Okay, I admit that I'm not too adventurous, despite what our current lifestyle might lead you to believe. So even though I felt compelled to take in a little bit of Las Vegas while we were in the area, I was too chicken to do much more than drive up and down the main drag of the city and leave it at that. And we even did it in the daytime, no less! I've heard too many frightening stories about things that happen to innocent tourist in downtown Las Vegas at night, like prostitutes trying to sell their "wares" to you, etc. Eek!
So I told the boys that we would drive up and down "The Strip" during mid-morning, see all the casinos and wedding chapels, and stop at the historic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign at the end of the strip to take a picture.
We did indeed see all the wedding chapels and casinos, and they are really something to behold! So beautiful and extravagant! I can only imagine what they look like at night all lit up, or what they look like inside!
However, even just driving up and down the strip exposed us to some... well... unsavory experiences. We had the pleasure of seeing a big, burly man with a full beard dressed up in drag (which I will never understand, because even most women I know don't like to wear dresses), not to mention the huge signs advertising topless women and strip clubs. Sigh.
We made it to the end of the strip and to the famous sign and had planned to park and take a picture of it with all of us standing underneath it. However, we couldn't find parking. After circling around several times, I noticed that TV camera crews were setting up at that location. I figured we weren't going to be getting near that sign any time soon, so on our last go-round I rolled down my window and told the boys to snap their pictures through the car window as we drove past! (Came to find out from that evening's television news report that the Nevada governor and Senator Harry Reid were giving a quick press conference in front of that sign that afternoon lauding the use of renewable energy in Nevada. Once again my plans were foiled by politicians!)
We made it to the end of the strip and to the famous sign and had planned to park and take a picture of it with all of us standing underneath it. However, we couldn't find parking. After circling around several times, I noticed that TV camera crews were setting up at that location. I figured we weren't going to be getting near that sign any time soon, so on our last go-round I rolled down my window and told the boys to snap their pictures through the car window as we drove past! (Came to find out from that evening's television news report that the Nevada governor and Senator Harry Reid were giving a quick press conference in front of that sign that afternoon lauding the use of renewable energy in Nevada. Once again my plans were foiled by politicians!)
Before leaving the downtown area, we noticed the famous pawn shop where the television show "Pawn Stars" is filmed. It would have been neat to go inside, but the line was clear out the door and down the sidewalk! So, we just passed on by. (But not without snapping a picture first!)
That short-distance drive ended up taking more than two hours! The traffic on the strip, even during mid-morning, is thick. I can't imagine what it would be like in the nighttime when the city comes alive!
So there's my story about Las Vegas. I'm afraid it isn't too much of a story, but there it is anyway.
