30. Las Vegas Trip: a walking tour of the Las Vegas Strip

We'll go to Red Rock Canyon. I found the quietest spot I could find. To put a topper on this next series of episodes where you're going to hear in the next several weeks, this is from my trip to Las Vegas. The episodes take place in let's call it a three hundred miles circle around Las Vegas. We'll go to Death Valley, We'll go to the Hoover Dam. Right now, I'm at the Red Rock Canyon. We'll go to Zion National Park, we'll walk the Strip, we'll visit Freemont Street, and we'll drive around the larger Las Vegas area. If you're grabbing this episode expecting a here's what's to do on the Las Vegas Strip type gambling and shows podcasts, that this is not that at all. This is the opposite of that. This is leave the strip and go see nature. You've heard the phrase God's country boy. It is so beautiful out here that I can really tell I'm out of breath because I'm in the middle of a hike. You'll hear that when we get to the Red Rock Canyon episode. We'll start today on the Strip. Hello from the Las Vegas Strip. I'm Johnny Mack and Travel is back now in the spirit of not wasting anyone's time. If you were new to the show, the premise of the podcast these places I've been and what I like to do when I'm there. Now, this episode is a little weird for me because I don't like Las Vegas. I am walking down the strip Las Vegas Boulevard. I'm staying at the ex Caliber Hotel, which has a castle mootif kind of looks like where Shrek would live, kind of looks like medieval times. Have you ever been in one of those? That's a matief there now outside on a footbridge. For the most part, in Vegas, you don't actually cross the street. There's all these skywalks and stuff to just make it easier on everybody. So heading north out of the Excalibur, I'm heading towards New York, New York, which has a pretty decent replica. The Statue of Liberty looks real enough in my eyes, clearly smaller. There's a roller coaster. There's a fake version of the New York City Skyline. It's a nice desert morning, blue skies, not a cloud dry from the around fifty degrees. It's let's heid into New York, New York and see what we find. We found a hogen to Oz Coyote ugly bar and dance seemed to have found the food court of New York, New York. It's some New York pretzels. Being from New York, I'm not exactly blown away by fake New York casino floor and right left, I'm gonna head out. Well, I should probably mentioned it's eight am on a Friday. I got to town on Wednesday. It was pretty quiet, almost sad Vegas to ourselves this morning, way way way more people at the breakfast stuff. Everybody's looking at me like I'm nuts because I'm talking to myself. Nice big gold MGM lion out for it. I think I'm actually gonna skip the Grand here and go down to street level. So I'm on one of these escalators, a lot of outdoor escalators. I guess it doesn't rain that much and they hold up right. When I came out the other night, I'm on knee. I guess it would be the eastbound side of the street. And I found the east side the street to be really really seedy, like really seedy. The west side of Las of Eggs Boulevard has more casinos and is more built up, and it's more nice, trending, gaudy. But here on the east side of the street souvenir shops, marijuana shops. So as I walk northbound, here on the side I am, this is all the stores. Just past the T mobile, there's an Adidas. But the other side of the street, shake Shack, New York, New York Casino. Here's a tackie looking food court, Scott. Let's see Louisiana kitchen. Oh, that's a Popeyes Subway Deltaco in the Express band Express. Here's the M and M store. I was in there the other night. Not as big as the New York City one. I do like me some M and M's, though. Now, depending where you're from, there are more. I use the term knuckleheads as an all encompassing term, more knuckle heads than you might see wherever you are from. Nobody's really causing any trouble. But my city instinct is just convert your eyes, don't make contact. Pretty big crowd at the Denny's. This is a Denny's kind of crowd, hard rock cafe. And I'm cutting this down so you don't just hear a lot of silence. But I made my way to the park MGM and the Cruk Shack, which sells egget based meals. Eight AM's not a bad time a day to do this walk because streets aren't that crowded. Move pretty quickly. So here at the Fatburger. This is just like you. Here, seedy looking strip like a Tapo Poppy pizza, pizza t shirt store. A really really faded sign for the Grand Canyon Hoover Damn Tour Center. I think I'll figure that out on my own rather trust the faded sign. Now you're gonna hear these episodes out of sequence. Yesterday I went to Death Valley, which I think will be the next episode on the feed. That was amazing, and I'm planned to hit the Hoover dam I think later today. I'm glad I grant him the car. I heard a colleague yesterday say it's took a fifty dollars and an uber to get somewhere. I'm like, boop, great thing, I got a car. Plus the car allowed me to travel and get off the strip. Now here's another cheesy strip all. I can't believe that this isn't knocked down and placed by a casino but we have a best buds. If you want to get your cannabis based products a hole in the wall pizza joint, that's probably a bad choice. I don't