We spent last night two hours away, the timing wasn't right for arrival and my back was killing me from sitting in the car. Today we began early and were at the Hoover Dam at 9:30. You can walk across the new bridge and there are narrative panels explaining the history of the dam, the bridge and the construction. It's quite educational but walking across the bridge doesn't give you much of a visual of it. For that you have to take the road below it, towards the dam itself.
We then drove into Las Vegas and meandered slowly up Las Vegas Blvd to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, home of Pawn Stars on the History Channel. The time was now about 10:45 and the place was packed. It's much smaller than it looks on TV, very small in fact. Maybe they have some other fake store they film in but it was a bit underwhelming. Too many people so I spent maybe ten minutes there. Been there, done it. Called the Paris Hotel to see if we could check in early (regular check in is 4:00 of course) and they said yes! Zut alors! So by noon we were firmly ensconced in said hotel. Nice room, not huge, definitely not a suite but two nice beds, lovely bath. There is such a huge, huge difference between a Hotel and a Motel, not the least being niceness. Cooper loves the long corridors and the comfy beds. Not much else, however, pleases him.
I see why not many hotels accept dogs. It isn't that the dogs are pests, it's that the city center has nothing to offer dogs. There are no grassy areas, no squirrels, no butts to sniff, no cool smells. Just finding a place for a dog to pee takes some time. (Poop? Forgetaboutit. There's no poop in Vegas!) If Cooper was an outgoing, friendly dog (like many I could name) it wouldn't be so difficult, but he isn't. This city is crowded, hundreds of people on the sidewalk all the time, hundreds of feet moving at him at almost eye level. So much noise just walking through the casino. It's freaky, and little Cooper is a little freaked out. He gets quite excited to go for a walk but as soon as we get to the main floor he wants to get back in the elevator and go back to bed. Oh well, as they say in Paris, c'est la vie!
Around 2:30 I was quite hungry so I left Cooper in the room alone (oh no! so against hotel rules) and went to one of the many restaurants here at the hotel, Mon Ami Gabi, where you can either sit on the patio or in the restaurant. The patio was much too hot for me, and the restaurant had huge floor-to-ceiling windows that were pulled back and opened, so it was just like being outside only not in the sun. Ordered steak and frites and a glass of Cote du Rhone. Perfect. And then, the most wonderful thing: at 3:00 the water fountains at the Bellagio started their cycle for the day, and the Bellagio is directly across the street from the cafe and I had the perfect seat! They were incredible! Huge and lusty and very tall and quite loud, arcs of water and water shooting straight up and then sideways, all angles of water. I grinned like a kid at her first birthday party. In honor of them I had another glass of wine and loved every second of the experience. I am going back out to see the fountains again this evening.
There is more to say about Vegas, like my $50 which somehow got stuck in a couple of different slot machines and wouldn't come out. But I have learned that the nickel slots are the way to go. You get a lot more bang for your buck, although the winnings are slimmer, but hey, who cares, right? It's not like that million dollar jackpot is going to fall in my lap, although I don't know why not, somebody's lap has to catch it, mine is as good as anyone's. But we won't go there.
OK, enough for one day. More tomorrow. Here's Cooper at Jenn's in Texas with his wrap made out of a dead toy squirrel.
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