Sin city? More like BIN city, am I right?

We walked into our hotel and the Talk said, "soul destroying is so apt, yet so inadequate."  He was right.  The glitz and glamour of Vegas, the high-roller tables and the glitz and martinis are all things of fiction, of an age past imortalised in films yet unrealised in the city's evolution.

Stratosphere, where we stayed.

 What is left is a gaudy temple of hedonism.  "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," is the city's tourism motto.  This is a tribute to the extremism which plagues the USA.  If a little indulgence is good, then lots of indulgence must be great, right?

Wrong.  The one thing Las Vegas lacks in spades is moderation.  The group was a little divided over this, but I was actively repulsed by the city, and the Skeptic was not a fan either.

Some sort of famous casino, I'm told.

 We went out for dinner at the MGM Grand, then wandered up the street.  It was filled with people doing the same thing we were; trying to figure out what the hell they're supposed to do in Vegas.  Luckily, the zombie walk had been on during the day, so there were plenty of great costumes to admire on our walk.

New York, New York.  Doesn't quite live up to the original.

Vegas is trying so hard to impress, pouring money into its facade which it then backs up with... nothing.  The front is all there is and this city will leave you as hollow as it feels.  I have never been to a city and thought "I wish the mob still ran this."

First time for everything, I guess.