Travel Tips
Emergency Services can be reached from anywhere in the
United States by dialing 911. To reach
the Nevada Highway Patrol, dial 647 on a cellular phone.
Parking
your car may take some fancy footwork as you are not allowed to park on the
strip at any time. If you can find a
parking lot or a garage to leave your car in, that would be the best bet. You avoid paying the fees for the garages if
you use the valet parking at the hotels.
If you
are staying in one place for several days, you might consider doing your own
laundry. Of course, there are clothing
and drug stores everywhere in case you did forget something. So don't pack your suitcase to the brim. Save room for all the souvenirs you will be
bringing home. Use fabric softener
sheets to keep your clothes smelling fresh in the suitcase.
Make a
little bag of things you find you might need on a trip. Your list might include pens, pencils, safety
pins, sewing kit, and some stamps to mail your postcards.
If you
are running late the morning of your departure, call down to the front desk and
see if you can delay your check out time.
In most hotels, the check out time is noon. For a small fee, they may add a couple hours
to the time so you don't have to rush around.
Bring a
couple of pairs of comfortable walking shoes on your trip. There is a lot of walking inside and outside
the hotels even if you ride the bus to each one. Make sure you have broken in your shoes so
you will not be suffering later.
When
you get to your room, no matter if you are only staying for an hour, place the
dead bolt on the door. Thieves will stop
at nothing to get your valuables. Most
hotels have a coded safe in each room so you can feel safe in leaving your
extra money or jewelry in them.
Top Attractions in Las Vegas
There are many fabulous things to do besides gambling in Las
Vegas. Whether it be a show or shopping,
you can always find something to do if you look for it.
The
hotels are the best attractions in Las Vegas.
Hotel hopping can take the better part of a week to see them all. That is just a simple walk through from one
side to the other. Plan on at least a
day in your favorite ones just to see all the sites. But be forewarned, some that look small on
the outside are huge when you get in the door.
Shark
Reef at Mandelay Bay Hotel will take about one to hours to visit. Here you will see all kinds of sea life and
reptiles. They have everything from crocodiles,
pirahna, jellyfish, sharks and even some baby rays you can touch. They also have an underwater tunnel you can
walk through to see the sharks and other fish swimming above you.
Star
Trek: The Experience and Borg Invasion
4-D is definitely worth a visit if you are a hard core Trekker. You may even run into some Klingons, Borg, or
an Andorian. They have a behind the
scenes tour where you can see a bridge used in the television series “The Next
Generation.” They also have you “beam”
from a cargo bay onto the bridge. The
tour also includes viewing of some of the paraphernalia, props and clothes used
in the series.
The
Stratosphere Thrill Rides are not for the faint of heart. They are located up on the 109th floor of the
hotel. They have the High Roller, a
roller coaster, The Big Shot, a free fall ride, and the X-Scream, which is a
dangling teeter totter that suspends you off the side of the building.
Tips for the Las Vegas Traveler
To get from the airport to your hotel in style, you may
consider taking a limousine. The airport
also runs a shuttle service and there are several taxi services you can
employ.
Remote
check in has become quite popular. If
you are staying at Paris, MGM Grand, Bally's, Caesar's Palace, or the Flamingo,
you are able to check in once you get to the airport. They give you your room key at the airport
and you can go straight to your room without the hassle of waiting in line at
the front desk.
There
are several free guides to tell you what is going on at any given time in Las
Vegas. “What's On” magazine will tell
you about all of the buffets, shows, restaurants and malls in the area. It also has multiple ads for tours for the
Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Death Valley.
Bring a
bottle of water with you wherever you go.
Because of the dry air of the desert setting, you can lose more fluid
than you think. Always stop and get some
water or a drink every few hours to rehydrate yourself.
Always be careful with your purse or wallet. This is especially true around crowds. At the Fremont Street Experience, there are a
lot of people standing around and it is a pickpocket's heaven. Somebody may accidentally bump into you. Check your pockets afterward.
Don't
try to walk from Fremont Street back to the strip. You will walk through area where there are
not a lot of people even in the daytime.
Ladies, be especially careful.
