Vegas: The Final Chapter!

The final stop on my Las Vegas journal of tales here is the Luxor Hotel, which opened in 1993. I’ve never stayed at this one, but have enjoyed the Titanic exhibit (which appears to still be there) and gone to a convention there.

The exterior and all of its statues look like something out of “The Ten Commandments.”

One expects Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston to appear at any moment in their chariots.

I just happened to catch the sun as it was setting over the mirrored pyramid:

I wonder how authentic these replicas are, or if they just sprung from the imagination of the artists who sculpted them?

Am I in a hurry to go back? Hell no. But…if I did…there is one restaurant I had never noticed before that I definitely want to check out: Battista’s Italian Restaurant. This looks like a place where the Rat Pack would have eaten, although it has only been around since 1970.

Sadly, for reasons I won't go into, I did not get an opportunity to dine here and soak up the interior atmostphere.

See more Las Vegas photos at my main website.

Little Church of the West

Last weekend I paid my first visit to The Little Church of the West Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Built in 1942, this small building made of California redwood looks like it could have come from a movie set. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, I immediately took a shine to it.



The chapel was originally built as part of the Hotel Last Frontier complex on the Las Vegas Strip. It was moved a number of times over the years until 1996 when it came to rest at its current location near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.



Lots of interesting/kitschy details can be found as you wander the grounds.





Celebrity weddings held within the walls of the Church include Betty Grable and Harry James, Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford, Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie, and Judy Garland's fourth attempt at matrimony (kissing Mark Herron in the photo below).



Elvis and Ann-Margret got hitched here in the movie "Viva Las Vegas."



The Church is still in biz, cranking out ceremonies for those who want to get hitched in Vegas.



And it's still beautiful inside.



My friend Robbie waiting at the altar for his beautiful bride to arrive.



Worth waiting for, don't you think?



Exchanging their vows:



They made it!



It was a beautiful ceremony, and while I probably will not be returning to The Little Church any time soon, I sure was glad that I got to see it!

More of my Las Vegas photos at my main website.

The Boneyard

I crossed another one off of my bucket list recently when I paid a visit to the Neon Museum Boneyard in Las Vegas. Many years ago I had heard of this place where vintage signs from Las Vegas resided; some restored, some rusting, but all on display just waiting for a visit from signage nerds like me.

The entrance to the museum is the lobby of the former La Concha Motel. What a cool way to begin!



Some of the signs have been restored and actually work:





Others have a spotlight with an ever-changing rainbow of colors aimed at them to give the illusion that they are still working:



And some are just sitting there, ravaged by time but definitely no less interesting for their wear.



My friend Kamy, an up and coming actor from Hollywood, met me at the Boneyard for our photo shoot:



Channeling James Bond, Kamy and I toured the site and marveled over these relics of "old" Las Vegas:







Here are a few comparison shots from my collection. The Stardust Hotel and Casino circa 1967:



and how the sign looks today:



This sparkling "silver" slipper is in front of the museum on a median strip:



Here is its original location:



The skull that is now laying flat on its "back"...



once resided in front of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino:



Naturally I had to have at least one shot documenting my first trip to this historic spot:



All photos filmed/photographed with permission at The Neon Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada

More Neon Museum Boneyard photos at my main website.