| rev:text
| - Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire!
Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher...
There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there
And they're all livin' devil may care
And I'm just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas!
Yippee, we made it in this time. When was the last time you heard someone yelp "Yippee"? Anyway, the last time Jamie W. and I visited in 2010, we actually didn't visit. We snuck peeks of the "boneyard" through a chain-link fence covered in black plastic sheets since we weren't aware that you had to buy tickets in advance, and we were leaving Vegas that evening. Well, it only took us seven years to return to this genuinely open-air museum, this time with tickets in hand and happy to see that the 1961 lobby of the La Concha Motel was restored to become the visitors' center as planned (photo: http://bit.ly/2nmLQNm). Souvenir photos while you wait for the tour are purely optional (photo: http://bit.ly/2nRkETv)
It's all quite organized with hour-long tours leaving every half-hour led by enthusiastic docents who go into the history of Vegas and the particulars of the more iconic signs on display. Strict rules abound with no backpacks allowed. Selfie sticks are also verboten, a rule I fervently applaud. Get that away from me. Because of the blazing sun, we were provided umbrellas and complimentary water bottles to allow us to survive the walk. The aged signs are arranged mostly to follow the historical timeline of Las Vegas starting with the signs for the Lido (photo: http://bit.ly/2mg1hqG) and Binion's Horseshoe (photo: http://bit.ly/2n2Hc5R) built in the early 1950's. Granted much of what you see still looks like Fred Sanford's junkyard.
At the same time, familiar landmarks like the Golden Nugget (photo: http://bit.ly/2n9UU7M) and the Tropicana (photo: http://bit.ly/2nmPgQ8) pop up as well as unique pieces for wedding chapels, Elvis (photo: http://bit.ly/2nn49la), and a gigantic skeletal skull (photo: http://bit.ly/2n2rZSC). The renowned hotel names show up at the end of the trail with the Frontier, the Dessert Inn, and especially the massive Stardust signs featured (photo: http://bit.ly/2mI74BG). Another part of the museum is located on the street median in the Fremont East area where refurbished neon signs are on display and lit up at night (photo: http://bit.ly/2nR7O7G). Admission is $19, but the better deal is a combo with the Mob Museum for $30 (review: http://bit.ly/2mEUfqL). Love this mid-century stuff.
I'm gonna keep on the run,
I'm gonna have me some fun
If it costs me my very last dime
If I wind up broke up well
I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time
I'm gonna give it ev'rything I've got
Lady luck, please let the dice stay hot
Let me shout a seven with ev'ry shot
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas,
Viva, Viva Las Vegas!
Elvis has left the building.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)