know why you would pick there. On my left now is the Waldorf Astoria, which catches your eye because it looks really nice because it's a off a story, you know. On the right, we got smokies and cigarettes, pipes, cigars and hooks. Let's hooka with an a. We have the plug in case you didn't get your cannabis products earlier, also gear. On the right, we can get sixteen ounced toll cans for dollar forty nine. T shirts, different T shirts, some pluggage case you needs some luggage, different T shirts like yeah, I can't believe these storefronts exist and haven't been torn down and replaced. Quite a casino. Another cannabis shop. It's three in spin of a block, all right. So coming up on another one of those corners where you can't cross the street and you have to take a skywalk with the escalators. Seeing a lot of runners out the Las Vegas Marathon is this weekend. I see a lot of people probably getting in one last three mile training run. It's okay, surprisingly dark staircase back down the street level. I wouldn't want to do that one at night. Hey, it's McDonald's a subway, the nicest taco bell you've ever seen. The Sin City Brewing Company, a brewery with an intriguing logo that could be fun found. The Walgreens always gets to know here's another runner, there's a Chick fil A, another runner, and neon outfit. Good to see everybody out. I ran the New York City Marathon in twenty thirteen, and I had trained for the twenty twelve marathon. That was the year of Hurricane Sandy, and the marathon was canceled. So I did all the training two years in a row. The net effected that because my body got pretty beat up, wasn't in great shape to begin with. I've done a few halves since, so I don't think I have another marathon in me. But I am envious of these people. Here's Planet Hollywood on the right, Bellagio on the left. Here's a PF Changs, and it's got a beautiful statue of a gold horse out front. This is going to get a photo. Told the tourists. Move, I don't care, said one of those wonderful, awkward moments where you just have to not make eye contact with somebody. Dad told me, well, I've run up in New York City and I've passed the advice along to my children. I hate being cold hearted like that, but it's the move. Here's Sammy Hagar's Cobbo Wabbo Cantida. I'm coming up to the hotel. If you listen to the feed, you know I'm a big fan of actual Paris. This intrigues me. Here's the vague Eiffel Tower. They did a pretty good job. It's obviously shorter than the real one, and we were comparing it to a photot. The proportions are awful little, but in your mind's eye it looks like the Eiffel Tower. That's really all that matters. So this is Harris, Las Vegas. Let's add this way. I haven't been in here yet. There the entrance to the Paris Las Vegas. We have a fake Arc de Triumph again, smaller, but kind of captures the idea of what it looks like in your head. I really so, I've come in off the strip about half a block now just feels better. Oh, I like what they did here. It looks like it's old copper of churches painted this way. It's got that green tint the way the actual stature Liberty has, so it looks old, even though it's not a good job. Some French flags flying. This is fun. They go through these doors. I think it's just a casino floor. Let's take a look. I like it in here. It's brighter than the other places, but there's a fake ceiling, so you feel like you're looking up at blue sky and not looking at just nothing. There's a place called Ryosh find coffees, French pastries and sandwiches. Not bad. I like how it looks in here. Oh wow, reception is gorge If they did a good job at this. This looks good fake European, if that makes sense. Very nice. I want to take photos, but between audio recording. If I start whipping out my camera, I'm sure they'll be like, who the hell is this guy? And I don't feel like getting hassled. Here's a nice No One mash to sign with where everybody lives. Here's one of these showing it where everything is pretty nice. Gonna keep doing a loop here. Found lates or letts a lot easier than I did in actual Paris. I'll tell you that. All right, I take this place. This is where I would stay. Here's the Cafe Americano in case you come to a lot of Vegas, stay at the Paris and then want to be back in America. But hey, there's a line out the door. But I tell you a planing your breakfast. If you think you're coming out at eight thirty or so, let me see what time it is, nine o nine. Do you think you're coming out at nine o nine and getting breakfast or get it? I do like it, even though we're on the casino floor. It's got an outdoor cafe kind of feel. Big, big lines for breakfast, good luck, Sury's playing Wheel of Fortune, slots can win a million four Hope it pays off for you. Do you like all the whizbang sounds? They did a good job with the decor in here. I like it. I like the French flags hanging looks a little different. Architecture is different. It's not as gaudy as the other casinos. Eiffel Tower. Viewing at deck entrance. See what the deal is here? Seems to be closed. I guess you can go up into that Eiffel Tower. That would be cool. Here's a store that says Eiffel Tour not bad. Let's send it back out on the street. I like Paris. This is good. Back in front of Paris is a nice outdoor cafe that looks like the spot, but