Las Vegas

As good 'ol Edel Brock has mentioned in the last few days, America get's a proper 'bum rap' round here on a regular basis. However, as BIGINOIL pointed out, it's not a general dislike/distrust of the US and A that fuels this negativity. It's fundamentally a result of America's planet-raping foreign policy alongside people who live in/come from Texas that make us very angry. The good folks that live on the coast(s) seem like good eggs to most of us. Personally I've met loads of them, and they rock.

So as a means to spreading some 'ameri-love' to the boards I'd like to start a series of threads in praise of our Yankee cousins. And I'm going to start by mentioning the thing I like most about America......Las Vegas!!!!!

I'm a once a year visitor to this fairground-of-consumption and I fucking love it. The city throws up more contradictions than I can allow to trouble my 'trendy leftie' ego and leaves me feeling all excited and deeply troubled at the same time. So I'm not going to delve any deeper than that. All I ask is that any veterans of Sin City share with me;

their favourite hotel (Mirage, best pool by a mile) their favourite casino (O'Shea's on the strip, $1 Michelob and $5 blackjack 24/7) their favourite show (Blue Man Group at The Venetian) their favourite Vegas story (starts with a Mexican dwarf and a fistfull of Ketamine....)

Next topic....FAST FOOD.

Ive never been,but a boy i worked with for years recently rapped in his job and has moved out there,like you G,he was a once a year visitor now he's thought fuck it,and fucked off over there,best a luck to him i say

When you off next, G?

I've been there once and loved it.

Loved the guy who stood outside the Mirage with a sign that said "Why lie, need money for beer" who probably earns more than all of us put together.

Loved the 'all you can eat' and the more upmarket 'all you would like to eat' buffets.

Loved the honest treatment of it's history, and the honest 'leave us alone and we'll leave you alone' honesty of it's present.

Loved the girl with big tits and a head full of speed who brought us beers while the Drifers played and forgot to charge for them.

America, I salute you!

I’ve only been to America once, so I would like to big up:

New Yoik – The most amazing place I’ve ever been to, thanks to the architecture, history, culture, food, entertainment The Doors – My favourite music to get stoned to Disney – Contributed to a happy childhood Movies – The bulk of my favourite films are American American smile – prompted me to grow teeth “Have a nice day” – only Americans can deliver this without sarcasm Big houses – they know how to build spacious houses (although timber in a tornado zone is a bit silly) McDonalds – Fast food tat, but their breakfasts are a great hangover cure American NOOLers – I’m always interested to hear their opinions except for: Jefferi Al Texani – He makes me feel good about myself (as he’s such a loser)

I’m sure I can think of more, but it’s still early yet.

only been the once with mrs order and special guests, stayed at the luxor,, ace pool , interesting interior,,,got abit pissed off when they wouldt admit us to the x night club ,, trainers sir, your friend has trainers on, nothing to do with us being 50 and ugly then. great to walk the strip from there, and what a place to get married,, we did a double up with elvis as the preacher,of again next year if the dollar decieds to chirp up.

viva las vegas

I loved Chicago greatly. Food was fabulous. Taxis suddenly make you see why US cars are so utterly hopeless on real roads, they FLOAT along city streets like a magic carpet. The weed was stunning (literally), and the yanks, while utterly unable to handle more than a half of shandy, can smoke like Dresden. Most people I met were lovely, clueful, friendly and pleasant, those who were not were complete ballsacks who annoyed me intensely and were almost certainly living proof of why incest is bad, but oddly there was nobody in between.

Best thing though was we went to Fermi-lab.....to watch a modern ballet!!!!! Yes, the arts at nuclear research facilities, dancing at a particle accelerator.....imagine seeing New Order in Doonray. Actually the arts thing really freaked me out, and has ultimately made me rage more against the US......the country is FULL of amazing art, dance, music....all performed in the most wonderful of places, the What's on in Chicago paper was as thick as The Scum and a DAILY!......and why does this make me angry.....because they have all that on the menu....and order Britney Spears and Linkik Park.

Another item of yank love though........ Unless I've got my head in a muddle, it seems that the USACE instead of sitting around on base, learning to bridge minor waterways quickly like the Royal Engineers do between wars.....they actually work maintaining and improving the infrastructure of the nation (I'm sure the republicans hate this communism, but I think it is probably the most marvelous thing about the USA).

Finally I will say this.....the reason I jump on septics is that I think "the american dream" is amazing, but that basically they've cunted it up a treat, totally ignoring most of what their nation claims to be founded on.

Vegas is great. Loved the O-shays when I was younger. Play the slots and get free white russians. got smashed night after night. My Aussie mate got escorted out of a casino for accusing another punter of taking his ace during a game of blackjack. He promptly walked into our hotel room with a car arial he had broke off a convertable (after pissing inside the car), started smashing the room up and the next thing iwe know is we get a knock on the door and about 10 armed guards and police await us.

1994 was a special time for me.

