| Before we head downtown, a couple of non-casino items. This is a Catholic church right on the Las Vegas strip. I guess this is where you go to pray for luck. I'm not the only idiot to take a picture of this place. You can see two Japanese tourists in the foreground doing the same. |  |
| What would Vegas be without little wedding chapels? This one also gives marriage information. I wonder what that is. It's also open until midnight for those last minute weddings. |  |
| It's getting dark now and we are downtown on Fremont Street. This is the old sign from the Hacienda. (Were you paying attention?) It is one of several old signs saved from the boneyard and preserved for display. At least someone in this town has a sense of history. |
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| On Fremont Street are some of the older, more recognizable casinos. The street is closed to traffic for about five or six blocks and is a pedestrian mall. I remember this place from the opening to the television show "Vegas" with Robert Urich. |  |
| Ooh, pretty lights. The Fremont Street folks have really pulled together to make this part of town a place to visit. Since it's pretty far from the strip where most people stay nowadays (that didn't stop me from walking the whole way), they have really had to pool their efforts while competing at the same time. |
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| The famous Vegas Vic sign at the Pioneer Casino. |
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| These signs just looked kind of old and historic. I don't know what Glitter Gulch used to be, but now it's a strip club. |
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| In order to make Fremont Street more attractive to tourists, they built a long canopy spanning this whole section of the street. Every evening they have light shows. It is pretty cool. Downtown Las Vegas is not a place you really want to be at night, but it is worth a visit to see the show. |
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| Heading back to the Flamingo, here is a shot of the strip at night. I don't know what was glowing to the left. |
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| Like I mentioned earlier, many casinos have special attraction at night. The volcano in front of the Mirage erupts every half hour or something. |
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| Here is where I stayed while in hell...er, I mean Las Vegas. One thing I didn't mention is that along the strip Mexican and Asian immigrants hand out advertisement fliers and cards for "adult entertainment." Okay, prostitutes. (I was watching "Six Feet Under" on HBO last week and several characters were in Vegas for a convention and they were given similar items. How realistic! Of course one of them called a number on one of the ads and had a gay rendezvous with a male escort in a parking garage, but that is a scene I'd rather try to forget.) Anyway, this is the third oldest property on the strip. Remember the movie "Bugsy?" This was his place. Well, not exactly. It has passed hands several times and has been redeveloped many times, but it does have some mobster heritage. |  |
| This is one of the several pools at the Flamingo. Lots of tropical trees and plants, rocks and waterfalls, and mist machines. As you can see they were crowded too. |  |
| Meanwhile, at another pool... The
Flamingo has a pretty big garden area in back with some interesting animals, including
flamingos (obviously) and these penguins. But the Penguin Hotel and Casino just doesn't
sound very enticing, so I guess Flamingo was a better choice. So, there is your virtual tour of Las Vegas. |
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