Las Vegas -- unique gems or turds among recreations?

I've been through Las Vegas a few times. First as a child with my parents, in the fifties, not sure we even stayed there.. I think we went on to a motel somewhere past.

Second, I as a seventeen year old, along with a film crew with my dad. We stayed at the Hacienda. This was 1959. I was impressed with the great buffets (to me, then) and the jackrabbit out the window, on the golf course. My dad won two hundred dollars and I tried to drag him away. He lost it soon after.

With girlpals, for one's birthday. I was exceptionally poor. I remember scraping for the money for breakfast. Remember spending a total of $7.00 for the time there, except for my contribution to the room for the four of us. Also still have a photo I took on the way there, at a rest stop... sign on the women's room - WOMEN, NO DOGS.

With my husband, perhaps 1993, on a gentle ride around southern california, including death valley with nobody there, wrong time of year.

I was keen on all the neon.. and wanted to see all the swimming pools. Swimming pools are not my favorite things, but I appreciate some of them, and need to know about them for my profession. Mostly I refit them for gardens...

still, I wanted to see them, and there was a strike.

We did strike break (me a union babe), I think to go into the Tropicana, where I took an unauthorized photo of nothing but the usual casino room. But I backed off from exploring the rest.

I need to see new things in landscape design, the more as I get less and less innovative on purpose. Still, I like to see stuff, re technology.

I've been there 2 times, not for long either time. I had a lay over once and the other time we used the city as a start and end point for a SW drive through. I can't help you much except for to say drive around. We saw some weird things while driving. Why not try asking your hotel's front desk?

Thankee, people. (A couple of my favorites has shown up).

I'm staying at the Aladdin (ooh ooh ooh!) and am hoping to see something unusual,* and I expect there desk folk wouldn't point me to it. Or mebbe they would... Just looking to see if someone recommends something... different.

(I should probably beware of what I'm asking for, though.)




*Granted, LV is inherently unusual, in it's way.

Pdog, the staff at the casinos aren't all normal, maybe you need to find the right person to ask. I stayed at the stratosphere. I never even went up into the tower. Sigh.

I have passed thru Vegas often on my way to San Diego, one time i went onto "the strip" stayed about 30 mins, I usually like to wonder about the old "Fremont Street" where I often have a really fun time.

Point taken, l'il kay. Thing is, us princely-types can't fraternize with the help. (Ha!)

Fremont Street. Will file it away in my mind.



The times I've been there, the town kind of puts a zap on my head. I'm more comfortable pulling off the highway between Needles and Barstow than hanging out in casinos, so I think I'm just looking for a safety valve -- a middle of the night mission.

hmmm....