Las Vegas’ Quieter Side

Does excessive noise bother you? Why or why not?

“ Choosing stillness in the midst of chaos is the  path toward living in peace.” (Deepak Chopra”)

Las Vegas is known for its spectacular volume—lights flashing, music pulsing, crowds pumped up with  constant distraction. For it is a city designed to keep you awake, alert, and wanting more amid casino chaos. But even in this place built around constant energy, I sought to find my own pace on this three day roadtrip visit. And so I found something else here beyond the Strip’s intensity as the desert began to beckon my no rush call.

Know then on our first day Vegas excursion, I’d chosen “Valley of Fire State Park”, well known for its deep canyon reds and soft sandstone  browns as a quiet reminder that time in the Vegas vicinity doesn’t always need to move quickly. With temperatures pulsating above 90 degrees by noon, however, Ruth and J realized the need to prioritize our slow moving  drive today to view only a few designated places in the park. Those pockets of silent calmness selected then selected included spirally rounded formations known as The Beehives. Seven Sisters and Balanced Rock. We also felt privileged to witness mysterious petroglyph drawings blackened by time high above  the Mouse’s Tank Trail and a rare sighting of bighorn sheep during our leisurely picnic lunch stop at the Park Visitor Center.                            

Even within the city itself, moments of calm revealed themselves pleasurably to me on our second  day Vegas tour. In particular , inside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, I stepped from the bustling tourist activity of its main lobby into the quiet hush of the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. It felt like entering a different world—one where flowers were not just grown, but imagined in carefully arranged colors, shapes, and textures. In immersing myself quietly with such sensory stimulation amid the hotel’s  latest masterpiece entitled, “Springtime Symphony”, how long to spend time there did not seem to really matter.      

 I realize this more “ low key”side of Las Vegas becomes a rare occasion for many visitors to this mecca of hedonistic temptations. But for me, I seemed eager to notice where and when such subdued rewards could best be found. Las Vegas may be built for noise, but I recommend as an alternative to the raucous strip casino scene, that you follow my example and try a vacation there centered around peace and quiet.