First Vegas Pictures

Here's the first set of pictures I'll post from my recent visit to Las Vegas. We arrived, after driving all afternoon and evening, around 1:00 am. This meant that when we came over the hills north of the city, we were greeted with the somewhat stunning valley of lights that you see above. We stopped at the top of Las Vegas Boulevard and took a view shots like the one above-- the skyline of downtown in the distance, and the streaming rear lights of a passing car headed down to the city.

Our first stop in town was the Peppermill Restaurant, one of my favorite Vegas places. It's very garishly decorated, and the food is outstanding. I captured some of the decor in the reflection of the window above (including me taking the shot). I had a Lorraine Omelet which was just the first of several great meals while there.

After the Peppermill, Bill and I headed over to Bally's, where we set up our tripods in the plaza out front to get some night shots. Above you see the view looking across to what I always think of as the Barbary Coast, though the name changed some years back to something else.

Those palm trees sit in the mall that divides the Strip in front of the Bellagio. The red streak across the botton is actually passing traffic, rendered mostly invisible by keeping the shutter open for several seconds. That also makes the trees look particularly colorful.

I like this ghost effect on Bill. Since his camera was stable, sitting on his tripod, it looks really sharp, while he was moving a bit and comes off as a specter. This is my favorite picture of those I've looked over so far. More to come tomorrow, including perhaps a new favorite.