“Leave Wednesday night after work and avoid airports” is our motto for traveling over the long Thanksgiving holiday. The other trick is to return on Monday to avoid the Sunday crush to get home. We are about to cross the Hoover Dam on our “short” drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas, Nevada, which is just under 300 miles from home.

Once in Vegas, it’s time to see as much as possible to feed our senses as many impressions as we can. From gondolas of Venice…

…to pirates battling on the high seas, we love moving from fantasy experience to fantasy experience along the strip.

Visiting the Roman elegance of Caesars Palace we go from here to…

…the lobby of the Bellagio to check out the ceiling installation by Dale Chihuly.

The novelty of the Vegas skyline, with elements of New York City, Paris, Venice, and Rome thrown in, never fails to impress us. Where Sin City does fail is in attracting us to gamble or call a hooker to our room. Buffets can be cool but can also be a bit hit-or-miss, which makes taking the gamble on them less enticing with each subsequent visit. Tonight, though, was all about sightseeing until well after midnight.