Las Vegas

When you open your eyes the sun is gently rising to caress the land around you with its golden rays. The rays paint the land a brilliant yellow. As you pass through town You see signs advertising tours of the courthouse, tours of silver mines and turquoise mines, and museums. As you leave town you inch closer to Vegas.

The land outside of town is complete desert. It is made of dry, brown dirt that is packed tighter together than a crowd at a Superbowl. Small bushes are scattered all over. They pop up through the dirt and through cracks in the dirt. 

When you are about 2 hours out a sign catches your eye. It is a sign pointing the way to the small town of Mercury. In other words you are close to the famed Area 51. One of the most controversial places on the planet. The whole place is underground except for a few warehouses here and there. And only people assigned to the individual warehouses know what is going on in those warehouses. Other than those warehouses and a tall fence you would never know it was out there. The rest is acres upon acres and miles upon miles of desert. 

The brown desert blurs together with the rest of the fast-moving world outside your window. The land lays flat out in front of you. And soon you see the city of Las Vegas. A sign welcomes you to the town of casinos. The city used to be family oriented at one time, but now it is mostly a gambling town. Tonight you are going to be staying at the Orleans. It is a giant hotel that is Mardi-Gras themed. Besides slot machines it has a bowling alley and a movie theater in it. On your way to the hotel you pass the Las Vegas Speedway.

You get off the freeway at Flamingo Blvd exit. You go to the hotel to check in. When you step into the building you are consumed by your curiosity. You look all around with and excited air about you. The main theme colors are purple, green, and gold. On the ceiling masks are painted on and enlarged models are hanging. Slot machines make a million sounds around you. People sit at them, so concentrated on them they don't notice the real world. Other people at the slots enjoy free liquor while they play. The slots are organized to some extent. They are grouped up by the name and price. All of the slots have their prices on top in big bold colorful font. Some say 1 cent, others say $1.
You go to the hotel desk with your mom to check in while your dad and sister stand in the hallway out of traffic.