Let go to Las Vegas |
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Risque nightlife and glamarous casino resorts draw crowds from around the world
but not just to gamble and gawp. In modern Las Vegas, top chefs dish up global
flavours, while boutique hotels, fashion-forward shops, art galleries and chic
clubs attract even gambling neophytes who can't tell a full house from a flush.
Where casinos have no clocks, nightlife has no limits, and Sin City stays wide-awake until dawn. Saunter past velvet ropes at an ultra lounge, sip cocktails under the stars at a rooftop bar, or take in a mega-star's stage show. Roll out of bed just in time for a champagne brunch buffet, then sun yourself at a hot pool club. Las Vegas is made for sybaritic escapes from the humdrum . |
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From its roots as a Western cowboy town, Las Vegas (Spanish for "the
meadows") transformed into a mid-20th-century mobster hideaway, where
Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis, and bigwigs
like JFK cavorted together with showgirls. Every building boom was bigger and
better than the last. Even during the recent US economic recession, the action
at casino tables along the Strip hardly missed a beat. When to go? Las Vegas is an anytime destination. Casino doors never shut, not even for Christmas. Spring and autumn are the most temperate times to visit. |
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| In late summer, the heat and humidity can be oppressive, although July and
August are when Vegas' sexy pool season peaks. Winter weather is cold and
rainy, but snow is rare except in the mountains outside the city. New Year's
Eve is by far the biggest annual event, when room rates skyrocket and every
hotel for miles around is booked out. Getting There Flights:McCarran International is the main airport with flights from most areas of the USA. Airport transfers: Taxi fares to the Strip average $15-20, to downtown $20-25. Request that the driver take surface streets to avoid being scammed by the longer I-15 connector tunnel to the Strip. Airport shuttle buses are slower but cheaper: one-way fares cost from $6.50 per person. Getting Around On foot: It's a four-mile walk along the entire Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard), but the main attractions are on a two-mile-long pedestrian-friendly stretch centred on Flamingo Avenue. |
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| Taxis: It's illegal to hail cabs in the street. Find taxi stands
outside casinos, hotels and shopping malls. Rates start at $3.30, plus $2.40
per mile (airport surcharge $1.80). A trip from one end of the Strip to the
other, or between the Strip and downtown, should cost under $20 (including
tip), depending on waiting time in traffic. Buses: Double-decker Deuce and Ace express buses connect the Strip and downtown 24 hours a day,but service can be slow. Two-hour pass costs $5 all day $7, three days $20; 702 228-7433, 800 228-3911. www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit Monorail: A private monorail runs along the Strip's east side, as well as to the city's convention centre, but it's expensive (single-ride ticket $5, one-day pass $12) and stations are a 10-minute walk off Las Vegas Boulevard. Operates daily 7am-2am (3am Friday-Sunday; 702 699-8200, www.lvmonorail.com Trams: Free trams connect these Strip casinos: Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur; the Monte Carlo and Bellagio; and the Mirage and TI (Treasure Island). There's no reason to hire a car if you'll be staying on the Strip or downtown. A car may come in handy for day-trip excursions, though. Major international car-hire agencies have rental desks near McCarran Airport and at major casino hotels. Local laws & etiquette The legal age for drinking alcohol and gambling is 21. Carry photo ID with you as proof of age when patronizing bars, nightclubs, liquor stores, etc. Anyone under 21 is not allowed inside casinos, although you won't likely be stopped just walking through. You must be at least 18 years old to smoke or purchase tobacco. Smoking is prohibited at cinemas, shopping malls and some indoor restaurants and bars. Look for an ashtray before lighting up, or ask first if smoking is allowed. Prostitution is illegal in Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas. Nevada's legal brothels are located in rural areas far outside the city. Ten top sites Bellagio Nothing says classic Las Vegas more than the Bellagio's (1) lakefront dancing fountains with a soundtrack of Rat Pack crooner Frank Sinatra in the background. Inside the elegant casino, gawk at over-the-top seasonal floral displays at the conservatory. Address: 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South Contact: 702 693 7111; www.bellagio.com Price: Free Opening times: Fountain show daily, every 15 minutes 8pm-12am, every 30 minutes 3pm-8pm Monday-Friday, 12pm-8pm Saturday & Sunday. Conservatory open 24 hours |
