30.09. - 04.10.21 Las Vegas

Calendar

09/30/21
Relaxing at the hotel, shopping at Walmart, evening trip to the Strip (hotel shuttle)

10/01/21
Stratosphere tower (Strat), Fremont Street Experience, night helicopter flight over the Strip

10/02/21
Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, evening: David Copperfield @MGM Theater

10/03/21
Picnic at Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, evening: Fremont Street Experience

10/04/21
Continuing to Bryce Canyon

Highlights

We immediately took an upgrade at the hotel, so during our stay in Vegas we have a nice and peaceful balcony where we can sit outside in the pleasant temperatures in the morning and evening. The hotel is located about 3.5 km from the Strip, but it offers regular shuttle service to the Strip.

The Strip is elegant and the entire wannabe elite hangs out here and showcases themselves. Furthermore, you can easily get lost on the Strip because the individual hotel complexes are huge. The few outdoor restaurants are overpriced, and you regularly have to pay $15 for a small beer (in a plastic cup). However, these hotel complexes with their famous names (Caesars Palace, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, MGM, etc.) and artistic facades are impressive.

We liked Fremont Street much better. Here you can find various outdoor bars, live concerts, and all kinds of colorful characters. Fremont is the heart of old downtown Las Vegas and it conveys the original casino culture. We definitely preferred that.

The Strat Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in the USA west of the Mississippi, at 350 meters. We were there during the day and had an impressive view over Vegas. To Sylvia's delight, there were three roller coasters at the top of the tower. I rode the first one: You get 'shot' on a rail that tilts downwards until you're hanging upside down 350 meters above the ground. Yikes! And I knew I was afraid of heights, and of course, they assigned us the front seats. Never again! Anyway, Sylvia had to 'enjoy' the other two roller coasters without me...

The nighttime helicopter flight over the Strip also impressed me because it was quieter.

We were moderately impressed by the attractions we visited and hyped up (Reef aquarium and the Copperfield show). Copperfield has gotten older and his show is not as spectacular as it used to be. But some tricks were truly phenomenal and hardly explainable. So, all in all, worth seeing.

The Hoover Dam (reservoir: Lake Mead), not far outside of Vegas, also offers impressive landscapes. There is a security check at the park entrance, but the only thing they asked was if we had any weapons...

Overall, our losses in the casinos were moderate: We lost about 80 dollars. I probably should have taken a poker lesson from Pesche before our departure...

Tomorrow, Monday (10/4), we will continue to the canyons and other parks. We are excited.