Las Vegas, Nevada: Blue Angel

The Blue Angel has been restored and placed back in public for all to see. But don't look too much. Her eyes and her smile seem to be masking something less than angelic. Her halo is missing and the sparkle at the tip of her wand is gone. The plaque says she is back to her original 1957 appearance, but I have to wonder.

In 2017, the Blue Angel statue was taken down and moved to a shop for restoration. It's now owned by the city, and should make a return somewhere in town as a display of vintage advertising. We're hoping she'll still spin with the wind!

The Blue Angel Weather Vane is still there, although her former hotel is completely gone. The lot is vacant and cleaned up; easy to get to and to take photos. She still moves whichever way the wind blows.

The motel buildings are pretty much totally gone now. Heard they were going to build a new mini mall, but the developer is saving the statue.

The Blue Angel Motel will be bulldozed in 2015, but the motel's memorable Blue Angel weather vane will be allowed to survive right where it is. The 35-foot-high angel -- her look a blend of fairytale whimsy and showgirl va-va-voom -- arrived in the late 1950s, designed by Betty Willis (who later went on to create the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign). The motel site will be rebuilt as a shopping plaza, but -- in a surprising move for this implosion-mad metropolis -- developer Arnold Stalk has pledged that the Blue Angel will not be touched.