Las Vegas Narrative

It was a warm December day when I found the footprints in the snow by my front door. Even though it was thirty degrees outside, the snow was still a few feet deep from the snowfall last Thursday. I had looked outside my door, making sure my car was there and not vandalized and instead saw the footprints across my front yard. I owned a home with a small yard and most of it comprised of a concrete driveway. The prints were visible, about the size of large dogs, but the details about the tracks caught my eyes. I had to bend over and get a closer view at their bizarre shape.

The 14-hour flight felt short maybe due to the excitement or the fear of feeling alone, but as soon as I opened my eyes we had arrived. I saw my mother immediately as she came to give me a hug, she was with a man who I had not yet met, he familiarized himself with me stating himself as my mother's boyfriend Neil. Carlo left with his wife soon after and Neil drove us to my new home. We stopped over for food at an In-N-Out, my first attempt at eating at an American fast food restaurant. Hearing and seeing the faces in that restaurant sent a startling shock to my spine, sweat slowly accumulating inside the palms of my hands. We approached the lady behind the register as she asked for what we wanted to order. Her voice seemed almost unnatural to me, her hair looked seemingly blond, and her eyes were blue, features I had not before seen. When the food arrived the portions of the burger were unlike the size of those in the Philippines, strangely this to me this made the world felt as though it was larger as I compared it to the fast food I enjoyed daily back home. When we finally arrived at the house I had noticed it was already past twelve which was odd as I left the Philippines around a similar time. I was not yet tired and my mother did not want to leave me alone to sleep by myself so she set up a bed for us in the living room. It was when we laid down that a greater realization struck me as to why my aunt was crying. My aunt and cousins were gone. I do not

After we got our bags, a van picked us up and took us to our resort. On our ride over to the resort I saw people weaving in and out of vehicles. At that moment I was scared; I remember thinking, “Where did my grandparents take us.” After about thirty minutes we arrived at our resort. My grandma started getting us all checked in. When she was finished I was finally able to go check out our hotel room and the rest of the resort. The room was nice, but the resort was

It was the very late night of Saturday August 1st, when I sat at my computer thinking about how my favorite Vegas site, VegasChatter, cashed out for the last time the day before. My favorite site on the computer screen before me, now frozen in time and never to be updated again. No more unique perspectives, inside words and fresh reviews I had not only grown accustomed to, but checked each day (multiple times).

Hello there, I’m Caitlin! I’m still adjusting to my new life here in the States, but I am so happy to be here after waiting so long. Over my 24 years on the planet, I grew accustomed to the rolling, green hills dotted with grazing sheep of my homeland in Ireland. The hot, dry desert air and the mountain backdrop are quite a different landscape to awaken to every morning, but I’m getting used to it. I find the fast pace and churning excitement of Las Vegas to be a welcome contrast to the slow, pastoral hum of the Irish countryside. My family thought I was crazy for wanting to try my luck here in the land of gambling and showgirls, but they just don’t understand that wild side is scratching and clawing her way out!

Have you ever had an enriching moment that opened your mind to the possibilities in the world? Well I have, when my family and I went to Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, Vegas is a little odd to have a life-changing experience, but we didn’t follow the normal Vegas path. This involvement taught me to not to act anxious rather to take risks in life, and if I work hard for what I want things will work out.

My dad and I had always lived in New York City. After 15 years of experience and the guidance of my older brother, you could say that I knew my way around town. The coffee shops with the best lattes, the highest swinging swing sets in every park, and most importantly, the buildings with the best views. You would think that after living here for so long I would get sick of seeing the view of the city every day, but it just never gets old. The best spot is at the top of my apartment building, on the far northeast corner, looking over the horizon and onto the Hudson. There was no other way of completing my day, no matter the rain, snow, or blazing heat I sat on that rooftop every night as the sun disappeared, along with the overworked New Yorkers for the night. The most interesting part is, every single night, the color of the sky is always slightly different. No sunset was ever the exact same. Anyways, as I was walking back down the stairs to my condo, 7B, I got the jitters in my stomach, I was beyond excited for tomorrow, the first day of Winter Break. My older brother, Todd, was taking me and my best friend Hannah up to Vermont to go skiing. I opened our apartment door, took a quick shower, and fell asleep with Cooper on my lap while watching Full House.

Las Vegas is the port for many issues such as human trafficking, drugs, and gambling. Many are trapped by the pretty lights and become consumed in the lifestyle soon enough they find themselves homeless and or with a drug dependency. Many stay in tunnels and find shelter there. Vice had an interview in these tunnels and found that the police wouldn’t really get involved. Another factor is that many whom “struggle with drug addictions would be sent to other hospitals and transferred over” (VICE 2017) instead of receiving proper medical care and assistance.

