A Trip Down the Strip

(Las Vegas, NV) Hi 99 Lo 75 -- We took a trip down Las Vegas Blvd this morning just to see what’s changed since the last time we were here. It wasn’t real hot like we thought it would be. It did get up to 97 today, but the dry heat is much better than the humidity in the east. One place we wanted to see was the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, home of the "Pawn Stars." We watch that show all the time on TV, so we wanted to see what the store is like, and maybe get a glimpse of the pawn stars themselves.(Click on the pictures to make them larger)








We thought the place would be really crowded, but we found a parking space and walked right in. The store is a lot larger than it looks on TV. The stars of the show were in the back of the store, and we were told they come out several times a day to meet their fans. But we didn't see them while we were there.  :(  We talked to one of the security guards and he said there’s a camera crew on site every day. When a customer comes in with an interesting item to sell the crew is called and they come out to film the transaction.

Here's some views of the inside of the store.










That was worth the stop. We then took a drive down the famous Las Vegas strip.


The Stratosphere. There's a roller coaster at the top, and also a scary ride that shoots you out over the edge of the tower. Not for us!




The Trump Tower.


This looks like a space ship.


We saw the Beatles show “Love” several years ago at the Mirage, and it’s still playing.




The Bellagio.


The main difference in Vegas since we last visited about  six years ago is the size of the video boards advertising all the shows and headliners. They're now HUGE, and in beautiful high definition!


New York, New York.


The Luxor pyramid. If I was to pick a show to see, this would be the one. I love Criss Angel.








Another view of New York, New York.


I'll bet it's a great view from these balconies.


You don't have to spend much time in Vegas before an Elvis sighting.


Traffic was very light today. Nice!


A view of the famous Freemont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. This is quite a thing to see at night. They put on spectacular LED light shows on that arched ceiling.


It's hard to get lost in Las Vegas. Basically everything is on Las Vegas Blvd., which runs all the way from Nellis AFB right through downtown and the Strip.

We stopped at Hooters Hotel and Casino for lunch. (Jim said he wanted some wings, that's the only reason we stopped there.) We're not much into gambling, but on the way through the casino Jim bought $10 worth of chips and played some Blackjack at the $3 table. (Big spender, right?) He managed to milk that $10 for about a half hour and came out $8.50 ahead.

We stopped at Walmart for a few items and then came back to the RV. It was a fun day just being tourists. Tomorrow we move north one more stop before Carson City, where we'll settle down for a few weeks.

See you in two days.