When my mom first came to Las Vegas to visit, she was very excited to win (or be given, I forget the exact setup) a free tour bus ride and day tour of Laughlin, Nev. This is a town about 90 miles from Vegas on the Colorado River. Ignoring my warnings, my mom imagined beautiful natural vistas, old ghost towns and interesting western local lore. Instead, she got a bus ride to a casino in Laughlin where she was guided to slot machines at a familiar but inferior version of a Vegas resort. Oh, and, she got a free bag lunch. On another visit, my mom was given by the Stratosphere, where she was staying, free tickets to watch — wait for it — to watch: the sun set. I kid you not.

Las Vegas is great at letting you win or giving you free ways to spend time doing what resorts want you to do. Anyway, last night it was my turn. I went to venerable downtown property Golden Nugget's media night to see the hotel show off some upgrades. I admit, I am impatient and would rather have a fact sheet than a lecture. I like to explore on my own. And, I literally turn bored to tears in the face of a litany of detail (like the size of the television screens in the reserved pool side cabanas). I was there for one reason — photographer Sarah Gerke had learned that one of the upgrades was a swimming pool with a see through water slide and that the water slide glided swimmers through a huge shark tank. Cool!