Dolphins & Such

Earlier this week, I was going through stacks of boxes from my childhood (everyone has done this at least once on their birthday so stop judging) when I stumbled upon a blue dolphin stuffy shoved inside a large Ziploc bag, it was from my best friend when I was 13/14 years old. And that’s how I lead into the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden at the Mirage Las Vegas (they have dolphins their okay, that’s the connection with the story). The sanctuary was built for education, public awareness and when the show was still open, to house the endangered animals they used in the show. It was said that Siegfried himself had an apartment within the compound so he could be closer to the animals.

Charlie Sheen + Winning?

Earning its spot on the Las Vegas strip, the Planet Hollywood resort has gone a long way from its Arabian themed past. Formerly known as the Aladdin resort, the leisure center has gone through multiple partnerships, acquisitions and bankruptcies. With new owners consistently trying to catch up to old debt, a much needed major re-branding and renovation had always been ignored, until the partnership between Planet Hollywood and Starwood emerged. Unfortunately the face lift didn’t do the job of keeping people in the property and in 2010 Caesars Entertainment took over the resort.

Sharks & Scuba Divers

Covering 8 acres of land, the Bellagio fountains was opened in 1998 to the tune of $40 million. Originally envisioned to be a water resort in the middle of the strip called Beau Rivage, Steve Wynn and his team decided to tone down the project and transfer the concept to a casino resort in Biloxi, Mississippi. Constructed above a desert floor, the Bellagio fountains have had controversies of the man made lake being filled with treated greywater (water recycled from laundry, dish washing and bathing) from the hotel since a considerable amount of freshwater would be needed to fill the basin. Fortunately decades before the building was constructed a fresh water well had been drilled to irrigate a golf course that previously occupied the lot. Consisting of 4,500 lights, 1,200 nozzles and extreme shooters that can send blasts of water up to 460ft high, this daily choreographed show has stood the test of time and today stands as the best attraction on the Las Vegas strip.

Happy 1050th Follower

I’m absolutely ecstatic! Again thank you for clicking my photo and taking the time to read my crazy posts. I’m still getting the hang of things but will try to use every single bell and whistle in this joint to get something new to you guys every time. I just opened a new twitter account (travelagos1) for some behind the scenes stuff so make sure to check that out and follow me there as well!

Lagos

40 Million + Some

Situated between the Monte Carlo and Cosmopolitan the CityCenter is a site to be seen, not only from the outside but from within. After my trip I was digging through articles and features when I stumbled upon some hefty price tags. With billions spent on the architecture, an unexpected 40 million was spent on the CityCenter’s fine art collection. With renowned artists like Maya Lin and Henry Moore covering from walls to corners, the CityCenter has set itself apart from the rest of the crowd. Before going to the center I had one installation in mind to feature, the “Big Edge” by Nancy Rubin. Rubin has been known for using recycled materials with her work and so she did with the “Edge.” Composed of suspended canoes jotting out from a single base structure the “Edge” definitely holds its own among the other center structures. Since it was located in front of the Vdara which (to me) was nowhere near the Crystals structure I thought to just feature the smaller galleries within half a kilometer radius from the center exits.