Sodom, Nevada – A City of Contrast

Las Vegas, Nevada, AKA “Sin City”, is a hell of a place.

From the moment my 12-year-old daughter and I arrived in the America West terminal, at McCarran Airport, Sunday morning, the realization that this wasn’t a normal town, hit me. I am often criticized for being hyperbolic, but I can tell you that there is no place like it in America. Las Vegas is one part casino, one part suburban, one part retirement village and one part Disneyworld.

As soon as I walked off the plane, I was bombarded with slot machines and advertisements for anything from casinos to male strip clubs (Now Appearing Live – “Thunder From Down Under”). I had to cover my daughter’s eyes every 100 feet (much to her dismay).

When we finally made it outside, the next thing I noticed was the searing heat. Although it was only 10:30am, the temperature was already 97 degrees. Now, I’m familiar with temperatures in the 90’s and 100’s, but having lived in New York and Chicago the last few years makes one forget what real heat feels like. Forget what everyone says. Dry heat or not, it’s hot.

After meeting up with my brother and nephew, we went for a quick bite to eat. Evidently, the idea of “quick” has not penetrated the minds of the natives. It must have taken 30-45 minutes to get a pizza brought to our table. I guess they had their hands full with all the other customers. All one of them.

After lunch, it was time to see Mom.

We drove to the assisted living facility where she lives, in western part of the city. It’s a relatively new section of town (all of western Las Vegas is new). It was very peaceful. It seemed a perfect place to spend your later years. It was, if I may sound crass, the perfect place to die. I realize many people go to Las Vegas because of the weather. The dry desert air is a perfect remedy for aching bones. Many people go there for vacation. If you aren’t a gambler, then this is a wonderful place to play golf.

What I can not understand, is why would anyone else live there year round. The strip is a lively, happening place, but the rest of Vegas is downright boring and depressing. I realize I may sound a different tune when I’m much older, but then again, probably not.

When we got to Mom’s new facility, they greeted us warmly. They showed us around the grounds and brought us to her new apartment. Because it is assisted-living, there is no kitchen (only a microwave and a small refrigerator). We took her to the dining room for dinner, left her to eat with the others at her table and said our goodbyes. The manager of the home felt very strongly that she be left there in order to make new acquaintances right away.

When we left, I stopped, looked around and wondered…

When was it that she went from being my Mom to being the old woman I just visited? I remember talking to her just a few short years ago about some troubles I was having and having a conversation with the person who was my primary care-giver for all of my early years. She’s not supposed to be old. Old age is for grandmothers and great-grandmothers, not for my Mom.

This is the woman who gave birth to me. This is the woman who used to sing me to sleep. This is the woman who used to smother me with kisses when I was little.

This time, she hardly knew who I was. Let me rephrase that, this time, she hardly realized I was a 41-year-old man. Being the youngest of four siblings, I am used to being the least respected and babied. However, it occurred to me that it’s not that she treats me like a child, but in her eyes, I am a child.

We spent the next two days getting her settled and shopping for her. At night, we went to New York New York and hung around our hotel, the Excalibur. The motif is Middle Ages English. Similar, in a way to the Lord of the Rings. It’s a magnificent hotel. We also toured the MGM Grand Hotel. Apparently, the lions were sleeping.

The other thing I notices about Las Vegas is its decadence. Even in the nicer hotels, where children are everywhere, you still have that underlying feeling of sin and debauchery. There were three situations that really caught my eye:

1. A 30-something woman was playing the slot machines with a large cup filled with quarters and what appeared to be a martini in her hand. She was completely engrossed in her activity and was smoking heavily. Near here was her 8 or 9-year-old son who appeared to be quite sleepy. It was around 9:30pm and he was whining to her, hoping she would take him home. She kept playing. This woman was totally unaware that her son was upset and hardly noticed his tugging on her. She just kept playing.

2. As we were walking through the MGM Grand, I overheard a rather large man say, “it’s all I have for you. Take it and leave me alone.” I glanced back and noticed he was a well dressed and rather heavy man with at least four or five gold and diamond rings. She was a young (maybe 20-21-year-old) girl who came across as being much more worn by life than she ought to be at that age. From what I could hear, she had borrowed a lot of money from this man in order to pay off her gambling debt. Apparently, he was tired of her paying it back through sexual favors for him and, I suppose others. He was cutting her off.

3. The third thing that caught my eye was the amount of young children. While the city has made a conscious effort to clean up the town, I still can’t understand why people take their very young and impressionable children. Yes, I took my daughter (who is 12 going on 18), but I can not believe that everyone else who brought a child was there to see their mothers. In hindsight, I had already expressed my doubts about bringing her, but I reasoned that it may be the last time for a long time she can see her Grandmother.

This city is about sin. It’s about gambling, prostitution, corruption and broken dreams. It’s also about getting old. It’s also about coming to terms with fact that no longer are you the child. Now, you’re the care-giver. My mother is having a very hard time coming to terms with her mortality. Her walk is slow, her reasoning is weak and her abilities have slowed. It’s very possible that she will live many, many more years, and I truly hope she does, but my biggest hope is that there will be life in those years.