What comes to mind when you hear “Las Vegas”? The most obvious answers are: Casinos, Lavish Shows and Food. And don’t forget that famous saying, “What happens in Vegas…” with all that implies. While all of this is certainly a big part of Las Vegas, we have discovered more.
There are many places that everyone should visit at least once, Las Vegas being one of them. If nothing else, it is a great place to people watch and a visual delight with all the glitz and glamour. You will see a little of anything and everything. Our first trip, years ago, was to attend a photography convention. One day we were walking by the shops in one of the resorts and we saw luxury cars, jewelry, top fashion and an M&M candy store. I commented to Carol that they would sell air if they could find a way. As we came around the corner, there was an oxygen bar! You can purchase air in Las Vegas! You would pay to put on a mask and breathe pure oxygen. I soon realized that anything goes in Vegas, for a price.
A restaurant that is no longer there, Serendipity, was known for its outrageously delicious ice cream concoctions. These treats were massive and easy to share between two or more people. Most priced in the $20 range. One item on their menu was a treat called the Golden Opulence Sundae which was covered in edible 23 karat gold leaf. They would gladly serve you this for $1000! Talk about a rich dessert!! You can guess how many of those we had.
We do enjoy a good show and have seen several of the Cirque Du Soleil shows, Celine Dion, Terry Fator among others. And during our last visit, all the ladies went to see Magic Mike. I chose that as my casino slots night. They actually reported that it was a well done show, more acrobatic, along a Cirque Du Soleil presentation on a smaller scale. At least that’s what they told me. 🙂 None of this comes cheap, but Las Vegas is worth saving the money for at least visiting one time, and it doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to return. We will have a future post about going to Las Vegas on a budget.
Off Strip things that may be of interest include The Mob Museum, Pinball Hall of Fame and Neon Museum. First Friday, if the timing fits your visit, is where artists come together for an evening of local artwork, food and music. Fremont Street Experience is where Las Vegas got started. There is a complete canopy of lights and shows above your head and a zip line along with many casinos, restaurants and shows. Of course the Bellagio Fountains is a must see along with their indoor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The Venetian Resort will make you think you’re on the Grand Canals (rides available for a fee) but they often have street performers, singers and live statues. The Mirage has its Volcano which erupts several times a day. It’s most impressive after dark. And don’t forget the iconic WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS sign. It’s almost a law that you must have your photo made in front of this sign. Good walking shoes are a must have with all the walking you will do in Las Vegas.
We like to get out to Las Vegas every couple of years. We stay at a resort complex on the south end of the strip, Tahiti Village. Not walking distance to the heart of the casinos and resorts, but Tahiti Village has a shuttle service that will take you there. Since we like to get out of Las Vegas for side trips, we always rent a car. Red Rock Canyon is about a 25 minute drive from Las Vegas. It is a National Conservation Area which offers great photo opportunities, rock climbing and other outdoor activities. For less strenuous activities there is a 13 mile scenic driving loop that affords beautiful views.
Valley of Fire State Park is an hour drive northeast of Las Vegas and one of our favorite places. If you take this trip there is a gas/truck station as soon as you get off the main highway. This will be your last opportunity for bathrooms (other than the visitors center at the park), food and the ever present slot machines. If you’re up for a hike, The Fire Wave will leave you breathless in more ways than the obvious. A 1.5 mile hike takes you to an expansive view of rolling land that looks like….a wave. This is sandstone that was created millions of years ago when this was the bottom of an ocean. I would love to take this hike with a geologist who could better explain what we see. Have water, or better, a sports drink to keep hydrated during your hike.
Also during your visit you can see Petroglyphs left by the Anasazi and Paiute tribes. These are estimated to be around 2600 years old. There is an outcrop called Elephant Rock that looks like… an elephant. Rainbow Vista features panoramic views of sandstone in multi-colored tones.
Going the opposite direction from Las Vegas will get you to Hoover Dam in about 45 minutes. It was constructed during the Great Depression and still remains an engineering marvel. Various tours are available or you can park and walk across the top of the dam.
The West Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 120 miles from Las Vegas and a couple of hours past Hoover Dam. This is the area where you can go out on a glass skywalk to overlook the Canyon. If you don’t want to rent a car, there are many tours to all these areas from Las Vegas.
We took a group on a Vegas Photo Safari a few years ago. In addition to all the Las Vegas activities, we wanted to travel to Death Valley for a day. Photography was a high priority on this trip and we prepared for a long day, leaving early in the morning and getting back to the resort about midnight. True to its reputation, it was hot. We had packed food and lots of water in preparation of the journey. There is no way you can see all of it in a day trip since it covers 5262 square miles. We picked the areas that we felt would give us a good diversity of views as shown in the following photos.
At the time of this trip there was to be a lunar eclipse that evening. We were all looking forward to photographing the event. Unfortunately clouds rolled in that prevented that view, but gave us a beautiful sunset. A great example of turning lemons into lemonade. We hope to return to Death Valley on a future trip to see other interesting areas.
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