las vegas

if there's one city that's testament to both america's ingenuity and to its defiance to nature's dictates, it's las vegas. not an oasis town, not one blessed by natural resources enough to sustain a metropolis of such proportion, las vegas is right in the middle of nowhere in nevada's southwestern front.

yet it is everything that america is. a gleaming city of a billion neon lights and recreated city-hotels that mimic or even mock some of the greatest capitals of the world like paris, venice, cairo and rome, las vegas is still one developing experiment. newer showcase hotel buildings take the place of the older ones and keep the place as cutting edge as when it was first conceived by the mafioso. this continuous drive to improve and keep up with the times even if it means knocking down some of its aging iconic buildings like the stardust make las vegas a unique place. ever evolving, ever on top of the situation.

i said it is a testament to america's defiance to nature's dictates because it is really not an ideal habitat for human settlement. when i left vegas last saturday, the temperature was an oven-hot 126 degrees. i can't say it's steaming hot because as the locals would say, it's "dry heat". dry heat or not, it's still 126 degrees, it hurts the skin of your face, it creates the sensation of dyspnea in the absence of a physiological rationale, and it's just extremely hot. period. and i live in florida.

despite this excruciating climate in what is probably some of america's most inhospitable soils, or sands, las vegas survives and thrives to retain its title as the world's entertainment and gambling capital. the city has succeeded enormously in selling itself as a fun place. it is where you can smoke just about anywhere with the least amount of restrictions compared with the rest of the country. it is also where strippers are openly advertised in magazines, newspapers and the streets for every excited and excitable adult. and yet, las vegas has likewise been successful in re-packaging the city's image into one where the whole family can enjoy its many attractions.
i like vegas. almost parallel to new york, there's simply no place like it. vegas is one proof of america's capacity to build anything and everything of any size wherever it wants. even in what would ordinarily have been one sandy wasteland.