After leaving
Edwards AFB we spent a week in Las Vegas.
Driving over to Vegas we swung through Baker, CA to take a photo of the
world’s largest thermometer and the Bun Boy Restaurant (opened 1926). Unfortunately, the restaurant closed
last year and so the thermometer is no longer working. But, just in case you ever missed the
sight, here you go.
World's largest thermometer.
Neither one of
us is much for gambling, although I enjoy playing slot machines from time to
time. So I played for a while the
first night we got to Vegas, lost my limit of $30 and headed for the door. Another day I killed a few minutes
while Heinz checked on reviews for a good pizza joint and managed a smashing
win of $3.45!! Yes, there is a
decimal point in there…oh well, what can you expect on the penny slots? And yes, I shared my winnings; I gave
Heinz the 45 cents. Heinz, on the
other hand, kept his money in his pocket and avoided the temptation.
We did try out a
few restaurants while in town (kind of required, don’t you think?). Our first stop was at the Bellagio for
the buffet. We both had truly fond
memories of this buffet, but it didn’t live up to our expectations this time around. We had recalled it as having a wide
variety of foods, prepared excellently, and a feast for both the eyes and the
taste buds. Alas, all excellent
things must eventually come down to merely good, I suppose. There simply was not quite as wide a
variety of dishes and the flavors had definitely come down in the world, many
of them tending toward the bland side.
There was still a great dessert island, although Heinz was disappointed
that Crème Brulee was no longer a choice.
I ended the meal feeling like I had eaten at a slightly more upscale
Golden Corral at three times the price.
The Bellagio
Our second try at
a buffet was at the Rio. On both
Yelp and Urban Spoon, the Village Seafood Buffet was listed as number one in
Vegas. Once again, it’s pricey,
but WOW, was it good. While the
website boasts that it is “all seafood, all the time”, there are some carnivore
choices: steak, chicken, sausage, ribs; but, oh my, that seafood! Hot and cold
Alaskan King Crab, boiled crawfish, oysters, mussels, paella, shrimp--boiled, in
enchiladas, dim sum, salad, fried, you name it, lobster tails fixed 3 or 4
different ways, various types of fish fixed just about any way you can imagine,
sushi, sashimi, and on and on. The
dessert choices included Heinz’s Crème Brulee and 15 different flavors of
freshly made gelato. I went for
the mango and if I hadn’t been already considering loosening my pants from all
the crab I would have gone back for more.
If you’re heading to Vegas and like seafood, DO NOT MISS eating at this
buffet!
The Rio
We didn’t do a
whole lot while in town, too hot during the day, and usually too lazy at night,
but we did spend one night wandering around the strip with our cameras,
checking out the photo opportunities with all that neon and color.
Neon splashes on Las Vegas Blvd.
Neon reflections on the Trump Tower.
The Flamingo's time-tested sign, designed in 1946 when the casino first opened. The Flamingo was the third casino opened and currently the oldest operating casino in Las Vegas.
Side of the Flamingo Casino.
What a great combination of colors!
The Paris Hotel's famous hot air balloon.
In addition to wandering
the streets we drifted into a few of the hotels and casinos to view the
decorating schemes. We went into
the ever-popular Caesar’s Palace, Paris, and The Bellagio.
Entrance to Caesar's Palace.
Snail in the Paris gardens.
Chihuly ceiling in the Bellagio lobby.
Then we decided
to check out a new hotel/casino (at least new to us) - the Aria. This hotel and the attached shopping
area are absolutely fabulous - sleek, modern, and filled with unique displays of
art. The architecture and interior design are just fantastic! From the moment you see the building’s exterior you know this is not a
run-of-the-mill, themed Las Vegas casino. It
might be worth it to go back to Vegas and check in, just to see what a room
looks like. If you decide to try
it out, take photos and send them to us!
Exterior of the Aria Hotel and Casino
Starbucks in the Aria.
“Tornado” water columns, moving your
hands around the outside of the column causes the water to twirl up in a
waterspout.
Waterspout up close.
Water walls inside the hotel. There are multiples of these that have
water running between colored glass panels.
One day while
driving home from running some errands I noticed a sign for the Neon
Boneyard. Being rather intrigued,
I checked it out on-line and found that it is The Neon Museum of Las
Vegas. Run by a non-profit
organization, the museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and restoring
neon signage of Las Vegas. The
group rescues old signs that would have become just so much scrap metal and
moves them to the Neon Boneyard.
The museum has both day and night tours, so Heinz and I opted for a
night tour, figuring that it would have more photo opportunities.
The Neon Boneyard. All the letters in the sign are from
discarded casino signs.
The sign at night.
We learned quite
a bit during our tour. Neon signs in the city are not owned by the enterprises
that display them, but are rented from lighting and signage companies. Therefore, when a business wants to
delete or update a sign, they call the signage company to design and install a
new sign, and then remove the old sign.
These companies strip the old sign of toxic materials and any usable
parts such as bulbs, wiring, etc. and scrap the rest.
As advertising
technology changed in the 1990’s more and more casinos and businesses were
converting their neon signs to digital imagery and other computerized
signage. The city of Las Vegas was
determined not to lose the ambiance that neon signage gave to the strip and
passed a law that 75% of signage must be in neon.
The Museum has
over 150 restored and un-restored neon signs from some of the city’s most
celebrated properties dating from the 1930’s to the present day. You can only view the collection on a
guided tour due to safety concerns - but, it is worth a look. The
museum does offer senior, military, and student discounts.
Entry sign from the old Horseshoe Casino.
Casino entryway sign from the Sahara
Casino (now closed).
The old Lido Club sign.
Neon bulb close-up.
A letter from a 1940’s era motel
sign. The pipes standing out from
the sides are of iron and were how the workmen climbed up the signs to change
bulbs or touch up paint, often several stories in the air.
1950’s era sign.
Sign letters waiting placement.
Derelict for now.
Restored sign from the Stardust Casino.
Awaiting restoration.
Hotel sign from the 1960's. The museum's reception area is located in the lobby building of the old La Concha Hotel.
Restored neon sign from a long-ago
nightclub.
Sign from the Yucca Hotel, closed in the 1960's.
In addition to
the boneyard signs, the museum has restored neon signs from Las Vegas’ by-gone
days and placed them in the medians along Fremont St. and Las Vegas Blvd. This project is on going and the museum
has several signs in various stages of restoration. The eventual goal is to have old historic signs all along the strip.
Restored martini glass.
Cleaner's sign from the 1940's.
Horse and rider from the original Horseshoe Casino.
On our last
night in town Heinz and I were craving ice cream and he hopped on-line to find
out where the best ice cream was to be found. With no time to spare, we hopped in the car and headed for
La Flor de Michoacan. There are
five locations for this ice cream company in Las Vegas. We went to the original location on
Eastern Ave, a small hole-in-the-wall shop in a somewhat rundown strip mall. To say that we were the only English
speaking couple in the place is not exaggerating - even the staff spoke very
little English. But between
smiles, hand gestures, and butchered Spanish on our part, we got our order, and
some of the best blackberry ice cream I have ever eaten. Heinz decided on mango, which was
very good as well.
La Flor de Michoacan
I don't have a friend of the day from our time in Neon City so I guess I'll just leave you with a couple of shots to tease you with our upcoming adventures in the Dixie National Forest in Utah. We're spending three weeks there and so far are having a great time - our main achievement so far is taking over a week to get over a couple of severe head colds...sigh...
Looking over the Dixie National Forest towards Zion National Park.
What a nice backyard!
