I took a break last week to spend a few days getting warm in Las Vegas. This may not have been the worst winter ever in the Pacific Northwest, but the cold seems to be lingering and we were ready for some heat!
We don't go to Las Vegas often — this is only the second time we've been there together — but it's one of those places that's very fun in small doses. Neither my husband nor I are gamblers (not past putting a few dollars in a slot machine); that isn't the attraction for us. It's a quick getaway and a chance to get warm and walk outside.
As a fantasy writer, Las Vegas — The Strip — is a dream. The hotels and casinos are so over-the-top, I'm amazed at the audacity of their architects. Spend some time wandering around Caesers Forum Shops or The Grand Canal Shoppes of The Venetian/Palazzo and it's easy to morph what you're seeing into settings for stories you haven't written yet.
I'm not usually someone who enjoys being in big crowds, but for some strange reason I find Las Vegas to be a great place to recharge my creative batteries. How could it not? Where most tourists just see giant statues of Roman gods, I see temple ruins on an island mountain top. Or a palace built on a grand scale, now fallen to disrepair. (Funny how the theme of decay kept cropping up in my imagination while I was there — must be something to do with the juxtaposition of the outlandish architecture and the gambling.)
How about you? Do you find inspiration when you travel? Where's your favorite place to go to shake up your imagination?
