ANYA’S 3-DAY TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, 21-24 AUG 2001
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Our
trip was *HOT* as can be seen on this huge thermometer near Death Valley,
but temperatures in Las Vegas hit 114º (F) while we were there. At night,
it was still almost 100º (F).
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We
stayed at the Excalibar Hotel which is reasonably priced and conveniently
located to the rest of the major casinos and everything we wanted to
see on the Las Vegas Strip.
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The
girls loved this dragon which is located in one of the entrances to
the Excalibar.
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Even
better, they FINALLY found their “Knight in Shinning Armor!”
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What’s
better than ONE “Knight in Shinning Armor?” Obviously, TWO
Knights!
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The
rooms in the Excalibar did not begin to match those in the Luxor or
other more expensive Hotels, but they were spacious and comfortable
and the price was affordable. Besides, we were NOT in the room except
to sleep!
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Lena
and I had stayed at the Luxor (located next to the Excalibar) on our
first visit and we were excited about taking Anya there for a tour and
to sample their buffet.
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Some
of the artifacts, art work, and statues which compliment the decor of
the Luxor are truly impressive.
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This
is another (of many) such statues in the Luxor.
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Of
course, the “Talking Camels” (which have recorded voices giving
information to people) are something to remember—but difficult
to photograph because of their size and the low lighting.
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Across
the street from the Excalibar is the New York Casino and Hotel with
its ROLLER COASTER. Anya was the ONLY one of us who tried THAT adventure!
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Like
many of the hotels and casinos, the New York is even more impressive
when viewed at night.
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This
view of the New York casino floor is typical of most—lots and lots
of slot machines plus every other imaginable gambling game designed
to part the player from his money.
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The
entrance to the Bellagio Hotel is another impressive sight...
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...as
are the gardens in the center of the Bellagio.
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Even
Steve had to have his photo taken in this colorful location.
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Caesar’s
Palace has been completely renovated since we were there previously
and, initially, we did not even recognize it.
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Of
course, this huge statue of Caesar rather dominates one section of the
shopping arcade.
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These
life-size VERY realistic works of art were impressive, but not something
(at $6,000 and up) everyone could afford to own!
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This
“security guard” did not seem to have the answer to our question!
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The
MGM Grand is located on the opposite corner from the Excalibar and is
another huge hotel and casino.
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Within
easy walking distance down the Strip is the Paris Hotel which Lena and
I had not seen on our last trip. The scale model Eiffel Tower offers
an excellent view of Las Vegas both in the daytime and night.
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We
took the trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night and were impressed
with the rather incredible view one has of the entire Las Vegas Strip.
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This
is one of the photos we shot (with the Venetian Hotel on the left in
the foreground) of the Strip from the Tower.
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These
larger dollar slot machines are impressive for taking a photo, but they
certainly did not pay out any jackpots to us!
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One
rather impressive sight which we saw sitting in one casino was this
display of ONE MILLION DOLLARS in US CURRENCY stacked in a tamper-proof
display case.
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