The gave me the use of a rental car and put me up in a hotel in Henderson, just a few miles south of Las Vegas itself.
I worked 12 hour days and once the work was done was taken to dinner in Henderson. Then to bed and up again at 6 a.m for another day of work.
Maybe 5 miles in the distance I could see the lights of Las Vegas blazing on the horizon so after dinner on my last night before my last work day and flight back to Chicago, I got in the car and drove into the city and spent a few hours just marveling at what I saw there. Even at midnight the joint was jumping and thousands of happy people were enjoying the warm night air (and some drinks) as they made their way from one casino hotel to the other. The City that never sleeps...
I visited a few of those gigantic hotels (some with over 3,000 rooms) and the last one I saw and walked through was one that left a lasting impression-the Bellagio Hotel which at that time was the newest hotel, being just one year old.
I think since that night in 1999 Carol and I have visited Las Vegas 7 or 8 times, sometimes twice in the same year until our last visit in 2009. Any photos that follow are within that 10 year timeline.
As "Vegas" is always growing and changing, old buildings get demolished to make way for the new and what you see is unlikely to be how it looks today.
So here I am, staring up at something
It's a half size replica of the Eiffel Tower which belongs to the Paris Hotel and Casino behind and around it. Yes there's an elevator to the observation deck (about 450 feet up) and on the way there is a floor with a French restaurant. Total height is 541 feet. You can't miss it!
A 2/3 rd scale mini Arc de Triomphe without the crazy traffic
I am standing by the lake that lies in front of our 3,000 roomed hotel- The Bellagio. It has since added a Spa Tower with another 950 rooms. Did I mention they have BIG hotels in Las Vegas?
The cars drive by on Las Vegas Boulevard, a very wide street also known as The Strip
Our next door neighbor is Caesar's Palace (center) with 3,960 rooms
30 Million people visit Las Vegas each year and most come through the always-busy McCarran Airport. You'll probably take a taxi to your hotel or rent a car at the airport. We rent from Hertz and at this airport they have some really good cars- Mercedes, BMW, Corvettes even, apart from the usual American and Japanese makes. Oh- mustn't forget Jaguar! (formerly British now Indian I believe).
My favorite rentals are the Infiniti G37 or the Audi S4 which you'll see when we visit Death Valley later on (like, much later!)
Car rental of course isn't vital if you plan to just enjoy the hotel casinos along The Strip. You can walk to most of the hotels although those at the southern end like Mandalay Bay and Luxor (the Pyramid) are a long way to walk in the LV heat. (last time we were there it was 106F). The Strip is over 4 miles long...
There is a double-decker bus service running up and down The Strip if you don't mind waiting and a free tram service linking a few of the hotels. There is also a monorail but it doesn't cover a great distance.
Some times we have stayed a full week-at others just 3 days and then continued on to Sedona, Arizona, making a stop at the Grand Canyon along the way. It's a 6 hour drive to the GC. Helicopter tours can let you see the canyon within an hour. less than 10 minutes flying away is the Hoover Dam.
As we have a car we make daily excursions out of the city which lies on a flat desert floor to the nearby mountains. The city is where we eat and sleep and are entertained in the evenings. There is no shortage of entertainment in Las Vegas.
No, these three guys are no longer around and Elvis has long ago left the building but during our visits we have seen Celine Dion (who was playing a three-year residency at Caesar's Place), Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno (as we like stand-up comedy) We could have seen Rod Stewart, Elton John, Barry Manilow or Cher had we wished as they all "play Vegas"
Carol bumps into Luciano Pavarotti...
We have seen elaborate magic shows by Siegfried and Roy, sadly no longer working and of course saw the legendary Wayne Newton, a ball of showman energy.
We have been to many Cirque du Soleil shows, some more than once and have enjoyed the magic and comedy of these guys ....
They were resident in the massive Rio Hotel and Casino when we saw them.
Parking is free when you visit these hotels.
So from a chilly frozen Chicago we can catch a flight to Las Vegas and in 3 hours or so find the sun and a lifestyle of no cooking, no shopping for food, no washing dishes and making beds.
Other people will do that for us and do it with a smile as Service is King in Las Vegas.
We won't watch TV as we'll never be bored. People watching and enjoying the beauty of many of the hotels will take it's place. We'll get away from the crowds of Happy Smiling People with day trips in the car to places where you can hear a pin drop and where Nature puts on it's show (yes it has a residency)
We will eat, drink and be merry-and get a suntan!
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