Las Vegas

““What about Vegas?” I'd said at some point in the proceedings.”

The ride to the airport was blessedly uneventful. I had balked at the price of some recent car maintenance so driving feels like a high-stakes crap shoot these days (to make a Vegasey sort of analogy). Thank heavens for TSA Precheck - memories of nearly missing our flight because of the long security lines at the New Orleans airport are still fresh. At Detroit, we had to change planes and our gate was in a different terminal concourse so we got to walk through that wonderful pedestrian tunnel with the cool lighting. We decided in the course of the trip that Delta is our new favorite airline. Everyone was super nice, on the larger aircraft for our leg to Vegas, there was a good selection of free drinks and snacks, and each seatback had a monitor with hundreds of movies, shows, podcasts, and songs to enjoy. As it was still Christmas, I watched "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "White Christmas". I'd never seen the former - lots of fun, and have fond memories of watching the latter at the Connor cousin's house at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Vera Ellen's rapid-fire toe-tapping freaked me out as it always does.

I had the window seat and marveled at the terrain I could see below - canyon after canyon, mountain after mountain. As we neared Vegas, I could see huge veins and outcroppings of reddish rock protruding from the surrounding terrain. I had brought with me the Fleming novel "Diamonds Are Forever" which, like the film, has extensive scenes set in Vegas - Fleming describes the view Bond sees on his flight from LA to Vegas and likens the red rocks to bleeding gums surrounding the teeth of the taller formations. The airport is practically adjacent to The Strip and I managed to get a few shots of some landmarks on the way in - the Stratosphere Tower, and The Sphere among them.

“...we had to navigate our way past a phalanx of shops and gambling machines...”

We were advised by a friend to take a regular cab from the airport to our hotel on the strip - apparently, getting an Uber is fussy, for some reason. Access to the driveway for The Flamingo is from a back street and not from Las Vegas Boulevard itself. The "sucker trap" geography of Vegas hotels as described by Ian Fleming was immediately apparent - we had to navigate our way past a phalanx of shops and gambling machines to get to the reception desk where there was a surprisingly long line of people waiting to check in. The only hiccup was that our room key cards didn't work at first in the elevator - it took several tries before we could select floor 14. (It occurred to me later that we were actually on the 13th floor.)

Our room was pleasant and had a great view of Caesar's Palace across The Strip, the Linq ziplining tower, and the mountains beyond. The sea green flamingo lamps were fun, as was the settee by the windows in one corner of the room. I spent some pleasant minutes in the course of our stay reading Fleming on that settee and watching the light change on Caesar's "Fauxrum" opposite.

“There were photo-op performers - Spiderman, a Transformer, showgirls, and a wonderful Dr. Evil...”

Our first programmed activity was a dinner reservation at "Nacho Daddy", a restaurant just off The Strip on Harmon Avenue. We picked the spot because it was located on the route to our second programmed activity: an Elvis impersonator performance. Our walk from the hotel to the restaurant was my introduction to Las Vegas. We left the hotel (having to walk through the casino to get to the exit, naturally) and turned left to go south along Las Vegas Boulevard. Most pedestrian traffic is funneled along walkways that go in and out of hotel/casino entryways and over bridges that cross the perpendicular roads. We took a wrong turn in a plywood rabbit warren in the midst of some construction and had to backtrack a little.

What to say about walking along The Strip? It's an experience, and no mistake. There was amazing (and welcome) diversity among the pedestrians - a great many people from the Americas and Asia. There were people in scooters (most not apparently disabled). There were women in sparkly evening gowns accompanied by their schlub male partners wearing sweats. There were photo-op performers - Spiderman, a Transformer, showgirls, and a wonderful Dr. Evil we encountered under an overpass. Not in the market for photo ops, we avoided eye contact. There were a great many families with young children, which I found interesting. I hadn't thought of Vegas as a family destination - at least not The Strip. There are some kid-friendly attractions - the rollercoasters, observation wheel, aquariums - I think I would have found the family experience more exasperating than entertaining. The architecture is certainly impressive. The facades of Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, New York New York, and Paris are all lots of fun with their sham landmarks. Paul and I agreed that the Montgolfier Balloon replica in front of Paris was one of the most beautiful.

Nacho Daddy turned out to be a good choice. The food was delicious and the space was lofty and pleasant. I had a cucumber and jalapeno flavored margarita - fantastic.

“The performer was truly amazing...”

