Viva Las Vegas

Aaron and I are in Las Vegas staying at the Hooters Hotel and Casino. We picked this one for the price, but it is pleasant and compact so you can’t get lost. There is a Hooters Restaurant to eat it complete with Hooter’s Girls and some of the dealers, drink bringers, etc. are Hooters Girls as well. It is one block from the Strip so it is convenient for walking around… the problem is that it is blazing hot.

While not un- expected, it does put a damper on the desire to go outside. We got in on Sunday afternoon after exploring the Hoover Dam and taking the Big Dam Tour. We had a really interesting guide who was into conspiracy theories so it was not boring to me even though it is my third time taking the tour - it really is neat to go down into the dam and see how it is constructed - 4 inches at a time and it is still curing. Apparently that is a good thing because once the concrete completely sets and is dry that’s when they have to worry about it starting to break.


Our tour guide gave us a tip to stop in a small park in Boulder City on the way to Las Vegas because a herd of Bighorn sheep stops there every evening to feed on green park grass. Sure enough they were there so I have seen wild Bighorn sheep - just not really in the wild.

The view from our hotel room

Our first night in Vegas we wan- dered down the Strip looking around and going in and out of casinos (for the air conditioning). We saw the Cirque du Soleil show “O” at the Bellagio and it was amazing. This one has a lot of synchronized swimming, diving, and other neat water tricks. What Aaron finds the most amusing about Vegas is the loose liquor laws. You can buy beer and liquor just about everywhere at anytime and drink it. We stopped at a Walgreen’s after the show and Aaron purchased a PBR that he drank on our way home.

Yesterday we went to the Atomic Testing Museum in the morning and then separated for the afternoon. Many of the atom bombs were tested in Nevada north of Vegas and for a period of time when aerial testing was performed, it was a tourist attraction because you could see the mushroom cloud from the roofs of the casinos.

In the afternoon, I did laundry and Aaron gambled. What I find most amusing is that there are slots everywhere. I went to the Laundromat to wash all our clothes and there were slots there. I went to the grocery store to use the bathroom and buy a drink, and there was a row of slots behind the check out counters! I think slots are boring and let me tell you no one looks like they are having fun while mindlessly pushing a button.

We met one of Aaron’s fraternity brother’s for drinks and this bar seriously had over 100 beers on tap. Hundred of delicious craft beers. How many Rogue Hazelnut Browns can Kim drink? Yum! Sassi suggested we stop and take our photo with the quintessential Las Vegas sign and we were harassed by an Elvis impersonator -ish type person who took our picture and then told me to buy a better camera. Weird.