When
crossing the street, make sure to use the crosswalks. You can be fined for not following the
sign. Also, wait for the WALK before you
cross. Local people will fly down the
strip and you could be injured. Many of
the people driving cars are also tourists who are sightseeing while driving and
not paying complete attention to the road.
Tips for Playing in the Casino
The first thing you should do when approaching a game or
table is to see what the minimum and maximum bets are. Watch if you go to the same one several
times, they change these limits Thursday through Sunday sometimes. Also, if the bet limits are too high, try the
downtown casinos. They are routinely
lower than the strip casinos.
Throw
out the mindset that the dealer wants you to lose. He is a working guy just like you and it is
just a job to him. Help him out by
tipping him when you can. You will find
he will be helpful in changing coin or explaining the game to you. They want you to win, after all, the more you
win, the better the tip will be.
If you
find yourself in need of chips, go to the table and place your money on the
table surface. Never try to hand the
dealer the money, they will not take it.
It could be considered as a bribe.
When you place it on the table, they will pick it up and ask you what
you want.
Be
careful of the free drinks offered in the casino. They will give you all you want for
free. They want you to be intoxicated
and drunk. They want you to keep playing
and, hopefully, losing. They do have
juices and soda for free as well.
If you
are at the table playing a hot game and need to leave for a few minutes, just
ask the dealer to “cover your chips.” If
you need to get some fresh air or take a quick trip to the bathroom, they will
cover your chips with a cloth and watch them for you. This is quite helpful if you don't want to
lose your spot at a table where you are having a good run. Don't abuse the privilege and don't be gone
longer than half an hour.
Tipping in Las Vegas
Being the money making location Las Vegas is, it only makes
sense that everyone is out to get their share of the pie. Tipping is expected in certain circumstances
and venues. Here is a list of people and
tips they are expecting to receive:
Hotel
bellhops get $1 per bag, unless man bags, then $2-3 per bag.
Chamber
staff get $1-2 a day, unless you have a pet or made a big mess.
Tip the
doorman or concierge only if they have given you specific information about
something you want to do or see.
Valet
parking attendant should get $1 every time you get your car.
Restaurant
servers get 15-20% of the bill.
Bartenders
get 10-15% of the total bar bill.
Coat
room attendants get $1 per article of clothing.
Cab
drivers get 10-15% of the fare.
Skycaps
at the airport get $1 per bag, unless you have many bags, then $2-3 per bag.
Barbers
and Hairdressers get 15-20%.
Ushers
at movies get no tip.
Gas
station attendants get no tip.
If a
theater has maitre d' seating and you want to upgrade your seat, tip him $15-20
per couple. But have your money ready,
because they get annoyed if they have to wait.
You may also tip with chips from the casino where the show is
playing.
Dealers
in the casino get a few dollars if you had a big win or if they helped you by
explaining how to play and what to do.
Remembering
to tip can also get you unexpected results.
The cab driver may take you the scenic route. The concierge may work harder at getting
those hard to find concert tickets. The
chamber staff may grant special requests that they normally wouldn't do.
Thrill Rides in Las Vegas
The Stratosphere Hotel has possibly the most scary thrill
rides in Las Vegas. The rides are on the
109th floor of a 1,149 foot tower. They
have three outrageous rides you can choose to ride. One is the High Roller. This is a roller coaster that goes at the
fastest speeds possible as it races around the track that seems as if it is
suspended in midair. The second is
called the Big Shot. Hold onto your
stomach, this is a free fall ride that sends you 160 feet up in the air on a
228 foot tower and plummets you back down again. You sit in an open car and it will appear
that you are dangling over the strip.
The third ride is the X-Scream.
This giant seesaw device propels you over the side of the building and
lets you dangle there weightlessly before bringing you back to safety.
At the
Sahara Hotel, they have a roller coaster that loops around in front of the
hotel. They call it Speed: The Ride.
It takes off through a hole by the new NASCAR Cafe in the hotel and goes
around the loop, under the sidewalk and up a 250 foot tower where you are
weightless for a few seconds. Then you
ride the coaster backwards through the whole track
The
Cyber Speedway boasts a NASCAR vehicle about three quarters of its normal
size. You can choose to race around the
Las Vegas racetrack or race through the streets of Las Vegas. At the end, you get a computer generated
report to tell you how you did.
