Continued from Part 2.

See Part 1 for a trip overview.

Travel Dates: 4/18/11 – 4/19/11

A: Pawn Stars Pawn Shop
B: Motel 6
C: Rio Hotel and Casino
D: Treasure Island
E: Bellagio
F: Las Vegas Sign

Approaching the strip.

I was uneasy at first. Something about Las Vegas’s overt fakeness offended my midwestern sensibilities.

There was even a miniaturized version of New York City, complete with the Statue of Liberty and the Chrysler building.

Everything is LOUD and BRIGHT, even during the day.

Smart. Escalators to keep the tourists off the street.

Yes, that’s the shop where Pawn Stars is filmed, located just north of the main drag.

There was a line to get in. Apparently they were filming so everyone had to wait with no certainty on when the doors would reopen. I couldn’t be bothered to wait in line to see a stupid pawn shop, so I insisted on leaving.

Checked into Motel 6 on Tropicana right next to the strip for only $37. Few hotels in Las Vegas are pet-friendly, so I didn’t get to stay overnight in any iconic hotels.

It wasn’t exactly The Venetian, but it was clean and cheap.

Ian found something called “Tix4tonight” which offers discounted tickets for last-minute planners. They had a booth at the Fashion Show Mall.

I purchased two tickets for Penn and Teller at the Rio and two buffets at Treasure Island. Total was only $116!

Did some gambling at Treasure Island (camera-phone warped the image)

The buffet at Treasure Island was EXCELLENT. Naturally, I went for the collard greens, pulled pork, and ribs.

I was up $10. That didn’t last long.

After eating and gambling, we headed to Rio to see Penn and Teller.

Penn and Teller’s magic show was absolutely worth the $50. The presentation followed a libertarian theme, mocking the TSA, lambasting the Patriot Act, and praising the Bill of Rights while frequently interacting with the audience.

Went back to the motel. Even Motel 6 has a glitzy sign.

There’s free and plentiful parking all over Las Vegas, which makes it very car-friendly. This is the top of the parking garage at Bellagio.

I take a lot of pictures in elevators. I don’t know why. They always turn out poorly.

The Bellagio has a beautiful indoor art display.

Parking/reception area outside.

The famous Bellagio fountain show. The water spouts are fired and lit according to the music, a selection of pop, country, or classical.

At night, it goes off every 15 minutes until midnight.

Fast Tube by Casper

Bellagio

Cosmopolitan

A wide variety of friendly tourists.

Bill’s. The only $5 blackjack table I could find.

This truck was driving up and down the strip all day. Ian kept nagging me to let him buy one, but I insisted that he get his own room.

At the Vegas sign.

Caesar’s Palace

A Previa towing an SC430. “Oh what a feeling!”

The Venetian

Went exploring on foot up and down the strip, checking out the casinos.

There were guys in the street handing out business cards for prostitutes.

Wandered around town for a while before returning to the motel room.

This was my first visit to Las Vegas. I was skeptical of its cheese and shamelessness, but it grew on me. Penn and Teller won me over.

PART 4: Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Mojave Airplane Graveyard