but the line is insane. All right, back on the strip heading northbound, then make my way to Caesar's Palace and then turn around. So on pass trips when business was paying for it, I always stayed at Caesar's is very nice as you would expect. It's got a whole Roman motif. There's a nice walk with a bunch of shops, a big fountain with I guess it's Neptune in it, and a bunch of Vegas's statues, no horses with wings. Very cool. If you listen to my other podcast, the Eli Comedy News, and you hear me talking about when I used to do comedy festival, Caesars is where they would hold the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, so we would stay there, all the comedians would stay. There is great theater. It's just fantastic. All right, Another one of these skybridges will take its over to Caesars. The down escalators working. The up escalator is, of course closed. I would have done that the other way, folks. But okay, if you look to the north, Caesar's goes on for its quite some way. The mirage is advertising Beatles Love. You see the Flamingo in the distance, a hotel name for one of the former presidents. Walking into Caesars now, missile looks nice. It's got a big skylight kind of arch, probably two three stories up, but it's letting the side on in so it makes the shops look attractive. These are those showcase shops that very few people actually shopping, but they look cool. Just past a big Gucci, Dior, Chappelle, Spago by Wolfgang Puck, and it's big and open and bright, so why not. Wow, I just stepped on a carpet. It is so ghost soft, like I can't even describe. I feel like I'm walking in sand almost a very nice Now made my way to another casino, which was not my attention. I think I'm in the Bellaggio. Now by accident, the Bolagio has got Then I think I've found we would call main street in a casino. A lot of people coming at me. Let me have roulette. Tables here at Bellagio. For whatever reason, I would describe this as nicer than the Excalibur, not as nice as powers different than Caesar's. Probably on par with it, something called the Aria Express tram. I wonder where it goes. Here's another beautiful statue of a golden horse, and now exiting the casino and back to sort of main street, and I don't know what I'd just found, but my eye popped. I see natural light on a lot of plants, and whatever we're about to find looks pretty cool on that cliffhanger. Let's take the break, all right, at the Bellaggio leading my way to the conservatory. I guess this is beautiful. So this I'll get the camera out for here's a cool KOI pond. I'm at the tea house in modern China. Virtually every dwelling, even down the Sipless mud hut, has a set of tea implements. For bury a cup of hot tea. It'll fish. This is a mixture of natural and artificial constructs. So this is super cool. Do this when you come here looking out A beautiful gold statue of a lion with water coming out of his mouth. I guess that would make it a fountain, not a statue, which absolutely gorgeous, so colorful. Every here is Sitdell's restaurant, big line out front. It looks like this a beautiful outdoor section two. I can't see how to get there from here, but these flowers. This is really gord Vegas. You need more of this. Here are some tangerines. Through the play of words, the Chinese are associating the gift of tantrin and orange as the abundance of happiness and prosperity. The fruit sprite orange color also symbolizes gold. This is at the hashtag of Bellagio Conservatory. Jump on your Instagram and you see what I'm talking about. I am sure, Wow, I'm really glad. I've discovered this by accident. And this is why I like doing the show like this. If you wanted to hear, you know, go to see this casino, stay at this table. That's not what I could do, honestly, dude walking around with a horrible recorder. But boy, this is beautiful. Here's another lion fountain with water coming out. Just a gorgeous space, absolutely beautiful and happy. Instagram hashtag Bellaggio Conservatory. Definitely jump on that. Here's a poll wagon of sorts. Rickshaw, I guess would be the proper term, with statues of children and the man bulling the rickshaw, and the rickshaw is a bird cage. Balloons go in the sky, just wonderful. The south bed a knick knack peddler, an individual commonly representing Chinese art signifying learning and new beginnings. It's surrounded by children. In the south bed. A'm majestic pagoda stands nearby and is inspired by the Temple of the Six Banian Trees, an ancient and sacred Buddhist temple in Gunzao, China, built in five thirty seven eight D. A giant pomegranate tree surrounds a temple symbolizing a beautiful year as live bamboo, citrucent boneside trees provide greenery throughout this gordous so far, that was the highlight of the walking tour. Let's see, I don't want to go to the parking garage, don't want to go to the towers. I wonder if I get around to that outside greenery. Let's head down this aisle. See what we find. Now, there's something called a purvest that's going to be a restaurant. Right the world's largest chocolate fountain is temporarily out of order from maintenance. I didn't know it was there, and now I'm sad and I think I've reached a dead end. I'm going to head back out see if we're can make our way back to the strip. Here's the Bellagio