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The Lights of Downtown Las Vegas

Since the end of World War II, Las Vegas has been one of the major visitor destinations in the U.S.A. Over the years the popularity of Las Vegas has increased dramatically, and the city is constantly changing to accommodate and attract the huge number of visitors - over 30 million per year according to some statistics. Las Vegas has over 120,000 hotel rooms that are ever increasing in number to accommodate this expanding influx of visitors.

The secret of the attraction of Las Vegas is somewhat of an enigma. Perhaps the key to the city's unparalleled success is the fact that Las Vegas is always devising new concepts to attract return visitors from year to year. Las Vegas is never the same, there is always a long list of new things for visitors to see.

Though often sordid and over the top, Vegas never fails to fascinate, and even for an observer who may be repelled by the abundance of glitter, is a travel destination that should be experienced.

HISTORY

For thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, Paiute Indians gathered at a small spring located just north of what is now downtown Las Vegas. The first non-indigenous settlers were members of the Mormon sect who founded a mission in the area. In 1902, a railroad company purchased most of the land, and the town that built up around the track (before then the population was around 30 people) rapidly gained a reputation for a 'Wild West' lifestyle that included saloons and brothels. Despite this, the notion of legalized gambling saloons did not meet the approval of the Mormons who still had a big influence on the town. In actual fact, Nevada was the first state to outlaw gambling in 1909. However the lucrative gains from gambling proved too much to resist and in 1931 the practice was permanently legalized. Contrary to popular myth, prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas though it is in certain counties of Nevada albeit many miles from the gambling Mecca. The construction of the nearby Hoover Dam brought many workers to Las Vegas to spend their hard-earned wages on gambling. This depression era project provided jobs for thousands and was a tremendous boost to the infrastructure and economic growth of Las Vegas particularly in terms of an abundant supply of power and water - previously rare commodities.

By the start of World War II, hotel-casinos began to appear. The first significant one of these was the El Rancho Vegas. The war brought the increased presence of military personnel, and since this time the military has also contributed a great deal to the Las Vegas economy. However it was in 1946, when Bugsy Siegel built the huge and flashy Flamingo Hotel and Casino for $7 million, that Las Vegas really hit the world stage. Although organized crime had been involved in financing hotels and casinos for a number of years, it was Siegel who brought notoriety and the resultant hoards of tourists to the town. During the 50s Liberace, and Frank Sinatra and his 'rat pack' (including Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jr.) brought even more glamour and glitter. The advent of the cold war increased nuclear weapons experiments in the nearby desert and brought in even more military personnel. Looking for a break from the casinos, tourists would take picnics out to the desert and view the atomic mushroom clouds from the frequent testing. During the same decade a young singer named Elvis Presley bombed less literally at the New Frontier Casino.

In the early 60s, Robert F. Kennedy, whose family had been regulars at the mob run casinos in the late 50s and early 60s, started a campaign against organized crime; the mobs influence on the city began to wane. In 1966 the eccentric multi-millionaire Howard Hughes came to stay at the Desert Inn. Hughes liked it so much he purchased it and made it his home. The mob began to withdraw its financial backing of hotels and casinos. From then on large corporations began to invest in Vegas for the first time the logo lights of big name hotel companies such as Hilton and Holiday Inn could be seen. However it wasn't until the 1980s that the last vestiges of the mob left. The building of the legendary Caesar's Palace in 1968 was also very significant. This was the first of the destination resorts, a place that offered its guests so much that they need never leave the property. The late 60s also brought the return of Elvis, this time to sell-out audiences; he married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin in 1967. From then on until the mid 70s, Elvis was almost a permanent fixture at Vegas.

	The Las Vegas Strip in the 1980s

During the 70s and 80s Las Vegas enhanced its position as the premier leisure destination in the U.S.A. Hotels expanded on a continual basis, old building were discarded and the skyline was constantly evolving. In 1989 the opening of the Mirage began a new era in the evolution of the resort city. This ultra-luxury complex was the last word in practically everything and was designed to attract a new type of clientele. From then on a large number of themed resorts were created, each one being more elaborate than the last. New resorts were built with a focus on appealing to everybody and not just gamblers. Hotels such as the Excalibur and the Luxor were created and were incredibly popular.

Though the resorts now had a huge selection of rides and other activities to appeal to children, there was no way that Vegas could compete with Anaheim or Orlando as a family destination, especially with the high profile of gambling and other adult vices. So while the effort to make Las Vegas appealing to those who do not necessarily gamble continues, it is still very much an adult destination though a family would find plenty to occupy themselves and children are well catered for. In the mid 90s came resorts that successfully recreated the essence of whole cities, these include New York, New York, Paris and the Venetia - perhaps the ultimate creation is the Bellagio a sumptuous recreation of a town on Lake Garda, Italy.

Many of the old established hotel casinos exist no more, but bigger and better ones have come up in their place. For example the original Aladdin was demolished and a magnificent new resort with the same name was rapidly constructed in its place. There seems no end to the projected developments along the strip. Each property constantly redevelops and reinvents or reemphasizes a concept. Once it is past this, it is usually torn down and a new mega resort built in its place. A certainty is that Las Vegas will continue to be a premier and a very unique destination long into the future.

