Words About Things

Although the area around modern day Las Vegas is basically desert it’s name actually means ‘the meadows’ in Spanish. Natural wells in the area meant that it was surprisingly green. The valley belonged to Mexico before it was seized by the USA during the Mexican-American war. In 1855 the area was taken over by Mormons who were eventually driven out by the native American Paiute tribe. It wasn’t until the early 20th century when water from the underground wells was piped into the town that Las Vegas began to grow into the city it is today.

The history of Las Vegas is very interesting but it seems quite distant from what the city has become, ‘The city of sin’ as it is often called has reinvented itself. These days it is famous for its giant casinos and over the top entertainment in stark contrast to its Mormon past. Modern day Vegas has a reputation as a city where ‘anything goes’ which includes gambling, strip clubs, mass intoxication and quickie marriages. Traveling around the city you are likely to see lots of bachelor and bachelorette parties and thousands of bad Elvis impersonators.

The area around Las Vegas has lots to offer for tourists who have had their fill of gambling and drinking. The invitingly named Death Valley is about 135 miles away in the Mojave Desert. Hop in a hire car in Las Vegas and you could be sweating away in Death Valley within a few hours.

Death Valley National Park comprises more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness and sites of historical interest. Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest, hottest, driest location in North America. Nearly 550 square miles of its area lie below sea level.

The hotels in Las Vegas are as understated and tasteful as you might expect – not all all. The Venetian hotel contains a pool deck and a actual working canal, the Luxor hotel is housed within a life sized pyramid. Most of the big hotels in the city have entertainment facilities, health spas and casinos. Some even have wedding chapels so you can get married in between gambling away your savings and going out for dinner.

Whatever you decide to do it up to you but remember: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Ever since I read Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I have wanted to travel across America in an open topped sports car, seeing the film cemented this desire. I don’t plan on ingesting a car boot full of drugs but driving cross country really appeals to me. Unfortunately I don’t have an attorney to take with me but I’m sure I can improvise. Las Vegas is the obvious choice for a final destination in particular Circus Circus although if it’s anything like it is in the film I may have to make a hasty retreat.

There are plenty of great books and films which use the wide expanses of the American landscape and a backdrop to events. The great thing about a road movie is that the constant movement drives the action forward so there is never a dull moment. Jack Kerouac’s On The Road is another fine example, a vibrant narrative driven by a cross country journey in a beat up old  Hudson. On The Road was written on one long roll of paper in a stream of consciousness style aided by large amounts of coffee, its physical dimensions referencing the endless highways which cross America horizontally.

I have always wanted to hire a car on one side of America and drive all the way across to the opposite coast stopping anywhere that seems interesting. I have even gone so far as to look into car hire in the USA to see if this is possible. Clearly this couldn’t be done in an ordinary car, it would need to be a convertible and preferably red, a Dodge Charger or a Ford Mustang would do fine.

When Gordon Brown travelled to America to meet with President Obama he hoped to start a strong friendship with the new leader in order to continue the ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK. In these tough economic times forging strong international relationships with other countries is very important to us. Whilst many of us in the UK wished to distance ourselves from America during President Bush’s reign his departure could have heralded a new link between us.

It turns out that Obama isn’t so keen. Gordon Brown took three gifts for the new president when he visited:

• A pen holder fashioned from oak from HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa. (The Oval Office desk is also made from the remains of the Gannet.)
• A framed commissioning paper for the HMS Resolute, a Royal Navy ship that came to symbolize British-American goodwill when it was rescued by the U.S. from icebergs and given to Queen Victoria.
• A first edition copy of Martin Gilbert’s biography of Winston Churchill.

Obama’s gift in return was… 25 DVDs of popular American films. It’s hard to read that as anything other than a blatant snub.