We proceeded on foot to the Alexis Park Resort Hotel where the Elvis show was to take place. The resort is a more modest establishment with a smallish theater filled with lounge chairs placed somewhat too close together. After sitting down, we wondered how the servers would be able to reach people sitting in the middle of the auditorium - the answer was that they wouldn't. I went to the bar in the lobby at intermission to get a couple of beers. "Elvis" was accompanied by a bass guitarist, guitarist, and drummer who played along to recorded music tracks. The performer was truly amazing, both in his interpretations of The King's voice, motions, and musical style, but by his own musical talent and athleticism. For the first half of the show, he was in a sparkly gold jacket for the 1950s numbers and then the signature white jumpsuit for the 1970s Vegas part of the program. Fun, animated graphics appeared on digital screen behind the performers throughout the show. The performer worked the audience a few times, inviting women to take bandanas from him at the edge of the stage and, shockingly, to sit in the lap of a young woman in the audience. Later he revealed that the object of that forward gesture was his own wife. It was a great way to start our Vegas vacation. On the walk back to our hotel, we enjoyed our first after-dark experience on The Strip - the lights and digital displays are truly amazing.

“I watched the light change on the buildings of Caesar's Palace and the distant mountains...”

I awoke very early the next morning, owing to the two-hour time difference with Milwaukee. Sitting on the settee by the windows, I watched the light change on the buildings of Caesar's Palace and the distant mountains as the sun rose. We had three reserved activities that day, the earliest of which was a comedy show at 2pm - we decided to spend the morning in a walk down The Strip through Bellagio and New York, New York, both of which Paul had visited on his earlier trip. It was during our walk that morning that Paul identified a huge difference in the geography of The Strip from his visit seventeen years previously: the space between the boulevard and the resorts proper were now filled with shops, restaurants, and other types of businesses - the view of the resorts had greatly changed as a result.

“The shops were all unattainably high-end...”

Bellagio was very impressive with its enormous reflecting pool (the famous fountain wasn't in operation that morning), huge porte cochere, and shopping arcade which, I gather, was designed to resemble the Galleria in Milan. The shops were all unattainably high-end - Fendi, Hermes, Tom Ford, Prada, etc. The clientele ran the gamut from t-shirt clad tourists to stick-thin women with surgically-reorganized faces wearing imitation (or perhaps real?) fur coats.

Our friend Cindy had suggested we have a shufti at the Conservatory within the Bellagio which is decorated seasonally. It was decked out for Christmas with immense decorations: Santa's sleigh, a carousel, giant ornaments, giant peppermint candies, etc. - very beautiful and OTT. We actually had a mission in the resort, which was to verify the location of our Hoover Dam bus pickup. We found it on the lower level and left Bellagio to walk past the Aria to NYNY.

“We were momentarily lifted out of seats in near-weightlessness during the first drop...”

Paul remembered being in New York New York from his prior visit but remarked on how different the resort looked with the additional development at the front. We found the entrance to the rollercoaster but saw that it didn't open until 11, so we went and had a beer at the casino. After some difficulty purchasing coaster tickets and a Charlie-induced near crisis involving the valuables locker, we got in line for the ride. And what a great ride it was!

The first hill was very steep and long - as we were hauled up the incline, an amazing view of that part of The Strip was revealed. We were momentarily lifted out of seats in near-weightlessness during the first drop (thank heavens for the shoulder harness).

At the base of the drop, we were slammed back into our seats almost painfully. The experience was repeated on almost every hill. There was one full loop closely followed by a terrifying corkscrew during which we were resting on our shoulders against the harnesses.

At the end, the train re-enters the building and crosses a bridge over the "streets of old New York" in the interior of the resort. An awesome ride. We had lunch at the Irish Pub which, I realized, was really a re-creation of a re-creation of an Irish Pub. The fish and chips were excellent - I washed them down with lashings of Black Velvet.

“...humorous in its failings rather than its successes.”

Back to the hotel to freshen up and then across the street to the south to the Horseshoe for the comedy show at 2pm. The show was called "Potted Potter" and was billed as a comical presentation of all seven Harry Potter books in 75 minutes. It proved extremely enjoyable. Two actors try to tell the story of all seven books hampered by a tiny budget, laughably inadequate props, ineptitude on the part of one of them who was supposed to arrange impressive effects but failed hilariously. It subverted my expectations in being (intentionally) humorous in its failings rather than its successes. Hilarious.

