The Las Vegas Strip Day Tour
. . . . Please Read . . . .
This and the pages that follow are done differently from all the past others of our travels. There are many photographs and most are familiar to the viewers so there is little to no narrative. I have made it possible to immediately see a large image of the small ones listed on this page or you can just skip to the link near the bottom and click through a slide show. To view a large image from this page, as well as others similar, just click on the thumbnail. Click again on that image and it will close. There is also a slide show of just photos. This content requires Adobe Flash Player version 8.0 or above. The link is just before the links to the other pages. It will open in a new window, just click "Close" to exit. This slide show operates in a fashion that is often seen on the web. Just click on the arrows beneath the photo. Drag the window to a larger size, the photographs will expand as the size of the window increases. Javascript Allowed is required for methods of view. Also, there are several panoramas scattered through the site. These photographs are not in the slide show because of the width. Be sure to click on them when you see them because it is best to see these full size. So with those formalities out of the way, on with the show.
We had only one full day and one night to see how Las Vegas had changed. Right outside the Circus Circus Hotel we saw a double-decker tour bus picking up people. Inquiring with the ticket seller, we learned that the ticket would be good for the entire day and that we could get off and back on wherever we wanted. The bus traveled the entire length of the Strip and made 16 stops along its route. The lower level was air conditioned and the upper level was hot, simply Las Vegas hot — but no humidity!
The fourth photograph below is of an unfinished hotel. We saw another that was not near as complete as this one. The next day we learned from out taxi driver that construction was stopped about 2 years earlier, the developer or owner just ran out of money. This corresponds to a construction project here in Cincinnati for a combination shopping mall, parking garage and condominium. In this case, construction stopped in December 2008 and nothing as been done since. A sign of the times.
We got off the bus at the Treasure Island Hotel as its surroundings caught our eye. Boy, was it hot! Mieko and I are walking on the sidewalk facing south, we are shading our eyes and forehead with pamphlets and maps. A man with an organization's shirt of something with name tags and official looking hat stopped us to remind us that we should not be out in the heat and sun without a hat. Yeah, we knew that but we were without that gear at the time.
Back on the bus where it is cool and we are traveling again. But there was one photograph that was out of order. The first photograph, the photo of the Las Vegas Welcome sign, is of the sign that is on the southern most end of the Strip. This sign was designed back in the 50's and was not copyrighted by the designer. It has become one of the symbols of Vegas and the artist has gotten nothing.
Off the bus and back at the Circus Circus. The first month after moving to Vegas back in 1972, we stayed in a motel across the street and to the north of this hotel. The Circus Circus was the only hotel/casino that welcomed children so very often we would take Bill and David here to have some fun. It has since been expanded in a huge way. Parts of the expanded Circus Circus now occupies the land where the motel was. The entry has also been moved to the rear on the west side whereas in the 70's it was on the east side. We stayed here on arrival mainly because it was cheap, oh so cheap — $30 per night.
It is now the day we pick up the RV. Our plans once we have it, we will travel to Nellis Air Force Base and make use of the commissary to stock up on food stuffs. Before going on base we thought we would try to find where we lived. Like so many things, the house and the street are gone. The military housing looks relatively new as the landscaping was still young. The Base proper looks so much better than it did in the early 70's. Someone is to be commended for the overall appearance following a desert theme, the color of the buildings and the landscaping is beautiful. Way back when, the commissary was so small children on foot were not allowed and to help people with children too large for the shopping cart, there was a child care center close-by. The present commissary is large and well stocked.
We stayed the first night in the RV at a RV Park on North Las Vegas Blvd. This was for two purposes, to experience an overnight in our rental and to give us the opportunity for an early start the next day for our drive to Zion National Park.
