Link to Las Vegas #2 Facebook Pictures

Today we went to explore the other side of Las Vegas – the opposite side of the Strip that we didn’t get to yesterday.  We decided to buy a bus ticket, which is only $8 for a 24-hour pass.  We got that about 1pm, which gave us until 1pm on Thursday to ride around on the buses.  We immediately took the bus to the end of the Strip, and then started walking upwards.  We started with lunch at The Flamingo Paradise Café Buffet.  It was alright, but the dessert was good.  The only thing I liked were the flamingoes frolicking outside and the chocolate fountain.  We dipped a bunch of strawberries in the chocolate fountain and ate those.  We each had a place of entrees – and about 2-3 helpings of desserts.  We walked outside to see the flamingoes and digest our lunch, and I obviously ate way too much.  I felt like throwing up for a good three hours after eating.  I managed to keep it down, though!

After lunch, we got back on the bus to start our walk from the opposite side of the Strip – from the Tropicana to MGM hotel, then Paris, Madam Taussoud’s, the Venetian, etc.  The Tropicana is extremely elegant – they have a white theme that is inviting and most importantly BRIGHT when you walk in.  I got so used to hotels looking dark inside, that the white accents and bright feeling were much appreciated.  After awhile, the hotels started looking similar – well, the casino areas at least.  They all have the same basic elements – a huge casino with a bar, then some overly-expensive shops, and a few restaurants.  Inside the Paris hotel, they have a fake sky painted on the ceiling, which really did give the illusion of being outside.  At Madam Taussoud’s, there were two “sample” wax figures outside, which we took funny pictures with.  I got yelled at for touching one’s face.  At the Venetian, we took pictures of the replicas of the Sistene Chapel paintings inside (I think that’s what those are, at least), and took pictures of the Gondola rides outside.  You can get a Gondola ride, but I think it follows the pattern of being overly expensive.  We took lots of pictures, and didn’t leave with any souvenirs.

After checking out the Venetian, I think we were pretty much done with the Strip.  We took the bus back towards our hotel and wanted to check out the Fremont area.  The Fremont Experience, as they call it, is the picture that downtown Las Vegas should conjure to mind.  By this time, it was night.  There is a series of 4-5 blocks which constitutes the Fremont Experience.  Directly above the street, there is a huge screen which spans from side-to-side, all the way down this area.  When we got there, they were playing a free concert on this screen.  Everyone was looking straight up, watching the music.

In the streets, there are a ton of street performers and impressionists.  Two guys were dressed like Snoop Dogg and Tupac, there was one guy wearing a gas mask and doing spray paint art, one guy was playing the saxophone, and there was an Elvis impersonator.  It was hot (even though it was night-time) and the fake Elvis was playing all types of hits.  My favorite was “Suspicious Minds”.  One guy was making clay face sculptures of the patrons, in real-time.  A dancer was dancing to the music, in a bikini, on top of a table.  There is a zip-line which runs above the Fremont Experience, and a fair amount of people zipped on down while we were there.  I’m sure it was overpriced, but popular.  There were so many different things happening, but they all blended together to form what is known as the Fremont Experience.  If you haven’t noticed, I would highly recommend this part of Vegas to anybody.  The Strip is nice to see, but the Fremont Experience provides someone that’s not obsessed with gambling and table games with a different type of entertainment.

There are all kinds of specials on the Fremont Experience.  Since there are no open container laws, I walked into an ABC store and got a Corona.  Then I went across the street to the Las Vegas Club and got a Rolling Rock draft beer for $1.  There are deals everywhere, as long as you are patient and find them.  You definitely don’t want to go into one of the bars and buy an overpriced beer for $6.00.  I had a good time walking around and taking all of the individual happenings in.

It was getting late, and we were getting tired so we decided to start heading back toward Circus Circus.  We knew where we got off the bus, but didn’t see a stop on the other side of the road for a bus to take us the other way.  We met with a group of people from Washington state, who were also trying to get back to Circus Circus.  We all walked around together, confused in a group of more than two.

There were a young(er) couple: a guy and a girl, who we stuck with through most of this experience.  The mother and father with this group went on their separate way and we were trying to coordinate how they got to the bus, via the cell phone.  We ended up following this guy and girl around for about 15 minutes before they decided where they were going.  After walking a good bit further, through some dimly-lit areas in the not-so-wonderful parts of Vegas, we ended up at a transit stop.  Fortunately, this area was lit up, so it didn’t seem too unsafe.  We had to wait about 10 more minutes for a southbound bus to take us back towards the Strip.  We finally made it back to Circus Circus and called it a night.