Ah, Las Vegas…
They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
And that may be true, or it may just be a somewhat devilish advertising slogan.
But these photos of Vegas, or more specifically, the famed Vegas Strip of hotel casinos and their alluring attractions, didn’t stay there. I brought these home to share with you.
For what that’s worth. Some photos and some pithy commentary may not substitute for experiencing the real thing. Think of this as a tease then. A Las Vegas Strip Tease…
We’ll start with some day time wide shots of the Vegas Strip. We’ll get to the night later. And we will get inside many of the more famous hotel and casinos too, past the outer facades, so to speak, to examine the inner facades …
No, that’s not the real Paris Eiffel tower, of course (just as that’s not the real Venice Plaza de San Marco tower below). It’s part of the Paris hotel and casino, only one of many hotel casinos that are constructed like theme parks, including actual rides, as I’ll show later when we visit them one by one…
Ed and I actually slid down that particular water slide below, twice. But I must say it’s a rather brutal thump in the groin as you take that final splash at the bottom.
Behind is the Stratosphere Tower, which boasts sky high thrill rides dangling from the tower. I however only seldom saw these rides in action whenever I glanced at it from afar.
Ed and I are not into gambling, or malls, or booze, or let’s face it most of the attractions Las Vegas offers its approximately 33 million visitors annually. So why did we visit? Well, it was actually our fly-into point to embark on a grand tour of many of the great National Parks of the American Southwest. I’ve already posted a few introductory posts along those lines, and I’ll be sharing much more of that exhilarating beauty in many blog posts to come.
Yet this blog post is all about Vegas, baby!
Regarding Las Vegas, I have always wanted to see some of the Cirque du Soleil extravaganzas ensconced there. We enjoyed Zumanity, Ka, and O. The latter two, with their especially designed theaters and elaborate productions, are unique live shows that can only be experienced in their specific venues. Those shows quite literally, logistically, will stay in Vegas, only to be enjoyed there.
As a friend of mine told me, some people spend their money on gambling, some on theatre. Different kicks for different tricks. Fair enough.
But I haven’t yet heard of one’s theater addiction resulting in bankruptcy, destroyed relationships, rehab and theatergoers anonymous. Just saying.
Above, the Shrine Of Four-Faced Brahma. Below, the Vegas strip monorail.
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