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| Eiffel
Tower Experience Much of the Strip's eye-candy architecture mimics world icons like Egypt's pyramids or the canals of Venice. At Paris Las Vegas casino (2), crowds zip up this half-size replica of Gustave Eiffel's French creation just for the views. Go during the daytime, when it's cheaper and lines shorter. Address: 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South Contact: 702 946 7000; www.parislasvegas.com Price: Adult $10.50 (child $7.50), after 7:30pm adult $15.50 (child $10.50; express pass $22) Opening times: Daily, 9:30am-12:30am (weather permitting) Sirens of TI & Mirage Volcano Las Vegas casino shows don't get any cheesier than the barely-clad pirates' battle of the sexes happening in the artificial bay outside TI (Treasure Island) casino (3) nightly, complete with booty-shaking dancing and fiery pyrotechnics. At the neighbouring Mirage casino, a faux-Polynesian volcano erupts spectacularly after dark, stopping passersby in their tracks. Address: 3300-3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South Contact: 702 894 7111, 702 791-7111; www.treasureisland.com, www.mirage.com Price: Free Opening times: Volcano nightly, 6pm-11pm, every hour on the hour. Sirens of TI nightly, weather permitting) at 5:30pm (winter only), 7pm, 8:30pm, 10pm 11:30pm (summer only) Stratosphere Tower Get a thrill over 100 stories above the Strip atop this tripod-legged skyscraper's observation deck (4), reached by the USA's fastest elevators. Mechanical rides will put your heart in your stomach, while real daredevils can freefall 800 feet into thin air on the SkyJump. Address: 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South Contact: 702 380 7777; www.stratospherehotel.com Price: Elevator ride $16 (child $10), with unlimited thrill rides $34, SkyJump from $99 Opening times: Sunday-Thursday, 10am-1am (2am Friday & Saturday), weather permitting Circus Circus Kitschy 1960s Vegas stays alive at this clownish hotel (5), where trapeze artists, contortionists, jugglers and more dangle above the casino floor. If it's raining outside, let your kids loose inside the Adventuredome indoor theme park, where carnival rides await and clowns perform throughout the day. Address: 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South Contact: 702 734 0410; www.circuscircus.com Price: Casino shows free. Adventuredome rides $5-8, all-day pass $17-27 Opening times: Casino open 24 hours. Adventuredome open daily, hours vary Fremont Street Experience Streaking down the middle of downtown's old-fashioned casino row, this 1500ft-long canopy (6) flashes with 12.5 million synchronized LED lights and booms with 555,000 watts of sound as zany six-minute-long animated movies play overhead. Address: Fremont Street, between Main Street and Las Vegas Boulevard Contact: 702 678 5777; www.vegasexperience.com Price: Free Opening times: Shows nightly, dusk-12am, every hour on the hour Springs Preserve Unearth the past at this multimillion-dollar natural history museum complex (7). Exhibits treat Native Americans and railroad pioneers to casino impresarios, mobsters and showgirls. The surrounding nature preserve has walking trails, an eco-living educational center and a green-themed gift shop and café by Los Angeles chef Wolfgang Puck. Address: 333 South Valley View Boulevard Contact: 702 822 7700; www.springspreserve.org Price: Adult $19, concession $17, child $11 (under 5 years old free) Opening times: Daily, 10am-6pm Atomic Testing Museum In the Fabulous Fifties, Las Vegas casino tourists watched as atomic bombs exploded on the desert horizon. Explore the city's Cold War days and the state of nuclear non-proliferation today at this Smithsonian museum affiliate (8). Address: 755 East Flamingo Road Contact: 702 794 5151; www.atomictestingmuseum.org Price: Adult $12, concession $9 (children under 7 years old free) Opening times: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm (12pm-5pm Sunday) Gun Store Everyone runs wild in Las Vegas. Now is your chance to try firing a real live Beretta or Glock just like a gangster, or trade up to a semi-automatic rifle in this off-Strip indoor firearms range (9). Tuesday is ladies' discount day. Address: 2900 East Tropicana Ave Contact: 702 454 1110; www.thegunstorelasvegas.com Price: Gun rentals from $25 Opening times: Daily, 9am-6:30pm Erotic Heritage Museum Only in Sin City would you find a warehouse-sized museum of human sexuality (10) in the shadow of a strip club. Peruse the collection of objets d'art from around the world, or sneak upstairs to see groovy 1970s "blue movies" playing on endless loops. Check the website calendar for kinkily themed events. Address: 3275 Industrial Road Contact: 702 369 6442; www.eroticheritagemuseumlasvegas.com Price: Adult $15, student $10. Opening times: Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday, 11am-4pm (12pm-10pm Friday & Saturday). Day trips Grand Canyon More than just a big hole in the ground, this ethereal wind- and water-sculpted landscape ranks among the USA's top natural attractions. Tip: Skip the gimmicky SkyWalk and visit the national park instead. From Las Vegas, several companies offer bus tours, or take a flight-seeing trip aboard a private helicopter or plane (from $369; www.maverickhelicopter.com). If you drive, it's about 4½ hours each way. Contact: 928 638-7888; www.nps.gov/grca Hoover Dam This art-deco desert masterpiece of engineering towers above the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, backing up onto artificial Lake Mead. Learn all about the history of the dam, built during the 1930s Great Depression, while taking an underground tour that visit the dam's massive hydroelectric generators, each of which could power a small city of 10,000 people. Bus tours from Las Vegas are inexpensive and can be booked after arrival. Contact: 702 494 2517; www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam |
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Rock Canyon A haven for hikers, cyclists, rock climbers or anyone eager to escape Las Vegas' neon jungle, this national conservation area protects iconic desert scenery: eroded red-rock cliffs, hidden springs and wide-open Western horizons. It's less than a 30-minute drive west of the Strip. Contact: 702 515 5350; www.redrockcanyonlv.org Mount Charleston Nestled in the Spring Mountains, outdoorsy locals come here to hike during summer and ski and snowboard during winter. The drive northwest of the city takes about an hour. Contact: 702 5939500, www.skilasvegas.com. Seasonal guide French-Canadian chanteuse Céline Dion has returned with a brand-new blockbuster show at the Colosseum concert hall inside Caesars Palace casino (3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.celineinvegas.com). Elton John (starting September 28) and Rod Stewart (starting August 24) will also be lighting up the Colosseum's stage (www.caesarspalace.com); tickets on sale now. Get your laughs at the Mirage casino hotel (3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.mirage.com) with stand-up comedians Ray Romano (August 26-27) and Jay Leno (various dates from June-November). Next door at TI (3300 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.treasureisland.com), funny woman Whoopi Goldberg performs on October 14 while Bill Cosby takes to the stage on July 22, September 3 and November 25. Jerry Seinfeld (August 19) will do his shtick at Caesars Palace (3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.caesarspalace.com). Look for rock-star concerts at the Cosmopolitan casino resort (3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com) with the Flaming Lips (June 17) and Ben Folds Five (July 15). Upcoming music and comedy shows at The Pearl concert theatre inside the Palms casino (4321 West Flamingo Road; www.palms.com) include Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae (June 16). Catch Tiesto (July 2 and September 3) at The Joint inside the Hard Rock casino (4455 Paradise Road; www.hardrockhotel.com). Featuring over 200 world-class DJs on six stages, the Electric Daisy Carnival (www.insomniac.com) outdoor music festival, takes over the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7000 Las Vegas Boulevard North; www.lvms.com) on June 24-26. The World Series of Poker (www.wsop.com) runs to July 7at the Rio casino (3700 W. Flamingo Rd; www.riolasvegas.com). On the Strip, the MGM Grand Garden Arena (3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South; www.mgmgrand.com) is the place to watch championship fights:. Sports fans can catch the Las Vegas 51s minor-league baseball downtown at Cashman Field (850 Las Vegas Boulevard North; www.lv51.com) through September 5. |
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