In summer of 1987 My mom called me over to her. She motioned for me to sit on her lap. At 11 years old it felt a little bit awkward but she never lacked for snuggling or telling me she loved me. As we sat there staring off at the crystal blue water of Lake Tahoe she asked me all the usual questions. Was I having fun, what was my favorite thing we did so far, what do you think about moving here? I looked over my shoulder to see here face. I was stunned, with my mouth wide open I replied “What?!” and got a mouthful of hair. As we both laughed, she continued “Well not here, but in the Reno area”. I was all for the new adventure. Ten years later as I drove under the Reno arch for the last time, all I could think was Reno was the worst biggest little city in the world to grow up in.

Don’t let my title mislead you, as this isn't a tale about booze and hook-ups as you might think when you come across this famous quote. Let's start off by clarifying that I mean this in the most negative connotation that what happens in Las Vegas should seriously stay there. Everything about my first trip to the “ fabulous” city I’ve been fantasizing my whole life about was a disaster from start to finish, and I was counting down the minutes until my Monday morning check out so I could get the hell out of there. Picture me, New year’s eve, standing alone with on the Vegas strip with over 300,000 people cramming into a drunken block party of shoulder thuds and baby strollers. I

I can’t believe that it is finally July 27, 2018! My mom and I are going to Las Vegas to see the Backstreet Boys in concert. My mom and I can’t wait to get to the Airport. It would be our first time going to Las Vegas. Our plane was to leave from Gerald R. Ford International Airport at 9:00 AM.

Nevada was really late coming home. He didn't mean to. His business partner was out sick and he had to take care of all of that day's operations. He enters his bedroom where he found Caractacus already asleep. As quietly as possible, he takes off his shoes and his jacket.

“Kylee it’s time to get up!” Mom yelled as she was finishing getting ready. “We need to go to the airport!” It was in the moment I was so excited it was finally time, after waiting all those years to go to Las Vegas! I jumped out of bed unlike most mornings and my heart was filled with joy! I hurried to get ready and threw my bags in the car. We rushed to the the kennel to drop off my dog. I was really sad I hate leaving my dog at the kennel by herself. It makes me feel like a bad person, I wish we could bring her with us. I remembered that I was going to Las Vegas it made me feel alot happier. Then my family and I started heading to Cedar Rapids. We got to the airport then parked our car. I walked in smelling all of the delicious food! I went to get breakfast and took a seat a little anxiously mostly because the only time I flew was when I went to Florida when I was 8. Until I heard, “142 flight to Las Vegas is boarding now.” I jumped clear out of my seat and rushed to the doors that were slowly opening to board the plane. I was sitting on the airplane watching my favorite movie “The Proposal” laughing all the way there. The lady announced on the speaker “All passengers please fasten your seat belts we are about to land in about 5 minutes. I was excited but I was scared for the landing my ears were popping in and out and as soon as I hit the ground I bounced out of my seat. After we landed I screamed, I was in Las Vegas! There were so many people there you wouldn't believe it. We went to grab our bags from the huge baggage claim and look for our limo driver. When we found her she greeted us and we took a picture in front of the limo. That was one of the best experiences of my life. I felt so happy and excited. I felt like a celebrity.

My sister, dad, and I get on a plane and head to a town in Colorado called Steamboat. On the plane ride from St. Louis to Colorado, I look out the window to see a mass of mountains become closer and closer. The plane ride was short and easy. We head out of the airport and to a rental car dealership. As we walk out, we pass sparkling Christmas trees, and menorahs placed all around the crowded airport. We wait for a bus to pick us up and take us to the rental dealership. Around the corner I see an enormous green bus make a wide turn to meet my family and others. We get on and the young bus driver gets up from his seat to take my suitcase and put on a shelf with many others. We sit down and the bus begins to move away from the airport, a small baby wrapped in a blue and yellow quilt could not stop wailing. Before I knew it, I 'm stepping off the bus and into a plowed off section of a parking lot. A man greets my dad with a handshake and asks, “This is the McCarthy family right?” We all nod in response. “Right this way”, the man says as we follow him down the long rows of shiny rental cars that glisten from the snow. He shows us a gray pick-up truck that will be easy to get up the mountains in. He talks to my dad about the policies as I hop in the car. I get myself situated before the three hour car

My eyes swung open as the car shook. I glanced out the window and noticed that we were in a desert at night. It seemed as if our family was in the middle of nowhere. A brief moment later, I noticed a group of lights emerge on the horizon. I waited impatiently as we approached it. My excitement rose as it got closer and closer to us. I then saw one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It was a crowded area with casinos, shopping malls, and hotels everywhere. Each individual building lit up the night sky with its vibrant colors. They each attracted the visitors with its unique architecture and design. The sidewalks were jammed with visitors from across the nation. We were at the Las Vegas Strip.