Vegas, baby!

I've been away!  Since there was only the wired kind of internet - who carries cables anymore? - I had a few days away from my computer.  No emails; no blogging, no news.  Kind of a nice vacation from technology.

Las Vegas has always been about #110 on my bucket list of one hundred things to do.  However, when your little brother remarries after being a widower for a number of years AND he plans to get married here:

well, you just go, don't you?  Since I don't really gamble - I lost my entire stake of $5 - and shows are definitely not my thing, what would I ever find to do?

 
First off, we walked.  And we walked .  And walked.  The Strip may be only six miles long but a visit to each resort/hotel will mean an extra six miles of walking.  Maybe I exaggerate just a bit but that's how it felt.  I did enjoy the themes.  This is a hotel disguised as the New York skyline with the big roller coaster all around it.  This is all one big movie set, really, and I have now visited many parts of the world with a few hours of walking.  Some places I liked better than others.

This was my favorite part of the world:  Venice.  I'm pretty sure it's not completely like this in reality but the effects were superb.  The sky overhead is cleverly painted and lit so that it's always a warm summer evening.  And you can ride the gondolas through the Grand Canal with a gondolier at the helm.    Not something I did since I only endure boats the size of cruise ships.

I found a wildlife refuge at the Flamingo  with lots of water, trees and birds.  A quiet place to rest from the smoke and noise of the casinos.  You can't escape the casinos...let's be real: that's why the place exists at all.

I stood by the Monte Carlo and cared not a bit for the decor.  It's like all the rest of this world: huge.  Nothing is human scale.

Instead, I fixed my eye on a new-to-me bird: the great-tailed grackle which was splashing and chattering at a fountain.

I was charmed by this Victorian conservatory at the Bellagio.  But see how big it is?  There is also a butterfly habitat but we couldn't get into it.  You can watch them flying about the enclosure from a few feet away, though.  I'm sure they are as happy as captive creatures can be.  And us being inside their environment would not add to their happiness.

One of the features of this part of Las Vegas - they say that there are other parts of the city -  were the ever-present restrooms.  Everywhere.  And so clean and comfortable.  I was very impressed.  The decorating extended to these places, too.  Here is the prettiest entrance to one at the Palazzo - the photos start at my eye level and go up. 

But I was here for a wedding. And here are the happy bride and groom.  Congratulations, Geoff & Kathy! Elvis did good.