In January 2000, Kara and Steven
paid a visit to our
new home in Las Vegas.
The weather was great, so we were able to see lots of sites.
We visited 15 casinos, rode 2 roller coasters and the "Hot
Shot", took a trip to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, saw
2 great shows (Mystere - a Cirque du Soleil production - and
Sigfried and Roy), toured Anthem and Henderson, witnessed all
of the free Las Vegas extravaganzas, and had dinner with Susan
and Neil. Whew!!
Here are some of the
highlights (most photos by Kara & Steven).
On the way to The
Hoover Dam, we pass the beautiful Lake Mead. The first picture
was taken from the highway approach. The second photo is of the
Lake Mead Marina. The panoramic view was provided by a Lake Mead
promotional web site (works for me).
Below are some shots
of the Dam taken from the top.
Here's the big picture
as viewed from Arizona
We managed to visit
15 different casinos in 3 days. Some of the best are shown below.
The Bellagio
and its beautiful fountains
The Excalibur
This was Kara's
favorite, so you get 3 exterior perspectives. Inside, the "fierce"
dragon provided a backdrop. Outside, what more appropriate backdrop
for Kara than a castle.
night and day
at The
New York, New
York
(no, not the
city - the Las Vegas hotel/casino)
A
"Kodak moment" outside the casino Our
firefighters discover a NY alternative
One of the big attractions
of New York, New York is the Manhattan
Express a roller coaster
located just outside the hotel/casino. This 3 minute, nearly
one mile long, ride takes you past all of the famous NY landmarks
(right side up and upside down) at a speed of 70 mph and with
drops of 75 and 145 feet. Here's some evidence:
and, as you
can see below, some folks still don't act their age
The Luxor
a plane flies
over the pyramid at sunset
In addition to the beautiful
exterior and interior re-creation of Venice - including the Piazza
San Marco and a mini-canal complete with gondolas and singing
gondoliers, this hotel/casino also houses the Las Vegas version
of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Here are Kara and Steven posing
with some of their favorite stars.
Kara and Joe
Montana - Steven with Eddie Murphy - Kara does her Al Roker
Paris - Las
Vegas
(looks good in any light)
... or from
the road
Caesar's Palace
... where Kara
& Steven mingled with the Romans
the Palace at
night
The Mirage
At night, the
beautiful fountain in front of the hotel transforms every 15
minutes into an active volcano with violent eruptions that shoot
flames into the sky
Inside, one
of the most popular shows in Las Vegas is Siegfried and Roy,
a spectacular production featuring magic, special effects and
rare white lions and tigers
Outside the
hotel, a statue demonstrates how "big" these guys are
in Vegas
Outside this hotel/casino
a spectacular battle takes place several times each night in
the lagoon shown above. The pirate ship Hispaniola and the H.M.S.
Brittania stage an explosive battle complete with cannon fire,
thunderous explosions and the sinking of one of the ships! The
special effects are great.
Inside you'll
find one of the most popular shows in Las Vegas - Mystere - a Cirque du Soleil production, with wonderful music,
incredible acrobatic performances and some funny stuff.
Here's a sample
of what we saw during this show
The MGM Grand
The entrance
to this hotel/casino features a great lion sculpture
Inside, the
lions at the Lion Habitat are real and close to you
Kara & Steven
visit the "kids" at the Lion Habitat
The Stratosphere
By day, it's
the tallest building west of the Mississippi
At the top are
two thrill rides - a roller coaster and the "Big Shot"
Yes, Kara &
Steven rode them both. Here's a view of the brave (terrified?)
duo riding the Big Shot and a view of Las Vegas from the roller
coaster
Kara and Nancy
in front of The Orleans, an older casino located off The
Strip
M&M World
OK, this isn't
a casino, but it is located on The Strip
Steven, Kara
and friend
Last, but not
least, here are a couple of Henderson highlights
Ron Lee's World
of Clowns (featuring 3 of ours)
The cactus garden
at Ethel M's
That's all folks!
