TRAVEL BY NIC…….The
Perpetual Tourist!
Downtown
Las Vegas, NV
What?! I’m writing
about a location outside of my beloved California?! Everyone knows about the Strip! It’s legendary but I’d like to talk about 2
fun attractions in the Downtown area.
Neon Grave
Yard - 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas, NV
I loved this! I think
it’s because I love taking photos so much.
We went at the perfect time, (right around sunset). The office building is historic in its self,
it’s the old La Conche hotel. The
building is like a retro piece of art.
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The tour took about 1 ½ hours and as you work your way
through retired Vegas signs you will recognize many of them. They have them displayed in a way that each
sign is able to show its own character.
You will learn about neon, how it’s made, how it has changed through the
years and finely you’ll hear how LCD lights have taken over the strip. Walking through the grave yard you really
appreciate the art of neon. You will
learn about signs that rose high, high, high above the strip, and other signs
that claim the title of some of the 1st neon on the strip.
The reason why I encourage you to take this tour at Sunset is
because the majority of the signs are not lit.
However, they do have a handful that have been restored! So as you turn a corner you may see its
beautiful color inviting you to notice it while appreciating the workmanship of
neon. I feel if you go earlier in the
day, you’ll get great photos of the non-working signs, but the ones that light
up will not catch your attention as much.
If you go on a tour when it’s dark, you’ll get great photos of the
restored signs, but you’ll find the majority of the signs lit only by side
lights.
As your driving down Las Vegas Blvd, you’ll find vintage neon
signs in the center median, those are pieces that the Neon Graveyard have
restored and have returned them to light up the streets of Vegas again.
The parking for the Neon Graveyard is free, and it’s just
across a non-busy neighborhood street.
The admission was only $18 per person and it was well worth it for this
history buff!
Las Vegas
Mob Museum – 300 Stewart Ave, Las Vegas, NV
We went to the Mob Museum with some friends. One of our friends is passionate about the
Mob and their history, so going with him made it extra fun! The museum is located downtown in the
original courthouse where many of the legendary Vegas Mob trials were held! Parking was free and for $19.95 per person we
enjoyed a good 2 hours of hands on history of the Mob.
You start on the bottom floor you will learn how the Mob got
started in the US. Right away you’ll
find that all of the displays are fun to work your way through. Each floor has plenty of the places to
interact. On the 1st floor they had an
area that we could go stand in a “line up”.
As you work your way up to the next floor, you sit in the actual court
room that has been restored. There you
experience an audio visual re-enactment of some of the trials that took place
there. Once you exit the room you are
surrounded by the glory days of the Mafia.
The glamour and glitz of the life style.
Here you will find several opportunities to interact with the displays. I enjoyed going over to a display of dinner
plates that when prompted, each plate represents the different cities and the
Mob Bosses in those cities with a list of some of the static of each city and
their clan. Finely, on the 3rd
floor you see the not so glamorous side of the Mafia’s life. You’ll learn that a violent life lived,
usually ends in a violent ending. The
final media room will show you clips of Mafia movie’s through the years and
display some of the costumes and props used.
What museum or attraction doesn’t have a gift store! This was a great gift store sure to meet all
of your Mob needs! Again, this museum is
awesome. There is something about the
Mob Museum set in a City that has a rich Mafia history that makes it even more
intriguing!
We ended our Downtown experience on Fremont Street. Since I had learned at the Neon Museum, that
several of the vintage pieces were lighting up the street, along with the LCD
canopy covering the whole street, I was anxious to find the waving cowboy and
cowgirl!
OK, LET ME START WITH THIS…..I could care a less about the sleazy
part of Vegas! The gambling, the sex,
partying, etc, I just enjoy all of the lights, shopping, shows and
history! With that said….the downtown
area encompasses the MOST sleezy part of Vegas I’ve seen! For starters, the parking is NOT free, (like
it is on the strip). As your walking
Fremont Street, you’ll notice that the people there just seem to have a little
more of a “worn” look to them! You’ll
also see more sleaze walking around, and it’s crowded!
Needless-to-say, this was a quick stop. We stayed long enough to watch the LCD canopy
show, (while looking up in the crowd, I was sure to pull my purse in
tight!) We quickly photographed the iconic
neon signs and visited some of the historic hotels in that area and then we got
the heck out of there! It was such a
dirty, creepy, place!
Sugar
Factory American Brasserie – Paris Casino/Hotel
Who would have thought that one would be happy to get back to
the Strip?! I know that this piece was
on the downtown attractions, but I do need to share a fun place to eat with
you! The Sugar Restaurant. Its located on the outside of Paris
Casino/Hotel. You will not believe the
candy store! It was so fun! Here is the novel part of the store…..it has
a restaurant! As you might imagine, the
alcoholic drinks were all “cute” and popular, the desserts look like pieces of
art, but it’s the meal selections that caught my eye! I had the Sugar Factory Signature Burger! It was HUGE!
The novel part of the cheeseburger?!
The bun was made from white chocolate!
It was delicious! It actually
reminded me of the Hawaiian rolls, with just a little sweeter taste.
So is it possible to appreciate “Sin City” without
sinning?! I say yes! By enjoying the Neon Graveyard and the Mob
Museum!
