Saturday, November 11, 2006

Morning drive in to work again

Thought I’d take some pictures of my drive in again. Some things have changed since last time.
Driving east on Twain, just before the final little slope down to go underneath I-15 I come to a stop at Valley View. From here I’m looking straight at the new construction at the Venetian.


You can see the concrete center elevator tower, surrounded by the steelwork that will become the surrounding hotel rooms. I usually can see some welding going on up there, not the welders but the little flashes of light. I think this tower will be 3,500 hotel rooms or so. Added to the current 2,000 that will make this the largest hotel in the world, based on number of rooms. They will also be adding to the shopping area that is now around the canal on the second floor. Just to the left are the vertical stripes of TI and the big golden block of the Wynn.

About two blocks further on I go behind the Rio. Out in their parking lot are some big tents, in which will be a fancy horse show.


Not part of the rodeo coming to town, but a Cirque du Soleil style entertainment show with horses called Cavalia.

Going under 15 and turning right onto Frank Sinatra drive I go behind the Caesar’s Palace employee parking garage.


With the freeway wall on my right and this tall parking garage on the left it’s like driving down a narrow tunnel. At least they put in some palm trees.

A little further down I pass behind the Bellagio employee entrance and the new employee parking garage that is almost completed. They filled up the whole two northbound lanes of the road with trees and plants that all went in front of it. Provided for a rather quick greening of it. You can see the size of some of the trees that went in, no fifteen gallon buckets from the plant center here.


Then under the Bellagio marquee, and here is the City Centre construction going on. Up till now the sun used to be right behind it, so I couldn’t get any pictures going in. But there was no traffic and I just stopped and clicked this quickly.


I like all the cranes, and the concrete work is already up four stories, starting down in the pit they dug.

Driving around the end of Frank Sinatra and on to Russell Road I come to the traffic signal at Las Vegas Boulevard. Straight ahead is the little wedding chapel, and off to the left used to be the famous old Glass Pool Inn. The hotel and swimming pool out front were torn down a few years ago, but the sign is still there. Just to the left is one of my favorite billboards, with the back of the Bally’s feather dancer.

Turning right on to LV Boulevard about a half mile down is the famous Welcome to Vegas strip sign, the executive airport parking and the end of the airport runways.

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