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Viva Las Vegas -
Big, bold, brash and brilliant. Las Vegas is a city like no other. Landing into McCarran International airport its full glory can be seen, shimmering from the desert haze it is an eclectic mass of huge hotels, bright lights and no end of neon. No where else in the world can you be serenaded on a gondola ride one afternoon to be gazing at an Egyptian style pyramid the next and that is the glory and wander that is Las Vegas.
Aside from the gambling, which locals prefer to call ‘gaming’ offering untold riches at the turn of the card, Las Vegas boasts the vast majority of the world’s largest hotels, largely due to the fact that the thirty-seven million visitors a year go just to see the hotels themselves along the infamous ‘Strip.’ From New York city skyscrapers to Disney-esque fantasy, the Las Vegas Boulevard is constantly changing and developing in its quest to provide the ultimate vacation resort. Long before the neon lights start to fade, yesterday’s showpieces are demolished making way for tomorrow’s masterpiece, the latest of these being the Wynn resort and casino. Having opened earlier this year it is the latest project from entrepreneur Steve Wynn, the man behind the Mirage and Bellagio. It dominates the north part of the strip standing opposite the Fashion Show Mall and satisfies the exclusivity and opulence desired by the higher end of the market offering top restaurants, an 18 hole golf course, designer shops and even a car dealership selling Ferrari and Maseratis. It is just a few months old and yet it is hard to believe that the city itself was not around at the start of the 20th Century. In fact this year has marked the centennial of Las Vegas, on May 15th the town held a huge party to celebrate one hundred of years of when the town was formed.
Its origins however go back to the 19th century when Native Americans arrived hundreds of years before Westerners. Reports believe the new arrivals were probably a trading party led by Antonio Armijo, in around 1829. Other explorers followed, and by the 1830s, the Old Spanish Trail led through the area known as Las Vegas, or ‘the meadows’ a name derived from the abundant water that was found in the valley.
But it was in 1905 when the big land auction took place that really marked the start of Las Vegas. In just two days 110 acres bounded by Stewart Avenue and Garces Avenue and Main Street and 5th Street (now Las Vegas Boulevard) were sold, founding the modern Las Vegas Valley.
Now it is the entertainment capital of the world where land is just as readily sold and developed. Whether it is to have a base to enjoy the spectacular surroundings and attractions of the Hoover Dam or Lake Mead, a relaxing and luxurious spa break or for the pleasure seekers wanting top food and nightlife all in one small area, Las Vegas is the perfect location to please everyone and it is no wonder that it attracts as many families, honeymooners and groups of friends as well as gamblers.
Hotels and Casinos
Day merges into night as there really is little reason to ever leave your hotel. At the south end of the strip monorails and walkways link the resorts from the Mandalay Bay up to Treasure Island. Complete with shopping malls, theatres, spas, theme parks and every possible type of fast food outlet and fancy restaurants it is easy to see why they are called ‘mega resorts.’
Families will love Circus Circus. With a fully fledged theme park and circus acts performing in the central area surrounded by old fashioned carnival sideshows, there is something for the young and the young at heart in the child friendly hotel.
If you are looking to live it up in style look no further than the Bellagio, Ceasar’s Palace, Mandalay Bay or Wynn, whilst the style may not be to everyone’s liking it screams opulence and grandeur and has the facilities and services to match.
Shopping
A girl always has to check out the shopping potential of a place before a visit is made and Las Vegas will not disappoint, but get the credit cards at hand. Before the Forum at Caesars Palace was unveiled in 1992 none of the casinos had their own shopping mall with the city’s stores catering almost exclusively to locals. Since then malls and arcades have popped up everywhere. The largest being the Fashion Show Mall. Not linked to a casino it is head to toe with designer boutiques and large department stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales.
The Forum is classed as being the most successful shopping mall in the United States, generating seven times as much income per square metre as any other mall and when you see the price tags it is easy to see why, but if the credit cards are maxed out visit the delightful FAO Schwartz toy shop and the dangerously delicious Cheesecake Factory, at over 1,000 calories per slice it is a wicked but well deserved treat!
Shows
Sitting in the large airy theatre in the Mandalay Bay watching Mamma Mia it is easy to imagine being in London’s West End, watching the top class performances to a full capacity crowd rather that in a hotel casino. It shows that Las Vegas is still first choice for entertainment although it has changed from the days of the Rat Pack. With the exceptions of Celine Dion and Elton John who alternate at Caesars Palace, there are more comedy shows and musicals and is dominated by the magical, and somewhat a little bizarre, post modern circus/dance troupe Cirque du Soleil who offer a number of shows from ‘Mystère,’ the original show, to ‘O’ an amazing production held in Bellagio’s theatre where the stage repeatedly disappears under water.
Free Las Vegas
Whilst the cost of going to see the shows can range from 40$ to well over 200$ some of the best shows and experiences can be viewed for free.
Just a short bus ride past the dizzying heights of the Stratosphere Tower is Downtown Las Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience. By day this metal mesh shades the street for some four blocks but at night comes in to its own when every hour 12 million LED modules transform into a mass of colour and sound creating an eye catching visual effect that stops people in their tracks as they stand and stare at the ceiling.
The fountains at the iconic Bellagio became synonymous with 2001 film ‘Ocean’s 11’ and whilst I can’t guarantee you’ll have the pleasure of standing next to Brad Pitt and co. it is a few short minutes of pure and simple elegance as the fountains ‘dance’ to classical favourites every fifteen minutes.
The ‘Sirens of T.I’. at Treasure Island pull in the crowds every night for their four shows where the sexed up sirens capture the pirates ship and sing and writhe around their boat as the battle ensues.
