Archt. Maria Sarah Abadia

SHE is called by all kinds of nicknames, “The Entertainment Capital of the World” “Capital of Second Chances”, “Lost Wages”, “The City of Lights” and yes, “Sin City”.

But for me, it’s the most picturesque city I have been to.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 12, 2009.Calling it “Sin City” does not give it justice. “Scene City” is more like it.

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Mention Las Vegas and one could add all the superlatives one can think of.

I had the chance to visit Las Vegas, thanks to very good friend Pinky Murillo-Magno who planned my out-of-town trips while I was in Los Angeles. It was such a short visit – two days only.

Yet it was the most memorable two days ever.

No second was wasted even though we had to line up for hours just to get a self-drive car and do the check-in rituals at our hotel, Bally’s, which is known for its long running production show Jubillee.

My eyes feasted on the magnificent structures on the world renowned “The Strip” where one finds all the famous hotels of Las Vegas like Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, Paris, New York New York, Luxor Hotel (the famous pyramid-shaped hotel) and MGM Grand (I missed Manny Pacquiao’s fight by a week by the way, too bad), to name a few.

It was like seeing the whole world on that strip of a road.

Standing gloriously there were renowned landmarks like the Pyramid, the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. One could experience the feel of Paris in its underground shops and restaurants.

I would have loved to gamble the night away but I felt time was too precious to spend just sitting in front of the slot machine looking at those odd figures, hoping that they pair up.  I was so excited all the way and did not even feel time pass by.

We had dinner at the famous World’s Fare Buffet, with the longest ever buffet table I have ever laid my eyes on. The dessert bar was filled with all kinds of goodies.

After indulging in the scrumptious meal (the guilt lingering after being sinfully loaded with the yummies served during dinner), we walked around to enjoy the great “scenes” that the city offered.

I got the chance to see the spectacular water show of Bellagio Hotel and went downtown for the famous Freemont Street Experience, where one can enjoy a 15-minute show of 12.5 million LED bulbs on a curved, nine-meter-high canopy over four street blocks.

Oh yes, I also dropped by the Golden Nugget Hotel, where balladeer Martin Nievera used to perform.

Into the afternoon, my spirits were still so high but my heels were already giving up on me, so we cooled down and tried a big cocktail drink that came in either a two-foot-long Eiffel Tower plastic container or one that resembled a trumpet.

Early the next day, I was already hitting the streets, enjoying the views. It seemed like I could not get over being in awe at how beautiful Las Vegas was, whether during the day or at night. Being an architect, I also took photos of all the amazing buildings and structures. The photographs would surely be treasured together with the truly memorable experience in “Scene City”.