What else can be said about Las Vegas that hasn’t already been said? Sin City USA? Lost Wages? Whether or not you like gambling, at least one trip to Las Vegas is something everyone should do.
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Las Vegas is in southern Nevada in the SW United States. A city of just over a million people, it is entirely one-of-a-kind. Everywhere you go, you are surrounded by gambling. In the airport, restaurants, shopping centers, and of course, in the massive casinos that seem to be everywhere.
While they may call New York the city that never sleeps, it could also be said about Las Vegas. In all my travels, I’ve never been to a city where day is night and night is day. You can do just about anything your little heart desires 24 hours a day in Vegas.
I think one reason Las Vegas sprang up was to showcase to Americans what the outside world is like. In Las Vegas, it is possible to see the Eiffel Tower, a Pyramid, a Roman Colosseum, as well as hotels themed to represent Camelot, the Arabian nights, and even life in Japan. Not that Las Vegas is an accurate portrayal of these things, but it's still pretty cool.
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It’s a toss-up here. Either the Luxor Casino and all its Egyptian stylings or Treasure Island and the battle between the pirates and the Royal Navy. Both are great to see and very interesting.
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I think the thing I like most about Las Vegas is how affordable it is. A flight can be found for only a few hundred bucks most of the year, and hotels and other expenses are cheap if you do a little research. Vegas is the perfect weekend getaway!
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The New York New York hotel
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Obviously the biggest sight in town is the Las Vegas Strip. Here there are several blocks of some of the biggest buildings on Earth, housing massive casinos, theatres, stadiums, and all other sorts of fun.
For a taste of the high life, check out the Bellagio. With its fountains, sculptures, and plentiful artwork, it feels like a millionaire’s mansion. Every ½ hour, the fountains out front blast water 200m into the air. This is about as classy as Las Vegas gets.
Another great hotel to check out is New York, New York. The outside is surrounded with NYC icons, like a fire-boat, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, and a skyline not unlike NYC. It is quite fascinating to look at. As well, New York, New York has a roller coaster that ducks and dodges through the towers at speeds of up to 65 mph (100 kmh).
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Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city in the States, over 125,000, so finding accommodation is easy. Now, finding affordable accommodation takes a bit of effort.
One place that is close to the Strip (4 blocks) and fairly reasonable is Terrible’s Hotel & Casino. Don’t worry about the name, it’s a good place. When I went last year, I stayed at the Key Largo Hotel and Casino. It was 2 blocks from the Strip and offered a free shuttle to the Strip every ½ hour. The pool area was quite nice, decked out with palm trees and other tropical plants.
If you want to stay on the Strip, the best place to find cheap rooms is to find out which hotel is undergoing renovations (there is almost always one), and book a room there. The first time I went in 1997, I stayed at the Sahara for $19/night! Another good time to stay is in the summer when the rates are cheapest. July and August can be scorching (+45 or worse), but the hotels are slow because of it.
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The stadium @ Caesar's Palace where Celine Dion plays
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One of the best party places is the Rio All-Suite Hotel. At most casinos, the main gist is to separate the sucker from his money with bland environments and boring settings. Not at the Rio. In the middle of the casino is a large stage where dancing/singing shows happen every 30 minutes or so. Top that off with a series of suspended floats that cruise on the ceiling filled with beautiful dancers tossing out strings of beads while the show goes on.
If you are more interested in seeing the big production shows, two of the more popular are Celine Dion’s at Caesar’s Palace Coliseum and the Blue Man Group playing at the Luxor. Both are pricey and tickets should be ordered as far in advance as possible.
If you are looking for dancing, check out Baby’s at the Hard Rock Hotel or Alesium After Hours at Seven in the middle of the Strip. Both are pretty busy nightclubs, as is Club Rio in the Rio Hotel.
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One of the best pubs ever is also at the Rio Hotel. The “Tilted Kilt” is an Irish bar where the waitresses outfits are Catholic school uniforms. You haven’t had a Guiness (one of 20+ premium beers on tap) until you’ve had it served by a lovely young lass in a plaid skirt!
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In Las Vegas, there are several restaurants run by America’s top chefs, like Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck.
Personally, my advice is to head for the buffets. As long as you are willing to eat at oddball hours (breakfast @ 4am, lunch @ 10am, supper @ 4pm or 9pm), there are tons of deals.
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Some other themed casinos include the Paris Hotel, the Venetian Hotel, the Aladdin and the Excalibur. There are about 2 dozen hotels in total on the Strip, just not all of them are worth mentioning. Some like the Sahara and Imperial are really showing their age and need extensive remodeling or perhaps even demolition.
If you get a chance, head downtown and go to Fremont Street. A canopy overhead holds almost 2 million lights, which once per hour light up and spectators are treated to computer-generated images. This is incredible to see.
There are many cool places to see nearby too. If you rent a car, Hoover Dam is only 30 minutes away; otherwise you can join one of dozens of tour bus groups. There are also tours of nearby Grand Canyon, either by bus or by helicopter.
Should you want to, Los Angeles is only 4 hours away by car, so a day trip to Hollywood or Venice Beach is doable. The drive through Death Valley is hard but over relatively quickly.
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Published on Sunday September 26th, 2004
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Publish on Facebook
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Sun, Oct 30 2005 - 12:49 PM
 by isaacmolina
Mon, Sep 27 2004 - 06:41 AM
by rangutan
| Its extreamly difficult to write a report on a place well covered and where so many peolple have visited. I wish more reports would be written like this: personal, original, descriptive and informative. Brilliant pictures and a lot of tips. |
Mon, Sep 27 2004 - 02:26 AM
by ravinderkumarsi
hii james,
well i have read much abt vegas but still find your report very interesting and good
ravi |
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16 votes
