155 Lion Statue Mgm Grand Photos - Free & Royalty-Free ...

We'll be visiting Las Vegas next week and I just wanted to get some feedback from locals/regulars. We already looked up everything online, but some of the best locations/attractions are the ones that don't show up on TripAdvisor.
I will try and organize this somewhat.
Food

• Bruxie Fried Chicken and Waffles

This is the only suggestion we've gotten so far. Any other local spots? We don't like chains. Any late night pizza by the slice?
Brewery
Able Baker Brewing
Attractions

• Hoover Dam (We heard the tours have been vastly reduced since 9/11. How much time should we allocate for this?)
  
• Spring Mountain Visitor Center Gateway (We aren't sure about this one yet. I just noticed there could be potential for some drone pics. Has anyone been here? Any info? Is it worth the drive? Is this drone-friendly?)
  

Drone Spots

• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (Again, any details on this? Any specific trails we should hit? We aren't the most avid hikers, but always like to absorb some nature when we can. Is it worth the drive?)
  
• Seven Magic Mountains
  
• Fox Hill Park (If we go to Red Rock, I would assume we'll hit this on the way. It seems like it would be a safe spot to get some panoramas of the mountains and the park looks really cool with all the colors and surfaces.
  

Are there any other really cool spaces to get a couple decent drone shots?
Strip Attractions
So, for this last section, I was in Las Vegas when I was 18 (what a blast), but this will be my wife's first time (32). I really want to show her all the cool "strip" stuff.

• Lake of Dreams/Waterfall @ Wynn (Is this free? Do we have to be staying there? What time is the show scheduled?)
  
• Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (What is this?)
  
• Gondola Rides @ Venetian
  
• Volcano and Tigers @ Mirage
  
• Flamingo/Penguin Habitat @ Flamingo
  
• Statue of David/Moving Statues @ Caesar's Palace
  
• Fountains @ Bellagio (When are these scheduled during day/night?)
  
• Eiffel Tower Experience/Arc de Triomphe @ Paris (Is there anything special about this or just a photo op?)
  
• Lion @ MGM
  
• Statue of Liberty/Rides @ New York New York
  
• Valley of the Falls & Shark Reef Aquarium @ Mandalay Bay (Is this cool? Is it worth walking through?)
  
• Sphinx @ Luxor
  

Are there any other "strip" things that are cool/free/photo ops? I know the pirate show and Treasure Island has been discontinued, which is a major bummer. Is there anything else I missed? Anything at Excalibur or Aria, etc.?
Thanks for all the help.

We'll be visiting Las Vegas next week and I just wanted to get some feedback from locals/regulars. We already looked up everything online, but some of the best locations/attractions are the ones that don't show up on TripAdvisor.
I will try and organize this somewhat.
Food

• Bruxie Fried Chicken and Waffles
  
• This is the only suggestion we've gotten so far. Any other local spots? We don't like chains. Any late night pizza by the slice?
  

Brewery

• Able Baker Brewing

Attractions

• Hoover Dam (We heard the tours have been vastly reduced since 9/11. How much time should we allocate for this?)
  
• Spring Mountain Visitor Center Gateway (We aren't sure about this one yet. I just noticed there could be potential for some drone pics. Has anyone been here? Any info? Is it worth the drive? Is this drone-friendly?)
  

Drone Spots

• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (Again, any details on this? Any specific trails we should hit? We aren't the most avid hikers, but always like to absorb some nature when we can. Is it worth the drive?)
  
• Seven Magic Mountains
  
• Fox Hill Park (If we go to Red Rock, I would assume we'll hit this on the way. It seems like it would be a safe spot to get some panoramas of the mountains and the park looks really cool with all the colors and surfaces.
  
• Are there any other really cool spaces to get a couple decent drone shots?
  

Strip Attractions
So, for this last section, I was in Las Vegas when I was 18 (what a blast), but this will be my wife's first time (32). I really want to show her all the cool "strip" stuff.

• Lake of Dreams/Waterfall @ Wynn (Is this free? Do we have to be staying there? What time is the show scheduled?)
  
• Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (What is this?)
  
• Gondola Rides @ Venetian
  
• Volcano and Tigers @ Mirage
  
• Flamingo/Penguin Habitat @ Flamingo
  
• Statue of David/Moving Statues @ Caesar's Palace
  
• Fountains @ Bellagio (When are these scheduled during day/night?)
  
• Eiffel Tower Experience/Arc de Triomphe @ Paris (Is there anything special about this or just a photo op?)
  
