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| 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)
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| the panhandlers had some interesting signs |
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