Patisseri as a decent crowd. I'm glad I hit the Crispy Kreem at eight am. I forgot to comment on that. Donuts two dollars twenty cents, all right, I guess. And I got a Starbucks frappuccino bottle at a convenience store inside the casino. I don't even know because I gave my card. I think she said it was five to sixty. But yesterday, on the trip to Death Valley, I lived on potato chips and a bottle of water. So it'll even out and back through the revolving doors. Let's see where we are. We are out in front of the Bellagio by the fountains. The fountain show is something you should do. It's Las Vegas tourists one oh one. But there's a reason for such things in life. If you came to New York and went to the Statue of Liberty. I wouldn't think that was weird. If you're from New York, you've possibly never been to the Statue of Liberty, as such things are, right, So the Lascio fountains touristy one oh one, but do it. And I just saw escalators for another skywalk. I'm wondering if I blew it not going up that way, but I'm gonna stay street let ol and see what happens. By that bright sun and the thin air. It's just it's already very nice. How it feels great now. I hadn't noticed because the angle is a really large Ferris wheel behind Balleys, which is behind Paris, and I think I saw that advertise that's, you know, one of the biggest blah blah blah. But to my eye, this fake Eiffel Tower looks taller. So I've been walking for about fifty minutes. Now. I'm recording this on one track. The version you're hearing is quite edited, but just to give you a sense of time. So it took me from Excalibur Caesar's walking leisurely and doing narration. It took me about half an hour. I really haven't stopped at all, mainly walking and taking it in. I do have an appointment in mid morning, so I'm going to head back. I found the other end of the skywalf that I blew off, no harm, no foul. I might have to bust out of ball cap for later. Sudden in my face. I could see me getting sneaky sunburned today. Now make my way to the Aria. It's got a good with somebody but visited those cababage jobs talking about earlier after me, No thank you, a construction site on their even you could likely hear now the Aria Reserved Casino just trying to get me to go in and check out their shops. Okay, the shops seem to be showcase stories. Here's the two story product store if that interests who. So this is a pretty much a ten minute time jump. I've just been walking. Hasn't been anything to tell you the Aria on the outside. There's really nothing coming up on the park MGM. Now on my right, as I had southbound back towards the Excalibur, now the crack Shack. The crack Shack, there's something appealing about. I don't know if it's the sign, if it's the name. It's no nicer or less nice than any of these other store feruns, but this one always catches my eye. Here's Eely, which is tourist the Italian food. I may have to pop in there at some point. It's that weird mix of it quote unquote fake. But it looks cool. And what is anything anyway? If it looks cool, I guess it's cool. Right. We're out in front of New York, New York now in an area called the Park. I like that. This is landscape kind of sword and not quite like Bryant Park in New York City. If they're going for Central Park they missed. I see there's a beer house, beer garden that could definitely interest me. Later advertisements for Starbucks Shakeshack Irish pub Tom's Urban Shakeshack's a good time. I mean, I wouldn't come to Laws Vegas just to go to shake Shack. But if you were hungry at eight to Shakeshack, I wouldn't think you were a fool. This is landscape. Nice out here. It's big and wide and open and inviting and probably in the summertime awesome, especially right now and this weather awesome. I'm walking by the fake Brooklyn Bridge where there's picnic tables out. Yeah, this would be a good spot to just people watch and drink a beverage. The outside of New York. New York looks like Lower Manhattan, Like if you get below the numbers in Manhattan all the way downtown with streets have names and aren't just Third Street. It does that kind of feel Alphabet City. It's a cool Pepsi hat here that looks like it was painted in nineteen twenty two. You know, fake, it looks cool, So okay. Swatch store. I used to love my Swatch and going back to the eighties, though I like buying a Swatch. Don't get suckered in, Johnny Mack. The nine fine Irishman Irish pub looks fun enough. I'm the son of a bartender, grew up up and around bars, and I'm from the Northeast, so I don't need to go to a fake Irish pub. But again, if you went, looks perfectly cool to me. Over here, we can find the Chocolate Martini Bar, Hershey's Chocolate World, Theresa's Store, and the roller coaster. Now I'm a big free cat, so you won't catch me anywhere near that roller coaster, and just over the horizon I see Shrek and Fiona and the good people of the Castle Excalibur. So this walking tour is just about done. Upcoming episodes in the feed a road trip to Death Valley, then an episode in Death Valley. They playing on doing Hoover Damn and hopefully some other things will I'm out here, so this is the Las Vegas Strip. You can follow this podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast where you get your shoes. I'm Johnny mack in Treble is Back.