The
Adventuredome at Circus Circus is an amusement park with several rides for the
kids. They do have a roller coaster that
races through simulated Grand Canyon mountains.
They have several other swing rides and a mini-golf game. There is a small arcade where you can play
video games as well before you hit the Midway.
The North Strip of Las Vegas
The north end of the strip is known for its inexpensive
hotels. There are several to choose from
and some are older hotels that have been around since the 1950's.
The
Riviera was the first high rise hotel opening in 1955. Liberace and Joan Crawford hosted the
ceremonies. This is an adult oriented
hotel and they advise against bringing your kids. They have many wonderful shows such as Crazy
Girls, and An Evening at La Cage. Splash
has ended its run at the hotel. It is
located right across the street from the Circus Circus.
The
Circus Circus is definitely a hotel for families and welcomes kids. They have circus acts that perform over the
casino floors which the little ones can also watch from the second floor. There is the Adventure Dome complete with
roller coaster and other exciting rides on the second floor too. They also have a midway arcade that is quite
popular.
A
little further down the strip and you will find the Sahara. This hotel has a huge roller coaster wrapped
around the front of it as well. Inside
they have quite the Nascar collection above the eatery. They have cars, shirts, posters, autographed
pictures, and keyrings. This hotel is
done in Moroccan décor and Arabian Night themes.
The
Stratosphere is a unique hotel due to its awesome size. It is 1,149 feet high. The building has 109 floors. On the top floor, there are three rides for
the adrenalin junkie. They have the High
Roller which is a roller coaster that goes around the outer rim of the top of
the hotel. The Big Shot which is a free
fall ride that sends passengers back and forth at 45 mph, also at the top of
the hotel. And the last is called the
X-Scream. This gives you the feeling of
falling off the side of the building from 109 stories up.
The Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace
The Forum Shoppes have been described as a little bit of
Rome married to Rodeo Drive and painted with Spielberg and you have an elegant
retail space to shop. You enter through
a forty eight foot archway. They have
also painted a Mediterranean sky that the light changes as the day goes
on. A goddess of fortune welcomes you
under the central dome.
Opened
in 1992, the Forum Shoppes are a 250,000 square foot shopping paradise. The architecture takes us back to between 300
BC to 1700 AD. There are animatronic
statues of Bacchus, Venus, Pluto, and Apollo playing the lyre. It is a seven minute show with dancing water
and a laser-light show. An extension was
added in 1998 called the Roman Hall.
This hall houses a 50,000 gallon circular aquarium that includes shows
involving fire (it does get hot, so stand back), dancing water and animatronic
figures that tell the story of the rise and fall of Atlantis.
They
have many shops in the Forum. There is a
shop for every taste and interest. Just
to name a few: Houdini's, Louis Vuitton,
Ann Taylor, Gucci, Versace, Antiquities (a movie memorabilia place), Fendi, Armani, and FAO Schwarz (a toy store). In addition to shopping, there are several
restaurants to get a meal and take a break in.
Perhaps the most famous is Wolfgang Puck's Chinois. There is also a Planet Hollywood and a
Cheesecake Factory.
There
was a second expansion that opened right onto the strip. They added a three story glass entrance and
175,000 more square feet of retail stores.
The shops are open until 11 PM on Sunday through Thursday and 12
Midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Take a
whole day here just to browse or see the animatronic shows. This place has a lot to offer and the
aquarium has seats nearby so you can just sit and relax watching the fish after
an exhausting day of shopping.
The East Strip in Las Vegas
These are hotels near the Convention Center and most are
chain hotels with a couple of exceptions.
Look around for a good deal in this area and see what you can find.
The
first hotel that is in this area is the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It boasts 657 rooms and has plenty of
Hollywood and music industry memorabilia.
If you like having the casino close by, you will appreciate this
hotel. The lobby borders around its
casino. The hotel also has a great pool
setting. Several pools joined by some
sandy beach and a lazy river.
The Las
Vegas Hilton is about two blocks off the main strip. Barry Manilow performs here at present in the
Headliner Showroom. Also out front, you
will find a statue of Elvis Presley outside the doors, and as you walk in, you
will see one of his sequined jumpsuits.
