Valentine's Date at the Neon Museum, Las Vegas
I'm doing double duty posting as many as I can about our trip to Vegas! I've got another handful of posts, and want to get caught up soon!
So on Valentine's Day we had a date at the Neon Museum or "Bone Yard." It was a very cool experience to say the least! The museum is in development and has not been around for very long, but in an effort to preserve the true art of the Vegas signs, they have begun a collection, and built a park and are in the process of developing a visitor center.
Right now you have to make advance reservations on their website to get a tour. The tour is with a guide and they are very informative and take much care in making sure everyone is safe (around the broken glass and rusted metal) and following the rules of the museum. We learned a lot about the various designers, font types used over the years and what the different shapes and colors signify. They even offer private photo shoot reservations for special events like wedding shoots and they even had a music video by the Killers filmed on site!
It is quite a sight, check out some of our pictures (Paul did HDR's of most of these), and in all honestly while the pics are amazing, it's is so awesome to see in person! You should check it out next time you're in Vegas and support the preservation of all of this awesome work from the past! It's well worth the donation!
Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned as there is a lot more to come from our trip!!!
The Amazing Hoover Dam and Surrounding Landscape
On our second full day in Vegas we were pretty ambitious planning to take a trip to both Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. Ironically our timing wasn't quite right and with the hour lost going into Arizona, we quickly realized this day would be a Hoover Dam day...
But in either case, it was a pretty awesome sight! The Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge provides a great view of the dam. As you walk up the walkway on your way to the bridge, there is all kind of information about the dam and the bridge. It was pretty cool. We of course stopped and got a picture of the state line.
The bridge we were on spanned 1900 feet and was made of 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and 16,000,000 pounds of steel! Kara had been to the dam years ago and they were just starting to build it and it was just finished a couple of years ago. It was awesome to see it from this perspective. Standing on the bridge, we were 880 feet above the river.
Leaving the bridge we took the scenic route on our way to the Grand Canyon and got a better glympse of the workings of the dam as well as Lake Mead.
On our way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at this gas station and were convinced by the locals that it wasn't the best idea to head that direction. So it wasn't long before we turned around to head back to Vegas. I was a little disappointed, but we were going to make it to the Grand Canyon this trip, so it was all good!
As we were headed back, we saw an overlook that is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and had to stop to get a look at the amazing views.
After our little climbing adventure we hopped back in our SEXY Dodge Caravan and hit the road! Hoover Dam... "check!"
Fremont Experience Las Vegas: Supporting a Local Artist
We are back from Vegas now and have tons of pictures and videos to share, I guess that is the name of the game! You go on vacation and when you get back you are playing catch-up with everything from work to personal. So bear with me as I do plan to share everything we did!
I guess we were a bit ambitious thinking we could post stuff daily as we had something going on EVERY day of the trip, and when we got back to the room we crashed only to wake up bright and early to start our next little adventure.
While we were experiencing Fremont Street (in old Vegas), we encountered some awesome artists, from musicians to contortionists to impersonators, but we were most impressed with the work of Mike Fletcher with Visual Art Images.
Mike is a spray paint artist and after talking with him a bit, he let us know his specialty is landscapes. We were so impressed with work that we couldn't leave without capturing him at work as well as purchasing an awesome landscape view of Vegas including the Bellagio and fountain, Luxor, Stratosphere and more! It was amazing how he created this piece of art with spray paint, the occasional stencil, and a putty knife! Absolutely amazing! And as part of the job, all art has to be completed within ten minutes!
Check out these pics and videos! It was awesome!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVEb9SliK-A&w=750&h=411]
The above video we caught mid-painting, but as he started we had no idea what the final result would be and it was totally awesome!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5U_WAAfMzg&w=750&h=411]
He did a Bob Marley one for our friends... Caught that full show.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhTEhPFipNA&w=750&h=411]
And then an underwater scene which was also pretty incredible!
We of course purchased the Vegas Landscape as I was just so impressed with that one!
Related articles
- Our Fremont Street Experience! (perdueosity.com)
Our Fremont Street Experience!
After a lot of gambling we decided it was time to experience Old Vegas and the" Fremont Street Experience." It was definitely a different side of town, but still full of lights and fun! They say this is where more of the locals go for gambling, and it definitely had that local feel in the casinos.
It was pretty awesome walking through the street covered in lights with the HUGE LCD (the largest LCD screen in the US)! There was plenty to see from the unique casino signs to the street performers. We were most entertained or in awww of the spray painter that we even bought a picture.
