For anyone who knows about Vegas, it basically needs no introduction. It's a land of luck and entertainment sprinkled with a bit of sleaze and glamour and is America's largest play land where "anything goes". The history and flavor of Vegas is linked with mafia involvement, legendary crooners, movie moguls, Hollywood elite and governing royalty.
We were back in the desert and crossed into Nevada with a hot temperature of 95F (35C). Our time changed to Pacific Standard Time putting our clocks back one hour. Once more, our view became dusty and dry with a mountainous scape in the distance.
Towering rock faces with curved edges greeted us along I-15 south creating walls on either side of the road. At an elevation of 2,000 feet, it then became surprisingly flat. Low lying scrubby bushes and Joshua trees were green dots against the yellow-beige soil.
This was again the land of tumble weeds and we witnessed one blow across our path.
Then suddenly out of the desert burst a city. Concrete and blacktop everywhere with signs announcing various hotels and casinos only amped up the heat and it became a stifling 100F (37.3C). Welcome to Vegas.
Our next stay was at Arizona Charlie's Hotel/Casino and Campground which was just out of town and away from the traffic and mayhem of the Vegas strip.
After setting up camp, we went exploring and walked over to Arizona Charlie's Casino, conveniently located about 100 yards away from our campsite. We checked out the promotions for "first timers" like us to earn points while gambling. Then we grabbed some late lunch/early dinner at the casino buffet which was $9.98 per person plus 10% off with a casino card (promotions).
With our bellies full and the evening upon us, we hopped into the car and headed towards the main strip of Vegas to see the sights. Traffic was horrible! Lots of gawkers, limos, buses and sightseers brought vehicle travel to a slow crawl. The one and only time I had been to Las Vegas was back in 1995 and boy, had it grown. I was torn between being awed and repulsed by the sensory overload of it all. All of the big name hotels and casinos were vying for attention by being bigger, better, flashier, louder, and bolder than the other. Vegas at night is like fantasy land.
Vegas is legendary for its cheap eats (inexpensive prices for food), if you know where to find them.The next day we ate breakfast at Arizona Charlie's casino deli that had steak and eggs for breakfast for $4.99. The steak was a bit chewy but not bad for the price.
Rick and I, along with our travel companions Janet and Ralph, headed out in the car to experience the older (but still famous) section of Vegas called Fremont Street. Along our way, we drove by oddities and lots of advertising then headed down the main strip once again. To me, Vegas looked less awe inspiring by day. Must be all those neon lights at night.
We passed the pawn shop made famous on American television in a series called Pawn Stars which first aired in 2009 and is currently in it's 12th season.
Did you know Vegas hosts approximately 115,000 "I do's" a year? It's a booming business so I wasn't surprised to see so many wedding chapels. Vegas has been synonymous with inexpensive, hassle-free ceremonies for decades. They even had drive-thru windows for any couples who couldn't be bothered with even getting out of their cars.
Once we reached Fremont Street...
...we saw THE SIGN made so popular in so many old and new movies involving Vegas and that has welcomed so many visitors.
We parked in a nearby parking garage and took the elevator to the Fremont Street lower level. Notice the name "Slotzilla" (below) at Level 1? I'll explain in a moment.
Americans are already known for doing things in a big way. Here are two fine examples. One was a marquee that advertised an ultimate adventure you could reserve called "Bullets and Burgers" where you could shoot a .50 caliber machine gun, ride an ATV and eat some of the best burgers around. The other was a restaurant called "Heart Attack Grill". This establishment had a hospital theme with waitresses dressed in slinky nurse outfits who took orders (called "prescriptions") from customers (called "patients"). Each "patient" donned a hospital gown before ordering and those who did not finish their meal got a paddling by one of the sexy nurses. The menu included burgers called single, double, triple and quadruple bypasses ranging from 8-32 ounces (230 - 910 grams) of beef. Customers who weighed over 350 pounds got to eat free. The entire menu had been referred to as "nutritional pornography" due to the insane calories, use of pure lard in frying and overall lack of balance. Welcome to Vegas.
As if that wasn't enough...these gentleman were preparing to eat glass for money. Yup, real glass.
Now, back to "Slotzilla", as I promised earlier. "Slotzilla" was a gigantic slot machine located at one end of Fremont Street. "Slotzilla" spinned its wheels, got 4 of a kind then the machine opened up and out popped zip liners. Zip liners rode in harnesses along a wire over Fremont Street. Fremont Street was open at one end then a canopy hovered over the remainder of the street with casinos and shops below. Special note: the canopy lights up at night in a fantastic display to music - worth seeing.
Old Vegas still had its allure due to the famous casinos that lined Fremont Street. I personally am enamored by the grand ole days when Sinatra and his Rat Pack were the Vegas aura and talent was supreme in so many ways. But those days remain in my mind and have sadly faded away. So, I can only write now what I see.
One of the well known casinos along Fremont was Binion's Horseshoe, which was founded by Benny Binion in 1951. It stayed in the family until 2004 then was bought by a large corporation. The casino was the first to begin high stakes tables and from 1970 to 2005, Binions hosted the World Series of Poker (WSOP) which boasted a cash prize of multi millions and a most coveted bracelet made of gold, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. Binions used to have a cash display of one hundred $10,000 gold certificates behind clear glass that spawned the desire for selfies for decades ranging from Charles Manson to a streaker.
Just when you think you've seen it all, up pops Elvis and "the string bikini bunny man", both working for tips from passersby. Oh...be extra vigilant when walking along Fremont, day or night. Pickpockets and sleazy people are on the hunt for naive tourists. If you get approached by a man or woman holding cards in their hands and they ask you to look at one of the cards, just walk away. The cards are pornographic and these men or women are "salespeople" trying to lure customers. I personally thought Fremont Street was seedy overall and I wasn't really impressed. There were some cheap eats in some of the casinos but the casinos themselves were a bit rundown, outdated and gaudy in a "red velvet" kind of way.
There was more to Nevada than just Vegas. The Hoover Dam was a must see. This massive engineering project was impressive just in sheer size. Built between 1931 and 1936, this huge arched concrete dam tamed the Colorado River and turned water into hydro electric energy.
This memorial was dedicated to a no name dog who was found as a puppy by the Hoover Dam workers. He showed up faithfully every day and became the mascot of the Dam. When he passed, the workers built a monument the same day.
For all those who worked and died making this dream a reality, this plaque is in rememberance of them.
Next, we head to California...follow me: California - Weldon (Part 1)
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