He played over 837 sold-out shows at the hotel. Also, you will find the Star Trek Experience
here. You may even run into some Borg,
Andorians, or Klingons. They have
several packages to choose from and in one behind the scenes tour, you get to
see an actual bridge set used in “The Next Generation.” They have hundreds of props, paraphernalia,
and articles of clothing from the television series and the movies.
There
are several chain hotels that you can stay at relatively cheap if you don't
need the casino glamour and all its casings.
There is the La Quinta Inn, Residence Inn by Marriott, Best Western
Mardi Gras Inn, the Emerald Springs Clarion Hotel Suites, Fairfield Inn, and a
Motel 6. All of these offer clean rooms,
a bath, in some cases, a suite with a living room area and some have a
continental breakfast.
Strip Clubs in Las Vegas
The mentality of
“Something for Everyone” even extends to the strip club business. If you walk down the strip at night, there
will be people handing out flyers for the clubs. Taxis also have a sign in their cabs about
different places.
The
Palomino is one of the oldest clubs outside the city limits. Since they are outside the city limits, they
are one of the few clubs that have both total nudity and serve alcohol. It has two levels where the featured dancers
do themed dances with specific props and music.
Glitter
Gulch is located right in the center of the Fremont Street Experience. They have basic shows where the women wear
long gowns and slowly take them off to reveal just a G-string. This is also one of the places due to its
convenience, you can visit, check it out, and leave if it is not to your
liking.
The
Sapphire Club is the largest strip club in Las Vegas. It has 71,000 square feet of nakedness. This one is different from most. It is not only friendly and clean, it is
modern and you won't find any attitudes here.
They have giant television screens so you can keep an eye on what is
happening on the other side of the room.
The upstairs rooms are posh and very expensive.
Cheetah's
is a widely known strip club. It was
used as the background set for the movie “Showgirls.” Renovations have been made since then and the
only familiar sight in the club is the big stage where the dancers
perform. This is considered a sporty
frat bar and usually the age group seen here is 21 to 40. Eight television sets line the walls and the
club does a good business during major sporting events.
Strip Clubs in Las Vegas
The mentality of
“Something for Everyone” even extends to the strip club business. If you walk down the strip at night, there
will be people handing out flyers for the clubs. Taxis also have a sign in their cabs about
different places.
The
Palomino is one of the oldest clubs outside the city limits. Since they are outside the city limits, they
are one of the few clubs that have both total nudity and serve alcohol. It has two levels where the featured dancers
do themed dances with specific props and music.
Glitter
Gulch is located right in the center of the Fremont Street Experience. They have basic shows where the women wear
long gowns and slowly take them off to reveal just a G-string. This is also one of the places due to its
convenience, you can visit, check it out, and leave if it is not to your
liking.
The
Sapphire Club is the largest strip club in Las Vegas. It has 71,000 square feet of nakedness. This one is different from most. It is not only friendly and clean, it is
modern and you won't find any attitudes here.
They have giant television screens so you can keep an eye on what is
happening on the other side of the room.
The upstairs rooms are posh and very expensive.
Cheetah's
is a widely known strip club. It was
used as the background set for the movie “Showgirls.” Renovations have been made since then and the
only familiar sight in the club is the big stage where the dancers
perform. This is considered a sporty
frat bar and usually the age group seen here is 21 to 40. Eight television sets line the walls and the
club does a good business during major sporting events.
Strip Clubs in Las Vegas
The mentality of “Something
for Everyone” even extends to the strip club business. If you walk down the strip at night, there
will be people handing out flyers for the clubs. Taxis also have a sign in their cabs about
different places.
The
Palomino is one of the oldest clubs outside the city limits. Since they are outside the city limits, they
are one of the few clubs that have both total nudity and serve alcohol. It has two levels where the featured dancers
do themed dances with specific props and music.
Glitter
Gulch is located right in the center of the Fremont Street Experience. They have basic shows where the women wear
long gowns and slowly take them off to reveal just a G-string. This is also one of the places due to its
convenience, you can visit, check it out, and leave if it is not to your
liking.
The
Sapphire Club is the largest strip club in Las Vegas. It has 71,000 square feet of nakedness. This one is different from most. It is not only friendly and clean, it is
modern and you won't find any attitudes here.
They have giant television screens so you can keep an eye on what is
happening on the other side of the room.
