Plans for this trip began in February when my sister Nicole suggested that she and her husband Tracey, and our cousin Lori and her husband Bill, meet me in Las Vegas and see Barry Manilow in concert.
I arrived at The Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip in time for lunch the day before the concert.
I’m not a Manilow superfan, but there are some of his songs that summon memories of the 1970s for me, and Nicole’s invitation got me on the road out west for the first time since my late wife Abby and I went to Taos in 2021. I also know I’ve loved photographing Las Vegas since Abby and I visited in 2011.
Abby and I stayed at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in 2011, and it hasn’t changed at all.The Cosmopolitan is lavishly decorated and lighted.
The Wicked Spoon: Recommended
Wicked Spoon is a 100-yard-long buffet inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel on The Strip in Las Vegas. The food was varied and delicious, but expensive, and we were surprised when the person who seated us said, “Just a reminder, you have 90 minutes.” They wouldn’t have told us that unless it had become a problem.
Wicked Spoon is a 100-yard-long buffet inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel.I spotted this arrangement at a shop inside The Bellagio.I remember photographing this bar, called The Chandelier, in 2011. I wonder how hard it is to dust.I guess we would call these show girls or Strip girls (not strippers) because they worked The Strip. Their hustle was to offer to have your picture taken with them, then shake you down for some money, probably $20 or so.
Area15: Not Recommended
My sister had heard good things about this attraction, Area15.
While discussing what to do for fun in Las Vegas, my sister heard about Area15, a “wanderland of immersive art and experiences, out-of-this-world attractions, food and drink, shopping, and mind-blowing events and entertainment.”
I get what they might have been trying to do with the name and the nearby Area 51, but we found the experience campy and disappointing. It was a little like someone said, “Go to the dollar store and get some Slinkys and glow paint. It will blow their minds.”
Everything in Area15 seemed to rely on blacklight.
Some of the reviews about Area15 on line say, “If you were bored, you are boring,” but I think I know boredom when I see it, and this was it.
Lori got a drink at Area15 that was interesting because the rose was blackened with activated charcoal.They gave us 3D glasses and rainbow (diffraction grating) glasses for a couple of the attractions, but whatever they were supposed to do didn’t work.Lori looks up at dancing Hoberman Spheres lit by blacklight. Not amazing.Maybe the most interesting things at Area15 was this mirror sculpture in the parking lot. It made for fun selfies.
One of the dumbest things about various attractions in Las Vegas and in general, is that they don’t allow “cameras,” but do allow smart phones, which are cameras. As a professional photographer, let me weigh in and say that rules like this are about 15 years outdated and ignorant of how the real world works.
Carlos ‘N Charlie’s: Not Recommended
We had dinner inside The Flamingo at a place called Carlos ‘N Charlie’s. The food wasn’t great, and it took too long to get it.
Tracey has some margarita at Carlo’s ‘N Charlie’s inside The Flamingo.
Walking on The Strip in Las Vegas: Highly Recommended
After dinner Tracey and I decided to prowl The Strip to look for photo ops and wind down. We had a pretty fun time.
My first try at making a panorama of I Love Sugar on The LINQ Promenade resulted in confusing my iPhone, but interesting enough to keep.This is the panograph I was trying to make of I Love Sugar. Some of the people are rendered incorrectly because they were moving. For the record, I don’t love sugar.We saw lots of street performers who did a lot of tip shaming. This guy pulled out a “tips please” sign right after I made this image.Tracey made quite a few images of art displays, since he makes those for a living.It felt like a small victory to get this show girl to flip me off because I took her picture without tipping her. As a photojournalist, I can tell you that I am free to take all the pictures I want, and she is free to flip me off for it.This trio walks along The Promenade at The LINQ. I think the guy in the middle was trashed. I like how he is checking out the woman over his shoulder.It’s probably one of the most overdone photos in the world, but I love how the light plays on the water in this image.Cities in general, and especially Las Vegas, are all about light at night. I also love that The Strip has a McDonald’s and a Best Western.The Strip is loaded with people who want to give you coupons for stripper shows and such, but I thought this was an inventive way to add to that.
The Strip in the Morning
Tracey and I took another walk on the strip before breakfast. Some of the views were fouled by construction connected to the Formula One World Championship coming shortly after our visit, but it was still fun.
