No more Trek....

 

I'm so bummed.

 

Ken and I were doing some research for a Vegas trip later this year, where we'll meet up with Kimberley and Steve, and in trying to pin down some pertinent dates, I found that Star Trek: The Experience at the Hilton is closing on September 1st. We won't be going until after that, and we were hoping to get there one more time before they closed up shop. Alas, it is not to be.

 

For any "Star Trek" fan, no matter which series or movie, it's a blast. I had a Romulan Ale at Quark's Bar, and Ken enjoyed an Obsidian Ale. There are Klingons and Borg walking around the place, and when we walked onto the bridge of the Enterprise from the Next Generation...well, let's just say that I'm getting a little teary-eyed right now. We bought a Tribble at the gift shop, and the Tribble sits upon a shelf in our bedroom. <sniff>

 

I was hoping to share a Warp Core Breech drink at Quark's with my husband and our friends; I had resolved to be brave enough to get my picture taken with a Borg (those guys totally creep me out!); and I was seriously thinking about buying a blue Science Officer uniform shirt at the gift shop.

 

Again...not to be.

 

Dammit, Jim!

 

 

On the upside, I've started checking into The Neon Museum, and looking into scheduling a tour for all of us at what they call "The Boneyard." It's where they store some of the old neon Vegas signs--thank God they've stopped destroying them! These are a part of history! I'm hoping it won't be a problem to schedule a tour, but I want to do it as soon as possible, because I bet the spots go fast.

 

This is a picture of the original Aladdin's Lamp from the old Aladdin Casino. They have many of these old signs and icons displayed in downtown Vegas.

 

I mentioned Googie signage in my previous entry. While Las Vegas Neon isn't synonymous with Googie, they share many attributes. Las Vegas really started booming in the 50's and 60's, the heyday of Googie, so the old Vegas signs show many of the "cosmic" and futuristic features of Googie. (The now-demolished Stardust and The Sands are a couple of great examples.)

 

So many people see this kind of signage and architecture as garish and crass. Au contraire, mon ami! I maintain that it is a modern work of art as valid as anything by Warhol or Lichtenstein. The soaring roofs, the beautiful large windows, the brightly lit signs, the starbursts, planets, spaceships, boomerangs...I find it all fascinating and exciting and lovely.

 

One of the things I'm most excited about seeing is the lightbulb-studded slipper from the Silver Slipper Casino and Saloon. It's at the Boneyard!

 

One last picture for you.

 

Cousin Shane sent me a picture from his friend. Doug is a Navy journalist, stationed in Afghanistan, and covering Senator Obama's overseas trip. Shane said that Doug is the guy standing behind the Senator, snapping a picture.

 

Kinda cool, huh?

 

I was reading online today that Senator McCain's recent challenges to Senator Obama about going to Iraq and Afghanistan have perhaps backfired a bit. Sen. Obama has made the trip, and it's generating enough publicity that all the major news anchors have accompanied him. (I'm sure we'll be seeing some "in depth" stories very soon.) Sen. Obama has already met with the prime minister and president of Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively, and this is his chance to look...well, presidential.

 

President Bush's recent statements that we need to start looking at a timetable for withdrawal (backing off of the administration's previous stance of no timetable) coupled with the Iraqi Prime Minister saying they want U.S. troops out in the next couple of years (and the sooner the better), would seem to show that we kind of need to start getting out. NOT all at once--not only would that be foolish, it would be tactically almost impossible--but at a steady rate. It's interesting (if sad) that while the violence in Iraq has lessened due to the troop surge, it's gone up in Afghanistan. Might be time to adjust things a bit.

 

Please note that these are my opinions only. They do not necessarily reflect the general opinions of Nutwood, nor do they constitute any type of persuasion tactics on my part. I maintain, as always, that the decision should be, is, and always will be YOURS.

 

I'm Beth, and I approve this message.

 

<grin>

Tags: Star Trek Experience, Neon Museum, The Boneyard, Barack Obama, John McCain