On the Strip in Las Vegas

Why would an outdoor loving, RV’ing couple that doesn’t gamble and isn’t particularly into night life opt for a six week stay in Las Vegas?

There were two reasons: mainly, we wanted to wait a few weeks for the Sierra Mountains in east California to warm up before we headed in that direction. The second was that Nellis Air Force Base has an RV park there that a lot of folks in the military RV’ing world talk about as being one of the best. And, a bonus reason: it was an easy flight to Denver for some time with our family there. So really, only our RV was there six weeks. We were in Denver for ten days out of that time.

At our gate at the Denver airport and waiting for our flight back to Las Vegas, we watched this gentleman counting his cash before boarding. It was quite an involved process.

We’ve both been to Vegas, together or with others. Our memories are centered around the old Strip, or what is now called “Downtown”. I’d heard a lot over the years about all the changes in the city, and was curious to see them.

Someone flying into Vegas for a few days of fun might have a hotel in one of the casinos on the Strip or near it. There’s no need to rent a car, since one can simply walk out the door from one casino right next door to another one. And so on down the street. For anywhere further, there’s always Uber. We weren’t dropped right onto the Strip, so where to start?

Nellis Air Force Base, and our RV, were a fair distance north from the Strip. We did not know where to park our massive truck, and there was also the question of security. We opted to Uber whenever we went there. I loaded an on-line walking guide onto my phone, and we had our Uber driver drop us off at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino for a daytime stroll on the Strip.

New York-New York tries to hit all the highlights of the Big Apple: inside, there is a street that looks like Broadway and Times Square. There is a New York-style deli that looked great but we were too early for lunch. Outside were the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Statue of Liberty:

Outside, the colorful turrets and towers of Excalibur beckoned.

We walked through a casino floor, although I’m not sure now which one this was.

The slot machines don’t look like ones we remembered. This is what we remember:

Oh well, I guess I’m showing my age!

We thought we might do some shopping, but these stores weren’t really my style.

There is a feast for the senses out on the street, even though Vegas hadn’t quite woken up yet when I took this photo.

All of a sudden, we were transported to Paris in the spring:

I’ve been to the real thing for most of the sights in Vegas. I was prepared to not be impressed, but I was. They’ve copied the world’s treasures, jammed them into the Strip, and it seems crazy but it works. It’s all a facade, but it brings in the crowds and the revenue and I’m sure that’s the general idea.

We lunched at the Flamingo. Outside, there were real flamingos.

I wanted to see the canals of “Venice”, since we were actually in Venice less than two years ago. This is a reimagined Bridge of Sighs from that city in the Venetian, with everything not quite where it would be in reality:

When you are inside, it feels like you are still outside. I didn’t get a picture of the gondolas going down the canal, but the gondoliers are in their traditional costumes, and they are singing. They don’t even do that in Venice any more! The canals and Venice-style buildings cloak what is really just a shopping mall.

We walked by the new Sphere, but I wished it was night time so we could see it lit up. The design changes frequently.

I wanted to see a show, but couldn’t decide what I wanted to see. There were many big-name performers in town, but none that either of us wanted to spend a lot of money on. Going down the highway one day, I saw a billboard for Penn and Teller. That’s it! Their nightly show starts at 9 PM. Whew, I didn’t know what time we’d get back to North Las Vegas afterwards. We found a $99 special at the Rio Hotel and Casino, where they perform, and a couple of days later we checked in.

We wandered around the casino floor and hotel. If you wanted to, you could get married here, as there is a chapel. Since we are already married, we stopped for a pre-dinner glass of wine. As we sat, the animated lady in this slot machine beckoned us over to play. It wasn’t all that hard to resist her charms.

Rio Hotel is not right on the Strip. Although it’s not far, it’s not walkable either. Since our show didn’t start till later, we Uber’d down to the Bellagio. I wanted to see Bellagio and the city lights.

Entering the Bellagio, there is Chihuly glass on the lobby ceiling. That is another thing I wanted to see here, and Mr. Chihuly didn’t disappoint. He never does. It is spectacular.

The Bellagio has a free-to-all conservatory and botanical gardens with installations that change five times a year – one for each season and Lunar New Year. The exhibit for spring was “Tea and Tulips”.

I wish I could put the smell of all the spring flowers on display in this blog for you. It was intoxicating.

While I’m wishing for things, I also wish I could be transported right here every time the exhibit changes.

We walked for a bit on the gaming floor. There were blackjack, craps, roulette, and other games I’m not familiar with going on, with some large stacks of chips being exchanged. Even for a Sunday night, everything was rolling.

Outside of the Bellagio, I had one wish fulfilled: to see the lights on the Strip. Just a little. The Sphere peeked out from around the corner of the Flamingo.

It is said that the fountains at the Bellagio are not to be missed. We didn’t realize that they are on a timed show, and had to wait a while for it to start. It was windy and cold, but we waited. Behind me, I watched limos pull up to the Bellagio in a steady stream. Finally music began to play – Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” – and the water danced to the music.

This doesn’t capture the whole thing, but the “Eiffel Tower” in the background sure was beautiful. The water soars 460 feet in the air and the fountain spans a distance of 1,000 feet. Funny thing, though, Cal and I both later agreed that we were a little disappointed in the fountain show. I don’t know what either of us expected.

By now, we needed to hurry back to the Rio for our show. Penn and Teller were excellent. They do a comedy and magic routine. Teller never speaks, but his actions do all the talking for him – he is very funny and they both made us laugh. They are the longest-running show at the same hotel in Las Vegas history. We really enjoyed seeing it. And what a treat, afterwards, to just ride the elevator up to our room for bedtime!

Next time – Downtown Las Vegas