In case things haven’t been crazy enough around here, I decided to top the chaos off with a trip to Las Vegas.  It is one of the quintessential American experiences that I was eager to check off my bucket list. 

It can’t be all play and no work – on our way to the airport we stopped and looked at a 1975 Red L82 4spd Corvette. Unfortunately, we did not close the deal on the spot.  

After that, we boarded our flight and headed off on our trip to Sin City. As most of you know, I drive everywhere – flying really isn’t my thing. Jumping on a plane for only the second time in my life was quite interesting. Our first night in Vegas we ventured over to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace to see Garth Brooks in concert.  What an entertainer!  Despite not being permitted to take any pictures – it was a concert we’ll remember forever.  We ended the night by enjoying the Bellagio Fountain Show as we walked back to our hotel.  

Day 2 we decided to start our day by wandering around and seeing the sights of the strip.  We saw the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, the flamingo wildlife habitat, and walked through many of the casinos before we grabbed a quick lunch at a trendy little spot called Black Tap Burgers & Beer.  My burger was delicious, but I would say their main attraction was their shakes – the chocolate milkshake was phenomenal.  We decided to take a break from walking in the heat and explore the architectural replicas of some of Venice’s greatest monuments at the Venetian.  Of course we couldn’t pass up a gondola ride in their outdoor canals – complete with a singing gondolier.  Next up we made our way over to the Mob Museum.  It was truly fascinating to see the influence they had on the casinos and Las Vegas itself.  We braved the heat and made our way to the Neon Museum.  This space is a beautiful and bizarre graveyard for countless vintage Vegas signs. Despite the brutal heat, I was in awe of the old relics of Vegas’ past.  It was amazing to see some of the old signs in person that I saw in classic movies and on TV.  In an attempt to escape the heat, we made our way to Fremont Street.  We went ziplining over the Fremont Pedestrian Mall & took in all the sights and sounds of the buskers & street performers.  Before we left Fremont Street, we popped into the Golden Nugget Casino to cool off and get our hands on $1,000,000 – or at least get our picture taken with it.  

It was an early morning for us on day 3, barely a soul was out on the strip at 7am.  We ventured over to pick up what was should have been a boring rental car, but we ended up with a Mustang Convertible to make our adventures for the day even more exciting.   First up, we stopped at Hemenway Park where we  spotted some desert bighorn sheep and took in a panoramic view of Lake Mead.  We took in the scenic views as we traveled to the Hoover Dam, the largest dam in the United States.  Constructed between 1931 and 1936, the dam is located on the border between Nevada and Arizona and provides power to more than 1 million people in Arizona, Nevada, and California.  Next, we traveled to the Grand Canyon where we took in breathtaking views of the west rim of the canyon.  It is located on the Hualapai Reservation in Peach Springs, AZ.  We experienced unparalleled views as we stepped out onto the Skywalk – a 10-foot wide horseshoe shaped glass bridge that extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Grand Canyon.  It gives you a clear view 4,000 feet below the Canyon floor. There is no thrill (or fear) like stepping out on glass thousands of feet in the air.  When you’re on the Skywalk, you can see the hidden rock formations the Princess & the Horse and the Eagle in the canyon.  We also visited Guano Point, which offers stunning 360-degree views of the Canyon.  Next up was a drive through the Mojave Desert past Lake Mead. Lake Mead, formed by the Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in the United States.  It supplies water to over 20 million people in Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico. We headed back towards Las Vegas, heading through Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada’s oldest State Park. We couldn’t pass through the park without taking an iconic ride with the top down on the Valley of Fire Highway.  The abundant red sandstones look as if they’re on fire under the sunlight.  The road offers breathtaking sights, amazing scenery, views of unusual rock formations, and parts of Lake Mead are visible from several parts of the route.  Once we were back in Las Vegas, we decided to head over to T-Mobile Area and see Nickelback in concert.  We ended the day by stopping to see the infamous “Welcome to Las Vegas” neon sign and taking the obligatory tourist photo with it.  It was quite a jam packed day – but worth being exhausted.   

After spending the last 2 days in the record setting heat, we decided to take it easy and stroll around the strip and casinos for our last day in Vegas.  We made our way to The New York New York Hotel & Casino. It re-creates the very best of the Big Apple –  the sights, sounds and energy of New York with stunning recreations of its famous landmarks including the Manhattan Skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty.  We made our way over the Luxor Resort to see one of the most recognizable structures in Las Vegas – the 30 story pyramid.  We walked back to our hotel, but not before we passed  the Paris Las Vegas Casio.  The Eiffel Tower was a breathtaking sight, a half scale replica of the Paris landmark.  We ended our final night in Las Vegas by seeing comedian Jeff Dunham.  What a showman – he was funny, comical, entertaining, and clever.  We laughed constantly the entire show.  What a way to end our whirlwind trip to Vegas.  

After braving the recording setting heat for days while exploring Las Vegas, we were ready to head back home. There is so much to see and do in Las Vegas.  It was an amazing trip with so many sights to see on and off the strip.  The amazing beauty of the Hoover Dam and the natural wonders of the Grand Canyon and Valley of Fire was a definite favorite of mine.   The owner of the 1975 Red L82 4spd Corvette ended up changing his mind while we were in Vegas so we picked it up on our way home,  along with 11 other corvettes to finish out the week.

Until the next road trip
RJ Sottile