Bellagio Conservatory 2020

 

When I was in Vegas in November, I headed over to the Bellagio and the Conservatory to see if was open. It was open and it was amazing how they had things organized. Usually, the Conservatory is a free-for-all with a lot of different entrances and exits. The places is usually packed to the gills and picture taking is tough. 

In November, because of the pandemic, there was one way in and one way out. It was a lot less crowded and there was some organization to it. Instead of walking any ol'way, you had a prescribed way you could go. It was actually really cool and nice how they did it. They limited the number of people inside and I really enjoyed it instead of feeling rushed. It was set up for the fall harvest: 

I thought that the Bellagio did a super job in keeping things safe at the Conservatory which his one of the most popular attractions in Las Vegas.

Music Monday: Just Some Underrated Songs of the 00's.

 Music Monday: Just Some Underrated Songs of the 00's.

Hope you enjoyed them.

The Sports in Scene in Las Vegas

 The city of Las Vegas has changed over the years. They now have pro sports on the big league level. UNLV had the run of the town for years. The Runnin' Rebels were a power in men's college basketball for years. They went to Final Fours and won the NCAA Championship in 1990. Las Vegas always had a Triple AAA baseball team that played in run down Cashman Stadium on the seedy side of town. 

In the last couple of years things have changed, UNLV might not be where it was but the NHL hit town beginning with the 2017-18 season and The Oakland Raiders moved to Las Vegas beginning with the 2020 season. Even the Triple-A baseball decided to get some new digs as they moved from sleazy Cashman Stadium (actually it managed to leave the sleaze outside and was decent inside) to the Summerlin area (North Las Vegas). Here is a look at some of venues and such (sadly, I could not get in due to the pandemic):

Allegiant Stadium is the brand new home of the Las Vegas Raiders. It cost almost $2 billion to build. The Raiders play on natural grass in a domed stadium. They actually roll it out so it can grow and do what grass does. I was there on the Monday after the Sunday night game against Kansas City and they had just rolled out the field:

Next up: In 2019, the Las Vegas 51's (They had the coolest hat in minor leagues) got a new home- The Las Vegas Ballpark. They changed their name to the Las Vegas Aviators and became the Triple-A for my favorite MLB the Oakland A's. The cool thing about this stadium that it is away from the Strip and is located about 45 seconds away from the Red Rock Casino and Hotel. Oh the hat a special edition as Aviators become the Las Vegas Reyes de Plata seven times a year:

Lastly it is the big dawg-The Vegas Golden Knights. They are the most popular team in town and play in the T-Mobile Arena on the The Strip behind the New York, New York Casino and Hotel:

Also, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA play during the summer at T-Mobile Arena.

If you are in Vegas and want to see some sports, there are a lot of options these days. 

A Pop-Up Craft Market

 The other day I was driving down B St. in my city of Hayward and I had gone from the main drag of downtown to the residential part of it and I could see in the distance the top of tents. So I drove to the end of B St., to the Amtrak station and there was this Pop-Up Market going on. What was cool is that everything there is either cooked, made, or crafted by the people there. These are local artisans and craft folks who are making some totally amazing stuff (for the first time and unsolicited I am going to put the person or their business here so people can look them up (mostly Instagram) and give them some love-these are local East Bay people):

From La Jefa's Creations:

From Chicano Pot Heads (They sell really cool painted flower pots):

From Sharonesque:

From Shop All Things Beautiful:

From Alebrijes Boutique:

From Taylorswrld (A digital artist):

From BowsByAndrea (Oh by the way they are huge A's fans as well):

By Craftyerikaa:

By BloomByJenni:

Everything there was so expertly handmade. These are some real artisans and awesome craftspeople.

Leona Heights Park

 Before the rains hit last week, I went for a little hike at Leona Heights Park in Oakland. Found it so beautiful and peaceful. Also, I was trying some more experimental shots as I was walking with angles and such:

Leona Heights Park is such a peaceful and nice place to take a hike at.