Las Vegas, NV

April 14-21, 2012

  WE WENT TO VEGAS!

Our friends Rick & Vickie have a time share which they so graciously shared with us.  We each had our own unit. 

 I could not believe that I got to see Vegas again!  

Last time I was here was in 1963 on a family vacation.

 

 First evening in town, we went up to Freemont Street to see the overhead light show.

 

 John and me at Freemont Street.  It was chilly that evening!

 Vickie & Rick Armstrong at Freemont St.

 

   

 The next morning, we all went to see Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower

 

 Here we are at the top of the Eiffel Tower 

which is 1/3 the size of the original in Paris.

 John and Rick.  The whole top was completely caged in!  Even overhead.  

See the little square gaps in the wire in front of and behind Rick?  

That's so you could take pictures!  Crazy!

  

 A great view looking down at the Bellagio Hotel & Fountains!

  The Hilton Grand Vacation Club at The Flamingo

 New York, NY of course!!  :)  

    

 John and me by the Brooklyn Bridge

 

 Across the street from NY, NY is the huge MGM where everything is huge in size!  

Compare the cars to that gold lion!  We did not go in to see the Lions.  

 

 Excalibur.  The outside views are the only attraction here aside from stage shows.

 The Luxor

 

 The very impressive entrance to the Luxor

    

The Gucci Outlets   

  

 Waiting at the Bellagio Hotel for the Dancing Fountain Show to begin

 

 They were fascinating to watch.  Every show was different and geared to the music they were playing on the speakers

 

 

   

 The beautiful Bellagio at night. 

 

When we were out at night, it was hard to pass the Bellagio Fountains and not pause to see some of the show even though we were across the street!

 

Treasure Island.  See the skull in the rocks?

 The Pirate ship and show at Treasure Island

 

 Along the strip

 

 Venus was outstanding inside and out!

 Inside Venus - Canal, gondola and shops

Vickie & Rick took a ride on a gondola

 

 The Fashion Mall.  The sole purpose of this huge disc is to always provide shade on the grounds.  It changes position according to the suns location!

   

My daughter Eileen gave us tickets to The Beatles "Love" show by Cirque du Soleil!  What a fantastic, unusual show!

 

 The evening we attended the show.  

Rick & Vickie got tickets to the show adjacent to our seats.

 

 The Volcano at The Mirage 

 

 A huge display of blown glass flowers hanging in the Bellagio

  

 A living 3D pic on display at the Bellagio made of flowers and greens

  

 A view of the strip from the top of one of the crosswalks

      

 The Flamingo and the Strip

 

 I loved all the palm trees in Vegas!  These are Date Palms in the gardens of our Hotel.

 

 It's where Dates come from!  I was so surprised as I did not know that!

 

 

 The Stratosphere!!

 

 Looking up to the top of the Stratosphere

 

 See the little blue platform at the top of the building?  

It opens and drops you to the ground!

 

 It's not really a jump.  It's more like a drop!  It provides the highest controlled free fall in the world - you plunge 108 floors!

 

 Jumper is connected to a high-speed "descender" and led to the edge of the platform which drops out from under you.  

Cost at this time is $109.  (Later, I wish I'd tried it!)

 

 John at the indoor observation deck of the Stratosphere

 

 Zoomed in on the strip.  You can see that it goes straight but then angles sharply to the left - so you are unable to see the entire upper end of the strip.

 

 Us at the Stratosphere on the indoor level

The "Insanity" Spins around in circles, tilting you at an angle facing the ground below.

 

  The X-Scream plunges you out and down towards the ground below.

 Zoomed view of the beautiful "brown" mountains from the Stratosphere.

See the snow on top of two of the peaks?

 The Strip is so congested at the upper end but to each side and up by the Stratosphere there's all sorts of unused land or low buildings.

 

 John on the outdoor deck of the Stratosphere

  

 Area up near the Stratosphere has all sorts of old Motels - the kind my parents probably stayed in when we visited Vegas in 1963 on a cross country family vacation.

 

 Me trying to rub the genie lamp up near Freemont Street

 

 John in right corner as we approach the covered area of Freemont St which I wanted to see in the daylight.

 

 There's many of the old, OLD neon signs up in this area!

 

 Just outside the covered area of Freemont St. I signed up and paid $15 for the Flightlinez ride which is essentially a short zipline.  It starts up here and ends under the covered area of the street.

 

 Me riding the Flightlinez under the canopy of Freemont St.  

You can ride during the light show, too.  Rides after 6pm cost $20 each.  

It was so much fun and I loved it!!

 

 Scenes under the covered street.

 

 

 The old cowboy is still up there by a Souvenir Shop and lights up at night.

   

Across the road from the covered part of Freemont Street is the Freemont District. 

I love all the old neon signs up here! 

It's probably the way Vegas looked when I was here in 1963!

     

 Our last evening in Vegas was Friday night and as it got later, 

the street was more packed with people and cars!

  

 

 The Strip is 10-12 lanes wide up here.  You can see why it was necessary to build cross walks at each intersection!  

They were very high, too, and we were thankful for their escalators!

   

 Nice night picture of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Grand Central Station at NY, NY was the entrance into the building.

 The Casino inside New York, NY

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MORE PICTURES TO COME - OF RED ROCK CANYON, THE HOOVER DAM AND THE GRAND CANYON WEST & SKYWALK!

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