The upstairs rooms are posh and very expensive.
Cheetah's
is a widely known strip club. It was
used as the background set for the movie “Showgirls.” Renovations have been made since then and the
only familiar sight in the club is the big stage where the dancers
perform. This is considered a sporty
frat bar and usually the age group seen here is 21 to 40. Eight television sets line the walls and the
club does a good business during major sporting events.
Souvenirs in Las Vegas
Finding a souvenir shop in Las Vegas is like finding a place
to eat. There are several places on
every block. Some are little holes in
the wall and some are quite huge. They
sell a lot of the same items, and the best advice is this, don't buy the souvenirs
at the airport. They are way more
expensive, unless you have forgotten something.
The all
around best place to go and find souvenirs is the Bonanza Gift and Souvenir
Shop. It occupies the corner across from
the Sahara Hotel. They have everything
you could possibly want in this store.
They have old chips, dice, cards, hats, pens, pencils, calendars,
t-shirts, baby clothes, wooden trinket boxes, tote bags, shot glasses, those
famous dice clocks, old money, disposable cameras, and batteries. You can spend hundreds in a matter of
minutes, so watch yourself.
The
Arts Factory Complex is right off of Las Vegas Boulevard. They have a gift shop carrying pink flamingos
and Las Vegas related items. The
tackiest item seen was a pair of earrings with poker chips.
Also,
check the hotels for gift shops for your favorite performers. The Las Vegas Hilton has Barry Manilow. Also, at the Las Vegas Hilton, you can find a
gift shop for that Trekker in your life at Star Trek: The Experience. Caesar's Palace has Celine Dion and an Elton
John Store. On the side of Harrah's, you
can find Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville shop.
The Stratosphere Tower has a gift shop way up at the very top of the
tower with plenty of souvenirs and mementos.
Circus Circus has several gift shops as you walk through the
casino. They have everything from snacks
to beautiful pictures of the strip at night for framing. You can even find decorated golf balls.
The South Strip of Las Vegas
The South Strip could be considered the expensive end. Most of the hotels on this end are resorts
and are more elaborate than the hotels at the other end of the strip or on
Fremont Street. These are hotels with
huge towers and everything from shopping to spas to convention centers. Let's take a look at the sights on the south
end of the strip.
The
first hotel you will see when going north on the strip is the Four Seasons
hotel. These people do everything in a
big way from the entrance way to the cotton sheets on the beds. There is also no clanging or ringing of a
casino to overload your senses as you walk through the door.
For
casino sounds that are quite abundant, follow the signs and go through the side
door of the Four Seasons and you walk right into the Mandelay Bay's casino and
gaming tables. If you walk a little
further into the lobby, you will see a huge aquarium that advertises for the
hotel's Shark Reef Experience. If you
have an hour or two, go and see the wildlife ranging from crocodiles, pirahna,
sharks, jellyfish, and even some baby rays you can touch.
The
next hotel you come to will be the Luxor.
You can't miss this one with the big pyramid and Sphinx sitting in front
of it. This hotel is decorated with
Egyptian tones and has a unique lobby inside.
The rooms go up the outside of the pyramid and the elevator which is
called and INCLINATOR actually travels at a slant up the floors.
The
Excalibur Hotel is out of King Arthur days.
It is a huge fairy tale castle complete with dragons and pageantry on
the inside. Make sure to eat the
Tournament of Kings medieval style buffet complete with a jousting attraction.
Some Quiet Things To Do in Las Vegas
If you want to get away from all the noise and people, but
don't want to leave Las Vegas itself, there are several things you can do for a
quiet afternoon. Here are a couple
places that you can go and see something different.
The
Double Down Saloon has cocktails, a wild jukebox, and bizarre mural work by
local artists. Mingle with some of the
local folks or, if you are lucky, you might spot the occasional celebrity that
visits.
The
Chinatown Mall is an Oriental type of place with some good restaurants,
fascinating shopping, and some unique items.
Everything has a background of the Far East as its theme.
The
Arts Factory has a a gallery with first rate collection of art pieces. They have parties the first Friday of every
month to help showcase the local artist's work.
The
West Sahara Library Fine Arts Museum building is one of the few buildings that
is built to Smithsonian specs. It is an
urban building that accentuates its space and art work perfectly.
