sunday

Being on Alfred Drive reminds me of being out in the country, with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. There are even old time postal boxes right next to the street here, where the postman lifts the flag on them to let the residents know there is mail. These are very well kept mature homes, with very large yards and majestic mature trees. It is far removed from being in the country, since there are many shopping centers close by, along with banks, doctor offices, schools, and more. It appears to be a nice, friendly, well established neighborhood.

My Computer insists on naming this street Camino Alley Norte, so I will have to leave the title that way. However, it is in fact Camino Al Norte, and is located in the city of North Las Vegas, about 18 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. Beginning where Martin Luther King comes to an end, at the busy intersection of Craig Road, to the right and left of Camino Al Norte there are many upscale residential homes, and continues North to Ann Road where it ends at El Dorado Ranches, one of the several upscale housing developments in this area. There is a shopping center on the Northeast corner of Camino Al Norte and Craig Rd. Further north there are convenience stores with gasoline service, a small local restaurant, and a Domino's Pizza that delivers to all the many homes located in the area between Ann Road and Craig on the west & north sides of Camino Al Norte. We have a small post office here on Camino Al Norte, and though it would be nice if they would enlarge it, we are thankful to have it, and for the wonderful assortment of people who work there. Another shopping center is located at the North end of Camino Al Norte, with a fire department located right next to it. This is a quiet desirable area, with beautiful homes in every direction.

At the South Rancho Drive and Saraha Avenue Intersection is the location of one of the Station Hotel/ Casinos known as Palace Station. Rancho Drive has a lot of traffic at all hours. There are clusters of medical buildings at the Alta/Rancho Drive intersection. Further north, there is an Ice Skating Rink, a wonderful retreat in the hot summer days and nights. Yes, we do have a Zoo in Las Vegas, located right on Rancho Drive! Not large, like the San Diego Zoo in California, but we are proud of it none the less!! Station Casinos have built three other Hotel/Casinos in several different locations on this street. All of the Station Casinos have bowling alleys with a friendly, family atmosphere. Two of them have movie theatres, where the family can enjoy an evening out watching the movies. With the bright lights surrounding all their casinos, it reminds me of the "old" Las Vegas when it was much smaller than now. Many of the streets surrounding both North and South Rancho have established family neighborhoods, that appear to be well kept.

Ann Road is another street that covers a long distance, and I have not yet been to every part of it. Starting in North Las Vegas at the Camino Al Norte intersection, where the beautiful El Dorado Ranch Homes begin, there is a shopping center on each side of the street, with not one, but two beauty salons! Traveling west on Ann Road, there are convenience stores with gasoline services, eating establishments, banks, a plant nursery, a McDonald's where you can get a quick snack, and even more new shopping centers. There have been many beautiful new homes built on the side streets, bordering north and south of Ann Road, and a lot of new home construction still going on out this way.

Cheyenne Avenue is a street that is used by the many truckers that come through our city. Early mornings and late afternoons will find it filled with the trucks. There are many warehouses on Cheyenne. There has been a lot of development in every direction, of new homes on the streets nearby Cheyenne, and show promise of being a great area for people to reside. Cheyenne crosses over the I/15 freeway, which is the destination of most of the trucks to continue their long journeys. City Park is located along Cheyenne. It is one of the older parks in Las Vegas, and is at a higher altitude that overlooks the downtown area. After crossing over the I/15 freeway, there is the CCSN Cheyenne Campus, where I took a summer class to start learning how to use a computer. One of the older residential sections is located in the streets that are located south of the Campus.

Decatur Boulevard is another street that covers a great distance. I have not yet been to some of the newer additions to Decatur Boulevard. All streets in Las Vegas are constantly being expanded, as we have one of the fastest growing cities in America. Starting from Tropicana and South Decatur Boulevard there are many car dealerships, several small shopping centers, book stores, furniture stores, banks, and much more! I have seen one Hotel/Casino located on Decatur Boulevard, called Arizona Charlies. Meadows Mall, a very nice shopping mall is located on Meadows Mall Lane, just East of Decatur. There is also a very nice golf course on Decatur that has been there for many years. Entering the North part of Decatur Boulevard there is the North Las Vegas Airport, where smaller private airplanes fly in from other states, and the locals that are fortunate enough to own small private planes, can keep them in the hangars there. Further north on Decatur there has been development of some shopping centers, and nice residential homes on the surrounding streets.

Decatur Boulevard is another street that covers a great distance. I have not yet been to some of the newer additions to Decatur Boulevard. All streets in Las Vegas are constantly being expanded, as we have one of the fastest growing cities in America. Starting from Tropicana and South Decatur Boulevard there are many car dealerships, several small shopping centers, book stores, furniture stores, banks, and much more! I have seen one Hotel/Casino located on Decatur Boulevard, called Arizona Charlies. Meadows Mall, a very nice shopping mall is located on Meadows Mall Lane, just East of Decatur. There is also a very nice golf course on Decatur that has been there for many years. Entering the North part of Decatur Boulevard there is the North Las Vegas Airport, where smaller private airplanes fly in from other states, and the locals that are fortunate enough to own small private planes, can keep them in the hangars there. Further north on Decatur there has been development of some shopping centers, and nice residential homes on the surrounding streets.

