Shiny Baubles and Bucket Lists

Another item checked off my bucket list happened on Wednesday March 16. I do tend to get distracted by shiny things so the first time I heard the Boneyard mentioned about 5 or 6 years ago I had to add it to the list. Finally that list item percolated to the top and so, along with Katie Kat, I signed us up and we made the trip to Las Vegas from Palm Springs.

The Boneyard Neon Museum is where all the old, iconic Vegas signs go to rest. Our guide told us that they fundraise to get some of the signs restored and others are sponsored by their previous owners. But there are many that are not restored as yet and hence the reference to the dead and junkyard (my guess).

The neon lights are so beautiful and very nostalgic but they have given way to the ever present, ever gigantic and ever changing digital displays that now dazzle visitors to the strip. Neon signs are very expensive to restore and we were able to see at least 17 of the 24 that they light up at night. The museum, if I understand correctly, has limits based on the power grid so there is no way they could possibly light every sign that they have.

I have lots and lots of images so I am splitting this into two posts. This post will be all the shiny brights that you were no doubt expecting to see but I will also add a post with the photos taken before our sun set – they have a more “junkyard” feel to them. If you are interested in going to the Boneyard I will add information about that at the end. It requires planning so do check out their website too.

I thought I would start with this beauty so you can get a feel for what we were walking around in. Rules: Don’t touch the signs, Don’t go beyond the stanchions and wire, images may not be sold but can be used on personal SM and blogs… maybe there were more.

The NM Sign is actually outside the museum, this is the last photo I took. There was a guy standing looking at it so I couldn’t get straight on and now I think I should have gone in a hip checked him out of the way… 20-20!

For some reason I did not go back and get the HRC in full dark!!???? Go figure! Got it on my iPhone for some reason though and my artsy shot (see below) but not the full guitar in all its shiny glory. Oh well, I’ll go back.

You can see the ‘real sky’ for this one in the next post. I replaced this one just for fun.

So, if you are interested in seeing and supporting this iconic cultural museum next time you are in Vegas, go their website and sign up for a tour (you can take phone and tablet photos on regular tours), or if you want to take photos with you camera and tripod, sign up for a Photo Walk. Photo Walks are held periodically and registration opens up about 3 months in advance.

I hope you enjoyed this collection of photos. As usual I learned a lot and hopefully will remember all that I learned so that when I go back I can employ those lessons.

Viva Las Vegas!

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