I am visiting this remarkable place for the first time, attending a conference and staying in the Venetian Hotel. It is a strange combination of elegance and crassness. To get to my room from reception involves walking through a sea of slot machines, with (as far as I can tell) zombies sitting at them. At least they might as well be zombies for all they seem to be enjoying their strange solitary gambling. Give me a flutter on the gee-gees any day. Still, each to his own.

The hotel is like Venice the day after the builders finished. Everything is slightly too gaudy, too perfect. On the other hand, reception felt the need to apologise that this was the only room available. What on earth are the others like? It's nice to be back in America, if that's where I am.