After enjoying our dinner at Ramen Boys, fellow Yelp Elite Nadine C suggested taking in an…read moreoff-strip show and walking before returning to our hotel. I wasn't sure where we were headed since we had trusted Nadine's expert navigation through Las Vegas over the past six days. She took us to places we've never been to but have only enjoyed reading about through other Yelp reviews since I started Yelp in 2013.
I knew that Nadine drove us to the edge of the Downtown area as we went through a site that appeared to be residential yet surrounded by low-rise hotels, a couple of high-rises, and bright neon lighted signs. She asked us to keep our eyes peeled for street parking as we got closer to the destination, and as Lady Luck would have it, we scored a parking space within seconds of her request. She was also excited because as we exited the car, she directed us to walk to the nearby street corner.
We first noticed the heart sculpture filled with padlocks that reminded me of the famed love lock bridge, Pont des Arts, in Paris, France. But, soon after, I was enthralled with the sight of an enormous 60-ft metal sculpture of a Praying Mantis and the entrance to Las Vegas' Container Park shopping mall. We noticed several people sitting on the bleachers facing the statue, and before I could step up to take a peek at the praying mantis' background placard, Nadine told me to stay in place since the show was about to begin.
No sooner than I drew back, a voice announced the celebration of someone's birthday and several events around town. The colorful lights on the praying mantis flashed, lively music played, and its animatronics made this metal monster come alive. As I was taking pictures, several bursts of flames shot from the praying mantis' antennae with explosions, which made me jump out of my shoes and heart race. Other spectators danced around the area to the music and added to the entertainment.
The fire show lasted several minutes, and we wandered around the Container Park shopping mall. The shopping mall features locally-owned boutique-like businesses with a "hand-crafted flair." From Container Park's Business Directory, we noted jewelry, art, toys, apparel, and pet supply stores. While browsing this mall, we found it to be a refreshing change from seeing the high-end or upscale stores on The Strip. At the center of the park, there was an interactive playground for adults and children, complete with a 33' tall slide and a NEOS play system. If we weren't feeling so full from dinner, my husband would have proposed that we play or challenge ourselves in
the electronic play system.
What's not to like? The Praying Mantis is Public Art with free entertainment, and the Container Park is a fun place to let their inner child out.