“...a wonderful oasis so near to The Strip.”

On the way to and from the comedy show, we explored the garden at the center of our hotel complex. It's a lovely garden with tropical plants, small open lawns, and a lagoon that winds through the the complex. In the water could be seen many large Koi and several species of water birds, including Flamingos (appropriately), mallard ducks, mandarin ducks, and wood ducks among other varieties, and several pelicans which the placard said were rescue animals from some natural disaster. It's a beautiful garden - a wonderful oasis so near to The Strip. On the way back from the show, we stopped at the patio bar and had a drink.

“...the old Moulin Rouge sign, a wonderful scrawl of pink neon.”

Having seen the chaos of the hotel's driveway and entry doors, we initiated the practice of hailing and exiting Ubers from a couple of blocks east of the strip. We did so at around half four to get to the Neon Museum at five. During the ride, we saw a number of landmarks including the Stratosphere Tower - very impressive. A half hour proved JUST enough time - we ran through the doors at exactly 5pm.

Fortunately, there remained some light in the sky to provide a contrasting backdrop for the many old signs that were illuminated that evening. The outdoor museum is wonderful - retired neon signs from casinos, hotels, restaurants are leaned willy-nilly against walls. One walks down alleys and into little cul-de-sacs which are lit up in garish, contrasting colors by the signs that are illuminated. A favorite of mine was the old Moulin Rouge sign, a wonderful scrawl of pink neon. Included in the collection was an immense, animated neon flourish which had graced the entranced to our Flamingo Hotel from some prior era.

“I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of my little Mustang car...”

Summoning another Uber, we made our way to the Fremont Street district and asked to be dropped off at the Golden Nugget, which was a destination we identified as being very close to the "Fremont Street Experience" - the pedestrianized, covered section of the downtown. I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of my little Mustang car in front of the Golden Nugget sign, and we then walked around the corner and entered the section of Fremont Street covered by that immense, barrel-vaulted digital display.

The Experience is definitely an experience to be had. I'd seen pictures of it, but to actually stand underneath that huge display and to see the imaginative, colorful graphics animating across its surface is truly awe-inspiring.

Paul and I walked around for a while, admiring both the overhead display and the neon and digital signs on the buildings themselves as zipliners glided overhead. Stepping out from under the display onto an adjacent street, we saw some neon signs on the Binion's establishment which seem to have been the same as those seen in "Diamonds Are Forever" during the car chase. Summoning an Uber from a block or two away, we made our way back to the Flamingo.

“...we had a look at the menu and saw that the prices were ridiculously high..”

I'd arranged for one dinner reservation at the Bugsy & Meyer's Steakhouse in our hotel. If there was a misfire in our plans, this was it. Once seated in the very pleasant dining room, we had a look at the menu and saw that the prices were ridiculously high. I immediately understood why there was a heavy penalty for cancelling reservations - I imagine that a great many would-be diners experience sticker shock. The coconut shrimp appetizer and the scallops entree (the least expensive items on the menu) were both excellent - we cut our losses and slinked back to our room.

“I won't dignify my fear of heights by calling it a phobia...”

Having reconnoitered our bus pickup spot the day before, we were able to quickly make our way to the transportation hub at the Bellagio. The bus was a full-sized motor coach. The driver called out Paul's name and we took our seats toward the back of the vehicle. Our driver introduced himself as Terence from Jamaica. He was a hoot. It took me a second to realize that he wasn't saying the "damn" bus and the "damn" tour, but "dam". During most of the drive to the dam, he kept up an informative and entertaining commentary about the history of Vegas, the construction of the dam, and accommodations for workers created at purpose-build Boulder City. The first stop after leaving Bellagio was a turnout at the classic "Welcome to Vegas" sign at the southern end of The Strip. Paul and I opted not to get out of the bus for the photo opportunity.

The scenery on the way from Vegas to Boulder City was impressive and stark. Rocky hills almost completely devoid of vegetation loomed above us as the bus made its way through a series of valleys and hills. Terence pointed out the Railroad Pass Hotel at the crest of one very long hill. Boulder City had remained a community since the completion of the dam. The historic center of the town has, according to Terence, been carefully preserved. Some retired rail cars were visible on a siding above the road to the left. The next stop was at an overlook near the shores of Lake Mead. While the low water level wasn't as starkly visible as at the dam, it was still sobering to see how much of the shore was exposed. A marina could be seen to the left of our position - mostly houseboats by the look of them. Back into the bus.