• Lion @ MGM
  
• Statue of Liberty/Rides @ New York New York
  
• Valley of the Falls & Shark Reef Aquarium @ Mandalay Bay (Is this cool? Is it worth walking through?)
  
• Sphinx @ Luxor
  
• Are there any other "strip" things that are cool/free/photo ops? I know the pirate show and Treasure Island has been discontinued, which is a major bummer. Is there anything else I missed? Anything at Excalibur or Aria, etc.?
  

Thanks for all the help.

[7:37:19 PM] Reveriel: Anyway, Em are you busy at the moment? [7:37:29 PM] Emily: No, I'm just chillin [7:37:31 PM] Jet: bigger, better, stronger, faster [7:37:38 PM] Reveriel: Hungry? [7:37:45 PM] Emily: Mmmmm [7:37:48 PM] Emily: Yeah I could eat [7:37:56 PM] Jet: where you guys off to [7:38:01 PM] Jet: im starving [7:38:18 PM] Reveriel: :I [7:38:53 PM] Emily: Jet this is kind of an A to B conversation [7:38:56 PM] Emily: So C yourself out [7:38:54 PM] Reveriel: Well, I know a good place on the strip. Where are you? [7:39:01 PM] Jet: wow [7:39:02 PM] Jet: that was [7:39:05 PM] Emily: GREAT [7:39:05 PM] Ryder: Ooh damn. [7:39:05 PM] Jet: a new level of lame [7:39:07 PM] Emily: IT WAS GREAT [7:39:09 PM] Jet: no [7:39:11 PM] Jet: no it wasnt [7:39:15 PM] Ryder: I thought that was good [7:39:17 PM] Emily: I'm at MGM Grand [7:39:19 PM] Jet: i literally feel bad for you right now [7:39:20 PM] Emily: or whatever this place is called [7:39:22 PM] Emily: The big green one. [7:39:37 PM] Jet: that girl you slept with probably had a big green one too [7:39:42 PM] Reveriel: Alright, I know where that is. Are you in a room? [7:39:47 PM] Emily: Yeah 4501 [7:39:50 PM] Jet: aaaaaahahahahahaha [7:39:54 PM] Ryder: Should I play the saxophone music now? [7:40:04 PM] Jet: no [7:40:27 PM] Emily: Wait [7:40:30 PM] Emily: Who the fuck is Ryder again [7:40:32 PM] Reveriel: Alrighty, I'll be there in aboooouuttt... 5 minutes? [7:40:34 PM] Jet: some bitch ass [7:40:40 PM] Jet: recruit [7:40:42 PM] Emily: That weird kid sitting at the back of the bus [7:40:46 PM] Jet: a speck on the radar [7:40:58 PM] Emily: Rev, that's pretty quick, are you in the same hotel or something? [7:41:10 PM] Ryder: For now, Biplane. [7:41:11 PM] Reveriel: Nah, but I'm not too far [7:41:16 PM] Emily: Alright, uh [7:41:23 PM] Emily: Is this like a "nice" place [7:41:30] Reveriel: Well, it’s not exactly dinner at the Bellagio, but it’s better than an IHOP. [7:41:32 PM] Ryder: You two are on a date [7:41:40 PM] Ryder: Aren't you? [7:41:41 PM] Jet: oOOOOOOHHHHH [7:41:44 PM] Reveriel: :I [7:41:46 PM] Jet: REV AND EMILY SITTIN IN A TREEEE 

