First Impressions

Across the road from our hotel was the Paris Casino Hotel.  The wide angle lens of the camera makes it look so small.  The reality was that each hotel and casino covers at least one block.  I was surprised with all the people there that the city was pretty clean. (Remember this is first impressions.) 

Paris, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Eiffel Tower in reality is half the size of the actual Eiffel Tower in France. That helps add to the illusion created on the Las Vegas strip. Buildings were planned on the strip to make them appear closer than what they actually were. It looks like it is just a short walk away when in reality it could be a quarter to half a mile away.


Eiffel Tower, Las Vegas, Nevada

Because of the heavy traffic, many intersections have walkways that go over the road. But the walkways aren't on the corners.  They are set back considerably from the corner (again playing with your perception since it is normal to see them closer to a corner.)  After dark, the unseemly side came out in Vegas. As you walked up and down the streets, people are flipping and continually trying to hand out little "cards" to everyone that walk by.  Prostitution is legal in Las Vegas and those cards are calling cards for the service.  By midnight the streets are littered with cards that have been dropped.  Also it seems like people become litter bugs after dark.  Late in the evenings as we would head back the streets would be so physically dirty and crowded.  There were so many beggars sitting along side the road and sidewalks.  By morning, everything was cleaned up and the beggars were sleeping in for the morning.


"The Strip" from an overhead cross-walk