Explore Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!
Honestly, I never thought I would actually visit Las Vegas. I’m not one for gambling or drinking. I’m not even that big into live performances. But when family visits, you sometimes end up at Las Vegas.
To tell the truth, I actually kind of liked it. It was just so gaudy and over-the-top that I actually enjoyed going there and exploring. I didn’t gamble but I did explore some of the casinos. Here is what I found:
I was actually really impressed with the Venetian. It’s definitely not to scale and Saint Mark’s Campanile (bell tower) is definitely nowhere near the Ponte Rialto, but they sure made some good replicas.
This is just wow! What an entrance to the shopping area. This is a copy of a ceiling painting in the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) in Venice. It’s not to scale nor complete, but still impressive.
Replica canal. I’m impressed at the detail in copying Venetian style buildings.
Caesars Palace was a bit more on the gaudy side than the Venetian. I really liked this replica of the Lacöön, an Ancient Roman copy of an Ancient Greek statue that currently resides at the Vatican Museums.
Here they are replication the dome of the Pantheon in Rome. Super well done.
However, I do have to say these statue head chairs were very creepy.
This statue and ceiling pairing was excellently done.
Replica of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. This one had a lot less people around it. The real one is actually more lit up than this one.
The Mirage does this really cool volcano show a few times every night. I really enjoyed it. Plus, it was free which I definitely like.
The Bellagio. I never did get to see the light show with the fountains except from a very far distance.
The Bellagio had a very neat garden area off the main lobby.
Can’t have a Paris themed casino without an Eiffel Tower.
The check-in had some sort of Versailles theme going on. Super fancy.
Their shopping area had a Montmartre (a splendid old Parisian neighborhood on top of a hill) theme going on, with “outdoor” cafes and a Chinese restaurant.
You also can’t have a Paris themed casino without the Arc de Triomphe.
Next stop was New York, New York and as a former resident of the Big Apple, I had to see it. Here we have a replica of the Empire State Building and an Art Deco like building I think is supposed to represent Rockefeller Center. Shake Shack is a New York staple. I like the burgers and fries more than the shakes though.
From there after a bit of shopping, ended up on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. This is where all the old hotels survive. I love the old time feel of these places.
Loving the aqua siding on Binions. So, mid-century.
All the cheap souvenirs are on Fremont Street. I just loved the old-time signs.
One of the old neon signs that used to grace this city. Many are now located now at the Neon Museum north of Fremont Street. The Neon Museum is a great place to soak up some Las Vegas history.
Hey, I even found history in a place like Las Vegas. I did enjoy my visit to Las Vegas. It was fun wandering around the casinos, especially since it was July, and they have air conditioning. Apparently, there are other things to see there other than expensive shows.
