Maps are useless in Las Vegas. The city is growing so quickly that any map can only give you a general idea of where something is, but not reliable information on how to get there. We missed the sunset at Red Rock Canyon by about a half hour due to getting lost several times on the way. We were on the right road the entire time, but the two maps we were looking at showed conflicting information, all of which was wrong.
In the evening, we visted Fremont Street, which consists of four city blocks of street covered by a dome of lights. The lights form a gigantic screen above your head, and they have a show every hour. The show we saw was a montage of images to 70's rock hits; The Stones, Zeppelin, Beatles, Floyd, etc. Somehow it was very fitting for Vegas.
I was surprised by the casinos. I saw Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, and Paris in the evening, and Venetian, Treasure Island, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay the next morning. The Bellagio is a 1.6 billion-dollar structure a fountain that stretches a fifth of a mile in front of it. In most places in the country, a water fountain is a pleasing addition to a property, but in the middle of a desert, it becomes pure ostentatiousness. Water is used everywhere in the city in a demonstration of hubris in the face of sand and oppressive heat.
The Bellagio is an experience to see for a few reasons. First of all, it gives you a great perspective of just how much money 1.6 billion dollars is. These days, billion dollar figures are being tossed around in the media so often that it's difficult to have a concept of what that means. When you stand on the strip in Las Vegas and look up at the Bellagio, however, it comes a little more into perspective. The second thought I had is that there are a few dozen people in the Bay Area who could afford to build the Bellagio without taking out a single loan. That truly blew my mind.
On Sunday afternoon we visted the Hoover Dam. I have a suspicion the government built it to be a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the best parts of the tour were closed off last September. The tour guides in the dam claim that Las Vegas and Phoenix wouldn't exist without the dam. I think air conditioning is what those cities depend on.
In the evening, we visted Fremont Street, which consists of four city blocks of street covered by a dome of lights. The lights form a gigantic screen above your head, and they have a show every hour. The show we saw was a montage of images to 70's rock hits; The Stones, Zeppelin, Beatles, Floyd, etc. Somehow it was very fitting for Vegas.
I was surprised by the casinos. I saw Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, and Paris in the evening, and Venetian, Treasure Island, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay the next morning. The Bellagio is a 1.6 billion-dollar structure a fountain that stretches a fifth of a mile in front of it. In most places in the country, a water fountain is a pleasing addition to a property, but in the middle of a desert, it becomes pure ostentatiousness. Water is used everywhere in the city in a demonstration of hubris in the face of sand and oppressive heat.
The Bellagio is an experience to see for a few reasons. First of all, it gives you a great perspective of just how much money 1.6 billion dollars is. These days, billion dollar figures are being tossed around in the media so often that it's difficult to have a concept of what that means. When you stand on the strip in Las Vegas and look up at the Bellagio, however, it comes a little more into perspective. The second thought I had is that there are a few dozen people in the Bay Area who could afford to build the Bellagio without taking out a single loan. That truly blew my mind.
On Sunday afternoon we visted the Hoover Dam. I have a suspicion the government built it to be a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the best parts of the tour were closed off last September. The tour guides in the dam claim that Las Vegas and Phoenix wouldn't exist without the dam. I think air conditioning is what those cities depend on.
