Some Random Shots From Day 3 in Las Vegas

Long, active day today. It started prematurely with a 4:00 am wake-up call from the hotel operator. I didn't ask for it, but somebody apparently did. I'm guessing it was a Marine who called to get an early start back to base and gave them the wrong room number.

As we were getting ready to leave the hotel today there were dozens if not hundreds of Marines and their wives/dates checking out after last night's Marine Corp Ball.

Before leaving the hotel we did a little walking around the gardens and pool area. Here's our host enjoying breakfast:
Got a picture at the same place everyone else did.
In the garden area is the Bugsy Siegel memorial. Bugsy was the mobster that built the Flamingo and probably created what Las Vegas has become today. Unfortunately for Bugsy, the hotel didn't really take off in time for him to keep from getting hit by the guys who loaned him the money.
This is one of many pool areas. If you have a family and want a good place to hang out in the summer The Flamingo probably has the best pool area on The Strip.
We used the monorail system several times today. It's a little pricey, but if you buy a 24-hour pass it's not so bad. It runs from the MGM Grand in the south all the way up to the Sahara in the north, about 5 miles.

After dinner we rode the monorail up to the Sahara and started what would be a 3 mile walk south along Las Vegas Blvd. I shot this photo of the top of The Stratosphere, the spot where I was taking pictures last night.
On the way south we passed The Riviera, one of the oldest remaining hotel/casinos left on The Strip. The area between Sahara and Riviera is not a place I'd recommend walking alone at night. We got away with it, but I don't think I'd do it again.
We made it all the way to The Mirage in time to watch the volcano explode. In probably 15 trips to Vegas we've never seen it. Now we have. Along the way we got in an elevator at the pedestrian overcrossing by Treasure Island and discovered a homeless guy living in it. There was some pretty awkward silence as we rode down to the street below.
No, a UFO did not land on Las Vegas Blvd. It's just the entrance to the mall.
Speaking of malls, you could have fired a cannon off in The Forum Shops at Caeser's Palace and not hit anybody. The town's pretty quiet right now.