As I said before Day Two was quite a long one, so it deserves two separate posts. After returning from Hoover Dam the day was still young. Therefore, we were dropped off at Caesars Palace so we could explore somewhere different. We also had a plan to get the gondola ride ticked off in the Venetian.

Gorgeous Interior

It seemed like a good time to explore the Forum Shops, not because I am particularly a fan of shopping but because of the spectacular interior I had heard so much about. It has been designed to look like you are in ancient Rome. You have fountains and sculptures and an impressive sky ceiling which must not be missed! The shops are very upscale lots of luxury fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Gucci and Louis Vuitton so not quite in my budget!

The Fall Of Atlantis

They also have a free animatronic show there, The Fall of Atlantis. We didn’t manage to see this, however as I have said before anything for free is a bit of a rarity in Las Vegas. So, I guess it’s a shame we missed it. But my husband and teenagers weren’t keen on waiting until it started. It’s on every hour on the hour starting from noon until 8pm.

Mind you as you will soon see reading my posts, we squeezed in so much over the following days it really doesn’t matter that we didn’t do everything. We were glad to be in this area though as we could admire all the tropical fish in the aquarium. So many different colourful fish.

I did try and persuade them to try the Cheesecake Factory whilst we were so close. But they were still full after our lunch at the Omelet House.

Walking On The Strip

Leaving Caesars Palace we had our first experience of walking on the strip. As I mentioned in my day one post about Las Vegas having changed since I was 18, well now I will elaborate what I mean.

Disgusting Smell

Well, first off, the Strip now smells REALLY disgusting, a mix of weed and sometimes sewers. It’s awful.

It’s a stark contrast to the casinos, some of them smell incredible. They actually have their own signature scents. Why do they do this? Well, they realized how powerful fragrances can be for making memories and positive associations! Naturally they want you to remember their casino and keep coming back and hopefully spending lots of money.

Sadly, you will probably remember the strip smell for all wrong reasons…

Angry Birds

It’s not just the smell, its trying to avoid the “Angry Birds” as the locals call them. These are women who make money getting you to pay for photo’s with them. Some are dressed in feathers like showgirls, but mainly they just were all scantily clad. Them being there wasn’t even the main issue is how forceful their personalities are. You literally have to skirt round them with a wide berth as they are quite insistent you have a photo.

I much preferred Fremont Street in that respect. The women there have to stay in circles drawn on the floor, which means you can easily avoid them if you want too. It should be a choice thing, not coerced upon you! On the strip my husband had to move fast a few times as they tried to handcuff themselves to him (many of them are dressed with a police theme).

It felt like running the gauntlet every single day. It brought us no joy and really did ruin our Las Vegas experience. For the record some people did seem happy to have a photo, but they seemed few and far between. They those that did got completely fleeced for the “opportunity!”. Apparently, the women also have minders so best to be careful, agree a price for a photo first if you really have to get a photo. But your wallet will be a lot lighter for the experience.

I only saw two men doing a similar thing and they were much more respectful. When they saw we were a family group they parted so we could get past.

Street Sellers

I had read a lot about street sellers and to make sure you don’t take anything you are offered. We might have been lucky, but they didn’t seem as persistent as the “Angry Birds”. There were quite a few people trying to hand out beaded bracelets and I think bits of paper which could have access to “music of some kind”. But the most hassle seemed to come from the photo opportunities. Along with the “Angry Birds”, there were various superheroes, a distressed looking Mickey Mouse, a massive gorilla and someone with a snake. Watch he will place it round your neck before you can say no if your not quick enough!

Handing Out Cards

There are so many people handing out naughty cards. These promote different services of an adult nature and are quite cheeky and rude. It’s a huge problem with litter too as the Strip is covered in them even the next day you see them everywhere. I know they say Las Vegas isn’t for kids, but I don’t think these cards do anything to enhance the image of Las Vegas. It cheapens it if anything. If you want that kind of service, I am sure you will be able to find it but don’t make the city a big vulgar mess!

There were other issues like seeing people eating out of bins. Some people have come to Las Vegas to make their fortunes and sadly lost everything in the process and have no money to leave and start over. The stark contrast of the luxurious hotels with the extreme poverty that you see when walking the strip is a real eye opener. It’s hard not to feel for them and the life they now lead.

The Venetian

Our next stop was the Venetian as I wanted us to ride on the Gondola. We were given a time slot to return as they were quite busy. It wasn’t too long to wait, so we went to have a photo with the LOVE art sculpture. We waited for two other groups to take photos then it was our turn. The good thing about taking teenagers on holiday is they are handy for taking photos!

It’s quite expensive, it was £128.98 for the four of us (plus a $20 tip on top) and over very quickly, probably about 12 to 13 minutes worth of entertainment. However, they do sing three songs to you during the journey, and its nice to be serenaded. He had the most beautiful singing voice, and it was a lovely relaxing experience after the hecticness of the strip. They take your photos initially and you can pay for one of the photo packages.

I think it was something like $40 for a photo or $75 for all of them digitally. We skipped this because we felt it had already cost enough.  Luckily we had a couple of lovely pictures and one video of a song we took ourselves to cherish the memory.

If you’re in Las Vegas its one of those attractions you need to do once. We did the inside gondola ride as the outside pools have been drained because they have built on them for the Formula 1. I wasn’t disappointed by that as I had always planned to ride it indoors anyway.

Back To Our Hotel

Then it was back to the hotel for some pizza at Pizza Forte, which I wasn’t that keen on but my husband really enjoyed.

What I will add is that the casino’s always felt very safe and clean. They had plenty of security and they had staff who were always cleaning. So if you could do Las Vegas and minimize the time you spend on the strip it would probably be better. Some of the casinos have walkways between them so you can do three casinos without even going strip side. For example, Luxor, Mandalay Bay and Excalibur.