Present-day Vegas is much more well-rounded than the gambling mecca of the '60s; a vacation here could conceivably include any one of these things: gambling at any or all of dozens of casinos; a round of golf; a game of tennis; a day at a waterpark; a death-defying ride on the Big Shot at the tip of the Stratosphere tower; visits to ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, Venice, Lake Como, Paris and Manhattan; a wedding ceremony with Elvis presiding; a trip to the Liberace Museum; an elegant dinner at any one of several of the country's most prestigious restaurants, an all-you-can-eat buffet for a few dollars; a glitzy, cheesy Las Vegas review; a breathtaking performance by the world's most graceful circus/theatrical performers; sky-diving; boating on Lake Mead; or a champagne picnic in the Grand Canyon. Viva Las Vegas!!
Downtown
Most of the major hotels and casinos are located either downtown or on the Las Vegas Strip. The main downtown thoroughfare in the heart of ""Glitter Gulch"" is Fremont Street, five blocks of which is closed to traffic and covered by a spectacular 1,400 foot-long, 90 foot-high canopy. During the day, the canopy provides shade during the hot summer months for pedestrians walking through the open-air mall; At night, the same canopy is the screen for a dazzling show of lights, lasers and music known as the Fremont Street Experience.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Elvis never left the building and the kitsch-o-meter registers off the charts. The Strip, home to the casinos, is a neon-bathed testament to the American dream. Open 24/7, it is where gamblers at the tables hope for that one hot streak and showgirls in spangles (and little else) strut the stages, dreaming of fame. Vegas is about fantasies, and not taking anything too seriously. In the last decade, it has also become associated with luxury, thanks to new theme resorts such as the Luxor and the Bellagio, which have gone to great lengths to up the ante culturally, providing things Vegas has never had before, like a world-class collection of fine art and performing arts not involving headdresses or pyrotechnics. ""Sin City"" has also added family-friendly attractions and hotels in the last ten years, to expand its tourism base. And, of course, the Vegas wedding and honeymoon are still strong attractions for thousands of couples. From tongue-in-cheek drive-up nuptials to those performed in the opulent surroundings of the luxury resorts, Las Vegas covers all the bases.
Neighborhoods
The Las Vegas Strip and Downtown are the two hotspots in Las Vegas where most of the larger resorts, hotels, casinos, stage shows and nightlife are found. For those who like it a little quieter, there are still hotels and casinos to be found in the north, southeast and southwest areas of town and Decatur Boulevard in Southwest Las Vegas has become a thriving shopping district.
The Las Vegas Strip
When visitors think of Las Vegas, they usually think of the Las Vegas Strip. The Strip runs north to south about four miles, from southwest of the airport to downtown. Most of the showroom entertainment, and many of the major hotels and casinos, are located on the Strip.
The public bus system serves Las Vegas and Clark County, and consists of 49 routes served by 305 buses. Most routes operate 5:30am to 1:30am seven days a week, but some operate 24-hours a day.
travels the east side of the strip (Sahara Hotel to the MGM Grand with the following stops: - Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Convention Center, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Flamingo and Bally/Paris) from 6:00am - 2:00am daily.
Trolleys run about every 15 minutes from 9:30am - 1:30am; fare is $1.75 and exact fair is required. Stops are at Stratosphere, Circus-Circus, Slots of Fun, Stardust, Fashion Show Mall, Mirage, Boardwalk, New York New York, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Bally's, Imperial Palace, Harrah's, Riviera, Wet 'N Wild, Sahara, and the Las Vegas Hilton.
located 1 mile from the Strip. With over 60 air carriers offering direct flights to more than 90 U.S. cities, Las Vegas is one of the easiest cities to reach by air, and also one of the most discounted. If you can't find a good deal on airfare to Vegas, you just aren't trying.
LAS VEGAS - Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking her to reconsider plans for an emergency exercise in Las Vegas.
A Las Vegas judge has ruled that two men will stand trial on murder charges. Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman ruled Tuesday that prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case of Timothy Chester and Victor Veliz to trial.
CARSON CITY, Nev. -- An initiative that would require secret ballot voting in union membership drives has been filed with the secretary of state's office and was criticized Wednesday by one labor activist as "anti-worker." The "Save Our Secret Ballot" initiative is a movement being backed by business groups in at least 13 states as a response to a ...
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 8 a.m. NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Authorities say an off-duty Las Vegas police officer is dead and one or more assailants are sought after a shooting in the garage of a home in North Las Vegas.
Actor Will Ferrell arrives at the Las Vegas premiere of 'The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard' at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino August 12, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Las Vegas City Council members are beginning to consider ways to deal with a projected budget shortfall of more than $400 million over the next five years.
Las Vegas police arrested two brothers this week in connection with the slaying of a 68-year-old man who was found dead Saturday in his condominium near Rainbow and Oakey boulevards.
One man is hospitalized with multiple stab wounds and authorities in northeast Nevada are looking for his assailant after an attack in the Elko Indian Colony.
U.S. commercial casinos took in $7.94 billion in revenue during the third quarter, 5.5 percent less than a year earlier, the head of the American Gaming Association said Tuesday.
Las Vegas has cleaned up since its days as a magnet for ill-gotten mobster gains, but a Canadian insider trading scam has exposed the smaller-scale money laundering still going on in the desert city's casinos.
