Day 1: Arrival in Vegas
We flew from RDU to Las Vegas, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. Below is a map of the Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) where we spent most of our time.
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| The town of Lake Las Vegas |
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| The south part of the Strip as viewed from Las Vegas Airport |
The map below shows the south end of the Strip, where we spent most of the rest of the day. Our hotel/condo is at the red star (not the Cosmopolitan, but next to it).
We stayed in the Jockey Club condominiums, which is wedged between the Bellagio and Cosmopolitan near the left center of the map. The Jockey Club was built in the early 1970's and my guess is that the owners refused to sell the land to the developers of the Cosmopolitan (the building in the back). One of the back doors of the Jockey Club goes directly into the Cosmopolitan casino.
Below is a view of part of the east side of the strip from the entrance of the Cosmopolitan. As you might guess, the Eiffel Tower and balloon belong to the Paris Hotel and Casino, which is behind and to the right of them.
On the other side of the Cosmopolitan is City Center, a new development which includes a swank shopping mall, in the picture below. The back of the mall is the entrance to the Aria Hotel.
All of the major hotels have Sports Books which include lounges with dozens of TV screens. This is the Sports Book at the Cosmopolitan. I got to see the Pistons and the Hurricanes at the same time (they both won!)
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| In the lobby of the Cosmopolitan |
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| The lobby bar in the Cosmopolitan |
There were a lot of women walking around town (in pairs) dressed as showgirls. I assume they were advertising clubs, but in Vegas, you just don't know.
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| New York, New York Hotel and Casino, just before sunset. |
Food at celebrity restaurants is ridiculously expensive, including the $295 menu at Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand.
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| We ate at International Smoke at the MGM Grand, where the steak was only about $55 |
After dinner we wandered around the south end of the Strip, mainly at New York, New York.
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| View of the Excalibur Hotel from the MGM Grand |
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| New York, New York |
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| On the bridge between MGM Grand and New York, New York |
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| In the casino at New York, New York |
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| The sports book at New York, New York |
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| Still inside New York, New York |
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| Hard Rock Cafe on the east side of the Strip |
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| Veer Condominiums (tall buildings) and the mall at City Center |
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| Across Las Vegas Boulevard from our condo |
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| Waldorf Astoria (left), Aria (right) and the mall at City Center (in front) |
We called it an early evening at about 10:00 (1:00 AM for our bodies)
Day 2: A Visit to a Gun Range and a Cannabis Store
Brenda slept late, so in the morning I wandered around some of the hotels to the south of our condo.
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| Our condo buildings, dwarfed by the Cosmopolitan |
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| The City Center development, the largest privately funded construction project in U.S. history |
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| The Cosmopolitan |
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| The Aria Hotel (tall buildings at left and center) and the Veer Condominiums (yellow buildings) |
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| View from the pool at the Aria |
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| The Aria monorail |
After Brenda got up, we went to lunch at a shopping area connected with the Planet Hollywood hotel, across the strip from our condo.
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| Bellagio (left) and Caesar's Palace (right) |
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| Looking down the strip, near our condo |
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| This is indoors |
After lunch, we engaged in one of our planned activities--going to a shooting range. When I was in Las Vegas about 10 years ago, a friend of mine and I went to a place called
The Gun Store, where for about $89, you can rent a handgun, a semi-automatic, and an automatic weapon, and shoot at targets, under supervision. I had never shot a real gun in my life, and it was a very interesting experience. So, when we were planning the trip, I suggested it to Brenda, who surprisingly was interested.
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| 10 shots with a Glock 19 |
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| 20 shots with an AR-15 |
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| Don't mess with this person |
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| Or this one |
To continue on our descent into Hell, we then went to a Cannabis store (perfectly legal in Nevada, California, and Arizona). Most of the stores are at the north end of the Strip, so we started at The Strat, a tower and casino at the very north end.
Our emporium of choice was
Cookies on the Strip, which had gotten very positive reviews on Yelp and other sites. In the main part of the store (which you get to after you pass a "checkpoint" where they check your ID), there were concierge types who helped you choose between literally hundreds of options. You make your choice and go to the register, where you have to pay cash. Everything about the cannabis industry (where it's legal) is very strictly regulated and you know exactly what you're getting--the list of details on the package of gummies (that we may or may not have purchased) was *very* extensive. The whole experience felt like going to a
Speakeasy in the 1920's.
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| In the waiting area |
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| Brenda, still holding her target from the Gun Store |
We then walked around the area. The north end of the Strip is much less upscale than the south end, but is much more convenient if you want to get married.
We then took The Deuce, a bus that runs up and down the Strip, back to our hotel.
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| Next to the Stratosphere |
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| The Venetian |
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| In front of Caesar's Palace |
After getting off the bus, we wandered around the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace
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| Shops at the Bellagio |
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| In the lobby of the Bellagio |
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| A 180-degree view of the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and the Paris |
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| Caesar's Palace lobby |
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| More from Caesar's |
After dinner, we wandered along the Strip.
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| Looking north from Caesar's Palace |
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| The Flamingo |
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| View across the street from the Paris Hotel. The fountain show at the Bellagio is just starting |
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| Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel |
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| Bellagio fountains in full swing |