The Guggenheim/Hermitage
Museum was a venture between St. Petersburg, Russia and the Guggenheim. Located in the Venetian, it is right by the
front door and has an outside entrance.
There is some sculpture and glass pieces in the museum.
King
Tut's Tomb and Museum located in the Luxor Hotel is a reproduction, full scale,
of King Tut's tomb in Egypt. It includes
the antechamber, annex, burial chamber, and replicas of all the treasury
inventory. King Tut was discovered in
1922 in the Valley of the Kings. All of
the tomb and its accouterments were handcrafted by Egypt artisans using the
gold leaf, linens, tools, and ancient methods.
If you want to spend a nice quiet hour or two on your own,
check out one of these destinations.
The South Strip of Las Vegas
The South Strip could be considered the expensive end. Most of the hotels on this end are resorts
and are more elaborate than the hotels at the other end of the strip or on
Fremont Street. These are hotels with
huge towers and everything from shopping to spas to convention centers. Let's take a look at the sights on the south
end of the strip.
The
first hotel you will see when going north on the strip is the Four Seasons
hotel. These people do everything in a
big way from the entrance way to the cotton sheets on the beds. There is also no clanging or ringing of a
casino to overload your senses as you walk through the door.
For
casino sounds that are quite abundant, follow the signs and go through the side
door of the Four Seasons and you walk right into the Mandelay Bay's casino and
gaming tables. If you walk a little
further into the lobby, you will see a huge aquarium that advertises for the
hotel's Shark Reef Experience. If you
have an hour or two, go and see the wildlife ranging from crocodiles, pirahna,
sharks, jellyfish, and even some baby rays you can touch.
The
next hotel you come to will be the Luxor.
You can't miss this one with the big pyramid and Sphinx sitting in front
of it. This hotel is decorated with
Egyptian tones and has a unique lobby inside.
The rooms go up the outside of the pyramid and the elevator which is
called and INCLINATOR actually travels at a slant up the floors.
The
Excalibur Hotel is out of King Arthur days.
It is a huge fairy tale castle complete with dragons and pageantry on
the inside. Make sure to eat the
Tournament of Kings medieval style buffet complete with a jousting attraction.
Side trips from Vegas
If you get tired of the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas,
there are several side trips you can take to get away. Most of these include driving to Henderson or
surrounding counties to see what is out there.
The
Ethel M Chocolates is about six miles from the strip. They offer free tours and it is better to go
on a weekday when they are operating.
Ethel Mars began her candy making in the early 20th century and these
became famous candies: M&Ms, Milky
Way, Mars bars, 3 Musketeers, and Snickers.
The tours last about ten minutes and is made up of viewing stations
explaining the chocolate making process.
You get one small chocolate sample at the end.
Ron
Lee's World of Clowns is also located in Henderson. The store features clown figurines and some
Disney figures. The tour offered take
you around to watch as the workers mold and paint the clowns. Be sure to hit the gift shop which offers
high quality clown figurines.
Grand
Canyon tours are offered in Las Vegas.
You can spend a full day on a touring bus and go to see the majestic
canyon and be back the same day. You can
also choose two or three day trips. The
prices usually include the tour through the national park, a flight over the
canyon, and lunch. Some excursions
include hiking as well.
Hoover
Dam is visited by 2,000 to 3,000 people every day. If not for this architectural and structural
creation, there would be no Las Vegas.
Built in 1931, it took 5200 workers doing twenty four hour days to get
this dam built by 1936. That was two
years ahead of schedule and fifteen million under budget. There are tours conducted and they go down
561 feet into the belly of the dam. You
can see the giant turbines and go outside and look back up at the huge dam.
Shopping in Las Vegas
For the best shopping experience, your best bet is to start
out at the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace.
It is a huge shopping mall covering three floors at one end of the
hotel. They have every kind of shop you
can think of plus a few more. You can go
from Houdini's, a magic shop, to Gucci for clothes. They have a Planet Hollywood inside and
several other chain restaurants. There
are also some living statues that come to life every hour to tell about a Roman
myth. They have seats so if you are
tired from shopping, you can rest a while.
Next up
is the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian.
