Travelogue: Las Vegas

Christmastime in Nevada’s manmade desert gambling metropolis

I celebrated Christmas with friends in Las Vegas. Having previously visited for work, writing about everything from Hoover Dam and aviation security to FreedomFest (where one of the libertarian Atlas Shrugged movies debuted) to the late Olivia Newton-John’s premiere performance of her Las Vegas residency, I came prepared to encounter almost anything.

View of Mt. Charleston from the Vdara

I stayed at MGM Resorts’ all-suites, non-gambling and non-smoking Vdara Hotel and Spa. Young bartending trainee Isaac was a good sport about my pointing out that his is the same name as the hip bartender character’s on The Love Boat. Isaac, a car and basketball enthusiast, hadn’t heard of ABC’s nine-year series. He was probably more interested in Formula One racing, which will soon run a Grand Prix on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Talking with strangers is one of the things I enjoy about visiting Las Vegas. You can strike up engaging conversations here. I conversed with a local, male-female married couple at the