LAS VEGAS

Touchdown into McCarren Airport. Upon landing I discover that this is not your typical airport terminal. Everything seemed normal as I passed by the regular waiting room style chairs, observed passengers as they morphed into sprinters as they trying to catch their flights, and security checkpoints enforcing the limits of 3 oz travel bottles. Past that point of recognition things quickly began to change. Just beyond the glowing arrival-departure board there is another set of curious lights reflecting off of the pupils of several excited tourists. These are the first unofficial "Welcome to Las Vegas!" signs. The lights come directly from the McCarren Airport's informal greeting committee - a flashing row of money hungry slot machines.

Photograph by Evil Jungle Prince at Flickr.com
For many, this greeting is the first induction to the seductive side of Las Vegas. The promise of a 'jackpot' emphasizes why the city has been immortalized through most mediums of entertainment - books, films, television shows and music. Las Vegas is an unabashedly bold city that incorporates a unique fusion of “high” and “low” culture; it mixes fantasy with imitations of reality and reality itself. Even the Visitor’s Bureau gets in on the act by encouraging guests to visit the city incognito by offering to provide you with your own prerecorded 1-800 number, printable business cards, a Web Site, and a story to back you up in; This is their “Create Your Identity” campaign.

I came to the Mandalay Bay Hotel to represent Hershey at the World Education Congress (WEC) hosted by Meeting Planners International (MPI) Convention. This WEC was the largest gathering of meeting and event professionals in the history of the MPI. I enjoyed this leg of the trip. As with many of the "high roller" luxury places to stay, the Mandalay Bay ranks with some of the finest. I had a meal at Michael Mina's Stripsteak located within the Mandalay Bay. Chef Mina’s dishes are as creative as the atmosphere and the staff is extremely knowledgeable. Mina is just one of the many chefs bringing creative fine dining to Vegas. If there is a chef out there on the world doing great food, most likely she or he will eventually end up in Las Vegas.

For my money Las Vegas is the strangest town in the world. I felt like the shopping goes on forever and there was much more glitter than apparent substance. I passed by people who seemed to be the highest of the rollers and others apparently on their last dime. Las Vegas encapsulates the best and the worst of what America is.

Photograph by Sean Sweeney