Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/53603
NEVADA ALSO SUNK ITS INCISORS INTO THE thousands of workers who built the Hoover Dam, many of whom spent their pay- cheques in the casinos of Las Vegas, or as my Mexican-born bus driver calls it with an odd fondness, the City of Lost Wages. My palms sweat as I look tentatively over the barricade atop the Hoover and down the sweep of butter-smooth concrete plunging more than 200 metres to the sparkling Col- orado River below. With butterfl ies in my stomach, I walk to the visitor centre, where I meet my guide, Jeff Tilton, beneath a sign warning claustrophobics not to enter. I fol- low him into the labyrinthine belly of this concrete beast. In the Dirty Thirties, the White House commissioned this dam on the Colorado River, 55 kilometres southeast of Las Vegas, where the river snakes along the Nevada- Arizona border. It would help quench the thirst of the southwest, launching one of the greatest make-work projects in American his- tory. Around 3,500 workers toiled on the project, and 112 died on the job. When the dam opened for business in 1936, 2.5 million cubic metres of concrete had been poured into a structure the width of two football fi elds at its base. As I take in Tilton's mono- logue, it strikes me how the Hoover is one of those human endeavours that provokes con- fl icted feelings. The fi rst impression is awe; the sheer scale of the structure spanning the canyon walls is jaw-dropping. Following this is alarm, at how much America has tampered with the natural cycles of a river that is the lifeblood of more than 25 million Americans and a half-million hectares of farmland. The white line on the cliffs along Lake Mead, the manmade reservoir behind the dam, marks the lake's long-abandoned high-water mark; ominous for anyone who ponders what the American southwest will fi ll its swimming pools with in the future. But today it's all about feats of engineering and patriotic chest thumping as we tour the innards of this fan- tastic structure. I emerge from the depths of the dam ASHLEIGH FERNADES AMA Travel Specialist | Las Vegas Every time I go to Vegas, I'm dazzled by the bright lights of the resorts, casinos and restaurants that line Las Vegas Boulevard. • Every Vegas hotel has its own character. At Treasure Island, visitors can take in a free pirate show, while the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino has a lion habitat. • To get around the 6.8-kilometre-long Strip with ease, hop on The Deuce, a double-decker tour bus (save on fares by buying a three-day pass for $15). For a great view and an excellent meal, head to the top of the replica Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. • No other city has outlet shopping like Vegas – try the two Premium Outlet malls for best selection and savings. • The shows do not disappoint. A favorite of mine was the Cirque de Soleil's Beatles Love, where colour, light and concert-quality sound exploded on stage in a phenomenal acrobatic tribute to the Fab Four. Need help planning or booking a trip to Vegas? Contact Ashleigh at 1-888-989-8422 or WWTravelSpecialist@ama.ab.ca. 34 WESTWORLD >> FEBRUARY 2012