Wednesday 14 May 2014

Day Two- Wednesday 16th April

Children playing on slot machines at M&M World

The Strip, in all its 4.2 miles inhabits a select assortment of entertainment. Casinos, restaurants, clothing stores and gift shops are a repetitive commodity that seems to take up the entirety of Las Vegas Boulevard. Las Vegas truly relies on the gambling community, as four children were playing on an imitation slot machine in M&M world, it give the impression that the city teaches its youth that gambling is something to look forward to as an adult.2

Everything about this city promotes newness; these buildings are built with intentions of knocking it down. Many of the buildings’ walls were hollow, suggesting that they never intended to keep these buildings as they were built. The Venetian showed amazing structural designs, yet was plastered with billboards; reinforcing the idea that consumerism is what keeps this city alive. It is easy to compare the casinos on The Strip, the old from the new is noticeable and the interior speaks a lot about the intentions of the particular casino. The Bellagio had classical décor and emits a sense of richness, whereas Harrah’s presented a gaming floor with no particular attention to its appearance.

Every casino exhibited similar content within its doors; a gaming floor, stores, restaurants and bars. The gaming floors were surrounded by these different areas; suggesting that there is everything they could need thirty feet away from a slot machine or a poker table. Las Vegas does not only make its money from gambling, but also from these areas where gamblers go in order to not miss out on an opportunity to win the jackpot.

The Strip compared to the rest of the city is unbelievable, the rest of the city seemed empty compared to the compact street and seemed only to house suburban families. Driving to the outskirts of the city, it was clear to see that The Strip is not the only part of this city surrounded by mountains. This city grew from a small amount of water in the otherwise Mojave Desert and it thrived into a major city for entertainment.

2 Youth Prevention, Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, http://www.nevadacouncil.org/youth_prev.php

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