Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Most people don't know there is more to Vegas than the strip. Besides the amazing landscape there is some very interesting business and buildings around Las Vegas. We stopped at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health because it's an architectural marvel.

 

 I am not an architectural photographer. I was more interested in the unique local flowers.

Fremont Street

Fremont street was an interesting place. This was where I saw most of the people dressed up as characters. These people must make their living dressed up as these characters, because you could not take their photo without giving them a tip.

 This guy was a little freaky, I'm pretty sure the human body isn't supposed to be able to do the stuff he did.

 I had to get a shot of Bumblee, my son would have loved to see the life size Transformer!

                                                   Elvis and Marylin

 This guy was pretty fascinating to watch. He painted a beautiful sea side sunset completely with spray paint

                           The Mad Hatter and Captain Jack Sparrow

Wandering the Strip

My photography group and I spent some time just wandering the Las Vegas strip. I enjoyed seeing the detail that went into the hotels. Vegas is probably the only place where you can go from New York to Egypt with only a few steps.

                                                   New York, New York

                                                         Excalibur

 This case full of shirts from fire departments around the US as a memorial for 9-11

 I love good phrases and sayings. This one by Martin Luther King really struck home with me as 2011 was filled with personal challenge and controversy for me.

                                                      Excalibur

The Stratosphere

So the group I was in Vegas with talked me into going up the Stratosphere to ride the rides at the top.

                        The view from the top of the Stratosphere

 I was nervous enough about the rides I thought their tables in the restaurant area were funny.

 

The ride in the top picture actually turned out to be a let down.

The ride in the lower photo . . . . scary!! You're strapped into a seat and shot at warp speed up the spire. We went on it twice . . . .

                                Sunset from the top of the Stratosphere

Luxor

My club and I spent some of our time wandering the Vegas strip. We walked through a couple of the hotels. The Luxor was one of our first stops. I found the interior very interesting. All the walls converged up to a point.

 If you look close you can see Blue, the small dog that traveled with us all over Vegas. Blue's owner sent Blue with her mom, so we made sure to get pictures of Blue at all our stops. :)

The Venetian

One of my favorite hotels to look at was the Venetian. Maybe because it was the first one I saw but I found it so pretty and ornate.

 I didn't venture inside the building to far . . . well as far as the bathroom. :) But I found the fountain in the lobby pretty.

 I liked the pattern these lights made on the ground. What fun it would be to photograph a bride and groom here

 I don't know if my eyes were messing with me, but light seemed to glow pink around the Venetian

Neon Boneyard

The Neon Boneyard is a fascinating place. This is where all the casino signs go when the buildings are torn down. The place is full of interesting textures! I'm sure the history behind all these signs is as interesting as the signs themselves. But alas, I was so busy to busy taking pictures, to listen to the tour guide.

 The only history I remember is from this shoe. The owner of the casino next door bought the casino where the shoe was displayed and tore it down. He was tired of the lights from the shoe shining in his bedroom window at night.