August 2009 - Las Vegas

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Hoover Dam

Coming from the Grand Canyon, we had to cross the Colorado River on our way to Las Vegas. The highway crosses the river on the crown of the mighthy Hoover Dam south west of Las Vegas.

Built in the 1930ies, the dam produces most of the energy for the glittering desert metropolis. Since the street leads directly over the dam it is understandable that the passing cars are being controlled by the police, which causes some holdup.
That didn't take very long though, so it was okay. We stopped at the dam so the girls could show me around a little. Still we didn't stay long as we had almost 1,200km past us that day and were eager to get the last ones behind us as well.

Las Vegas

In the movies it always seems as though the only street leading into Las Vegas was the one passing the glowing old neon sign. That was proven to be wrong as we approached the hotels at the strip quasi through the backdoor. The backsides of the mighty hotels did not fail to impress me, but still they weren't as fabulous as the sides facing Las Vegas Boulevard. The parking structure of the Flamingo, where we left the car, was almost boring. The girls had their room in that hotel why I had preferred to have my own room, in the neighboring Imperial Palace. Meanwhile evening had arrived and after such a long day we didn't do much. Still, I already got a little impression of the strip at night. Imperial Palace itself was not as impressive. The entrance leads directly into the casino through which people under 21 of age are only allowed to walk while keeping their distance to the tables. Now the next problem occured: I did not find the lifts leading to the levels with the rooms on them... after a not very promising search I asked a person at the reception and it was really only thanks to their instructions that I found the little niche with the lifts in it, in the very end of the casino floor, a dark corner.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Our only full daz in Vegas began with waiting. Waiting for my girlfriend at the reception of the Flamingo at the agreed meeting time. Since I had to wait for her to come down for over half an hour, I had some time to walk around the lobby and garden.
With Mina and their mom, we drove down the strip, along the long lines of world famous hotels. Our destination was the formerly mentioned neon sign.
I should have known: it's a pace where tourists wait in a queue to get their picture taken in front of the sign. We got in line and when everybody could be sure to be in possession of evidence of their presence at this point, we drove back, up the Las Vegas Boulevard. Laine showed me the inside of the MGM Grand, we proceeded to the Hard Rock Hotel. My invitation to the neighboring Hofbräuhaus was respectfully declined and so we just spent some time in the shade of the giant Les Paul and inside the casino.

Further down the road, passing the glittering monuments of consumerism, we ended at Fremont Street north of the strip, in the old city center of Las Vegas. This street - although under a roof now - has preserved some of the charme of "classic" Las Vegas. It is a special charme, totally different from the one of the strip where high-rise hotels similar to trees grow higher and higher in competition for the most sunlight.

That night Laine and I set off by foot so she could show me the surrounding hotels. We took a look into the Bally's and Paris Las Vegas, crossed the street and watched the fantastic fountains of the Bellagio.
This water show in the middle of the desert is world famous, but much better live than in any movie. What most movies do not show is the music to which the water fountains dance their ballet.

We went into the Caesar's palace right across the street. Laine had been there a few times so she knew it pretty well, especially the adjacent shopping mall which, without willingly exaggerating, seems to have the size of my hometown. Of course there is a show here as well, a drama about Poseidon.
We concluded our (geographically) short walk with a short visit to the Mirage. Afterwards I walked Laine back to her hotel room at the Flamingo.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

We did not have much left on our schedule for this day. We checked out (in Las Vegas you have to do that by 11am) and went to have breakfast. Laine's mom connected that drive to a short scenic drive in which I got to see some more of the city. We headed straight for the Interstate and back to Los Angeles.