Head to the second floor and take in all the amazing scenery. The second floor is made to look like outside
in Venice complete with gondola rides.
High and medium-end brand names are found here as well some expensive
trinket shops. There is everything from
Banana Republic to Ann Taylor.
Fashion
Show Mall which is almost right across the street from the new Wynn Las Vegas
Hotel is a much more fitting Vegas type of mall. It holds 250 shops, restaurants, and service
stores. They have valet parking and will
even offer to hand wash your car while you are having fun shopping. Some of the stores in this mall include
Sak's, Nordstrom's, Macy's, and other high-end retailers. You can't miss the place either, it has a
huge circular object on top of it that looks very much like an UFO.
Boulevard
Mall was the largest around until Fashion Show Mall came along. With its 144+ stores, it took up 1.2 million
square feet. It has several anchor
stores likes Sears and JC Penney as well as Dillard's and Marshall's. You can find almost anything you are looking
for at reasonable prices. It it a
medium-end mall and has several eateries you can eat and take a few minutes to
rest.
Places to Stay Outside of Las Vegas
Luxury resorts aside, you may want to stay somewhere far
away from the noise and lights and glitter of the Las Vegas Strip itself. There are two resorts in Henderson which is
about a thirty minute drive from the strip.
The
Ritz-Carlton is located on the shores of Lake Las Vegas. The style is that of an Italian resort with
its marble fixtures and lake views. They
have a health club and a spa. You can
sign up for all sorts of activities such as stargazing, desert and mountains
hikes, tai chi, and fly fishing on the lake.
They offer yoga classes and you can play golf on three different
courses. Right next door to this
fabulous resort is an Italian village with over forty shops and restaurants for
your shopping and dining needs. If you
are worried about how to get back and forth from this quiet setting, they do
have shuttles that run back and forth to the strip until two in the morning.
The
Green Valley Ranch Resort is about fifteen to twenty minutes from the
strip. Kids and families are always welcome
here. They have a multiscreen movie
theater and the health club for exercising is free to use. The pool area is part lagoon and is in a
weird geometric shape to support all the shallow places and the lounge
area. In an adjoining building is the casino
and gaming areas. They follow and old
school theme and they have a variety of restaurants to dine in.
You
will also find a variety of common hotels off the main road as well. They have Motel 6, Super 8, EconoLodge, and
Budget Inn's. They also have one place
called Terrible's. It is named for the
owner who is nicknamed Terrible. The
place is about ten minutes from the strip.
It is not as expensive as some of the chain motels.
Mid Strip Hotels in Las Vegas
Mid strip hotels have a big shopping theme for the most
part. There are a lot of shops in these
hotels mentioned as well as other attractions.
The
Bellagio has an eight acre lake in front that represents the Lake Como village
that the hotel was named after. In this
lake, about every hour, you can view some impressive water ballet and
choreography. At night, it is lit up and
put to music for an even better show.
The shops in the Via Bellagio offer the current trends and clothiers
such as Prada, Gucci, and Armani.
Caesar's
Palace which is right across the street from the Bellagio has a Roman decor and
some of the staff wear gladiator outfits.
The 4,000 seat Coliseum was built just for Celine Dion who performs two
hundred shows each year. The Forum Shops
cover three floors at one end of Caesar's and they have something for every
taste and interest.
The
Venetian Hotel is elegance and sophistication.
The rooms are done in Italian marble and have glass showers and deep
tubs. The second floor houses the Grand
Canal Shoppes and these are laid against a beautiful backdrop of sky and fluffy
clouds to make you think you are outside.
They also offer gondola rides though the hotel.
The
Mirage Hotel is located right across the street from the Venetian. They also own the Treasure Island right next
door. The first thing you will see when
you ride the moving sidewalk to the entrance of the hotel is the tiger
habitat. Siegfried and Roy house several
of their white tigers in this enclosure.
Their CRAVINGS restaurant has a breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet that
encompasses every taste out there. Their
shops are minimal as they have opened a rain forest exhibit full of palm trees
and waterfalls. The one main attraction here
is the volcano that is located out front.
It goes off after sunset every 15 minutes and incorporates a colorful
light show as well.
Magicians in Las Vegas
There are many different kinds of shows you can go to
see. Some are hard core magicians and
some are just jokesters that do magic.
