This would be our last full day in Vegas. We slept well in our fancy accommodations at the Bellagio. We packed up our things (except for our coats which I left in the closet so I had to run two miles back to the room to get them ) and headed down to the lobby to store our things and grab a Lyft.
View of the plunge pool from our room. Never used it.
We decided to spend most of the day exploring Fremont Street or Old Vegas. We cruised through on our first night but really didn’t see much. This time we roamed around all the classic casinos:
Mr. Jones, staying in the black….for now.
I curated a list of “little things” to search out and find. Kind of like a scavenger hunt! Fun, right? First up: The Worlds’ Largest Gold Nugget! This proved to be quite tricky. It was tucked away down a dead end hallway.
There you are, Nugget!
Tadah!
A lesser nugget.
Some things were a bit easier to spot:
Closed!
This wasn’t on the list. Fun Fact: The former owner died of a heart attack. Moving on!
Whew, it seems like we should take a break doesn’t it? This pizza joint was highly recommended, but we had just had a pie the night before.
A tribute to the Evel one. The whole decor is circa 1979.
Our Lyft driver gave us a heads up about the place we landed in. Highly recommended.
I could use some.
Trendy, warehouse style space.
This spot had an eclectic, creative menu. The color of our first appetizer was jarring!
DEVILS ON HORSEBACK: Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Truffle Goat Cheese & Almonds On a Bed of Romesco
CHORIZO EMPANADAS: Spicy Spanish Chorizo, Bell Pepper & Jalapeño Filled Pastry with a Harissa Lime Sauce
THERAPY’S SIGNATURE SALAD: Watermelon Radish, Apples, Candied Walnuts & Blue Cheese Crumbles, Tossed In A White Balsamic Vinaigrette”
Everything was super tasty and well executed. Now back to work! Next, we were in search of the vintage games at the D Las Vegas. These are on the top floor of the casino.
Vintage Vegas = Extra Smoky
There’s lots of games and machines up here, but by far, the most popular is the Sigma Derby Race.
And they’re Off!!!!
A True one armed bandit.
While Jeff contiued to work on his Black Jack game, I stepped out onto the balcony at D.
Almost to the tippy top.
There was prime people watching up here. Notice the circles painted on the concrete. Those are the designated spots for performers. The city put this system in place in order to prevent tussling over turf.
No tussling here.
This was also a good vantage point to see the “Slotzilla” zip line. We actually considered doing this, but at nearly fifty bucks a person, we decided to skip it. If we hadn’t already laid out the cash on the High Roller ferris wheel we probably would have gone for it.
Weeeeee!!!!!
On second thought, maybe not. While out was out on the balcony I saw this kid get stuck. I think he was too light to make it all the was across. Probably not much of a risk of that for us!
Stuck kid on the right, rescuer on the left.
Jeff finished up, so we continued exploring the old slots.
These looked pretty new to me.
These were just for display.
Pretty neat that they were preserved.
I honestly don’t remember the name of this hotel where we found these artifacts. There was a small display in the lobby. It’s a scavenger hunt, so what fun would it be if I told you, anyway?
Replica of the first telephone installed in Las Vegas. I found the reflection of my iPhone in the glass nearly poetic.
The OG White Pages.
Some sort of ledger from 1907.
Mmmmm…chips.
Hotel Guest Ledger
Drinking on the job?
I found this lobby quite quaint.
We moseyed back out onto Fremont Street and grabbed a spot for a beer and people watching.
Perfect!
Some of the people we watched.
We were situated right behind this young street performer.
We watched him pretend to swallow this balloon about fifteen times as we sipped on our beers.
We finished up and strolled along for a bit taking in all the outrageously large and loud signs and such.
Slotzilla!
Giddy up.
Martini Time!
We hitched a ride back to the Strip and landed at the Venetian. Jeff hit the game tables and I wandered around attemtping to take artsy pictures.
I finally found the canals that run inside the hotel.
This ride is missing a glass of chianti.
This courtyard was beautiful.
I continued nosing around and taking videos of my feet.
The Venetian is brimming with high end stores. This one is renowned for being Michael Jackson’s favorite antique dealer.
He’s rumored to have spent millions here.
They REALLY miss him.
Back to photography.
Losing cash and taking a hundred mediocre pictures was making us very hungry. We headed over to our favorite area for reasonably priced food.
Still looking good there.
We ended up back at the pizza joint even though we said we wouldn’t have pizza two days in a row. We have no temperence.
Some calamari to start. I loved the remoulade. I have a strong stance against marinara on calamari. Ask Jeff.
Another perfect pie.
We dined al fresco, but it was getting chilly by the time we finished up. We had a a bit more time to linger before we needed to set out for the airport so we moved inside and bellied up to the bar. I decided on an espresso martini to wind up the night.
I’m both relaxed and energized!
So, my friends, we’ve crossed another two destinations (did you forget the Grand Canyon already?) off the bucket list. As someone who has no desire to gamble, I can say that there’s enough to do and see here for just about anyone. I would definitely visit again sometime…but not before we get some major cities behind us. This is foreshadowing, folks!
Later, baby!