The Hard Rock Café still has it’s giant guitar, but it was harder to photograph due to construction in the vicinity.This shot at Planet Hollywood is a little obvious, but I might as well shoot it since I was there.Nearly 500 employees picketed for a contract with Caesar’s Entertainment while we were there.
Breakfast at The Pantry at The Mirage: Recommended
We met at The Pantry inside The Mirage Hotel for breakfast, and it was tasty and fresh. I had huevos rancheros, and it sounded so good that Nicole had it as well.
Tracey and I were both drawn to this interesting entryway inside The Mirage Hotel.Looking straight up the ceiling; I hope to one day have such a ceiling in … uh, well somewhere.
The Fremont Street Experience: Highly Recommended
Fremont Street was the “original” Las Vegas. In recent years, it has been renewed as an “experience.” The entire length of the attraction is home to “Viva Vision: The World’s Largest LED Canopy Screen.”
The main attraction at Fremont Street was the “Super Hero Zoomline.” They have two; a smaller was in which you sit, and this one, the longer and higher one, in which you “fly like Superman.” This is an automatic photo provided as part of the ride.Tracey, Nicole, Lori and I pose on Fremont Street.The east end of Fremont Street has a White Castle, a burger place known for smaller square hamburgers called “Sliders.” At the top of this image, you can see the zip line cables that I rode down.Many images of Fremont Street fail to capture the scale of the canopy, so hopefully the people in this image help express how big it is.Lori and Bill seem amused by Nicole’s efforts to photograph them.Visitors stand in a splash of sunshine as they listen to live music.These two seemed to be having the best time dancing to the live music.What depiction of anything Las Vegas would be complete without alcohol? For what it’s worth, I had exactly no alcohol at all, nor did I gamble.Candy corn!Here are more show girls with fanny packs, feathers, and high boots.This young lady was using a Fujifilm Instax instant camera to photograph a bride and groom.These weren’t the only couple I saw getting married on this trip. I saw several in Vegas, and one couple about to be married in nearby Valley of Fire State Park.
Barry Manilow in Concert at The Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas: Highly Recommended
My sister got started planning this trip in February with an invitation to attend a Barry Manilow concert in Las Vegas.
Lori photographs Nicole and Tracey dressed out before the Barry Manilow concert.Along with about 1500 other fans, I posed with the cardboard cutout of Barry Manilow.
Manilow was 80 years old on the day we saw him, and continues to sound great and put on a great show, although it was very overly-rehearsed, a bit like “Barry Manilow in a can.” It was still worth it.
As with Area15 the day before, the confusing and inconsistent “no cameras except smart phone cameras” rule was in effect, with the added restriction of not being allowed to shoot video or livestream. At one point, someone said something to Tracey about his GoPro action camera.
Rules like this are reactionary and increasingly irrelevant, but whatever; we had fun anyway.
There was a glow stick in the cup holder of every seat. At one point, Manilow told us to “wave your glow sticks!”This image was a happy accident I made just as the show was starting, and I liked it enough to keep it.Manilow and his trio of singers take center stage.The show ended with a lavish production of Copacabana that included this stage that came down from the ceiling.
If you don’t now have Copacabana playing in your head, you are probably dead inside.
As the mostly middle-aged crowd shuffled down the stairs, I made this image which reminds me of an M.C. Escher drawing.On the monorail ride back to The Flamingo, we passed The Sphere, the newest, and maybe most spectacular, attraction in Las Vegas. I expect I’ll need to devote another trip just to The Sphere. This image reminded me of the famous “Earthrise” image made in 1968 by the crew of Apollo 8.
My Stay at The Flamingo Hotel on The Strip: Recommended
In 2011, Abby and I stayed in the then-brand-new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, possibly the best hotel experience either of us ever had. Thus, it seems a little unfair to compare it to my stay at The Flamingo, which is just across the street. From The Flamingo, I could see the 47th-floor terrace view room where she and I stayed.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at The Flamingo. The service was fine, the room was clean and luxurious, and parking was close by and affordable. I’d stay there again.
This is a view out my window facing The Strip at The Flamingo, shot at night.This is the same view from The Flamingo as the last frame, but shot in the afternoon.
Thank you for these beautiful viewings. I feel smarter, considering these thoughts as well.