We did walk the Strip. I must say I did not find it that exciting. Just one huge, rather ugly building after another all of which were enormous inside and out. Most had completely idiotic designs, either Italian (Bellagio, Venetian & Palazzo), Roman (Caesar's Palace), French, (Paris with its Eiffel Tower) or some other completely over the top and out of place design.
The Venetian had a canal with gondolas and also an exhibition of Leonardo Da Vinci's work and life but without any original works of course. the exhibition wasn't too bad as a basic primer of his life and work. Wynn's had original works by Jeff Koons and others around the place. The rodeo national finals were taking place whilst we were there and so it was strange to see cowboys with stetsons and their cowgirl partners wandering about the city. The rodeo was taking place in a large arena near the airport but we did not attend.
Most of the main shows such as Cirque de Soleil were on hiatus when we were there, perhaps prior to the holiday season. During the week between Christmas and the New Year, 40,000 people descend on the city.
We did go inside some of the casinos but they were so huge and so over-decorated that it was hard to recall what they looked like. In my opinion they were extremely unattractive. Of course, the centerpiece of every one was the arrays of slot machines, roulette tables, poker tables and other forms of gambling. No space seemed to be absent a possibility to gamble.
At Wynns there were a couple of machines which were entitled 'Fishin' Bob'. MAC decided that these might provide a fortune for her old age. She did play them twice and managed to come out about $25 ahead each time but then, unwisely, decided on a third time and lost at least half of her previous winnings. I must say I did not feel like parting with any of my money on gambling and thus I was, I suppose a failure as far as Vegas was concerned in not leaving anything behind for them. As I have said on many occasions, if I had the ticket in a one ticket lottery, I would still lose so I am pragmatic about gambling. I am not sure but I THINK, the odds are stacked against the bettor.
We visited the Museum of Neon and were given and hour's tour of the 'boneyard' where many of the old neon signs, some working and some not, are stored. The museum is trying to restore some of the signs although this is an expensive business. Some of the signs are from casinos, hotels and and other establishments which no longer exist, some from places which still exist but have updated their signs with the more modern LED type signs. Almost all the signs bore the gaudy hallmark of Las Vegas. Places such as Stardust, Silver Nugget, Binions and Liberace's illuminated sign in the form of his autograph above a piano and candelabra. Our guide was a fount of information about the history of Las Vegas which is not that long.
The city of Las Vegas itself was only incorporated in 1905 at the site of a dusty railroad stop and the rise of gambling and especially the Strip are a relatively recent development, the Strip really being built in the 1980's. The Strip is technically not even in Las Vegas but is part of Clark County, Nevada. The downtown part of Las Vegas is where the gambling really started.
We walked up and down Fremont Street where the Golden Nugget casino and some other places lie is very busy and as over the top as the Strip. Much of the street is roofed in and a zip line operates down the street for part of the way. The zip-liners lie in their harnesses and 'fly' down the street to gantries spaced out over the length of the street. I think that downtown has a slightly more tawdry (if that is possible) look about it than the Strip. It seems to attract a less affluent crowd but the mass of slot machines is still there.
Down at one end of Fremont Street is an area called the Container Park which is a small area of shops and cafes made out of freight containers. We stopped there for a hot dog before walking on further towards out of town and the Neon Museum.
We completed the evening by eating at Hugo's Cellar a restaurant in a casino. There the food was very good, if expensive.
On Sunday morning, we had tried to check in for the flight when we realized that our flight had been mistakenly booked for 22nd December instead of 15th. Panic!! Eventually after a very prolonged call to United Airlines, we managed to re-book our flights to New York but instead of direct, we would have to fly via Denver Colorado. This did not get us home much later in the afternoon than we had planned.
We did, however, have to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. for the 6 a.m. flight. All went well and we made our connection easily in Denver and the flight to Newark was uneventful.
So, Las Vegas....... I had never shown any real enthusiasm about going and I must say that it was all I had dreaded it to be and more. There were a lot people there, not just the rodeo contestants, but many, many tourists from all over the world so it must be attractive to a wide variety of people, whether for the glitz, the gambling, the pseudo-luxury or what, I don't know. I found little to do there and the time did not pass quickly. If one is a gambler and the poker and other tables were fairly full, then perhaps the time passes more quickly, (together with the money). The waste and excess is quite hard to reconcile. Water, electricity and other resources including cheap labor are strewn in front of one at every turn. The lights on the strip and the manicured golf course and lawns as well as the 'Grand Canal' at the Venetian and the choreographed fountains at the Bellagio show a complete disregard of the fact that the city is situated in the desert.
