As I mentioned earlier, after Austin, I headed to the famous Sin City. To be honest, I had been waiting for this for quite a while, as I didn't travel here until I turned 21. Otherwise, there's simply nothing to do here.
I prepared for the trip in advance (as I do for all my trips), so I booked a motel. Those who have read all my blogs carefully might be surprised now, as out of all the cities I've visited, this is the first motel I've booked. Well, actually, there was one, but it was just for show. I canceled the booking later anyway. Otherwise, over these years, I've had to sleep in airports, planes, trains, cars, at friends' places, through Couchsurfing, in dorms, and in hostels. The last two are the only ones I've had to pay for :) Let me remind those who don't know or have forgotten that a hostel and a motel are different. A hostel is the cheapest option. It's where you're usually put in a room with 4-8 beds. You can re-read my first blog, the part about San Francisco. Although I mentioned there that we were put in a room with some creepy guys (according to my friends' stories), I've read many positive reviews from people who found travel companions and just new friends while staying in a hostel. A motel, on the other hand—where I stayed—is a cheap version of a hotel. You've probably seen them often in movies. They are usually quite typical in appearance: two stories, possibly even with a pool, and many rooms in a row. As soon as I got my visa, I booked one of the cheapest options—Days Inn Las Vegas. I can give a brief assessment that the motel is good overall. The rooms are clean, there is a laundry room, and a small cafe. For 4 nights, I paid $136 + they took $100 from my card as a deposit, which was returned as soon as I checked out. Just a guarantee that I wouldn't cause any trouble. By the way, the rooms were cleaned every day, which was also incredibly pleasing.
And the laundry room turned out to be just in time, because when you've been traveling for about 10 days, and walking as many miles as possible, you end up with very few clean clothes. So I had to wash some things.
It's worth noting that if you are under 21, many (or maybe even all) motels and hotels won't let you in at all. For example, they checked my passport to make sure I was over 21 before I checked in. So when you book accommodation, check if they have such conditions.
As for food... They had a Denny's diner right in the motel. It's one of the American chains of family restaurants/coffee shops that has almost any food, depending on the time of day. They cook pretty well, but the prices are higher than, for example, at some McDonald's. For a good breakfast: a set of any kind of eggs, meat (bacon or sausage), toast, and something of your choice like mushrooms or pancakes + coffee, you'll pay about 15-17 dollars + tips. But on the bright side, black coffee with cream is unlimited in such places.
Those who are planning to travel to the USA for the first time and want to book a motel, don't let the price for 4 nights confuse you. I mean, yes, 136 dollars is very cheap. BUT. The thing is, this is normal for Vegas. That's what Vegas lures you with—everything here is very cheap. Almost everything. (Bars and adult bars, by the way, too). But by spending little money on hotels, motels, and hostels, you can, accordingly, blow more money on slots and roulette. It's a trap, sort of. And they are everywhere here, you know? I said in the last part that just by stepping off the plane, you'll already encounter slot machines. You'll want to try it once, then once more, and maybe a hundred is already gone. And there are machines in almost all motels and hotels. Where I lived, by the way, too. Or rather, there was a small casino with its own cashier. But I didn't play. I'm easily susceptible to such things, so I shouldn't sit down. And I advise you all to be careful. You'll blow all the money you earned (or planned to earn), and that will be your trip.
Anyway, I arrived late at night, and it's quite a long way from the airport to my hotel. I thought I'd find some bus, but I found a shuttle. Those who are going to Vegas—take note, important information. At the airport, there is a booth. It's called Super Shuttle. You can register there, pay about $20 or 22, if I'm not mistaken. The point: they register you, take your phone number, the required hotel/motel, and take the money. You wait for the shuttle, get on it with a crowd, and then, like a shuttle bus, they will take you right to the doors. The problem is that it can take time, as there are many people on the shuttle and everyone is going to different places. The plus side is that you get cheap transport straight to your hotel, and on the day of departure, at a certain time, they will pick you up and take you back to the airport. An ideal option, as far as I'm concerned.
The motel turned out to be literally a 7-10 minute walk from the most popular street in the city—Strip Street, where all the entertainment, large casinos, expensive hotels, etc., are located. Since I arrived at night, I walked to this street, looked around at its "base" (and overall it stretches for several miles and it takes time to walk around and see everything), and then went back. I drank a bottle of beer at the motel bar and went to sleep.
Day two.
After eating breakfast and getting ready, I headed into the city. The thing is, where I was walking to the Strip last night, I had to cross the road in an unauthorized place, so I decided not to risk it and go around, but by a safer route. And here I was a little shocked by how Vegas changed overnight.
You know, a long time ago I watched the show "Oryol i Reshka" about Vegas. It was the first season, where the first 4 episodes were about the USA. I think these are the only episodes I watched from that show. And I remember well how one of the show's characters ended up in the Vegas desert. I think many of you have heard and know that literally 100 years ago, there was just a desert where Vegas is now, and then the Italian-American mafia started building this very Sin City here, starting with the Flamingo casino. So. There is a certain zone, or rather this very Vegas, and around it is a creepy desert and even suburbs where people who work in Vegas live. That is, it's not all as fabulous as in Las Vegas itself. But the city changed overnight, of course, not because of this, but because by turning off, it lost its charm. It started to look like a few hotels in the desert. After all, that's what it is, and at night it all glows and pulls you in. It drives you crazy (In the photo, of course, you can't convey all the emotions):
Of course, the most important place to visit was the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, which is located at the entrance to the city. I saw it the day before on the way from the airport, but now I had to take a closer look. There is a considerable queue of people wanting to take a photo near it, and there is even a local worker of sorts who takes your photo for free (not sure about this) on your device. You can just ask someone from the queue:
Overall, it's worth noting that there is essentially nothing to do in Vegas alone. Here, of course, you need to have a company of friends with whom it will be difficult to remember what happened yesterday, as it was in some "The Hangover", you know? Being just a tourist is a bit boring. Although there is something to do. At least just look at the architecture, or rather the fantastically beautiful hotels where few students can afford to live. Each of these hotels represents a different kind of style, a different country: Venice, New York, Paris, Egypt, etc. And everything around is done in exactly this style. It looks amazing. I think you've seen all this in movies more than once.
To be Continued.
