Las Vegas Strip at Night

Nevada passed a strict anti-gambling law in 1910. However, betting only went underground until 1931 when the Nevada legislature passed into law a bill allowing it- with the caveat that it was to generate tax revenue to support public schools. There were also additional incentives of bootlegging, legal prostitution and a residency requirement for divorce of just 6 weeks which suddenly increased the town's popularity during the Roaring Twenties. The Strip was inaugurated in 1941, and after World War II came the big resort hotels, and with them big entertainment. As we soon found out, each mega resort vies with the next for the most opulent casino and big name entertainment. We easily found a place to park our car and from there started our walking tour of the Strip. The Paris hotel with its Eiffel Tower was one of our stops during our night out on the town. We took the elevator to the top. Many other people also had the same idea so it was a bit of a wait.

At the top of the tower we had a spectacular view of all the glitter and glamor of the Strip at night.

There is a very large choice of entertainment to be found on the Strip. Everything from magic shows to comedy acts to a wide variety of music shows are available. Currently Celine Dion and the Phantom of the Opera are in town. We chose to see Bally's Jubiliee! as it most represents a typical Las Vegas variety show. It features 85 dancers, singers and specialty performers donning more than 1,000 costumes. It was necessary to first walk through the casino area to get to the theater.

I must say that John and I have not as yet been tempted by the lure of the slot machines. The idea of getting rich quick does not even entice us. We have met up with a few people around town who said they have lost their last dollars in the machines and have asked us for money so they can eat. A trip to the Strip at night is not complete without a stop at the 11-acre lake at the Bellagio hotel. A series of fountains in the lake blast water up to 240 feet in the air. They are musically choreographed into a spectacular show which performs every half hour during the day and evening. It was a bit cool standing there and watching the show. After that it was necessary to run into the hotel for a warm drink and some pastry before heading home.