Travel Wolfe: Welcome To "The New Wild West"!

photo by Jason DeBord

The title of this post. represents a song written and performed by very talented singer songwriter Jewel Kilcher . Also I feel inspired to use Jewel's song lyric for the final post from my trip to Las Vegas!

I have mixed reviews from my trip to Las Vegas. Some good weather and some very bad weather was endured during my week spent in Las Vegas! When I arrived on February 10th. The weather was quite bad. Very cold and windy with hail! When I flew into McCarran Airport on final approach. Our airplane was being affected quite badly by strong winds! We flew in over Lake Mead and our pilot did a great job landing safely. Also on the Thursday on my trip to Vegas. I endured an all day rain and it was cold. Which was hard to endure. Being on holidays in a desert region of the United States!

My Las Vegas holiday got off to a difficult start. With my rental car reservation. I had reserved my flight and rental car for this trip with Flight Hub. I booked my rental car with a company named "Fox". I had reserved a car for a 1 week rental. After I arrived at McCarran Airport. I had to take a bus to the car rental center. Then a second bus to the Fox car rental business. After I arrived I checked in with a representative from Fox. I gave them my name, and was informed by the representative. That the reservation for my rent a car had expired at 10 am in the morning! It was now 6 pm at night. I have never experienced anything like this before. In all the years I have traveled and rented cars!

I kept my cool. The Fox rent a car agent told me. That there were now out of compact cars. Which I had reserved to rent. Because my reservation had expired! It was Valentine's week. He was at least friendly and did check with rent a car competitors to see if he could find me a decent price for a 1 week rental. He failed to find me a decent price. I did arrange to rent a Toyota Corolla for 1 week from Fox for a much higher price then, the price I had reserved. I didn't want to have this problem ruin my vacation!

The first 2 days of the trip were great. As the weather turned sunny and mild. I enjoyed visits to the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Valley of Fire State Park! I had planed another day trip to visit "Cathedral Rock" State Park. But this day trip had to be scrubbed due to more bad weather during the week!

The changes to the Las Vegas Strip have changed everything in Las Vegas. The style, class, and charismatic charm of the old Las Vegas casinos has been lost. Replaced with luxury, pomp and circumstance! I guess the attraction to visit Las Vegas has increased. However between the temptation for gambling, eating out in luxury restaurants, shopping and attending the great Las Vegas Shows. The cost and challenge of enjoying a Las Vegas vacation has also become much more difficult!

At least I found the El Cortez Hotel & Casino. The first major resort of it's type built in Las Vegas on Freemont Street in 1941. A refuge, for me. Trying hard to enjoy the Las Vegas from a time. A time now, that has disappeared! "Welcome to The New Wild West"

Much more fantasy and glimmer in Las Vegas. Trying very hard to attract you to Vegas. To separate you from your money. Not the best way to enjoy your vacation or to create happy memories, in my opinion!

Happy to say. I almost made money gambling in Las Vegas in this trip! A complete collapse by the Minnesota Wild hockey team. Blowing a 4 to 1 advantage at home. Losing 5 to 4 in O/T to the New Jersey Devils. Prevented a gambling profit from occurring! I did get to enjoy a great Las Vegas Show! Attending "The Beatles Show" at Planet Hollywood!

Would I ever go back to visit Las Vegas? I would not go back to visit the overly developed and over luxury hotels. Also I could do without being in the environment of a modern Las Vegas casinos! I would go back to visit some more great State Parks located in the State of Nevada. Also some of the great places of beauty that are located in southern Utah! If I do go back. Maybe I will enjoy one more Vegas Show. Seeing Jewel singing live in concert!