Stay tuned for a later post about the street artist as he was AWESOME!
Vegas Miracle Mile and Bellagio Fun!
Our first full day on the town, we checked out the Miracle Mile shops and the Bellagio. We started with lunch at Cabo Wabo, where Kara and I got ourselves some nice 32 oz. cups full of Pina Colada and Margaritas! It was super tasty!
We toured around the shops, had a few drinks here and there. Found a great option for drink refills that was less than half the price of most places, and Kevin got himself a beer at Sin City Brewing Company.
The coolest thing at Miracle Mile was the Rain storm! It literally rains in the middle of the mall every 30 minutes or so, starting with some thunder crashing and then some lightening and then the rain comes! It was pretty cool to see... essentially a glorified sprinkler system, but none the less it was pretty awesome!
From there we headed over to the Bellagio to check out the Garden, and awesome lobby with the Chihuly ceiling.
The gardens were amazing with the colorful dragons, and beautiful floral designs throughout. It was an extraordinary sight! And of course the Chihuly ceiling, and iconic horse were a site to see, and true to form of what you always see in the movies! So gorgeous!
We moved on to gambling and clearly fell into the syndrome of the casino, as we were there for a good five hours straight and totally did not feel the time pass one bit!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvBFSlpRC9w&w=750&h=411]
We Made It! Hello Vegas!
We all flew out Saturday, Paul and myself being the first of our group. The flight was on time and smooth, and our pilot even said "Everyone just snuggle up, and we'll be in Vegas in no time!" This was the flight Paul and I were meant to be on! What an awesome pilot!
The flight was pretty easy for the length of time we were on the plane. I watched FX movies and when I wasn't doing that I was helping Paul work on the menus design for Havana South Buford! And it turned out great!
We arrived in Vegas on time and before we knew it we were in baggage claim picking up our bags and heading to pick up our SEXY Mini-van! Oh yeah!
Kara and Kevin arrived about an hour after us, and by the time we had gotten the rental car, it was about time to head back over to pick them up! Once we all got together, we stopped by the resort (Wyndham Grand Desert) to see if could check-in, but no luck of course! So we decided to hit up a local brewery and grab lunch.
We went to Big Dog Brewery for some beer and lunch and it turned out to be a great choice! The beer was pretty awesome, and the food and service we right on par! There was a nice local atmosphere and they of course had casinos too! I was admiring all the dog artwork! They had a full dog wall that was really cool, I think Paul and I may do something similar, except maybe it will be a Chunk wall!
Following our lunch we toured the strip a bit on our way have to the hotel.
We were pleasantly surprised by our amenities as we got an AWESOME deal for the week! We have connecting rooms, each with a master bedroom, full kitchen, and living space with pull-out sofas. We even have a jacuzzi tub, two washer and dryers, and the amenities are great! We will be hitting up the 24 hour heated pool and hot tub this week! I imagine it'll be awesome after long days at the Grand Canyon, Skiing and just partying and cruising the strip!
We got ourselves settled in and decided to head over to pick up some food and beverage for the room. Elaine and John's flight was arriving late, so we were killing some time until they got in. When they arrived Paul and Kevin hopped in the SEXY mini-van, picked them up and we all hung out for a bit. Of course the time difference started to hit me, Kara and Kevin, and we were a lame and called it a night. But the party was just beginning for Paul, Elaine and John!
They headed over to New York New York and had a blast! Elaine and Paul are the gamblers in the group, so they could not be in Vegas without of course getting their gambling on! They were out until 6AM (9AM est), up over 24 hours straight! They started off true to the Vegas spirit!
Vegas Baby, Vegas!!!
Paul and I are going to Vegas with two other couples in about two weeks. The six of us are split three having been to Vegas before and three that have never set foot in "Sin City." We are very excited about everything we will be able to do, as we're not just going for a long weekend, but we will be there for an entire week! And not only that, but we will be there over Valentine's Day!
One of my very favorite movies is Swinger, and I just can't resist quoting...
[From Movie - Swingers: on the way to Las Vegas]
Trent: They’re gonna give daddy the Rainman suite, you dig that?
Mike: Do you think we’ll get there by midnight?
Trent: Baby, we’re going to be up five hundy by midnight!
Mike: Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!
Trent: Vegas baby! Vegas!
Mike: Vegas!
When we booked this trip, we booked it with the intention of sharing with friends, so we are so excited about having friends with us. But when I was looking at dates, I specifically chose the Valentine's week because it just seems like an awesome time to be in Vegas - full of crazy love birds eloping! While we plan to make the most of our time there exploring not only the strip but surrounding attractions, I think it will also be an awesome time for people watching!
