Sightseeing in Las Vegas

Recently I read this idea from a Semester at Sea grad: never let your age get larger than the number of countries you've been to. Awesome, awesome idea. And I feel so behind :p

Still, there's something to be said for going back to a place you visited before. Years ago, my best friend celebrated her birthday in Vegas and let me tag along with her. It was an impressive city the first time around, doubly so this time!

We kept it super-classy by staying at Super 8-

... and, of course, behaving with decorum at all times-

My 2 favorite things about Las Vegas-

1. Everyone is having a good time. It's like there is this mentality of If I'm lucky enough to be in Vegas, I'm lucky enough.
2. Being here feels like traveling to many places, not just one city.

Here are a few sightseeing and sight-eating [if you've been here, you're familiar with this word!) highlights from the trip...

Happy Hour at 1,149 feet:

The oasis in front of the Wynn hotel:

Venetian corridors:

Looking straight up the side of the Luxor pyramid, atop which is the strongest beam of light in the world:

Caesars Palace buffet, aka "I don't need to eat again until 2025":

550 feet up on the High Roller:

This couple had a Russian wedding photographer for sure (he's offscreen here). After I took the picture, he pulled two stuffed animals out of his camera bag: the bride got a Cheburashka and groom held a Krokodil Gena:

And the people-watching, all day, every day:

You'll hear lots of different languages spoken on the streets:

Like always, I kept an eye out for Russian speakers. We met one Russian tourist on a bus tour and tailed a few others down the sidewalk, including one super-tough-looking baddie with the words любовь (love) and доброта (kindness) tattooed down his forearms.

One of the best moments of the trip happened in front of the Mirage hotel. We'd taken a super-long walk that day (fitbit = 30,000 steps by the end of the night) and hoped to catch the Mirage's free volcano show before collapsing from exhaustion. A group of New Zealanders asked us about the show a mile or two up the road and we saw them again in front of the Mirage, along with about 200 other people milling around in the dark... but no volcano, no fire, no show. A tiny red light flashed ominously on top of the rocks and D eventually Googled it to find out it meant the show was canceled, probably because of the winds that night. So he pulled up a video like this one and, huddled with the New Zealanders, we all watched and cheered at the tiny explosions on the screen ; )

Better luck next time!

It's funny how flashy and distracting the Strip is, while just one block away you could be in Anytown, USA:

On the Strip, each hotel/casino creates its own little whirlpool of reality, trying to transport you away long enough to empty your wallet. You look at something like this and you're totally transported...

...but on the other side of the fence (far left)- a totally normal sidewalk and tree. It's like walking through movie sets (really).

And Las Vegas at night, wow. Fun! These pictures are from an evening tour via Big Bus:

Okay, complete photo overload. I'd better stop or blogger.com might break down :p Anyways, it was a blast to see the sights in Las Vegas and I think there might be a trip #3 in the future!