Article provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper
Big, bold, brash and brilliant. Las Vegas is a city like no other. Landing into McCarran International airport its full glory can be seen, shimmering from the desert haze it is an eclectic mass of huge hotels, bright lights and no end of neon. No where else in the world can you be serenaded on a gondola ride one afternoon to be gazing at an Egyptian style pyramid the next and that is the glory and wander that is Las Vegas.
Aside from the gambling, which locals prefer to call ‘gaming’ offering untold riches at the turn of the card, Las Vegas boasts the vast majority of the world’s largest hotels, largely due to the fact that the thirty-seven million visitors a year go just to see the hotels themselves along the infamous ‘Strip.’ From New York city skyscrapers to Disney-esque fantasy, the Las Vegas Boulevard is constantly changing and developing in its quest to provide the ultimate vacation resort. Long before the neon lights start to fade, yesterday’s showpieces are demolished making way for tomorrow’s masterpiece, the latest of these being the Wynn resort and casino. Having opened earlier this year it is the latest project from entrepreneur Steve Wynn, the man behind the Mirage and Bellagio. It dominates the north part of the strip standing opposite the Fashion Show Mall and satisfies the exclusivity and opulence desired by the higher end of the market offering top restaurants, an 18 hole golf course, designer shops and even a car dealership selling Ferrari and Maseratis. It is just a few months old and yet it is hard to believe that the city itself was not around at the start of the 20th Century. In fact this year has marked the centennial of Las Vegas, on May 15th the town held a huge party to celebrate one hundred of years of when the town was formed.
Its origins however go back to the 19th century when Native Americans arrived hundreds of years before Westerners. Reports believe the new arrivals were probably a trading party led by Antonio Armijo, in around 1829. Other explorers followed, and by the 1830s, the Old Spanish Trail led through the area known as Las Vegas, or ‘the meadows’ a name derived from the abundant water that was found in the valley.
But it was in 1905 when the big land auction took place that really marked the start of Las Vegas. In just two days 110 acres bounded by Stewart Avenue and Garces Avenue and Main Street and 5th Street (now Las Vegas Boulevard) were sold, founding the modern Las Vegas Valley.
Now it is the entertainment capital of the world where land is just as readily sold and developed. Whether it is to have a base to enjoy the spectacular surroundings and attractions of the Hoover Dam or Lake Mead, a relaxing and luxurious spa break or for the pleasure seekers wanting top food and nightlife all in one small area, Las Vegas is the perfect location to please everyone and it is no wonder that it attracts as many families, honeymooners and groups of friends as well as gamblers.
Hotels and Casinos
Day merges into night as there really is little reason to ever leave your hotel. At the south end of the strip monorails and walkways link the resorts from the Mandalay Bay up to Treasure Island. Complete with shopping malls, theatres, spas, theme parks and every possible type of fast food outlet and fancy restaurants it is easy to see why they are called ‘mega resorts.’
Families will love Circus Circus. With a fully fledged theme park and circus acts performing in the central area surrounded by old fashioned carnival sideshows, there is something for the young and the young at heart in the child friendly hotel.
If you are looking to live it up in style look no further than the Bellagio, Ceasar’s Palace, Mandalay Bay or Wynn, whilst the style may not be to everyone’s liking it screams opulence and grandeur and has the facilities and services to match.
Shopping
A girl always has to check out the shopping potential of a place before a visit is made and Las Vegas will not disappoint, but get the credit cards at hand. Before the Forum at Caesars Palace was unveiled in 1992 none of the casinos had their own shopping mall with the city’s stores catering almost exclusively to locals. Since then malls and arcades have popped up everywhere. The largest being the Fashion Show Mall. Not linked to a casino it is head to toe with designer boutiques and large department stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales.
The Forum is classed as being the most successful shopping mall in the United States, generating seven times as much income per square metre as any other mall and when you see the price tags it is easy to see why, but if the credit cards are maxed out visit the delightful FAO Schwartz toy shop and the dangerously delicious Cheesecake Factory, at over 1,000 calories per slice it is a wicked but well deserved treat!
Shows
Sitting in the large airy theatre in the Mandalay Bay watching Mamma Mia it is easy to imagine being in London’s West End, watching the top class performances to a full capacity crowd rather that in a hotel casino. It shows that Las Vegas is still first choice for entertainment although it has changed from the days of the Rat Pack. With the exceptions of Celine Dion and Elton John who alternate at Caesars Palace, there are more comedy shows and musicals and is dominated by the magical, and somewhat a little bizarre, post modern circus/dance troupe Cirque du Soleil who offer a number of shows from ‘Mystère,’ the original show, to ‘O’ an amazing production held in Bellagio’s theatre where the stage repeatedly disappears under water.
Free Las Vegas
Whilst the cost of going to see the shows can range from 40$ to well over 200$ some of the best shows and experiences can be viewed for free.
Just a short bus ride past the dizzying heights of the Stratosphere Tower is Downtown Las Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience. By day this metal mesh shades the street for some four blocks but at night comes in to its own when every hour 12 million LED modules transform into a mass of colour and sound creating an eye catching visual effect that stops people in their tracks as they stand and stare at the ceiling.
The fountains at the iconic Bellagio became synonymous with 2001 film ‘Ocean’s 11’ and whilst I can’t guarantee you’ll have the pleasure of standing next to Brad Pitt and co. it is a few short minutes of pure and simple elegance as the fountains ‘dance’ to classical favourites every fifteen minutes.
The ‘Sirens of T.I’. at Treasure Island pull in the crowds every night for their four shows where the sexed up sirens capture the pirates ship and sing and writhe around their boat as the battle ensues.
Article provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper
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