Most have night shows up to six nights a week.
Lance
Burton, who performs at the Monte Carlo Hotel, is original in his act as well
as charming. He starts the show with
precise close-up magic. In one show, he
tossed a bird in the air that became confetti in front of everyone. He moves onto bigger illusions and his act is
extremely good. He also has a juggler in
his show that can juggle a chainsaw, a peanut M&M, and a beanbag chair.
Penn
and Teller are two magicians you don't want to miss. The ever quiet Teller usually always winds up
being the guinea pig to the ever boisterous Penn. They perform magic tricks and then take the
time to explain how they are done. They
also do juggling, make really off the wall comments, and do some really mean
stunts. The stunt most want to see is
Teller catch a bullet in his teeth after Penn shoots him.
Criss
Angel became famous through his “Mindfreak” television show. He is located at the Luxor Hotel and performs
at others in Las Vegas as well. He has
done the Houdini trick “Metamorphosis” with no curtain. He has cut himself in two and put himself
back together. Criss also shows his
mentalist abilities when he asks people to think of certain objects or numbers.
Mac
King, performing at Harrah's hotel, is one of the best afternoon shows you can
see. He is famous for close-up magic
that really defies your eyes and brain.
Mac's show is perfect if you need something for the kids right before
dinner or another show. He is not very
expensive and is an consummate performer.
Kid Attractions in Las Vegas
Those visitors under 21 may look around Las Vegas and think
the place has nothing to offer them.
They are not old enough to gamble or enjoy some of the nightclub
shows. If they look around, there are
several attractions that they can enjoy despite their young age.
Head
down to Circus Circus and catch some of the circus acts that go on all day over
the casino floors. There is also the
midway arcade and the Adventuredome on the second floor. This is an amusement park complete with mini
golf and a roller coaster ride.
The
Mirage Hotel has the white tiger exhibit and the Secret Garden of Siegfried and
Roy. There is also a dolphin habitat
where you can watch the dolphin swim by.
The
Excalibur has the medieval pageantry and a whole basement level with arcade and
video games. The Tournament of Kings is
one of the nice shows for kids as you get to see a medieval joust and get to
eat like they did in King Arthur's days – No forks or spoons here, use your
fingers.
Gameworks
is also a basement level arcade and game center. It is quite easy to find on the strip, just
look for the big Coca-Cola bottle and the M&M shop. It is located underneath these two shops. They have batting cages, motion-simulation
rides, video games, and air hockey.
For
toddlers and young children, you might try the Lied Discovery Children's
Museum. There are plenty of interactive
games for them to engage and play. They
could feed a wooden sandwich to a snake and a human to see how they both use
nutrition. There is a mini grocery
store, a radio station, and a music/drawing area. They can also pla basketball in a wheelchair
to see how it is to be handicapped.
Hoover Dam
If not for the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas may not exist. Construction began in 1931 and the workers
needed ways to relax on their days off.
5200 laborers were assembled and proceeded working twenty four hours a
day. The dam was finished in 1936. It helped conserve water for electrical,
industrial, and irrigation purposes. The
dam has become just one of the world's major electrical generating plants that
provided surrounding towns with a low cost and clean hydroelectric power. The $165 million Hoover Dam paid for itself
by selling electrical power to the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada.
660
feet at the top tapering to 45 feet where the road crosses at the top, the dam
is a massive curved wall. It is 726 feet
tall which is about the height of a 60 foot skyscraper. The dam holds back 9.2 trillion gallons of
water. This water is kept in Lake Mead,
a reservoir facilitated by the construction of the dam. There are four intake towers on the lake that
drop the water down about 600 feet to help drive turbines and create power.
The
visitor center opened in 1995 and is built upon a three level circular
structure with a rooftop overlook. You
will enter into the Reception Lobby where there is a gift shop and you can
purchase souvenirs of your visit to the dam.
They carry photographs, articles, videos, and other paraphernalia
relating to the dam and the people who built it.
There
are thirty minute tours of the dam that leave every fifteen minutes. These tours go down about 561 feet into the
bowels of the dam. You will see the
massive turbines and even get to go outside on the downriver side for a look
back up at the massive structure.