The next stop was another overlook, this one with a staircase and ramp leading to one end of a bridge that crossed the canyon just below the dam. The bridge and highway spur had been built just after Paul's previous visit and was constructed to reduce traffic congestion on the route between Nevada and Arizona - the only prior route included the road leading over the dam itself. The overlook had impressive infrastructure - the stairs, ramp, and walkway were beautifully designed with sweeping concrete walls that embraced seating areas. The walk to the center of the bridge span was, for me, pretty horrifying. I won't dignify my fear of heights by calling it a phobia, but the vertiginous drop from beyond the railing to the river below gave me the leaping fantods. The view of the dam WAS incredible. The scale of the place can only be appreciated in person.

“...we made our way down a corridor with dripping rock walls...”

Reboarding the bus, we were driven along a switchback road that hugged the face of the cliff under the span of the bridge and wound down into the parking garage at the dam visitors' center. We were told by Terence that our tour of the interior of the dam would last about 45 minutes and we'd have the remainder of a 2-hour period to explore the rest of the area. After following some pavement arrows and going through a security screening, we joined a line of tourists waiting for entry. After being ushered through a lobby which reminded me of the forgotten underground government facility in "Terminator 3" we entered an elevator and were taken by a guide down to a level deep within the structure of the dam itself. Leaving the elevator, we made our way down a corridor with dripping rock walls - a scaffolded structure had been erected inside the corridor with a corrugated plastic roof to protect visitors from the water that dripped from the roof and trickled down the rock walls. Disconcerting? The first of the two stops on the tour was in a chamber built above one of the four huge pipes that carries the water from Lake Mead above the dam to the continuation of the Colorado River below. As we saw in an illuminated diagram on the wall, smaller pipes lead from these huge pipes to the turbine rooms on either side of the dam. We were on the Nevada side of the dam. The immense pipe was an amazing site as it receded along the huge space that housed it to where it disappeared at the far end.

Back out the way we came and into a branching corridor that led to the Nevada-side turbine room via another elevator. The turbine room doesn't exist on a human scale - it is mind-bogglingly vast. The entrance opened out onto an observation platform at one end of the space, the floor of which was decorated with a beautiful, intricate circular design. I later learned that it was one of many designs based on Native American pottery art created for the dam by the artist Allen Tupper True. Ranked along the room were the turbine housings, each surmounted by a circular, railed walkway. Our guide pointed out the two cranes which can traverse the space via rails on either side. He told us that the cranes can be used in tandem to lift - I can't remember how many tons, but it was a jolly impressive number, I can tell you.

“Also horrifying was the sight of the spillway opening...”

After that second and last stop on the tour, we were led back along the corridor, up the elevator, and out into the bright sunshine. Paul and I agreed we both wanted to walk across the dam and see the spillway on the Arizona side. As we walked, our eyes were met with a changing perspective of the dam, the canyon, the hills above, and the bridge we'd crossed earlier which spanned the valley below the dam. I steeled myself to take a few picture over the edge of the wall on the downstream side. Horrifying.

Also horrifying was the sight of the spillway opening, a vast circular concrete hole that led into the bowels of the earth. On seeing it, my diseased mind of course began to imagine what it would be like to fall into that black maw. During our entire time walking around the dam, I kept getting painful flashes of adrenaline coursing up and down my legs. It was something of a relief when we turned around at an overlook just upstream of the Arizona spillway and began to head back to the visitors' center.

On our way back across the top of the dam, we took note of the 'Arizona Time" and "Nevada Time" clock displays on the tops of the intake towers. Also, we saw the plaque on the concrete railing on the Lake Mead side that shows the actual location of the border between the two states. Beyond being a gobsmacking industrial marvel, the dam is the setting for some very beautiful design. We'd seen some of the beautiful Native American pottery-inspired floor ornamentation. The intake towers, the elevator doors, and plaques above the elevator entryways all were wonderful examples of Art Deco design. We passed another beautiful example of Art Deco on the way back to the bus: the memorial to the workers who built the dam which consists of two stylized seated angel figures with their arms and narrow wings raised over their heads. Our guide had told us that the small memorial plaza featured a design showing the position of the stars at the time of the dam's dedication, but because the memorial was under renovation, we couldn't get close enough for a good look.

