I was finally in the wonderful city of Las Vegas, which is located in the middle of the desert in Nevada, after a long five-hour flight. The airport was as cold as an icebox. Most buildings were air conditioned to sixty-one degrees. Walking through, the airport appeared beautiful. People gambling and lights inside the casinos everywhere. It was time to board the bus that would take us to our hotel, Harrah's. I knew Vegas would be hot, but I had no idea what I was in-store for.
It was the month of July, and the sun was red hot. Walking outside, I was immediately overcome with an intense feeling of heat. We had to wait outside for nearly ten minutes to board the bus, but with little shade, it felt like much longer. The bus was well air-conditioned, so the twenty-five minute trip was pleasant. I was able to view some of the beautiful sights of Las Vegas briefly. We arrived at our hotel, and I was anxious to get checked in and start sightseeing.
The only three methods of transportation were by foot, by a fancy bus that looked like a streetcar, and by cab. Unfortunately, two out of three of them were one hundred twenty plus degrees in temperature. The streets always had lots of traffic, and the cab fare was high. So we did most of our traveling by foot. Being the indolent teenager that I am, the walks were a fiasco. The sun was beating down on my skin like I was down in Hell. The streets were packed with tourists. Everything looked great, lights and casinos everywhere. With everything being so hot, you had to keep drinking fluids to keep hydrated. Bottled water was an expensive two dollars and seventy-five cents a bottle, as was bottled pop. My family and I were walking to the famous New York, New York.
Once inside, the place was decorated like the streets of New York. The stores looked as though they were each an individual building on the side of a cobblestone street. We walked to ride the roller coaster that was part indoor, part outdoor.