Vegas

Carolyn had never been to Las Vegas. We made a trip to fill this cultural void. Sara joined us from LA. We saw the Cubs last spring game, visited Hoover Dam and toured the Strip.

I can't tell you everything that happened in Vegas but here is the public version.
I was last in Vegas 25 years ago. What I now saw was nearly all new. Here is the Wynn Hotel, designed by Steve Wynn who also designed the Mirage, Treaure Island and The Bellagio. It was built on the sight of the old Desert Inn.

Here's the Paris Hotel and Casino. The Eiffel Tower is built to 1/2 scale of the original. Notice the Arc de Triomphe next to it.

Italy is also represented. This is the Venetian Hotel complete with ...


Gondolas and singing boatwomen on the Grand Canal! The Venetian Hotel took the place of the legendary Sands Hotel.

You can see the New York skyline without leaving Vegas. Here's the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge and a Coney Island roller coaster thrown in.

We watched the pirate ship battle at Treasure Island.


Probably our favorite, however, was The Bellagio with its ...

Incredible fountain show

and its beautiful indoor gardens.

After a 25 year gap, the only landmark I remember from my earlier trips to Vegas was the venerable old Caesar's Palace.