We made it into Las Vegas about 5 PM on Saturday afternoon, and started with a drive up and down the strip just to see what had changed since last time.. and as usual a lot. When we first visited Vegas. it was a sleazy mafia city that was trying to shake its image by making itself more family friendly. They were in the process of building huge casinos that had themes and plenty for kids and the whole family to enjoy. You got Volcanoes, Pirate Ships, Circus, MGM theme parks, castles and the like. Then a few years later they realized families and gambling don’t mix too well and they started making the area more adult, keeping with the themes the Luxor pyramid, New York New York, Paris came on the scene.. and brought luxury and a new wave of people. Today there is lots of building going on at most of the major casinos adding bigger and more luxurious shopping centres, quality restaurants and high end night spots. Its really gone up market.. there are still a few smaller places offering the budget end of the market but the target audience is certainly aimed at the higher end of average.
Each of the casinos have something to get you in,, wether it be storm troopers and scantly clad policewomen as per our hotel- Planet Hollywood, Amazing priced buffets, heaps of shopping, our hotel alone had a mile of shopping or some other gimmick.
These pics.. The Bellagio has the waterfall and amazing harvest display. Planet Hollywood has the Arabian themed shopping arcade (they were once the Aladdin) and The French village is inside the Paris complex. The supercar and big wooden structure inside the mall is from the Aria, one of the newer casinos to open.