Our departure was delayed for a half hour or so because of one couple who failed to properly note the departure rendezvous time. It could happen to anyone, but they didn't seem particularly chastened when they finally boarded the bus. Back to Vegas along the same route. Terence had little to say on the return trip, which was fine as I, for one, went slackjawed after the day's experiences. Our Bellagio stop was third after Circus, Circus, and one other resort. Circus, Circus, from the outside looked like it'd seen better days. The garish sign for the resort looked dilapidated and had some neon elements misfiring. Paul encouraged me several times during the course of our stay to go into the resort to try to find filming locations for "Diamonds Are Forever", but I didn't feel sufficiently compelled.

“...a fantastic 60s throwback atmosphere with sweeping purple and teal upholstered booths.”

Back at our room, we showered and got dressed for our dinner reservation at The Pepper Mill, a recommendation by our friends Dawn and Amal. The restaurant was just far enough to warrant taking another Uber. The host seated us right away in spite of our being a few minutes early. The Pepper Mill has a fantastic 60s throwback atmosphere with sweeping purple and teal upholstered booths, colorful strip lighting around the ceiling, and these wonderful model trees arching over the seating areas. Paul ordered an old fashioned and I a Blue Hawaii. We both had burgers which were delicious - mine was a sort of pineapple teriyaki concoction. While waiting for our return Uber, we had a look into the adjacent cocktail lounge, which looked amazing - conversation pits nestled among blue pools of water.

“...and so spent the show snapping our heads to and fro as brighter explosions bloomed in either direction.”

After regrouping at the hotel for a few minutes, we steeled ourselves for walking out onto the now-closed-to-vehicular-traffic Strip. Not being terribly keen on large crowds, I was a little nervous about what awaited. As it turned out, it was less daunting than when the street was open as there was a lot more room to walk than when one was restricted to the sidewalks and overpasses. We quickly made our way along the boulevard, noting the very strong police presence - at every 50 yeards or so, there were a couple of police vehicles and groups of officers observing the proceedings. Among the tour helicopters overheard occasionally roared a larger police aircraft. Access from side streets was very effectively blocked by police vehicles and buses. I was already appreciative of the security before hearing the next day about the appalling incident in New Orleans. We continued past Faux Paris with its Montgolfier Balloon beautifully lit up with blue and gold lights.

We had researched various options for New Year's Eve. Not eager to be out on The Strip at midnight to watch the fireworks, we had searched online for rooftop parties thrown by various businesses. The one at Brew Dog looked fun, but price was very steep. The other ones that we found, however, didn't include food or drink and we figured we'd spend at least as much as the Brew Dog price before all was said and done. So, Brew Dog it was.

We entered through the street-level doors and followed the signs for the elevator - Brew Dog occupies the top two floors of that particular building, which also housed some sort of mini-Target. Our reservation was confirmed in the main bar and we were invited to go right up to the rooftop space and stake a claim of one of the tables, which we did straight away. The entertainment that evening began with dueling piano performers who did a great job with some popular favorites ("Sweet Caroline" among them). Sitting at the table next to us was a couple who revealed themselves to be Justin and Janelle from Kansas City. We bought a round of drinks at the bar and settled in for the evening. It was fun to just sit there and enjoy the lights, the music, and the sight of helicopters buzzing around overhead. The Brew Dog staff were wonderfully attentive, bringing trays of yummy appetizers around every few minutes - steamed dumplings, strips of steak on toast, caprese salad bites - we waved them past several times as we were getting very full. We enjoyed talking with Justin and Janelle. The latter, while personable, fiddled with her phone for the majority of the evening. A young man was sitting alone at another nearby table. He photobombed one of our selfies and Paul was beginning to wonder if he was a sex worker when his parents turned up and sat down with him. They looked like a fun group, particularly the lady - we introduced ourselves at some point - Annie, Troy and Hayden were visiting from West Virginia, although Annie made it very clear she wasn't originally from there. She had gone to high school in Northern Virginia at Hayfield and regarded Herndon (baffingly) as Hoity-Toity. "Everything is relative" she said. I pumped my fist and shouted "Class of "80" - Annie expressed a gratifying degree of astonishment that I was that old.

At midnight, the fireworks displays at Aria and MGM commenced. We were squarely in between both resorts and so spent the show snapping our heads to and fro as brighter explosions bloomed in either direction. It really was spectacular. We lost track of Janelle and Justin after the fireworks. I felt bad that we hadn't properly said "goodbye". We hung out with Annie and her party for a little while before heading back down the stairs and elevator to the street. Strangely, the police were already in the process of reopening the street at 1:30am and were requiring people to walk only on the pedestrian walkways and overpasses. This struck me as a bad idea as many (most?) of the people in the crowd (ourselves included) were more than a little inebriated and negotiating the narrow walkways, stairs, and escalators was all the more difficult. We made it back safely to our hotel room and retired for the evening.