Craig Road runs from the west side of Las Vegas to Nellis Ave, where Nellis Air Force Base is located. When we first moved here about 15 years ago, Craig Road had only two lanes on most of it, and very little traffic. Parts of the road were unpaved at that time, and when it rained, mud would splash onto your car up to as high as the windows of the car, and be a real problem to get it cleaned. All that has changed, and several new lanes have been added to the entire length of Craig Road. There were no stores or conveniences close by then. Now, we have a Walmart Superstore, along with many other places to shop for groceries, car repair shops, several banks, lots of eating establishments, and convenience stores with gasoline, and more. Even a hotel/casino called The Cannery, has been added to Craig Road very close to the I/15 freeway. There has been a lot of development of new homes on the streets that are North and South of Craig Road. Craig Ranch Golf Course has been located on Craig Road for many years, and is still there at this time. Worth mentioning is that our grocery stores, along with almost everything else located here, are open 24 hours every day of the year, so shopping can be done at any hour of the day or night. There are slot machines in almost all the grocery and drug stores in Las Vegas and its surrounding areas, and since we moved here from another state, seeing people at all hours playing the slot machines in the stores, took a little getting used to. Needless to say, "I love Las Vegas."

Eastern Avenue, starting at Sahara, continues all the way through Las Vegas, into Henderson and Green Valley. This is a very busy street, with many places such as McDonalds, Jack In The Box, etc., to stop and grab a quick snack to eat when you are hungry, or just to sip on a cool soda drink, and relax from the tension of so much traffic that is on this street daily. There are also many nice restaurants to choose from on this street. A small portion of the beautiful Las Vegas Country Club Golf Course can be seen when driving close to Tropicana Ave, on Eastern Avenue. There is even a large park on Eastern. There are also several grocery stores, car sales lots, and other types of businesses. There is a High School located close to Sahara on Eastern. If you want to go to the airport, this is one of the easiest ways to get there, with less traffic, by turning from Eastern, onto Russel Road, and driving right into the airport. Speaking of the airport, I think our McCarran International Airport is one of the most beautiful, inside and out!

Maryland Parkway is located a few blocks east of the famous strip in Las Vegas. There are a lot of professional businessess on this street. We also have the University of Nevada, located at the intersection of Maryland Parkway and Tropicana. From its humble beginnings, the University of Nevada now has a 350-acre main campus, twenty eight thousand students, and three thousand three hundred faculty and staff members. The campus has branches that specialize in biotechnology, dental medicine, and research and technology. Located on South Maryland Parkway, Boulevard Mall is the oldest mall in Las Vegas, and once held the distinction of being the largest mall in Southern Nevada. Still a nice mall to shop in, it is one of many malls that allows Early Voting to be set up each year during voting time as a convenience for the voters.

The Las Vegas Strip, located between East Hacienda & East Sahara is South Las Vegas Boulevard, and is our most famous street. This is a popular destination for people from everywhere, and it is The Entertainment Capitol Of The World! The bright lights shine all night on Las Vegas Boulevard, and everything is open 24/7 all year. Here, we have some of the largest Themed Resort Hotel/Casinos in the entire world, with plans to build even more in the near future. Most of the Hotels have some entertainment for children, such as swimming pools, games, etc., and there are roller coasters at a couple of the hotels, but for the most part the strip is geared toward adult entertainment. You won't want to miss a walk, or a drive along the strip after dark, taking in the great sights, from the glittering lights to the fountain waters dancing to music, many large beautiful waterfalls, and even a volcano erupts in the front of one hotel casino, and much more. This is indeed a sight to behold for both adults and children! Casinos are happy to give you complimentaries (comps) ie: free rooms, food, gifts, etc., to entice you to stay at their hotel, and play in their casino. When gambling in a casino here, you will find cocktail waitresses offering drinks of all kinds, free of charge. Of course, they expect a tip, but where else could you have free drinks all day or evening for just a tip? Entertainment is abundant, with some shows scheduled in the afternoon, but it all really comes alive in the nighttime hours. All the big time stars and singers perform on our stages at the strip. From the extremely affordable buffets, to the high end restaurants inside the hotel/casinos on the strip, you will find any kind of food you desire. We also have many "shop till you drop" shops inside the hotel/casinos, where you are sure to find something you want to purchase. The Fashion Show Mall is an also an elegant, upscale place to shop, located right on Las Vegas Boulevard. There are also gift shops galore, that sell logo t/shirts, trinkets and keepsakes. Las Vegas Boulevard is truly a shoppers paradise, and a unique place to have fun, whether you are a visitor or one of the lucky locals like me! Viva Las Vegas!!