Day 14: On the Las Vegas Strip

Unfortunately, the day started again without a proper breakfast, especially without coffee. In my opinion, a hotel without a coffee machine in the room AND without breakfast does not deserve to be called a hotel, it should be called a house with beds or something like that. Speaking of my 'hotel': As promised, here is another picture of the outside.

Today, my exploration of the city started on Fremont Street, the second most famous street in Las Vegas. It spans a few blocks, is covered with a large continuous video screen, and is home to several casinos, shops, and even a zip line where you can plunge headfirst.

Fortunately, my 'hotel' is right next to Fremont Street, so when I arrived, I was only 25% sweaty. It was still early, so there weren't many people around. I was worried that my current sleep schedule (10 pm - 6 am) might not be compatible with the Las Vegas lifestyle, but it quickly became clear that gambling, drinking, and smoking are happening 24/7 here. So it's perfect for me.

Fremont Street and my 'hotel' are located in downtown Las Vegas. Most of the major hotels/casinos on the most famous street in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Boulevard, are a few kilometers away. This section is also known as the Las Vegas Strip and is actually not located within the city limits of Las Vegas, but in the cities of Paradise and Winchester. I wasn't willing to walk the entire Strip, which is 20 km in total, in 40-degree heat, so I took an Uber to the opposite end of the Strip and walked the 10 km back to my 'hotel' from there.

I was dropped off in front of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where I briefly visited yesterday.

After that, my wild journey through the eras, cities, and cultures of the world began. First stop: ancient Egypt at the Luxor Hotel.

Then, skipping a few millennia, I passed through the medieval-themed Excalibur.

Anyone who knows a bit about history knows what logically comes after the Middle Ages. That's right, modern New York!

The hotel/casino is creatively named New York New York, because apparently one New York wasn't enough. I inevitably ended up in the casino and for the first time, I got a taste of the immense size and attention to detail that make Las Vegas casinos so special.

The next 2 kilometers didn't have any particularly interesting casinos, but of course I took some pictures. My level of sweat had reached 50% by this point.

Finally, I reached the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Directly across from me were the Paris Hotel, known for its replica of the Eiffel Tower, and the Bellagio, where there are usually impressive water shows. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of that.

Right after that, I went back in time to the Roman era at Caesars Palace. As an official time traveler, it wasn't anything special for me.

As you can see here, you could bet on absolutely anything. From questionable dog races to simulated horse races. I was disappointed to find out that real gladiator battles, man vs. man or man vs. tiger until the bitter end, are apparently no longer considered appropriate in Caesars Palace.

After the casino, I visited the truly impressive premium shopping mall.

Then, I went back out on the Strip. After taking a burger break and finding a seat outside in the sun, a pigeon nibbled on my shoe. And for the second time on this trip, I ended up in Venice.

By now, I was seriously questioning why people go on exhausting trips around Europe when you can simply fly 9,000 kilometers from Germany to Las Vegas and see everything in one day...

The Venetian was the last major casino along the Strip. I walked another 500 meters toward my 'hotel' before my level of sweat reached 100% and I decided to take an Uber for the last 4 kilometers. The heat was just too intense.

Once I arrived at my 'hotel', I took a short lunch break before doing what I had been avoiding the whole time: gambling in Las Vegas.

I knew I couldn't escape it, so I went into the casino of my 'hotel' and looked at the endless options. Since I will probably never understand slot machines in this lifetime and I didn't have the confidence to join a table with real people, I decided to try a blackjack machine. I invested $20, and I don't want to talk about blackjack anymore...

Afterwards, I put $10 into the adjacent roulette machine and what can I say: I'm probably the best roulette player of all time. I easily doubled my bet to $20. If I hadn't stopped there, I probably would have walked away as a millionaire.

After my casino career, I ended up with an outstanding balance of -$10. That's probably better than the average casino visitor.

I'll let the rest of the evening end calmly, because tomorrow I have another long rendezvous with Engelbert on the agenda. By the way, my travel agency assured me that I will get a refund, either here or after the trip. I'm glad this storyline could be resolved so smoothly.

See you tomorrow.

Leart