Las Vegas

Catching up here! Earle and I went to Las Vegas at the end of April for the first time. It was fun! A very short trip considering the flying days were a little long. We stayed on the strip and did lots of walking, eating, saw what all of the hype was about. We saw three shows, The Hypnotist Unleashed, Beatles Love, and Penn and Teller.
Though we had a good time and yes, even I tried my hand a few rounds of three dollar blackjack on Fremont street, I was somehow struck a little by something unexpected. Vegas is so extravagant. I can see why people want to go there. The luxury hotels are amazing and the casino resorts are all decorated and presented in the most over the top way possible. There is no expense spared. It is pretty incredible. And while you may find a great hotel and flight deal to Vegas, you still have to pay for everything while you are there. I'm not saying that this is not what we expected, it was. We were prepared. But what I was not expecting was to find a place where many people are starving. I mean, I have lived quite a few places where there are large homeless populations, but they were different than this.  Generally I see homeless asking for money, food, and beer. In Vegas, we would be walking around day or night and there would be many homeless people sitting on the walkways between the casino resorts holding up signs that would say, "Need food. Need water." Most of them would not ask for money. This kept baffling me. When we would eat a meal, we would try to pack up our leftovers so that we could have something to give these people as we walked by them.  Another thing that really bothered me was that I hardly saw anyone give anything to these people. Most people come to Vegas with money to blow for their vacations of luxury. And they would not even look at these starving people. It blew me away.  Though we had a great time, I could not get past this. The ethics of it really bothered me.
 One chilly night I saw a girl in her late teens hunkered over on the walkway to our hotel and she was wrapped up in a blanket sitting there holding a sign that said, "Nine weeks pregnant. I need food, please. I need water. Anything. Please."
Over the next two days I saw many of these young homeless pregnant girls asking for food or a water bottle. Never coming up to you. Never asking for money. Just sitting there. I am sure that lots of run away girls go to Vegas because they think that they can get a job there dancing or being a waitress or being a lady of the evening. Young teenage boys stand all along the streets at night pushing cards with naked call girls on them that would be happy to come to your hotel room if you would like them to. They tap the cards loudly in your face, and get right into your personal space.  I guess I can see why these girls are homeless, pregnant and starving. They are used and cast out and have probably come from a bad circumstance to begin with.  It was just so terribly sad to watch. 
Earle felt the same way that I did about the situation. Only he is not as dramatic, of course. And I did not want to over discuss it to kill the mood of the trip. But it did nauseate us. Sadly though the situation of these starving people and the way that people refused to even acknowledge their presence is what stuck in my head the most about the trip. Where is God in the hearts of those who won't look at these people and have no compassion on them? Seriously?! How can we as human beings in a situation where people have pockets stuffed with cash for throwing away in casino's and meaningless entertainment walk by people who are begging for water? And all that these poverty stricken people ask for is your crumbs? Dip your finger in the water people.  It was so Lazarus and the Rich Man! Come ON!!  I know the extreme cheesiness of that last comment.  I don't mean to be a buzz kill on the awesomeness of Las Vegas. I have talked to many people about their trips to Vegas. Most people have told me that it was one of their favorite places and that they hope to take many more trips there.  I have talked to at least a dozen people about it in the past few months and not ONE single person happened to mention these destitute girls.  It was like eating the most magnificent chocolate dessert...only to find that after the first few bites there was a rotten taste in the fudge icing...and then your realize that the milk in the icing had gone sour.  Oh how easy it is to ignore other people's pain when it is not our own. Okay, I am getting off of the soapbox now. Mission/Relief trip to Vegas anyone? It would be a great way to help people and also have a good time at the same time...a real win/win!!

     All that being said, the trip to Las Vegas was not one that was wasted. I truly enjoyed getting to spend time with Earle and we did do quite a few fun things. We had a great time. If we go again, I'll just go prepared with lots of granola bars and water bottles. We LOVED going to Fremont street, which was the old "strip". This is the strip that many of your grandparents remembered from their golden age. Only not mine because they, well, at least my father's parents would have rather died than step foot in a casino resort. You can have breakfast for a normal price and even play three dollar black jack a time or two without breaking out a twenty. Also it was much more family friendly. You saw normal people there, and the waitresses and housekeepers for the most part had on more than bra tops. If we do go back however, we have decided that we will stay at the Golden Nugget Resort Casino on Fremont St. and ride the seven dollar-a-day bus called, "The Deuce"  to the new strip for the shows and shops. Just a little FYI.
 Now you just mark my words. You will decide to go to Vegas for a trip and you'll have your eyes open and your purse stuffed with granola bars, and coincidentally all the unfortunate young women I've mentioned will have moved to L.A.

Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

~CB