| We took the Sam's Town
shuttle to Downtown (the far end of the Strip). It still has casinos but it
is the lower cost end. |  |
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We walked from there back towards the main Strip. There is some quite smart
looking architecture in the business district. Just round the back from here
was a small demonstration going on by the 'Occupy xxx' movement. We are
seeing quite a number of these. The gap between the haves and have-nots in
the US is really beginning to bite. |
| A big business in Las
Vegas is getting married since you can do it almost on demand. Divorce is
nearly as quick but the lawyers make more money. It was Friday night so the
chapels were very busy. |  |
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The cell phone generation needs its communication which requires more
towers. But nobody wants one in their backyard so they are looking for ever
more imaginative ways to disguise them. |
| Another wedding chapel.
This one is world famous since a number of 'celebrities' have got married
here. But this was nobody we knew. |  |
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Some establishments can't even spell 'celebrities' or several other
words for that matter. |
| Times are hard in Las
Vegas and at least one casino has closed. But this is at the north end of
the Strip and we didn't get this far in 2005 when we were last here. The
Stratosphere is 1149ft high and has a
restaurant at the top. We didn't go up because the light was failing. We did
stop for a couple of beers ($11 - not cheap!) |  |
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One of the attractions at the top is a 'Thrill Ride' - bizarre - or you can
sky-dive off the top. I suppose it appeals to some folk. |
| It was rated the best
place in Las Vegas last year and this. It does look quite spectacular when
lit up at night. |  |
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A bit further up is the famous Circus Circus. The shows are supposedly quite
good - and I suspect quite expensive. This city is all about separating the
punters from their money. |
| They look very glitzy
from the outside - and even on the inside. But I think there were fewer
people there than five years ago. Folk just haven't the money any more. Las
Vegas is also the foreclosure capital of the US. |  |
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So who's the clown here.... |
| It is the place for the
lights in the evening but you do end up suffering from overload. |  |
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There are thousands of hotel rooms in each hotel/casino. The lights are part
of the advertising. Energy conservation is not a priority here. |
| Getting towards the
centre now. It does look attractive at night - but our feet are beginning to
hurt. It is quite a long way from Downtown to here. |  |
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Not a casino but a shopping mall full of the sort of shops we wonder who can
possibly afford to shop there. |
| The Palazzo is next door
to the Venetian. This is the real centre of the strip. Opposite is Caesar's
Palace which is perhaps the biggest of them all. |  |
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I think we decided that the Venetian was the most impressive when we came in
2005. But now we are anxious to catch the last shuttle home. It will take
about half an hour and we are getting hungry and have decided to eat back at
Sam's Town. |
| Not a perfect picture but
the name of the shop is 'Essentials' and inside are sections for liquor,
snacks, candy etc. Very American! |  |
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The predominant view in the casinos these days. Far more slot machines than
people. The noise is still the same. |
| It is still busy with
lots of tables playing games which we don't understand. The people seem very
ordinary to us
But it's all a bit beyond our ken - and increasingly our interest.
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