“...a mishmash of winged lions on plinths, heroic statuary, porticoes, etc.”

I got up a little before Paul the next morning and spent a few minutes on the settee by the window reading my Bond novel as the morning sun crept down the hotel towers opposite. We had the morning free - our only fixed engagement was to visit the Mob Museum that afternoon, the timing of which was predicated on our having reservations for two interactive activities at 1 and 2:15pm. We decided to explore some of the Strip to the north of our hotel, starting with Caesar's Palace across the boulevard. Paul had been there on his previous visit and was keen to see it again. I'd heard that the "shopping forum" was impressive. We found the pedestrian overpass that led to the resort and crossed over the boulevard to the east. Paul remarked that the moving sidewalk that used to carry visitors into the resort was no longer there and had been replaced by additional development between the resort and the street.

The exterior was certainly impressive - we walked across a plaza fronted by buildings designed to look Roman Forum-ish, a mishmash of winged lions on plinths, heroic statuary, porticoes, etc. The interior was no less impressive - a sweeping oval space flanked by columns, decorative marble floors, murals, surrounding a sculptural group decorated for the season with garlands and poinsettias. We walked through part of the casino and then became lost in a labyrinth of hotel and convention center corridors. Eventually, we saw signs for "The Shopping Forum" and made our way there. That part of the complex was really truly impressive - under an artifical twlight, we made our way among huge groupings of sculptures and columns along the facades of expensive boutiques. At the far end was a circular, column-flanked aquarium with lookdowns, moorish idols, rays, and other exotic fish. Video displays around the perimeter of the huge space were showing underwater footage. Very impressive. I'd hoped that there would be a lionfish in the aquarium so I could make a "Spy Who Loved Me" reference, but no dice.

We made our way back through the shopping forum the way we'd come in and looked for exits to the street. Following an exit sign down an escalator, we found ourselves in an underground garage. Figuring it was the shortest likely route back to the Strip, we left the garage and made our way along the sunken service roads on foot. Reaching the Strip we turned left and walked north along the boulevard. Many fun sights were seen - a strange, multi-level McDonalds, a sign for "Casino Royale", two wonderful fake pirate ships in the fake lagoon fronting the Treasure Island Resort. I waited outside while Paul ducked into a Walgreen's adjacent to the Fashion Mall with its strange, oval sun shade. While waiting, I took the opportunity to take a photo of my hand making a rude gesture at the Trump Hotel. A few minutes later, we saw that the driveway to the Trump resort was blocked with yellow crime scene tape and we could see police gumballs flashing near the entrance. Only later that day did we learn through social media about the terrible Cybertruck explosion that had occurred there that morning. After walking past a mall with an impressive, elliptical sunshade structure, we decided it was time to hail an Uber and get to the Mob Museum in order not to miss the first of our two reserved activities there.

“...I was rather pleased by the tight grouping of my shots.”

On arrival, we stood in a short line to retrieve our admission and special activity tickets. I'd signed us up for two special sessions - one a forensic lab activity, the other a tactical training simulation. The museum is housed in an historic Las Vegas building, the former municipal building and post office. On one wall of the lobby there remains ranks of post office boxes. A docent told us that the three-story building was once the tallest in Las Vegas. We had a half hour or so before the first session, so we proceeded to the top floor of the museum where the chronological path through the exhibits began.

The exhibits were wonderful - beautifully presented, documented, and arranged. The early history of Las Vegas was first, with maps and artifacts telling the story of the early settlements, businesses, and economic activity. Immigrant life in major cities was the focus of one room, setting the stage for the economic hardship that drove many to illicit activity. A reconstruction of the Chicago garage wall against which the victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre were shot appeared in one room. The docent launched into a fascinating account of the wall's history, how some bricks were sold as souvenirs, how the red marks are paint recreating the bloodstains from the event.

