End Of The World!: Las Vegas Trip - A Walk Down Las Vegas Boulevard

As promised...........let's take a walk down Las Vegas Boulevard. As I write this, it occurs to me that I should mention that when I take pictures while on vacation or a trip somewhere such as Vegas, I generally do not do so with any pre-planned ideas of including these pictures on the blog. I certainly do not take pictures to go along with any particular tale to tell or any other concept or idea for the blog........and yet somehow I do know that I will take some pictures that I fully intend to share with everyone. When I write this, I basically "wing it" and hope for the best.

Right next door to the Bellagio sits Caesar's Palace........and it is huge...........then again........everything is huge in Vegas.

There is much to see while talking a walk down Las Vegas Boulevard. Everywhere you look.......up........down.......to the right or left..............sometimes it is like being in an outdoor museum.......statues......fountains.......works of art everywhere.

The Caesars Palace complex is a story of it's own............but we won't be going inside just yet........today is about the outside......the walk on the boulevard. Just walking around on the Caesars property is enough exercise for anyone..............we will deal with the inside at night.

As we walked along..........rode the escalators........yes......escalators.......to access the pedestrian walkways that bridge the traffic.........you cannot help but notice that traffic. Embedded in that traffic are reminders that you are in "sin city". Cross the road and you are reminded again and again by guys lined up along the sidewalks, passing out cards and advertisements hawking nearby strip clubs, private escort services and the like. These guys are everywhere and accost you at every turn................not a big problem, but a bit irritating nonetheless.

Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo.

Look..........Donnie and Marie Osmond are performing at the Flamingo.........I remember when they both were just little kids and they looked like teeth with legs.

Westward Ho!.............

Across the street is the Mirage..........that stone structure is the volcano that goes off somethi9ng like every half hour at night........flames.....water......loud noises.....music........more free stuff to see.

Across from the Mirage is The Venetian............which is a huge complex of buildings.......hotel.....casino.....shops.....condos........it is just huge.

A nice touch here is that they have people-mover sidewalks and escalators............and after hoofing it down Las Vegas Boulevard from the Bellagio, it was a very welcomed sight to see. My legs were killing me................I could rest and still "move forward"......hehehe.

Once inside The Venetian, you have to make sure you look upward...............it is stunning.

Inside The Venetian is what is known as the Canal Shoppes.........unless you actually enter The Venetian, you would have no idea of what you will find inside............there is a reason the word "canal" is used here.

The statue seen in the photo above....is NOT a statue at all............it's a real human being standing there, motionless..........a "street performer".............take a picture of him and put a buck or two on the railing..............does he blink?.........rarely.......hehehe.

Look up and you see sky...........well........it's not a real sky........but you could swear that it is and sometime it appears that the clouds actually move...........but they don't..........it is all painted.

Here is an odd shop..........they sell oxygen...........yep......it's an oxygen bar.........go figure. Before long, ole Al Gore will want these places banned because if you breathe in more oxygen, you breathe out more carbon dioxide and thus contribute more to global climate change......hehehe.

All sorts of shops..............and very expensive ones at that. These are the kind of shops that Michael Jackson would go into and buy up stuff that he didn't need.

No.........these are not Michael Jackson pajamas..........hehehe........but costumes. You really do not want to know the price on this stuff.

Oh.............that's right..........this is called the Canal Shoppes........because there is a canal inside! Complete with gondolas with drivers that sing old Italian songs like Ole Sole Mio as you drift along the canal. It's like being in Venice, Italy............but you are actually in the Nevada desert.

It is hard to believe that all of what you see is inside this shopping mall on steroids.

It seems endless..........

.......a world inside another world...........

........and if that wasn't enough for you..........you reach the end of the Canal Shoppes and end up here:

Whoa!..............I am standing at the top of a waterfall.......looking downward........and there is a familiar display of oriental art..............

Here is a look back at that waterfall.

You have to remember to look upward...............it is impressive.

No.......we are not back at the Bellagio.......this is inside The Venetian......more Year Of The Tiger festiveness.

You do not have to gamble in Vegas.............there is so much to see and do that is free.........

.............but there are alot of people that do gamble.............and The Venetian has its share of them.

Did I mention that I enjoyed this walk?............okay, so we head back out onto Las Vegas Boulevard.

As you can see.........Donald Trump has a spot.......

...........and what could that be?

One year, we stayed at Treasure Island...........we had a great time there.........and it is right across the street from The Venetian.

Spaceship?............aliens have invaded?..........this is odd..........but what is it?..............well........it is some sort of shopping complex across from the new Wynn hotel.

The last time I was in Vegas, they were still building this place.

We didn't go inside but we did walk past the man-made waterfalls that sit in front of the Wynn.

Looking west towards downtown Vegas.

We headed back eastward on the other side of the boulevard...........this is part of the Venetian complex.

We are in front of the Treasure Island hotel and casino............it is a pirate themed place with pirate ships that do battle every night.

A short walk towards the Mirage next door and you see this shrine to Siegfried & Roy.

We didn't hang around too long at the Mirage as we had already dissected the place on a previous trip.........but I must say that there is much to do at the Mirage........a huge aquarium, zoo, shows, volcano............

............but we needed to be outdoors, we had already spent alot of time indoors at The Venetian.

We then walked back the rest of the way to the Bellagio...............and somehow.........even though we are in Sin City........loaded with questionable things and activities.......and amongst all of the eye candy and tourist trappings.......this place still has people that suffer and are in need..........

Usually you might see a guy like this anywhere in the world with a sign that reads "I am hungry" or "Homeless....need food". On this day, I saw this guy.......with this sign..........and he was as motionless as the "human statue" inside The Venetian..........and it brought a smile to my face. I hate dishonesty.............nobody wants to be scammed............and this guy was at least "honest"..............I gave him a few bucks.