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- - Las Vegas - - - |
| The ads claim that
Las Vegas never sleep. The lure of easy money, clattering slot machines
and flashing neon may slow in the hours just before dawn, but Vegas
has barely paused for breath since Nevada legalised gambling in
the early 1930s. |
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- - Getting there and getting around - - - |
McCarran International
Airport is 5 miles from the city centre. A taxi to the strip averages
$10; bus fares are slightly less return journey.
Amtrak buses from LA arrive downtown at the Greyhound bus station.
I-15 and 1-40 are the main access routes from southern California.
From the Grand Canyon follow Hwys 89/9 to I-15 via Zion National
Park or Hwys 89/38939 to I-15 between mid-afternoon and late evening,
but as a compensation, parking is plentiful, convenient and cheap.
Local CAT (702) 228-7433 buses operate 24 hrs a day, and trolleys
(702) 382-1404 run up and down the Strip until 0200. |
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- - Information - - - |
Las Vegas Convention
and Visitors Authority, 3150 Paradise Road, Tel : (702) 386-0770
or (800) 332-5333, is open 08:00 - 17:00 daily.
Safety : Casino are extremely security-conscious, and the
Strip and 'Glitter Gulch', the casino strip on Fremont St, are safe
day or night. However, avoid car parks at night (use the free valet
parking every hotel offers) and don't take late night strolls away
from the casino areas. Also beware the hustlers (of either sex)
who work the casino. Don't invite strangers, however alluring, to
your room-too many visitors are drugged and robbed by newfound 'friends'.
Money : Foreign Money Exchange, 3025 Las Vegas Blvd S. 224;
Tel : (702) 791-3301. |
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- - Accommodation and Food - - - |
Vegas is the hotel
capital of the USA, mostly concentrated along the Strip and downtown
(Fremont St and nearby). New Strip hotels are most luxurious; downtown
hotels less expensive. Visit midweek for the best value.
Dining has recently become a priority in Las Vegas, with increasing
choice and variety, Casino buffets are still good value - the Fiesta,
Rio and Station (Boulder, Palace Sunset and Texas) score well for
food as well as prices. |
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- - Highlights - - - |
The Razzmatazz
: For most visitors the Strip - Las Vegas Blvd S. - is Las Vegas,
From the Stratosphere to the Mandalay Bay, its 3 miles are lined
with more than 40 hotel-casino and acres of neon. Mobster bugsy
Siegel's Flamingo opened here on New Year's Eve 1946 and every year
seems to see a bigger, more flamboyant and restaurnts - and 'living
stautes', The Luxor's exact replica of king Tutankhamun's tomb amy
prepare you for Noew York, New Youk's Statue of Liberty, but what
about an erupting volcano, a rain forest id white tigers at the
Mirage? The Imperial Palace's Antique and Classic Auto Collection
atures a 1928 Delage limousine owned by the late King of Siam and
Eisenhower's parade limo.
Spectacular shows for all tastes are a major attraction. At the
Mirage Siegfried and Roy's tigers and explosive lighting effects
transform a magic show, while Cirque de Soleil at Treasure Island
exercise prodigious feats of balance and skill. Downtown, 2.1 million
lights nightly create the Fremont Street Experience. For family-oriented
entertainment, MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park $$ has adventure
rides, Merlin fights a dragon at the Excalibur, and there's a free
pirate battle at the Treasure Island (arrive early).
Tipping : Everything in Las Vegas works better with 'green
grease', or tips. Employees may be on the minimum wage or close
to it, so they depend on tips, but service is generally good because
of it.
Gambling : The lure of gaming -as it's euphemistically referred
to in the industry-starts with slot machines at the airport. If
you're an innocent abroad, take a free lesson in the basics or browse
in the Gambler's Bookstore (630 S. 11th St). Slot machines may seem
easy to play, but they account for over half the casinos' profits.
Bigger casinos generally give slightly better odds than smaller
ones, and the payoff is slightly better with dollar than quarter
machines.
Away from The Tables : The Las Vegas Natural History Museum
is a good introduction to Nevada's indigenous plants and animals.
$ 900 Las Vegas Blvd N.; open 09:00-16:00. Be dazzled in close-up
by the Liberace Museum: $ 1775 E. Tropicana Ave; open 10:00-17:00
Mon-Sat, 13:00-15:00 Sun.
Out in the desert, Red Rock Canyon (20 miles west, off Charleston
Blvd) features some of e most spectacular desert scenery within
easy reach of Las Vegas (visitor centre open 08:30-16:30). About
50 miles north-east of Las Vegas (off I-15 near Overton), the eroded
red sandstone formations of rugged Valley of Fire seem to catch
light in the sunshine; some rocks are covered with prehistoric petroglyphs.
Open dawn-dusk. Man-made but hugely Ipressive, the mighty Hoover
Dam, 30 miles east, on Hwy 93, is open daily 08:30-17:30 ($). |
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