It’s 120 degrees outside in Vegas. It cools down to a heady 100 degrees at night (guessing that’s probably 45 and 39 degrees centigrade respectively). It’s thus impossible to move around outside. So, the Bellagio, where we are staying, no doubt like every other large and well known Vegas hotel, has kindly provided us here with everything we might need. Well, kinda, as I shall explain.
We’ve been here 24 hours, and have barely stepped outside. Here are some astonishing, well, to me anyway, facts. The hotel, far from being the biggest here, nonetheless has 4000 rooms. So, assuming on average, maybe 2 per room, that’s 8000 guests. And many tourists from other hotels coming in for a look, or a little flutter (or a big one). It also has 15 (no typos here) restaurants, including one with 2 Michelin stars, and many shops. None of them sell anything you could need to ‘self cater’. Rather they include a Gucci shop, Hermes, Dior, Chanel, Armani, Tiffanys, Omega etc. We’ve not walked into any. I’m not sure we will.
Last night’s dinner, at the. Circo restaurant, in the hotel, obviously, was very nice indeed. I guess it didn’t have to be as to some extent, absent the ability to buy our own food, or the desire in the heat to walk anywhere, we were somewhat of a captive audience. The wine list was astonishing. It included many Romanee Conty vintages, including one bottle for $58,000. We didn’t have it.
Everyone walks around pretty casually. It makes everyone, including the uber-rich seem equal (in wealth terms) to the rest of us. Casual clothing is a great leveller in that respect. But one thing is clear. All these ‘designer’ shops, which always look like they have people in them, are here because they can be, and because it’s profitable to be here. And to remain open from 10 am till midnight. Casually clothed or not, there is, walking amongst all us hoi polloi, serious money. People who’d spend a few thousand $$$ on a Chanel handbag, or $58,000 on a single bottle of wine. What a weird and wonderful place this is.
A Chevy for Six, Please 