THE VENETIAN LAS VEGAS: Carnevale, Gondola Rides and National Geographic Photo Exhibit

Carnevale

The Venetian and the Palazzo Las Vegas is inviting guests to experience their version of Carnevale for a second year. Inspired by the summer festivals of Italy, there are over 300 experiences for you to indulge your senses. If you’re not staying at the Venetian be sure to pass by for an evening stroll inside the hotel, you will encounter mysterious costumed characters during Masquerade.  There will be fantasy, food, fun and romance surprising you each corner. For more information on CARNEVALE, visit venetian.com/carnevale or palazzo.com/carnevale.

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50 Greatest Photos – National Geographic

I was most excited to see the Venetian Imagine Gallery featuring a special exhibition of National Geographic’s 50 most popular photos from its 125-year-old history. Guests get to read, hear and view the stories behind some of the photos, elevating their meaning from simple static shots. With some photographs, you hear the photographer tell the story about how they ended up at that particular location. With others, you see the process of how they arrived at the shot by having the sequence of frames displayed next to the full size image that was exhibited.

They also touched on the morality of some of the photographs including William Albert Allard’s image of a Peruvian boy. He was photographed mourning his sheep that was wounded by a hit-and-run taxi driver. What does a photographer go through when invading the personal space of a subject going through a tragedy? Are there any situations that are off limits? Did the photographers stick to their role as observers or did they hesitate and put the camera down to help? What about the fame and money they received by exhibiting someone’s struggle and pain?

The stories were fascinating and the images enticing. The role of photographer in our society is an important one. They capture moments that unite us by forcing us to realize the world is bigger than ourselves.

To buy tickets: http://www.venetian.com/Las-Vegas-Entertainment/Special-Events/50-Greatest-Photographs/

Gondola Ride

A yearlong attraction at the Venetian is the Gondola ride. You can purchase a private ride for two or share a ride with another couple. There’s an option of indoor or outdoor but during the sweltering heat I’d recommend indoor. It’s a cute, charming ride in which your enjoyment is highly dependent on your Gondolier. We rode with Andrucci, he was funny, friendly and encouraged us to sing. We shared the ride with another couple and he was instrumental in getting everyone to relax. Passing under the bridge be sure to smile as onlookers are taking photos of you while passing by. Photographers will snap a photo of you and your Gondolier for purchase after the ride. http://www.venetian.com/Las-Vegas-Activities/Gondola-Rides/

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Photo taken by onsite Photographer. Available for purchase after your ride.