I pushed the doors of the MGM Grand Hotel open and was instantly overwhelmed by the lobby. My shoes made a relaxing tapping sound every time I took a step on the pristine gold tinted marble flooring. In the center of the lobby a golden lion statue stood guard, staring at any visitors with a watchful eye.
Whoever designed this hotel obviously didn’t have the word ‘moderation’ in mind. I took a few steps toward the golden guard and inspected it. Up close you could see some scratches and imperfections, most likely from parents bringing young children to the city.
Idiots.
Behind me, I heard a few faint footsteps. Before I could turn to see where they were coming from, my eyes had been covered by two silky, cool hands.
“Guess who,” said Emily, who was trying and failing to disguise her voice. For some reason she tried to make her voice manly instead of just trying to sound like a different girl.
“Hmmm, well judging by how smooth your voice is,” I replied with a grin on my face, “I’d have to say Patrick Stewart.”
“Yes,” she says, now attempting her best Patrick Stewart impression, “I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise.”
I stifled a laugh as I peeled her hands from my eyes and turned around.
“Well, Captain, I’ve already got a reservation set up so we should probably get going.”
“Make it so!” She says, looping her arm around mine.
“Hi, welcome to Blue C Las Vegas, do you have a reservation?” the hostess chirped.
“Chambers,” I replied. She took a brief look at her charts and grabbed a couple of menus.
“Right this way,” she said as she began walking to the dining area, “Have you been here before?”
“Yes,” I answered. I honestly didn’t feel like listening to the Blue C’s life story. The hostess stopped in front of a booth that sat comfortably by a large fish tank and set the menus down.
“Your server will be right with you,” and she took off.
“So, what do you think?” I asked as Emily unfolded her menu.
“I think sushi is the best thing to happen to this planet. I could seriously eat it all day.”
“Good to hear,” I felt a grin spreading on my face and made little attempt to hide it while looking over the menu. “Any idea on what you want to order?”
“Yes. Everything.”
“Hey there,” a new voice started, “My name’s Derek, I’ll be your waiter this evening. Can I get you two started with anything to drink?” He glanced at me for a very brief moment and then turned his attention to Emily.
“I’ll take some Peach Tea.”
He smiled politely and wrote down her drink order before turning to me.
“Unsweetened tea, for me.”
I watched his smile dissolve as he wrote my drink down and asked, “Are you ready to order your meal, or do you need a couple minutes?”
“I’m ready. I don’t know about him though.” Emily peeked over at me.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
“So, what will it be then?” Derek asked.
“I’ll have a Spider Roll and an order of Salmon Nigiri please.”
“I’ll have a roll of Salmon skin, Maguro Nigiri, and Tekka Maki.” I said, closing my menu and handing it to Derek.
Derek finished writing down the order and collected our menus before taking off to the kitchen. I took my jacket off and relaxed in my seat.
“Y’know, this is nothing like the Blue C that’s in Seattle.” I noted.
“What’s different about the other one?” Emily asked as she slipped out of her peacoat.
“It’s a sushi bar,” I replied, “With conveyer belts n’ shit.”
“Oh,” she said, sipping her tea, “this place doesn’t seem so bad though.”
“Nah, it seems pretty nice here.” I grabbed a packet of sugar and dumped the contents into my tea before taking a drink.
“...why ask for unsweetened tea if you’re just going to dump sugar into it?”
“Because they always make it too sweet.,” I explained, “Tastes like I’m drinking candy.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Makes me feel sick,” I chuckled, “Plus my teeth are sensitive to really sugary things. Chocolate is the worst.”
Emily looks at me like I just committed blasphemy. “You’re joking. That was a joke, right?”
“Uhh, no… Should it have been?”
“But-but everyone loves chocolate!”
“Oh,” I laughed, “No, I like it; it just hurts my teeth.” I leaned forward and sucked some tea from my straw.
“Oh good. We were about to have a problem,” she says slyly. She spots something behind me, and excitedly says, “Hey I think our food’s coming!”
I turned around and saw Derek come through the kitchen doors with a tray of food in his hands and after a moment he tumbled to the ground, dropping our order.
Emily’s eyes widen. “What the fuck, did that dude seriously just trip and DROP OUR FUCKING FOOD?”
I narrowed my eyes and saw one of the line cooks untangle himself from Derek and get up before yelling something and darting back into the kitchen. Before I could even say anything, Emily had already stood up and started to walk furiously towards Derek. I stood up to follow Emily and was taken aback when I caught a glimpse of the line cook through the window on the kitchen door.
Was that blood?
Emily pushed the doors to the kitchen open and I followed in closely. In the kitchen, the line cook and the head chef were spitting insults at each other. The line cook held his bleeding arm and kept a few steps away from the knife wielding chef.
The chef pointed his knife at Emily and yelled, “Get the fuck out of my kitchen. This doesn’t concern you.”
Emily took a step forward, “How about we put the knife down and call an ambulance for this guy?”
His face screwed in disgust and he flailed the knife in front of her.
“You picked a bad day to be a hero, lady.”
“Or you picked a bad day to stab a coworker. Rev, call the cops.”
“Over my dead body,” growled the chef as he lunged at Emily with his knife.
I took a step in front of her, caught his arm, and sent a quick kick into his stomach. When he had stumbled back to a safe distance, I pulled my phone out and dialed 911.
I wouldn’t recommend coming to Blue C for a while.