Gold Mine

The Techatticup Mine in Eldorado Canyon still has gold in the rock. The tourists pay a little coin to see the dusty tunnels dug out by desperate miners looking for a payday. The mine feels different from a cave. There are no slippery smooth surfaces, carved by water over millennia, no quiet pools and green slime. There is rock. Jagged, hard rock bends a bit here and there, but mostly follows the straight seam of gold. Little glints of quartz show what’s left of the veins.

Neon Vegas

The tour guides do a good job of walking through the development of technology over time. The progression from bulbs, to channeled bulbs, to simple neon and complex multi-colored and fantastic design follows the path through the site.

I’m a big fan of the original CSI TV show. It was quite a treat to compare the glitz and sharp edge of the city portrayed on TV with the dusty and seedy reality. North on Russell is the covered boulevard, with street performers and buffets and a million lights overhead. The main section of Boulevard, with casinos like the MGM Grand and Bellagio, lights up with LED fixtures now.

Old Vegas

Casinos line Las Vegas Boulevard. Tourists walk the sidewalk and browse the shops. Cars roar and crawl in traffic. The hotels and casinos have larger and more elaborate signs than ever before. But it all started with millions of flashing bulbs in thin metal signs. Old casinos were swept away for larger and more luxurious high rises. These signs remain.