The reputation of Las Vegas is legendary. The Strip has all of those famous hotels and palaces and other facilities. Numerous big name stars (along with many that are hardly known outside the city) perform in these places. The city lived up to its reputation for glitz and glamour.

People on foot were everywhere, thousands of them. They were outnumbered only by the slot machines. I am not a gambler. I have never won anything, even when my chances are 1 in 3. I learned years ago to quit trying. I debated going into one of the gambling joints, hand the person behind the counter a $20 bill and say "I would like to try the slot machines. However, I am in a hurry so just take this money and I'll leave now. Thanks." But I kept on walking.

My youngest brother, Ken, said that if I only see one thing in town, make it Belagio's water and music show. He was right. It was worth seeing. Hundreds of people gather along the stone railing along the lakeshore to watch the show that happens many times throughout the day.

To me, Las Vegas is a super-sized version of Branson, Missouri. Only Las Vegas, as it grew up, added more forms of entertainment that are, shall we say, less than family-oriented as Branson maintains. Neither are my kind of town.

Even my hotel had slot machines. I think gambling and smoking are required to go together because the place reeked of second-hand smoke. I tried to avoid the lobby and refused to even attempt to go into the restaurant to have my free breakfast. I say this because the two such places in Kansas City that I have gone into for a group meal also reeked of smoke. Yuck!

I was happy to leave Las Vegas. I have no plans to return. Maybe if I had taken time to plan a more organized visit to see some of the shows or other particular places, I may have left with a different opinion.