’s a story for another time. During our stay in Vegas, we spent 3 hours gambling, yup 3 hours! The rest of our time was spent walking and looking and doing a few tours. But I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed Vegas’ "in your face" approach to everything, cheap buffets, cheap shows, cheap everything, they want your money and they want you to feel like a king while they rob you. It truly is a magical place (at least the side they want you to see) and I for one am chomping at the bit to get back. Las Vegas has been calling me back for a few years now and it’s time to start making a plan.

Yup, Bright Light City set my soul, it set my soul on fire!