What does a Mormon do on the Las Vegas Strip?

Well, what does a Mormon do on the Las Vegas Strip? We don't drink, gamble or smoke, and clubs, most shows, and basically keeping our eyes open in such a town are out of the question, so most of the time my instinct (when I did keep my eyes open) was to vomit in utter disgust.

Firstly, I must clarify why my husband & I spent this last weekend on the Strip: it was for the wedding of a close friend of Aaron's.

Secondly, I must admit that it was not wholly without its merits or I would have run screaming in the other direction first thing. The fountains at the Bellagio left me stunned after watching the water spurt out in sync with "God Bless the USA" & "Simple Gifts," and I was crying like a baby after the Titanic Artifact Exhibition at the Luxor. The way the exhibit was set up, you actually felt like you were experiencing the docking, sailing, and sinking of the ship, but it was the list of survivors and casualties at the end that had me crying uninhibited - so many gone.

Then there was the mostly hilarious, though occasionally inappropriate experience of Penn & Teller (to which we miraculously got VIP tickets despite the fact that we paid less than half of the price of a standard ticket having purchased them through a 3rd party) and the fun times at the arcade in Circus Circus where you win a prize at almost every game. It warmed my heart to find children to give the prizes Aaron & I had won to because, lets be honest, I have no use for 10 stuffed animals, but to a child, its a treasure.

The inside of the Venetian is fabulous & I wish we could have afforded to do more than just stand outside of Madame Tussaud's wax museum & pose with Indiana Jones. There was also M&M World, several pretty amazing roller coasters (though I was unable to truly enjoy them because of my stomach condition), and a flamingo habitat at...well, the Flamingo. By the way, did you know that flamingos aren't born pink? They turn pink after eating shrimp for the first 2 years of their life & if they quit eating it, they'll lose the color again! Wild huh? I never would have guessed!

Despite these and a few other simple wonders, the atmosphere in Vegas was by & large appalling. To get to any restaurant, you have no choice but to pass through the casinos, something which I'd rather have avoided altogether. Having lived in the bubble that is Provo for so long, I'd almost forgotten the smell of cigarette smoke, but the air in Vegas was thick with it. My clothes reeked of it, my throat stung from it, and my allergies remained inflamed from the moment I stepped out of my hotel room, to the moment I got back at night, washed, changed into fresh clothing, and securely stored my attire for the day.

At night, porn peddlers line the sidewalks of the Strip, sidestepping wives and children to pass on the filth to husbands, fathers, and sons. The ground was littered with it, at times so thick I almost slipped & fell hard on the cement. I was just trying to make it to M&M world & I was bombarded with immorality on the streets, on the billboards, in the "newspaper" stands, & in the flesh.

I cannot tell you how disheartened I was to see the state of this city. I'd heard tale, but I had no idea the extent of its depravity until I saw it with my own eyes, until I felt it stab my heart firsthand. "Get out" I wanted to scream to the scantily clad women who seemed oblivious to the fact that they were objectifying themselves or at least too taken with the money it earned them to care. I just wanted to pull them aside & tell them "there is a better way - free from harassment, free from addiction, free from the bonds of sin."

I left Vegas in a state of mourning & shock. Never again will I walk those streets.