The Strip epitomizes escapism and perhaps there is a place for that in some peoples lives but it does seem to come a quite a cost.
The Venetian had a canal with gondolas and also an exhibition of Leonardo Da Vinci's work and life but without any original works of course. the exhibition wasn't too bad as a basic primer of his life and work. Wynn's had original works by Jeff Koons and others around the place. The rodeo national finals were taking place whilst we were there and so it was strange to see cowboys with stetsons and their cowgirl partners wandering about the city. The rodeo was taking place in a large arena near the airport but we did not attend.
Most of the main shows such as Cirque de Soleil were on hiatus when we were there, perhaps prior to the holiday season. During the week between Christmas and the New Year, 40,000 people descend on the city.
We did go inside some of the casinos but they were so huge and so over-decorated that it was hard to recall what they looked like. In my opinion they were extremely unattractive. Of course, the centerpiece of every one was the arrays of slot machines, roulette tables, poker tables and other forms of gambling. No space seemed to be absent a possibility to gamble.
At Wynns there were a couple of machines which were entitled 'Fishin' Bob'. MAC decided that these might provide a fortune for her old age. She did play them twice and managed to come out about $25 ahead each time but then, unwisely, decided on a third time and lost at least half of her previous winnings. I must say I did not feel like parting with any of my money on gambling and thus I was, I suppose a failure as far as Vegas was concerned in not leaving anything behind for them. As I have said on many occasions, if I had the ticket in a one ticket lottery, I would still lose so I am pragmatic about gambling. I am not sure but I THINK, the odds are stacked against the bettor.
We visited the Museum of Neon and were given and hour's tour of the 'boneyard' where many of the old neon signs, some working and some not, are stored. The museum is trying to restore some of the signs although this is an expensive business. Some of the signs are from casinos, hotels and and other establishments which no longer exist, some from places which still exist but have updated their signs with the more modern LED type signs. Almost all the signs bore the gaudy hallmark of Las Vegas. Places such as Stardust, Silver Nugget, Binions and Liberace's illuminated sign in the form of his autograph above a piano and candelabra. Our guide was a fount of information about the history of Las Vegas which is not that long.
The city of Las Vegas itself was only incorporated in 1905 at the site of a dusty railroad stop and the rise of gambling and especially the Strip are a relatively recent development, the Strip really being built in the 1980's. The Strip is technically not even in Las Vegas but is part of Clark County, Nevada. The downtown part of Las Vegas is where the gambling really started.
We walked up and down Fremont Street where the Golden Nugget casino and some other places lie is very busy and as over the top as the Strip. Much of the street is roofed in and a zip line operates down the street for part of the way. The zip-liners lie in their harnesses and 'fly' down the street to gantries spaced out over the length of the street. I think that downtown has a slightly more tawdry (if that is possible) look about it than the Strip. It seems to attract a less affluent crowd but the mass of slot machines is still there.
Down at one end of Fremont Street is an area called the Container Park which is a small area of shops and cafes made out of freight containers. We stopped there for a hot dog before walking on further towards out of town and the Neon Museum.
We completed the evening by eating at Hugo's Cellar a restaurant in a casino. There the food was very good, if expensive.
On Sunday morning, we had tried to check in for the flight when we realized that our flight had been mistakenly booked for 22nd December instead of 15th. Panic!! Eventually after a very prolonged call to United Airlines, we managed to re-book our flights to New York but instead of direct, we would have to fly via Denver Colorado. This did not get us home much later in the afternoon than we had planned.
We did, however, have to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. for the 6 a.m. flight. All went well and we made our connection easily in Denver and the flight to Newark was uneventful.
So, Las Vegas....... I had never shown any real enthusiasm about going and I must say that it was all I had dreaded it to be and more. There were a lot people there, not just the rodeo contestants, but many, many tourists from all over the world so it must be attractive to a wide variety of people, whether for the glitz, the gambling, the pseudo-luxury or what, I don't know. I found little to do there and the time did not pass quickly. If one is a gambler and the poker and other tables were fairly full, then perhaps the time passes more quickly, (together with the money). The waste and excess is quite hard to reconcile. Water, electricity and other resources including cheap labor are strewn in front of one at every turn. The lights on the strip and the manicured golf course and lawns as well as the 'Grand Canal' at the Venetian and the choreographed fountains at the Bellagio show a complete disregard of the fact that the city is situated in the desert.
The Strip epitomizes escapism and perhaps there is a place for that in some peoples lives but it does seem to come a quite a cost.
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