Nevada - Chihuly

Found a treasure!

I knew there was Chihuly glass decorating the ceiling in lobby at the Bellagio. It’s beautiful to see and many people seem to walk below it without ever noticing that it is there. So much to see that we fail to see what is right before our eyes.

I didn’t know there was more Chilhuly glass to be seen in Las Vegas. I was wandering through the casino in The Mirage because I was early for the Cirque LOVE event one afternoon. As I was passing by the high rollers lounge my eye was drawn towards the glass on display by the entrance - it could only have been created by Dale Chihuly. I think his work is amazing and beautiful.

I got out my camera and couldn’t believe that I had the opportunity to photograph Chihuly glass up close. I had my macro lens on my camera and I was just inches away from the glass. I kept thinking someone from the Mirage was going to come by and ask me to step back, but no one said a thing… and I was being very very careful.

Like at the Bellagio most people were passing by without being aware of the art. I was happy to see one other person pause and take a few quick photos before moving on.

I was so excited about the glass I went back after the LOVE event and took more photos.

CLICK HERE for more photos of Chihuly glass in Las Vegas.

Nevada - Las Vegas, the Strip

MUSAP at the Venetian gondolas

Las Vegas: by definition ~ “largest city in Nevada; located in southeastern Nevada; originally settled by Mormons but is now famous for entertainment and gambling and general excess.” (source: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=las%20vegas)

view from the 18th floor at Treasure Island

I was in Las Vegas for Cirque Week 2013 celebrating 20 years of Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas. Attendees got to go to special events for each of the current 8 shows and purchase show tickets at reduced prices. I stayed at Treasure Island which is towards the northern end of the Strip. It is the home to Mystere, a classic Cirque du Soleil show, and was the Headquarters for Cirque Week. The hotel is about 20 years old and has over 2500 rooms. I enjoyed spending time down at the pool reading in the sunshine.

Treasure Island

The Strip in Las Vegas often feels like an assault on the senses. The Strip is about 4 miles long and is home to almost 30 casinos and major hotels. There is continuous motion and sound. The sidewalks are always full of people, mostly tourists, moving from one place to the next. At night everything is ablaze with neon signs.

Bellagio Fountains

I felt as though Las Vegas was a series of contradictions & contrasts. The color and brightness of the Strip to the never ending browns of the surrounding deserts and mountains. There are the rich - you don’t really see them but they must be there because there are plenty of high stakes gambling areas, many limos, and every possible high end store that you can name. And there are the poor & homeless ~ panhandlers along the Strip and the pedestrian overpasses sitting quietly with their signs hoping for a handout. Lots of people in costume posing for photos with tourists in exchange for a tip. There is an international mix of visitors and workers and you will hear many different languages being spoken.

MUSAP with Transformers

When visiting Las Vegas be prepared for walking walking and more walking to get to wherever it is you think you want to be. To cross the Strip you often need to take the escalators from the sidewalks to the pedestrian overpasses. When using crosswalks at street level you need to be mindful of the crossing signals - the taxis don’t stop.

stay in the crosswalk and wait w=for the walk cycle

There is the monorail on the east side of the Strip that can save you some steps, but it requires a long walk through casinos to access it. There are a couple of free trams on the west side of the Strip that can also save you some steps. Plenty of taxis and you can get one at any of the hotels, they aren’t allowed to stop on the Strip.

reflection of setting sun at The Mirage

I played slots in many of the hotels as I was passing through to get to a Cirque du Soleil theater or a tram. Surprisingly it’s not too smoky in casinos - either there is excellent ventilation or fewer people smoking. I suspect it is a combination of those two factors. Again sensory overload - some casinos are very bright, some are dimly lit, all are loud.

slot machines

Alas in the nine days that i was there I never found a slot machine that was willing to pay out more than I was willing to put in!

MUSAP in a casino

CLICK HERE for photos of the Strip and other sights in Las Vegas.

On one of my journeys down the Strip I decided to make a photo journal of the trip. From Treasure Island to the Luxor it’s about 2.26 miles. The trip included an elevator, 5 escalators, 3 trams, the monorail, and plenty of walking.

tram from TI to Mirage (free)

cross Strip

monorail from Harrah’s to MGM ($)

cross Strip

cross W. Tropicana

tram from Ex Calibur to Mandaly Bay to Luxor (free)

CLICK HERE for photos of the journey from TI to Luxor.

the panhandlers had some interesting signs

Nevada ~ Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam Upgrade Tour

One Day 4 of my adventure in Las Vegas I took a Pink Jeep Tour and was happy to get away from the Strip. I had planned to take a tour on Sunday but it was canceled because I was the only person who had signed up. I was disappointed when I got that news on Saturday and was wondering if I had made a good choice prior to heading west, but they had good reviews on TripAdvisor so I tried to think positive thoughts about the remaining two tours that I had booked weeks earlier.

