Las Vegas, NV

Understandably today was a late start. It wasn’t until about 5pm before we left the house and wandered up to Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip). Here every casino has its own hotel, set of shops, restaurants, theatres etc. The Spooners both had the night off, so showed me around.

Our first stop was Ellis Island for dinner (or breakfast – as it was our first meal of the day).

From there we walked through the Bellagio. This casino is a fairly ritzy place, which, like every other casino, is full of poker machines and gambling tables. The best part of the Bellagio is a glass sculpture that hangs from the ceiling in the foyer that was created by Dale Chihuly. Who knew you could do that with glass.

Next up was Paris. Its external design has the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Parisian buildings. Inside the low ceilings are painted the color of the sky and gives you the feeling you are outside.

Next was the Monte Carlo – which was relatively non-descript.

After that was the spectacular New York, New York. This casino / hotel is built with a New York skyline, ie Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge etc. It also has a roller coaster running around it – which today was closed due to high winds. Inside was like any other place.

Next – the MGM Grand – a monstrous green building with the MGM lion out the front. It is allegedly the largest hotel in the world. It also has its own fun park and 12000-seat stadium.

Through the Tropicana, with nothing to tell, and across to The Excalibur. This place seems like a kid’s casino with its castle exterior and fantasyland theme inside. I’m not sure why people would chose this place to throw away their money, but each to their own.

Next door is the Luxor – a pyramid with the Sphinx out the front. From the pyramid’s peak a light beams upwards, seemingly endlessly, into space.

Our last casino was Mandalay Bay, which is nothing to talk of from the outside, but pretty cool on the inside. We had a couple of drinks here before heading home. Tomorrow we will do the northern half of the Strip.