So, the six of us got together the other night to discuss our plans for this trip. Things we would like to do, see, eat and more! Since we have more people than what would fit in a normal car, we will be cruisin' the strip (among other things) in a Minivan! YEAH!
Anyway I wanted to get opinions from those that have been to Vegas beforehand, because we will have plenty of time to check out a lot, so please let me know things you recommend we do and check out! We've tentatively put together a list of things we would like to do... so these are high priority, but maybe there's some cool stuff we won't want to miss out on that isn't on our list!
- Lake Mead & Hoover Dam
- Sign Museum
- Grand Canyon West Rim
- Death Valley or Zion National Park
- Las Vegas Ski Resort - Skiing
- See a show (we're gonna check discount tickets)
- Check out rides at the Stratosphere
- See the Fountain at the Bellagio (of course)
- Ride a gondola at the Venetian
- Freemont Street Experience
- Maybe go to a wedding Chapel and renew vows! hehe (Elaine and John have been married the longest, so maybe they can do it! )
- Tour the strip and see as many Casino/Hotels as possible!
We can't wait for this trip to come, it's going to be a blast whatever we do! And with both Paul and Elaine being photographers, this trip will be thoroughly documented!! Stay tuned because it is my plan to post every day of our trip! It will be truly EPIC!
Blog Love!
Blog Love! One of the blogs I visit regularly, "People I Want to Punch in the Throat" recently posted a Blog Love post where people can share their blogs. It's amazing how many people have responded so far, and I have found a lot more blogs I will be checking out more regularly! Like this one, "I Like Beer and Babies", is hilarious! I love it! Can't wait to check out more... and maybe down the line I'll do my own "Blog Love" post...
Paul did an AWESOME job at the 'Red Tails' Sky Show!
Paul did an AWESOME job at the 'Red Tails' Sky Show! Check it out here!!!
I Love it When the Only Drama in My Life Is on TV!
I know this isn't a post for everyone, but for those that have read the blog before, you know I LOVE the Bachelor! Not the person, but the show... of course.
So things are progressing and women are dropping off. And naturally the drama builds, especially between certain individuals. In my original post, I thought the awful "devilish" one was Monica, well she's GONE as of tonight! But ironically, she's not by any means the one I detest the most. She had actually kind of backed off her craziness, and now the "EVIL" one is Courtney!
Now there's always the possibility that those that edit these shows can portray some individuals negatively and others in a warm and fuzzy light, but there are too many clips of her saying the most petty shit! Like "WINNING."
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnMpXYL82Y&w=560&h=315]
I guess maybe that is the mentality you must have when you're competing for one guy, but for those that really have feelings, it's not about the other girls and winning, it's about the Bachelor and having awesome moments and finding love.
So this past episode Ben let a girl go on a group date, and that was a little odd, but I don't even know who it was he let go, so I guess she must not have been that important anyway (not to be mean, but she must not have gotten much face time). Anyway, two of my favorites (to make it into the top three) are still there!
First we have Jennifer, and she is a given. She is not only beautiful, but she is also super smart, independent, has character, and according to Ben she's a good kisser (gotta have that chemistry)! It's nice cause when you see her little clips all she is talking about is Ben and how much she enjoys spending time with him and how much she likes him. That's what it's about! I hope Ben keeps her around.
Now Emily seems to be walking a fine line with Ben and her issues with Courtney, but I totally feel her pain. I think in these kind of circumstances it's hard to differentiate between a girl being intimidated by a "Model" (i.e. Courtney - the Evil One) and truly caring about a guy and the fact that he's totally being duped by the pretty girl. I've liked Emily from the beginning, I think she is another independent, intelligent woman who isn't afraid to jeopardize her own opportunity with a guy to make him aware of her concerns and hopefully make him see past facades! She definitely has Ben's best interest in mind and not "WINNING"... Emily, whether or not you ended up with Ben, I commend you for speaking out!
It's what all of us girl's at home are screaming at the TV. And to be in a house with people who may be frowning upon you for saying something they may be afraid to say themselves isn't easy! I'm glad that Ben gave Emily a rose, and hope he keeps her around.
And of course since Brittney left a couple weeks ago, I need a new girl for my top three and my third choice is Kacie B. I've actually liked her since the second episode, she's down to earth, sweet and totally in it for Ben. She will definitely be in it til the end!
So here is the current standings and of course hearts around my favorites!! I hope Ben makes the right decision... looking forward to what happens next week! hehehe
