Las Vegas - A City Guide

IntroductionAmong the many images that come to mind
Las Vegas is the most populated city in Nevada,when people think of Las Vegas are cheap food
United States. The city was founded in the firstdeals, bargains so good the food is practically free.
decade of the 20th century, and is a majorSome of the big names are Pinot, Le Cirque,
vacation, shopping, and gambling destination. TheAlizé, Aqua, Aureole, Olives, Lutèce,
center of gambling in the US, Las Vegas isBorder Grill, Nobu and Rosemary's Restaurant. Las
sometimes called Sin City due to the popularity ofVegas has some theme restaurants like The
legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beveragesHouse of Blues, Harley Davidson Café, The
any time (like all of Nevada), various forms andHard Rock Café, the Rainforest Café
degrees of adult entertainment. The nicknameand Margaritaville.
favored by local government and promoters ofUniversities
tourism is The Entertainment Capital of the World.University Of Nevada-Las Vegas is the main
The city's glamorous image has made it a popularuniversity located in Las Vegas. Among other
setting for films and television programs.universities and community colleges University Of
HistoryPhoenix-Nevada, Community College Of Southern
Major events in Las Vegas' history include:Nevada, Community College Of Southern Nevada,
¢ Establishment of Las Vegas as a railroadSouthern Nevada University Of Cosmetology are
town (May 15, 1905).some notable entities.
¢ Legalization of gambling (March 19, 1931).Sports
¢ Completion of Hoover Dam (October 9,Las Vegas isn't known for its sports teams.
1936).Except for minor-league baseball and hockey, the
¢ Opening of Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotelonly consistent spectator sports are those at
on what would become the Las Vegas StripUNLV. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a main
(December 26, 1946).venue for car racing and should draw major
¢ Above-ground testing of nuclear bombsevents to Las Vegas.
(1951 to 1963).But since the city has several top-notch sporting
¢ The floods of 1955, 1984, 1999, and 2003.arenas, there are important annual events that
¢ MGM Grand Hotel fire (November 21,take place in Las Vegas. The PGA Tour's Las
1980), the worst disaster in Nevada history.Vegas Senior Classic is held each April in nearby
¢ Opening of the Mirage (November 22,Summerlin, and the Las Vegas Invitational takes
1989), this began the era of mega resort casinos.place in Las Vegas each October. The National
Place of interestFinals Rodeo is held in UNLV's Thomas and Mack
The city and surrounding areas offer manyCenter each December.
attractions for both visitors and locals to enjoy.Hotels & Accommodation
Just walking on the Strip and gazing at the gaudy,If there's one thing Vegas has, its hotels, big
garish, absurd wonder of it all can occupy quite ahotels and lots of them. The 10 largest hotels in
lot of time. This is the number-one activity inthe United States - 9 of the top 10 in the world -
Vegas; at night and there are shows and plentylocated in Vegas. There are lots to choose from
of other nighttime entertainment.according ones need and choice.
There are also plenty of out-of-town sightseeingLuxury Hotels
options, like Hoover Dam (a major touristVegas have elegant and grand hotels in its
destination), Red Rock Canyon, andpossession. The MGM Grand, the Las Vegas Hilton,
nexus-of-all-conspiracy-theories Area 51, alongthe Ritz-Carlton, the Hotel, the Mirage,
with excursions to the Grand Canyon.Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower - are some
The main attractions for the tourists are theof these big names.
casinos and their free shows. Free hotelBudget Hotels
attractions, such as Bellagio's water-fountain ballet,If the visit to Vegas is in a particularly busy
The Mirage's volcano and white-tiger exhibit, andseason and booking in prominent hotels are over,
the masquerade show at the Rio and the utterhere's a list of moderate to very inexpensive
piece of hooey that replaced the pirate show atalternatives - Budget Suites of America,
TI at the Mirage.Travelodge, Budget Inn, Motel 6 Boulder Highway
Museums & Art Galleriesetc.
Besides the casinos another attraction in LasTours and Sightseeing
Vegas is its museums. These museums are veryJust about every hotel in town has a sightseeing
much attached with the history of Las Vegas,desk offering a seemingly infinite number of tours
better to say, with the history of America.in and around Las Vegas. You're sure to find The
¢ Boulder City / Hoover Dam Museum,Reservation Center, a tour company of
¢ Bruno's Indian Museum,international repute that will take you where you
¢ Central Nevada Museum,want to go a good choice for your sightseeing
¢ Clark County Heritage Museum,tours. The tours include Air Tours including
¢ Guinness World of Records Museum andAirplane, Helicopter Tours; Land tours including
Gift Shopare some of those museums. OtherATV Tours, Bicycle Tours, Bus Tours, Walking /
than these some art museums and autoHiking and Horseback Riding; Water tours including
museums are there in Las Vegas. Las Vegas ArtJet Ski Tours, Lake Cruises, River Rafting,
Museum, George L. Sturman Museum of Fine Art,Wakeboarding, etc. These tours contain
Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Arts are somedestinations like Hoover Dam, Mount Charleston,
of arts museums.and Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Lake
ShoppingMead. The Reservation Center is one of the most
Shopping in Vegas is endless and it's acomprehensive tour agencies and offers a wide
shop-till-you-drop kind of city. Some extensivevariety of tours.
malls and many hotels have comprehensive, andTransport
sometimes highly themed, shopping arcades. TheThe CAT Bus is the popular means of public
most notable of the arcades are in Caesarstransportation among locals and tourists with 52
Palace, Aladdin, and The Venetian. In addition tobus routes operating covering a large portion of
the malls, outlets, and shops, it's a good idea tothe valley. The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the
drive to Maryland Parkway, which runs parallel toMGM Grand Hotel at the south end of the Strip to
the Strip on the east and has just about one ofthe Sahara Hotel at the north end of the Strip.
everything: Target, Toys "R" Us, several majorMcCarran International Airport provides
department stores, Tower Records, majorcommercial flights into the Las Vegas valley. The
drugstores, some alternative-culture storesairport also serves private aircraft, domestic and
(tattoo parlors and hip clothing stores), and sointernational passenger flights, and freight/cargo
forth. Las Vegas has a big factory-outlet centerflights.
just a few miles past the southern end of theIntercity bus service to Las Vegas is provided by
Strip. Vegas has quite a few antiques stores,traditional intercity bus carriers, including
nearly two dozen, of consistent quality and price,Greyhound; many charter services, including
nearly all located within a few blocks of eachGreen Tortoise; and several Chinatown bus lines.
other.Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is the only class one
Food & Drinkrailroad to provide rail freight service to the city.