Ruby's Dinette, Las Vegas, NV

I was heading home from Las Vegas today and had lunch at Ruby's Dinette at the airport.

You order at the counter, are given a number and then you sit down.  Servers (mostly older women) who are dressed in old-school diner outfits deliver your food to you.  I ordered the Rubyburger combo and a chocolate milkshake (it seemed like the kind of place to have one).

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV

I arrived at Caesars Palace on Saturday and am heading home today.  A client of mine had their sales convention here this week and I was in a booth in their tradeshow.  I stayed an extra day (yesterday) to do some exploring as I'd never been here before.

Caesars Palace is a AAA, Four Diamond luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip, between the Bellagio and the Mirage. The hotel has 3,960 rooms in six towers: Augustus, Nobu, Roman, Palace, Octavius and Forum (I was in the Forum tower).  It's a HUGE space and I initially found myself overwhelmed when I arrived.  But once I got my bearings and figured out where everything was I was okay.

The man himself!

Reception

Reception

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Las Vegas, NV

I had supper tonight at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.  It seemed like a fun place ... and it was.

There is music constantly going along with videos.

The Neon Museum, Las Vegas, NV

I went to the Neon Museum this afternoon.  They give hour tours for $18.

The nearly two-acre campus includes an outdoor exhibition space, known as the Boneyard, which features more than 150 signs, four of which are restored, a visitors' center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is used for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.

Important historical pieces in the boneyard include the signage from old casinos and businesses including the Moulin Rouge Hotel, the Stardust, Desert Inn and Caesars Palace as well as many others. Not just neon signage, the museum also houses fiberglass sculptures including a giant skull from the Treasure Island among others.

It was a fun and interesting tour and I'd recommend it.  There were sooooo many old signage from days gone by in every shape, design and colour.  We were led around a circular path with a couple paths going through the middle.

Guy was our guide and he was knowledgeable and funny.  He gave us a lot of the history and information about many of the signage.

It was 27C/81F ... the umbrella was handy

Heart Attack Grill, Las Vegas, NV

I had lunch today at Heart Attack Grill on Fremont Street.

Wine is served in a morphine drip bag

Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas, NV

This morning I took the bus downtown and checked out the Fremont Street Experience, which is a pedestrian mall and attraction and occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street.

Fremont Street had Las Vegas' first hotel (the Hotel Nevada in 1906, present day Golden Gate), first telephone (1907),  first paved street (1925), first Nevada gaming license (issued to the Northern Club) first traffic light, first elevator (the Apache Hotel in 1932) and the first high-rise (the Fremont Hotel in 1956). The Horseshoe was the first casino to install carpeting, while the Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino.

For many years, the western end of Fremont Street was the area most commonly portrayed whenever producers wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas.  By 1992, 80% of the Las Vegas casino market was on the Strip. Downtown Las Vegas hotels and casinos sought to build an attraction that would lure more visitors to their businesses.  In addition to casinos and restaurants/bars, there are lots of stores if you are looking for souvenirs, sunglasses, hats, jewelry, etc.

The free Viva Vision light shows (the Viva Vision canopy is the world’s largest video screen) at night are apparently amazing!

Cirque du Soleil's "O", Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV

I have been at a client's convention all week in Las Vegas as part of their tradeshow.  Today was the last day and they finished the convention by taking everyone to see Cirque du Soleil's O.

O is a water-themed stage production.  The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas since October 1998. O, whose name is pronounced the same way as eau, the French word for "water", takes place in, around and above a 1.5-million-US-gallon pool of water, featuring water acts such as synchronized swimming as well as aerial and ground acts. The O Theatre, which is designed to look similar to a 14th-century European opera house, has 1,800 seats, thus allowing the performance to be watched by 3,600 people a night since the performance usually plays twice in a given day, also designed to meet the special demands of the show.

The ceiling ... and yes, someone spun down from it

Fix Restaurant & Bar, Las Vegas, NV

I had a ticket to see Cirque du Soleil's O this evening, which is at the Bellagio. 

I had supper at Fix Restaurant & Bar, which is also in the Bellagio.

Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery, Las Vegas, NV

I had a long tiring day and felt like going to a pub ... I had a late supper at the Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery.

There were lots of TVs (with sports) and the tunes were loud and good.

Señor Frog's, Las Vegas, NV

I had supper at Señor Frog's this evening.  I had planned to go there and what sealed the deal was an old dude giving out coupons for free appetizers if you ordered a meal.

I've been to a few Señor Frog's and they are crazy and wild and fun ... this one wasn't.  Except for a table of drunk guys wearing balloon hats, it was mostly families.  Not a good sign :(

Central Michel Richard, Las Vegas, NV

I had breakfast this morning at Central Michel Richard, which is in Caesar's Palace.

I ordered the American Breakfast with "Canadian bacon" (it's ham where I come from) along with a glass of milk.