Wine Country

California has a famous wine producing region called the Napa Valley.  It is a very popular destination for tourists and wine lovers.   The Napa Valley is located north of San Francisco.   The soil in California is very good for growing crops, including grapes to produce wine.

Las Vegas!

I drove to Las Vegas this past week.  That's a bit crazy because it took almost 10 hours to get there!  When I arrived at about 4 am, it was still over 100 degrees F.!!!  It was crazy hot outside so I had to go inside where it was air conditioned.

The Wynn Hotel, a luxury casino resort.

There is a Ferrari store and a Ferrari dealership in the Wynn Hotel.

High end boutique shops in the Wynn Hotel Resort.

Inside the Palazzo Hotel, another luxury resort in Las Vegas.

Adjacent to the Palazzo Hotel, is the Venetian Hotel.  As the name implies, the Venetian is a themed-resort that is designed to look like the city of Venice.  There is an indoor canal with a gondola ride.

The Luxor Hotel in the foreground;  The Mandalay Bay Hotel and THE Hotel suites in the background.  The photo was taken during "blue hour", but just before dawn.

The Excalibur Hotel during 'blue hour".

New York-New York Hotel and Casino at dawn.

Las Vegas Boulevard at dawn.  The Paris Hotel and Casino on the left;  The recently  built Aria Hotel and Casino, part of the CityCenter Resort complex on the right.

Another shot of the Paris Hotel and Casino, with a scaled down version of the Eiffel Tower

Scaled down version of L'arc de Triomphe, located at the main entrance of the Paris Hotel and Casino Resort.

Entrance hall to the convention rooms inside the Paris Hotel.

A fountain inside the corridor leading to Bally's Hotel and Casino.

Stained glass domed ceiling inside the same corridor.

Many of the shops and restaurants inside the Paris Resort are designed to look like shops that might be found along a Parisian street.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino that was featured in the movie, "Ocean's 11".  At the time it was built, it was the most expensive hotel ever built at over $1 billion. 

CityCenter Resort beyond the man made lake, home to the Fountains of Bellagio water fountain show.

Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, one of the oldest themed hotels in Las Vegas.

16th Avenue Tiled Stairs

The third scenic stairway in San Francisco is the newest and is the least known.  It is located at the corner of Moraga and 16th Street, in the Sunset District.  It is a neighborhood project to create a beautiful mosaic design up the entire 163 steps.  It was designed by artists Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr and took over two years to complete.  Hundreds of neighbors, sponsors and volunteers worked together to create this unique and beautiful display for everyone to enjoy.  

It's probably not on any tourist maps because there were only three other people there the day I visited.  After a slow ascent up these stairs, a beautiful panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco can be seen.  It's simply magnificent.