Traveling north on the Las Vegas Strip, I continued to make my photo observations. I took both pictures within a block of each other, highlighting the contrast you see in Las Vegas.

As I exited New York-New York, I saw this tiny Hello Kitty Cafe. I don’t know what they sold, but it looked cute, which is the entire reason for the brand’s existence. I remember my little sister loving this character when we were growing up. It’s still going strong. I thought it odd to have this cute brand in the middle of Las Vegas, but it does attract attention.

I snapped this second image at the Park MGM, the next hotel north of New York-New York. It was late at night, and what I thought was a store was closed. Clicking around on the Park MGM website revealed that it’s a museum of sorts called Haus of Gaga featuring fashion pieces for Pop Star Lady Gaga.

The colorful, sparkly, and sexy look of these mannequins fit more of my impression of Las Vegas. However, equally, there are glamorous and luxurious sides too, as well as kitschy and tacky displays — a visual smorgasbord that makes photography so much fun. Who needs gambling?

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