#185 Motionless

The Tin Men are amazing entertainers on the streets

(and in the hotels) of Las Vegas.

This is my last Las Vegas post. Promise. It was a fun two days!

#199 Nightlife

Freemont Street Experience is just that - an experience. That's the actual name of the street which used to be "old" Las Vegas. This collage is my feeble attempt at capturing the light show. Imagine a three block long curved roof over the street. At night, every hour on the hour, there is a short light/music show. The images flash, swoosh, race and crash into your brain as you get a crick in your neck looking up. We were lucky to catch this psychedelic performance done to "American Pie" by Don McLean. That means is was an eight and half minute spectacle. I just kept clicking pictures.

The street is quite the community attraction, even for families who brought their children. Never a dull moment!

#165 Large

It's the Year of the Rabbit and each hotel did a great job! I hope you can see the smaller photos. The rabbit and the emperor were at least twenty-five feet high, maybe more. I'm not good at estimating. Good luck and happy new year to all the rabbits, bunnies and hares!

Can you imagine what they (the hotel display designers) do for the other holidays? Wow!

#357 What is That?

What is that? That is a photo of the mirror on the ceiling above the world's largest chocolate fountain at the Jean Phillipe Patisserie in the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. I know it's the world's largest because the sign says so. Also the Guinness Book of World Records says so. It's hard to make it out in this photo because you are looking at the bottom and reflected top of the glass bowls which form the fountain.
The fountain is behind glass. I was hoping for a fondue arrangement like I experienced at a banquet once. Chocolate dipped banana - yummmm. Alas, no sampling.

This was on my must-see list. Success! (In case you are wondering why I didn't choose the Chocolate theme for this, I have other places in mind.)

For more information go to: http://www.jpchocolates.com/

#97 Fashion

Not my cup of tea but I'm sure others really like these shoes (sorry about the metaphor mix-up). Found at a store called "arche" who warn "our products can be addicting." This shop was one of the many high-end shops in the Venetian Hotel.

There are five things you can do at a Las Vegas hotel: be an overnight guest, gamble, eat at one of several restaurants, shop, or be a free-loading tourist. Guess what we did.

#246 Roadside

Roadside art on one of the highways in Las Vegas. For the inexperienced, the animals are left to right: Road Runner, Gila Monster, and Fox. Behind the wall is the Desert Springs Preserve where Las Vegas began. (I love interstate wall art.)

By the way, Gila Monsters grow to two feet long and are venomous on the same level as coral snakes. There hasn't been a report of a human fatality since 1939. They move slowly compared to a rattlesnake so don't fear. Heat stroke and dehydration are more common dangers in the desert. Gila Monsters just look ferocious.

#10 Art

This piece, also by Dale Chihuly, is displayed in the lounge at the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. I tried to lighten it up a bit. Lounges have a way of being dark. This hotel doesn't skimp on the artwork!

I'm thinking it's a bouquet of flowers but the tendrils could be underwater, octopus-like? Nah, flowers.

#138 Hanging

Imagine checking into a hotel with this gorgeous collection of glass flowers above you! Created by Dale Chihuly, they are three to four feet in diameter. Of course, the photo does no justice to the size and "wonderful-ness" of it. Magnificent!

See more about the artist at www.chihuly.com.

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

#223 Playful

We heard about the Pinball Hall of Fame and thought that would be an unusual thing to do. There are over 400 working machines collected by a man who loves the genre. We spent a fun twenty minutes dropping a couple of dollars in quarters. It was our only gaming experience in the gambling capital of the world.

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

#209 Orbs

Mardi Gras beads on speed. These seem to be a big seller in the Las Vegas kiosks.