Lots of Old (Really Old) Stuff

It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part. I didn’t plan to see old, rusted stuff on this trip to Las Vegas. It just worked out that way.

The realization struck me as I sat on my hotel room bed massaging my aching legs and feet, throbbing from overuse these past few days. One thing about visiting museums is that you do a lot of walking, interspersed with lots of standing around.

So, I saw lots and lots of old stuff:

The first museum that I visited was the Clark County Heritage Museum in Henderson. It’s a fairly long haul from either the downtown or Las Vegas strip hotels, but it’s interesting. A lot of it is outdoors and one gets to wander around looking at homes and relics that are representative of Southern Nevada in the 1920s and 1930s before the boom times.

Old, Decrepit Holt Catepillar Tractor
Clark County Heritage Museum

I’ll write about that excursion at a later date with lots of pictures.

The second museum I checked out was the recently (October 2012) opened Neon Museum on North Las Vegas Boulevard, just past town, immediately before Cashman Field, where the Las Vegas 51s minor league plays. You know those casino, hotel, motel, and business signs you remember if you visited Las Vegas in the ‘60s? They’re nothing but nostalgic junk now, but if you get a good tour guide and docent as I did, they come alive.

Old Algiers Hotel Sign
Las Vegas Neon Museum Boneyard

I’ll tell you about the neon boneyard later on. Lots of pictures that may bring back memories.

The final museum of old stuff just goes to show you how things can be restored. I’m talking about the Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace. I’ve visited it before, but not for a few decades, so it was my final “old stuff” destination for this trip. Man, there are some beautiful cars there, all of which have a history. The only word to describe them is “pristine,” despite their advanced age.

Fully Restored 1923 Ahrens Fox Fire Truck
The Auto Collection at Imperial Palace

If you’re good to me, I’ll show you what I mean one of these days, when I get back home to Hawaii.

Old stuff rocks!