Bikini
Bull Riding and $9.98 baby back ribs are leftover Las Vegas too. (Why
would you want to see a bull in a bikini, anyhow?) But some of the
attractions of more recent times are morphing into a new ethos.
Treasure Island has been rebranded as TI, actually now more like
T&A. The Bellagio, whose fountains spurted to Rat Pack records, now
gush with twangy patriotism: "Proud to be American" stuff while "old
Europe's" Eiffel Tower sniffs at this Yankee jingoism from across the
street.
The economy and the shortage of ferenghi
tourists have made it hard-sell time in Las Vegas. And what sells most
of all? Of course: Las Vegas' advertising slogan is "What Happens Here,
Stays Here" (unless, of course, you get arrested for it). Walk by the
Las Vegas Convention Center and you'll pass a line of migrant
porn-peddlers slapping "wanna have a good time" brochures and trying to
jam them in your pockets. Get off the main strip and you'll find
characters that would inspire Bertholdt Brecht: Las Vegas has a rich
indigenous culture.
But
Vegas still has lots to offer including spectacular shows, even though
they are now skewing to the risqué as in Cirque de Soliel's new
production Zumanity, where acrobats have become "sensualists".
One
of the best shows in town, however, is G-rated and free. The Rio Hotel,
a bit off the beaten track, has a lively, noisy casino with clowns and
Carnival characters juggling about the floor while a Mardi Gras parade
of dancers in floats shaped like ships and hot air balloons
circumnavigates the ceiling. It is not exactly Brazil as the music is
more pop and disco than sensuous Latin, but it is grand spectacle. A
restaurant called Buzios isn't exactly representative of the real
Buzios either. Seeing the name of this Brazilian seaside village, which
I have visited, gave me a hankering from some nicely-spiced moqueqe de pesche (literally
fish soup). That was not to be found, but Buzios was a reasonably
priced restaurant where I sampled a delicious Wasabi and potato
encrusted Ahi Tuna on a ginger sabayon with soy butter and tomato (a
mouthful with a better ring to it than fish soup).
Las
Vegas is its own professionally managed reality. Paris isn't Paris, The
Venetian isn't Venice, Rio isn't Rio. But don't sniff, enjoy it for
what it is. When we complimented a waitress at Buzios, she replied that
she had worked there for fifteen years, since the hotel opened, and
that employees were hired for people skills, not restaurant experience.
And, how many towns do you know of that have a University (UNLV)
dedicated to hospitality? Getting a degree in being nice seems an
attractive proposition.
So,
despite the sleazy ad campaign, Las Vegas can still be what you want it
to be. You still see kids walking the strip with their parents, there
are still some nickel slot machines, you can still gorge yourself on a
BLT at the 60's throwback Peppermill, have a Martini the size of Lake
Mead at Pieros or walk around Bugsy's old haunts amidst palm fronds,
pink flamingos and whoever is buried in the garden.