Went there again for a stag do in 2005. Stayed at Luxur. Fantastic hotel. But only slept about 5 hours in 3 nights as they pump your hotel room with Oxygen. The Centerpoint is pretty hair-raising with thse rides on top. I dont have the stomach for that kinda of thing. Just looking down made me queasy.

I would recommend it for sure. Its full of contradictions (all that wealth but its so tacky).

Gazman wrote: Ive never been,but a boy i worked with for years recently rapped in his job and has moved out there,like you G,he was a once a year visitor now he's thought fuck it,and fucked off over there,best a luck to him i say

Ooooooft. I like it, like it a lot but I couldn't live there. Too trippy. If he's a decent gambler then fair play, that's where all the money is. And a lot of loose money too when you consider all my arsehole mates/acquaintances who were there with me in July entering poker tournaments with large buy-ins cos they've watched late night poker on the telly a few times. Some of them won a few quid a couple of times, the vast majority lost. Probably to folk like your mate who knew what they were doing.

Colin, thanks for mentioning buffet's, another favourite pastime of mine when I'm there. I was going to save this for my fast food thread though. I'll impart my wisdom on that topic then.

Doctor? wrote:

Another item of yank love though........ Unless I've got my head in a muddle, it seems that the USACE instead of sitting around on base, learning to bridge minor waterways quickly like the Royal Engineers do between wars.....they actually work maintaining and improving the infrastructure of the nation (I'm sure the republicans hate this communism, but I think it is probably the most marvelous thing about the USA).

Finally I will say this.....the reason I jump on septics is that I think "the american dream" is amazing, but that basically they've cunted it up a treat, totally ignoring most of what their nation claims to be founded on.

USACE are a group of civilians, not really people in uniform. Its more club of some of the best engineers in the country rather than part of the Army. Funny thing when I was in a very hairy place in Iraq. We used to joke because the Navy Seabees (the Navy uniformed equivalent to the USACE) were all old, in their mid-60s. However, 6 months in my deployment the USACE came, and I about died laughing, it literally was the geriatric platoon. Everyone was in their 70s and 80s. I swear they were like the little old ladies down the street wearing strange blue/grey wigs and old guys who I thought lost their cane by the way they walked. Made me wonder if we were really loosing that much favor in the States that they needed to send grams and gramps. As we were in the middle of a war zone, getting mortared/rocketed often, what happens if they got a heart attack or some other old people health issue, there was nearest proper medical facility was either in Kuwait of Germany.

But I do agree on your last statement, people here often do take what they were born with for granted.

Yeah I'd like to check out Las Vegas.Not before going back to NEW YORK though.Can't get enough of the place. Loved the view from Empire State,loved sunbathing on Liberty Island the day before there was a bloody blizzard! Going to CBGB (R.I.P) and chatting up this American girl with a Joy Division T-Shirt on.Went back there on a date,couldn't get in (too late),so spent the rest of the night round corner in MARS BAR chatting to the locals and an ex-pat,had a lock in till 5am. Getting coffees that never empty (RESULT!),going on board USS INTREPID and CONCORDE,steak and chips that could feed a small army.10 days of craning my neck to look at skyscrapers,then coming back to Manchester and thinking,erm the buildings are a bit small!

MONTY wrote: Yeah I'd like to check out Las Vegas.Not before going back to NEW YORK though.Can't get enough of the place. Loved the view from Empire State,loved sunbathing on Liberty Island the day before there was a bloody blizzard! Going to CBGB (R.I.P) and chatting up this American girl with a Joy Division T-Shirt on.Went back there on a date,couldn't get in (too late),so spent the rest of the night round corner in MARS BAR chatting to the locals and an ex-pat,had a lock in till 5am. Getting coffees that never empty (RESULT!),going on board USS INTREPID and CONCORDE,steak and chips that could feed a small army.10 days of craning my neck to look at skyscrapers,then coming back to Manchester and thinking,erm the buildings are a bit small!

The MARS BAR. . I fucking forgot about that place. Used to go their quite often, every weekend maybe at one point.. I a lot of oddball characters usually claiming to be part of the Warhol scene back in the day. Very charming place, no pretentiousness. In fact, never has a place that smelled of piss been so charming.

I’ve been in Vegas 3 times and I can say it is a fun town, I might recommend you if you are the kind of people who like partying, drinks, shopping, the casinos, the adventure, extreme sports, good food, entertainment, and wasting money. Otherwise….. you don’t go.

I love the states……New York, DC, Chicago, Vegas, LA, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, Boston, Miami, Denver and a lot of others places are great, but the thing I like the most is their national parks….Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand canyon, Niagara falls, Death Valley Carlsbad Caverns and Gran Teton are wonderful places. There is one site i’ve never been and it’s probably their best….Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, I wanna go there soon and take the helicopter tour, but it is expensive.

Please don’t visit any place in Texas, it is not worth it…..and it has not anything to do with Jeff

Andrès wrote:

Please don’t visit any place in Texas, it is not worth it…..and it has not anything to do with Jeff

Say you like National Parks, but where elese can you get an eyeful like this, but in Texas?

I've got a great story about 24 hours spent in Las Vegas but unfortunatly I was so mortally pissed I can't remember any of it.