Las Vegas

I recently returned from being in Las Vegas for a convention for a few days. It was the fifth time I attended this convention, and every year I've gone it has become increasingly evident how this town that promotes itself as quintessential fun is actually one of the saddest places I've been. People pay lots of money to fly into town, stay somewhere on the Strip, lose (usually) lots of hard-earned money at the tables or slots, see scantilly clad (if clad at all) men & women, and drink themselves into oblivion. I'm not sure what the issue is - are these things truly fun, or are people so unhappy and so desperate that they're trying to find the oasis in the desert of their lives? (OK, maybe that is a wee bit overly dramatic.) Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude - I played some roulette & blackjack and had a couple of drinks. And maybe it really is just me - I have never been one to get a lot of satisfaction out of the party atmosphere, and I've always wondered whether I'm missing out on something. But I just can't shake the impression that Las Vegas is the essence of superficiality.