It was time for our first activity so we went downstairs to the entrance to the crime lab area. Our docent outlined the three areas to explore: the DNA lab, fingerprint lab, and coroner's table. We took them in that order. In the DNA lab, we examined DNA sequences to match samples from perpetrators and victims and learned how DNA evidence can be used to solve crimes. In the fingerprint section, examples were given of the various classic configurations of human fingerprints and we were able to determine to which type our own prints belonged. As with the DNA, we compared photos of prints to match crime scene evidence with perpetrators. The coroner lab experience was led by a docent who asked us to examine the wounds and marks on a disturbingly detailed, full-sized photo displayed on the surface of the table. The docent asked whether we could determine whether certain wounds were pre or post-mortem and how the body's appearance could provide clues to how the person died. Fascinating.

Our second activity, the tactical simulation started not long after the first. We had to leave most of our personal items in a locker before entering. A docent guided just the two of us through the experience. He fitted us out with belts and handguns - the guns were real weapons, modified to shoot laser pulses which were tracked by the simulation equipment. After a brief lecture on gun safety, our instructor asked us to fire a shot at a human-shaped target on the wall and then to fire multiple rounds to try to hit the target's torso area. We both did really well - I was rather pleased by the tight grouping of my shots. Then we were taken into the first simulation room where a life-size recreation of a domestic scene was projected onto one entire wall. We were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance and had to enter the home and seek out the aggressors. We were immediately shot dead.

After a brief regroup, we were given a second chance at which we did much better - identifying and shooting the armed criminals. In a second simulation room we did similarly well. I became nervous when we were told that in the third and final room we would be facing a live actor. The instructor asked which of us wanted to be the point person and which the support. I agreed to be the point person and was instructed to talk to the suspect - Paul was told that he was to touch my shoulder when he saw the suspects gun. I entered into a roundabout dialog with the suspect and saw when he turned to reveal his weapon. Paul never touched my shoulder, so I noted it to the suspect and asked him to raise his hands. He refused - we went back and forth for a while until, probably bored with the proceedings, the actor finally drew his gun and fired at us. We returned fire and the simulation ended. It was an exciting and nerve-wracking experience - a fascinating glimpse into what police officers have to deal with. Respect.

We had taken a break from the museum to go get some lunch. Friends had recommended a pizza place which turned out to be on the adjacent block. Pizza Rock was lots of fun - a lofty, industrial vibe with rock music and memorabilia. Vincent Price could have taken inhospitability lessons from the hostess, but everything else about the place was cool. The pizza was fantastic, as was the beer.

After lunch, we returned the Mob Museum and explored the remaining exhibitions, including one concerning our hotel, The Flamingo! It was one of the earliest resorts on The Strip and is the oldest one currently in existence. Bugsy Siegel had usurped the development of the place from the guy who started the project and was assassinated in L.A. around a year after the resort opened. The exhibit had a wonderful, contemporary feel with a groovy lounge area in the middle.

The Museum had two more awesome experiences remaining: the shop, which had a lot of seriously cool stuff, including a display of costumes from "Pulp Fiction", and a speakeasy bar in the basement! There was free access from inside the museum, but we later learned that an exterior entrance requires a password. We were served at the bar by the most energetic mixologist we'd ever encountered. He worked at a feverish pace to keep up with the orders, shaking mixtures, meticulously arranging delicate garnishes - we were transfixed. Paul ordered an Old Fashioned, the booze component of which was delivered in a hollowed-out book, prohibition-style. I can't remember what I ordered, but it was delicious.

Leaving the Museum for the last time, we went back to Fremont Street and were delighted to find an 80s band performing at a stage under the digital canopy. They were awesome - we heard many of the songs from our 1980s playlist we enjoy in our breezeway at home. I took a few more pictures of Tiffany's Mustang. Knowing we had an earlyish start the next morning or our return trip, we reluctantly withdrew to the front of the Museum to summon an Uber.

“...and ceremonially placed our new Vegas refrigerator magnets...”

Our last morning in Vegas. I sat by the window and watched the light slowly illuminate the buildings of Caesar's Palace as the sunrise progressed. We tidied the room, packed our belongings, did a final check (Tickets! Money! Passports!), rode the elevator back down to the lobby and ordered an Uber at the rear entrance of the hotel. Our return trip was blessedly uneventful - a welcome contrast to the 7-hour delay in the Vegas airport we endured on our return trip from San Diego two years previously. On arriving, we greeted The Kitty Boyz, made cocktails, played cribbage in the breezeway, and ceremonially placed our new Vegas refrigerator magnets onto the side of our drinks fridge. Oh, and we inaugurated our new Vegas shot glass! A new year's trip to remember.