This was a tour to see Hoover Dam and it was worth the time and money. Our guide was Jerry  - what a fun guy! It was about a 45 minute drive to dam. Jerry shared lots of info during the ride - facts about Las Vegas and about Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Pink Jeep has coolers of water available so we could help ourselves every time we got in or out of the vehicle - it’s really dry on Las Vegas so keeping hydrated is important.

We got to the dam a little earlier than expected so we crossed over to the Arizona side and parked at an overlook for photos and more info. We learned about increased security since 9-11 and the new bypass bridge that diverts a lot of traffic away from crossing the dam.

I signed up for the ‘upgrade’ tour because it included rafting at the base of the dam. We had to switch to different bus for ride down to the river because the rafting portion was with a different company and it’s a restricted road to get to the launching spot. An added bonus was seeing big horn sheep as we drove down the steep winding road. We had a short raft ride around the base of the dam - not too close because of security. Our guide on the raft was Jeff, again lots of info about the building of the dam and the natural features of the area. Being in the raft offered some unique photo ops.

After rafting we got back in the bus and Jeff drove up back up to top of dam and our Pink Jeep.

Next we walked around the top of the dam with Jerry before our Power Plant Tour. Because we were with Jerry we learned about things that other tourists probably never discovered - the dog that became the pet of the guys who built the Hoover Dam back in the 1930’s and the Celestial Map and other artwork by Oskar Hansen.

Next the four of us left Jerry and went inside for our Power Plant Tour. There was a background movie before we went down into the depths of the dam with another guide from Dam. The dam is an architectural wonder! I doubt it could be built in today’s world with all the regulations from the EPA and from OSHA.

After we saw the Power Plant we had time for a visit to the observation deck and gift shop before heading back to Las Vegas.

CLICK HERE for photos of the Colorado River, Lake Mead, and the Hoover Dam.

alas I totally forgot to bring MUSAP with me on this tour...

Nevada - November 2013

I am back from 9 days in Las Vegas, Nevada and while recovering from jet leg I am putting my thoughts together about this adventure. I will be posting my thoughts & photos describing Las Vegas, Cirque Week, Hoover Dam, and the Valley of Fire in separate posts. For now here's a quick look at what I did and where I was.

The reason for my trip was Cirque Week 2013 - celebrating 20 years of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Every afternoon there was an event that Cirque Week participants could attend. Each of the 8 shows planned something special for us. We could also purchase show tickets at a reduced rate for that week. I attended all 8 of the Cirque shows, most of the events, and I also attended Le Reve.

I stayed at Treasure Island. There are so many hotel options in Las Vegas ~ There are about 150,000 hotel room available!

Here's MUSAP in a creosote bush in the Valley of Fire. MUSAP hid in my suitcase for the first few days of the trip - perhaps sensory overload being in Las Vegas.

When visiting Las Vegas there is walking, walking, and more walking to get around!

This is my view of the Strip looking south from my hotel room window.

The fountains in from of the Bellagio - with a rainbow.

Here I am with Wellington. He is one of the dancers in the Michael Jackson ONE show. He helped us learn the choreography to Thriller for our afternoon event. Then we got to dance it one stage with the lights, music, and smoke effects.

These are the fire dancers from 'O'. They talked to us about how they learned fire dancing and how they prepare for their acts in 'O'.

 The weather was sunny and warm every day. I was happy I had tossed a bathing suit in my suitcase. Sitting by the pool was a nice change from the activity on the Strip.

I took 2 tours while I was on this adventure. The first was to the Hoover Dam. An engineering masterpiece that probably couldn't be replicated today with OSHA and EPA regulations!

My tour included a rafting trip at the base of the dam which gave us a view that most people never see.

On my final day in Las Vegas I took another tour - this time to The Valley of Fire. It was nice being away from the city and seeing some of the nature wonders of Nevada. I found myself missing green.

More posts coming with lots and lots of photos that will give you a sense of where I went and what I saw on this adventure!