Exploring Vegas – a city of contrasts

So Today was the only day I have to explore Las Vegas…so I did

I forgot my camera at home, so I had to buy one. Great success at Fry's just outside the city limits. After that I took a cab to Freemont Street to see the famous video-ceiling. Even though it was nice, I suppose the real atmosphere kicks in after 9 PM.

After that I decided to walk back to the hotel and see the highlights on the way back. It's about six miles from Freemont to the Luxor, so my feet hurt a bit while writing this post J

Just after Freemont Street (up until the strip on Las Vegas Boulevard) there is different world. No glamour, no flashing lights, but poverty and loaning advertisement. An absolute contrast to what I now believe is the Capitalism capital of the Western world.

From time to time the over-aged buildings were split by e.g. a wedding chapel or something similar. I would not advice to visit this area during the night. At some point I even walked back from a particular street to find a different route. Didn't feel save at the time to walk there with my passport and wallet. I felt like a typical tourist.

Onwards the "strip" brings you the well-known hotels like the Sahara, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and the Mirage.

Every hotel has a thematic gimmick (besides the shows) ranging from roller coasters to replicas of the Eiffel Tower (Paris hotel) or Manhattan (New York New York). One of the most spectacular ones is the Stratosphere hotel which includes a space needle type of tower approx. 329m. in height.

Small stop at the Bellagio's to check the famous fountain show. Just got there in time to see it J

Somewhere down the middle I had lunch at the Hard Rock café. Nothing special…it's in every major city. This one had something interesting. A Microsoft Surface wall showing rock star artifacts. Using your hands, you can enlarge the images and retrieve additional information. Very cool stuff.

Finally I got back to the hotel passing the MGM Grand, New York New York and Excalibur (all connected using bridges and walk-throughs).