You would think you were in Italy in this place, the detail is just amazing. Frescos, marble, gold leafing even gondala rides.
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We took a drive out to the Hover Dam which is about an hour out of town. The area is the most barren place I have ever seen there is absolutely no life other than a few very space weeds. The dam is massive and the tour took us into the tunnels and to the power station. 
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This is the old area of Vegas- The strip has become the playground with all the new big resorts and mega entertainment complexes. Freemont Street has become a retro area, with smaller style casinos- no attractions or classy boutiques just gambling and drinking halls. They have done the place up pretty good with a lot of the old signs from casinos that have been leveled to make way for new ones being restored and placed along the street. Then there’s the huge video roof which goes for several hundred metres up the street – an amazing sight. The area is a favorite with a lot of the older people who want to get away from the night clubs, and glitz of the street. Word is the slots are much looser up there- well at least they say that. Don’t think they are too loose anywhere here- they dont build this place by paying out winners. 
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ive got a pretty big head,,, wonder how many I could eat? hows the Buca Large, it contains 4 of the massive blobs of who knows what.. Got to love the US of A!
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Get lucky in the casino, then its straight to the Apple vending machine to pick up the latest Ipod or Iphone you can even buy your music from the machine. Getting quiet a bit of business too.
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We found a Microsoft Surface to have a bit of play with while we were drinking our lunchtime beer. There was a big whoo har a few months ago on how amazing these new touch screen tables were. Well we think the video demonstration getting around must have been a powerpoint show because they were no where near as flash as they seemed. They work a bit similar to the IPhone with some clever hand movements which stretch and rotate items but they couldn’t do too much. You could send clumsy messages to another table, play bowls, look at youtube and play around with a very basic copy of google earth but not much else. They don’t have a blue screen of death- well they do they have just renamed it and made it look nicer “we have experienced a problem and are resetting” Did it twice with out any trouble. Really think they will be a few years before they are seen on a commercial market.
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We are in Vegas, haven’t had net for a few days but plenty of action here. The place is more amazing than the last time we visited about 10 years ago. Everything old has been pulled down and new towers built more exotic and amazing than the last. There is so much development going on here, the strip will double in size over the next 12-18 months. Some of the new casinos being built would be 2 or mores sizes bigger than Crown. The place gives a way a lot of it’s magic during the day- and the sun is so bright (fortunately its only about 25) but at night it dazzles. All the freaks come out there are dozens of Mexicans trying to spruke girls, timeshare sprukers, the odd religious or morals protester, plenty of bums and neon, LCD, waterfalls, lions and so many cheap deals to get you into the casino. And entertainers, sure you have the usuals Barry Manillo and Wayne Newton but in the next week alone there’s Elton, Cher, Madonna, Jimmy Buffett, Bette Midler and a cast of others plus half the hotels have a Circu Du Sol show or some other huge production and the Flamingo even has Donnie and Marie every night. 
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A Camry size Commodoore, nice bench seat to fit the wide US arses, column shift and plenty of places to put your burger and fries and huge diet coke. Strange you see more Camry and Honda Accords on the road. The extensive use of cheap plastic wood inside makes it so stylish. The interior reminds me of a VN Calais- only crapper.
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Our last day in Chicago and things are going to end up a bit damp, so we are spending the morning at the Chicago Science and Industry Museum. This one is a sister to the huge one in Munich we visited a few years back and had some pretty interesting and impressive stuff including trains, planes and a huge German submarine. 
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Chicago was about an hour and a half back from Millwaulkee so after checking in to our ‘lovely’ hotel and a burger at the local Irish Pub we roamed the streets of Downtown and down to the Chicago Squid Port (Navy Pier). Check out the huge retro style McDonalds- didn’t try their wares found a great Irish Pub on the next block and tried some Orange flavoured beer- Not bad. 
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