I arrived Monday around 11:30 am at the Las Vegas airport (Harry Reid) very early for my flight to Omaha and soon learned that it had been cancelled. While the weather in Las Vegas was fine and the snowstorm in Omaha had pushed on, rough weather could be found all over the country affecting flights such as the one that was to take me to Omaha. After 40 minutes of “it’s full” or “it’s canceled” with a struggling Southwest Airlines agent, I realized that I wasn’t getting home Monday. The best that she could do was send me here or there where I might be able to connect to a flight home. There were too many “stand by” options for my tastes. I asked about Tuesday and heard “it’s full” several more times. I could fly home directly on Wednesday.

Hotels.com is a great source for booking information, especially in situations like mine. I was able to quickly compare amenities, prices, and other features across a number of hotels in and around Las Vegas. Flash sales also appear. I wanted to stay on the strip at a place that was different. The Luxor offered a king bedroom for $48 per night, a great price anywhere. I had driven by the Luxor before. Who wouldn’t want to stay in a pyramid? It was a great deal. That Sphinx is very cool.

 After a quick cab ride, I checked into the Luxor. My room was on the 15^th floor facing east at Harry Reid, not him but the airport, and west to the innards of the hotel. The ride up the elevator to my floor was weird. The elevator does not go up or down at a 90-degree angle from floor to floor. It travels up and sideways at a 39-degree angle, and has been named the inclinator. The sensation of going up and sideways at the same time is one of WTF at first, followed by “that’s different.”

I made a command decision for Tuesday. I would start the day with a hearty breakfast at Krispy Kreme, a raspberry-filled donut and a container of orange juice, and then head out on a lengthy walk about. My intent was to walk north on Las Vegas Boulevard until I reached the end of the city of Las Vegas (the Luxor is actually in Paradise Nevada). I did not look at a map to determine the distance. I thought it might be five or six miles. I was wrong.

For the first part of my trek my interest focused on the diversity of architecture on The Strip. The combination of sidewalks and elevated walkways, sometimes passing through a building, was interesting. I stopped often to take pictures, enjoying every bit of the stroll. I lost track of time and distance and after about 90 minutes knew I still had a long way to go.

 The most interesting part of the trek started at Sahara Avenue. Soon, I found myself at the real Las Vegas, not Paradise, the part of town where the Federal and State buildings are found. There is a welcome sign, then another, followed by a large collection of wedding chapels, including a drive-through operation. The real treat up there can be found in the median of Las Vegas Boulevard. With the goal of celebrating its history, the city of Las Vegas has moved a number of hotel and casino signs to the median, offering a stone in the sidewalk that briefly describes the history of a particular place. I had a great time taking photos of all the signs that I saw.

I began to flag once I reached the areas just south of I-515. I turned around and walked back to the start. I knew it was time to stop. I caught a bus back to the Luxor. After 4.5 hours I was pooped. My step count for the day was 22,838, 10.84 miles. I would do it again.