Nevada Roadtrip

Thank you to Lyft for getting us to O'Hare on time and without incident. United's flight to Las Vegas Harry Reid (McCarran) Airport was on time, Tuesday June 4, and arrived without incident. I must say, it was the most crowded flight I have ever taken, packed to the gills, not a single vacant seat. Arriving, I was a bit discombobulated because we arrived at terminal 1 but our luggage was in terminal 3's luggage bays. Thankfully, I saw the signs, so we recovered our suitcases easily and headed to the car rental via shuttle.

This was its own trip, since the car rental for all brands is away from the airport. It was efficiently designed, and we got through the paperwork at Alamo with no problem. But then we had to get the car--which took quite an effort, as we had requested (and had confirmed) that we would get a 4-wheel drive vehicle. After an hour of checking every returning vehicle, the multiple attendants convinced us to go with a Jeep Gladiator (black!).

So we piled our suitcases into the back seat of the Jeep and headed out, promptly getting lost. It took me a while (as the map reader) to realize that many of the street sign names had no relation to what was printed on maps, which didn't show Sammy Davis or Dean Martin streets at all. With a lot of luck, we finally identified the Strip, the direction of north, and then the Strata Tower, which pointed us to the old Downtown area where we had elected to stay (away from the hubub).

Hello, Las Vegas
Thank you to Lyft for getting us to O'Hare on time and without incident. United's flight to Las Vegas Harry Reid (McCarran) Airport was on time, Tuesday June 4, and arrived without incident. I must say, it was the most crowded flight I have ever taken, packed to the gills, not a single vacant seat. Arriving, I was a bit discombobulated because we arrived at terminal 1 but our luggage was in terminal 3's luggage bays. Thankfully, I saw the signs, so we recovered our suitcases easily and headed to the car rental via shuttle. This was its own trip, since the car rental for all brands is away from the airport. It was efficiently designed, and we got through the paperwork at Alamo with no problem. But then we had to get the car--which took quite an effort, as we had requested (and had confirmed) that we would get a 4-wheel drive vehicle. After an hour of checking every returning vehicle, the multiple attendants convinced us to go with a Jeep Gladiator (black!). So we piled our suitcases into the back seat of the Jeep and headed out, promptly getting lost. It took me a while (as the map reader) to realize that many of the street sign names had no relation to what was printed on maps, which didn't show Sammy Davis or Dean Martin streets at all. With a lot of luck, we finally identified the Strip, the direction of north, and then the Strata Tower, which pointed us to the old Downtown area where we had elected to stay (away from the hubub).
My friend Trish (hydeparktrish), who has frequented Las Vegas on multiple occasions, attending World War II Nissei reunions, suggested I look into the California Hotel and Casino. She mentioned it was very popular with Japanese and other Asian visitors, had several good restaurants, and really lived up to their slogan of "Aloha." We stayed there two nights on arrival (extending our stay for an extra night when we first got there, in order to recoup from the trip) and another night before returning. The staff (from the check-in desk to the valet parking) were really friendly, helpful, and efficient, and the restaurants and shops were very convenient. The rooms were nicely sized, well maintained, and with huge TVs.
Our first night, we ate at the Main Street Station saloon next door (owned by the same company), the Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery where we had fish and chips with Stella Artois. The second night we ate at the Market Street Cafe in the hotel. My favorite, though, was our breakfast (and dessert) shop, Lappert's Ice Cream Shop; not only did they have delicious ice cream, but they also had decent coffee, muffins, and fruit cups for breakfast. The hotel was near several interesting sites, including the Mob Museum. But we occasionally wandered over to the Fremont Street Experience, which was very over-the-top, with near naked people selling just about anything. It seems Fremont Street was the original heart of the gambling district back in the 1950s (with casinos still operating like the Golden Nugget), and to revitalize the area, it has been turned into a visual arcade of lights, color, and people (including ziplines the length of the arcade). The closest Walgreens was located there! We stocked up on water and snacks, and prepared to head out on Thursday morning to our first stop, Death Valley.
On to Death Valley