ORIENTATION

Las Vegas at Dusk

Las Vegas is now a large metropolis with over one million people residing there. The high profile casinos and resorts are all located on or near the world famous Las Vegas Strip a.k.a. Las Vegas Boulevard South. There are also a number of premier resorts and hotels in downtown Las Vegas. This area now has attractions of its own to draw people away from the strip. However many lower priced casinos, hotels and motels are located throughout the city. Often these offer excellent facilities and tend to house the casinos that local people use. Some believe that the odds are better at these establishments. For a complete list and description of nearly all the accommodations available in Las Vegas, from the Bellagio to the Motel 6 (the world's largerst), visit our WorldWeb Travel Guide ™ Online Accommodation guide and our Online hotel Reservations system for Las Vegas.

TRANSPORTATION

McCarran International Airport has direct scheduled service from all over North America. In addition numerous charter flights also serve the airport, some of these come from overseas destinations. Vegas is no longer a playground exclusively for North Americans.

Access by road is also simple. Las Vegas is located on Interstate 15 and therefore on the main route from Southern California to the Eastern U.S.A. Within Las Vegas a car is essential for getting around if a traveler intends to leave the strip. On the strip itself traffic congestion is a nightmare. The volume of visitors and hotel rooms has created 24-hour bumper to bumper traffic. It is best to use side routes to get between the major casinos. A healthy choice is to walk or use the limited streetcar and monorail services.

Amtrak does not serve Las Vegas directly; they do have train service to Needles, CA. with connecting bus links to Las Vegas.

Greyhound serves Las Vegas with its long-distance buses on a frequent basis.

CLIMATE

Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert and gets extremely hot for a large part of the year. Temperatures in the summer months often exceed 100 degrees F (40 Celsius). Of course, all the major Vegas facilities are very adequately air conditioned, and it is easy to forget that one is in the desert during a normal Vegas day of casinos, shows and buffets - all indoors. Many accommodations have very attractive outdoor pool complexes that can be used for eight or nine months of the year from March through to mid-November (people from northern climes often can't understand why the pools are not open all year because to them what locals think as being cold, is positively balmy!) This makes a pleasant outdoor break with instant relief from the desert heat. Even in the winter, temperatures are usually in the 60 to 70 Fahrenheit range (15-20 Celsius), though it is often very cool at night.

SHOPPING

In Las Vegas shopping has become almost as popular as gambling - and with good reason. Las Vegas has an excellent selection of high-end boutiques, designer-brand stores, outlet and fashion malls. One need go no further than the Strip for a great choice. Some of the shopping areas are located in the resorts and their design and themes are as elaborate and in keeping with their surroundings. Examples of these include The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which is an amazing simulation of an ancient Roman Street, and The Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetia that very accurately replicates a canal and surrounding streets of modern-day Venice minus of course the often pervasive odor of the real thing! Both these high-end shopping centers are attractions in their own right a visitor doesnt have to spend a cent to make a visit here worthwhile. On the other hand, the Fashion Show Mall - also on the Strip - consists of mostly big name department stores all under one roof. All of Americas most popular stores are here and some incredible bargains are available. Other very good shopping centers are spread throughout the whole city.

SHOWS

	Sign from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

For many years Las Vegas has also been well known as a Mecca for big-name show business acts. It calls itself "the entertainment capital of the world." At one time high profile acts such as Frank Sinatra and Liberace - were brought in to attract high rollers, and the casinos subsidized the cost from the ample gambling coffers. As the shows became more and more of an attraction and an increasing number of non-gambling visitors came, the prices of the shows increased. Nevertheless a chance to witness a Vegas-style revue, or a big name stars Vegas performance is an opportunity that should not be missed. The standard is usually incredibly high. Whatever your wish - from live lounge-lizard act to stand up comedy, from Broadway-style shows and revues to mega-stars it can all be found here. The new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has a performance center called The Joint - this has rapicly become a new focal point in the rock world. Some of the shows away from the big showrooms of the Strip are in fact often of a higher quality and are available at a considerably lower price.

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS

The Strip

The Evolving Face of the Strip - 1989

Obviously the number one attraction in Las Vegas is the Strip. The Strip has undergone an almost constant metamorphosis since its beginnings, always getting larger, more spectacular and out of this world. Today in itself it is one of the greatest visitor attractions anywhere on the planet. Many of the great mega hotel casinos have been mentioned, but there are many more - each one with a unique theme and style and yet unmistakably Vegas in concept. As well as garish casinos, show rooms, lavish restaurants, and expansive pool complexes, many resorts now have theme-park like attractions including roller coasters, pirate ships and simulated volcanoes to name but a few.

The Strip is probably best known for its lights that flood the sky with a glow that can be seen many miles outside the city in the clear desert air. The drive along the strip is unlike anything else on earth, with each collection of neon lights seemingly more impressive and colorful than the previous one. With the traffic flow on the Strip being what it is, any visitor in a vehicle will have plenty of time to witness the lights in their true splendor.

However to many the best activity on the Strip is simply people watching. To wander the casinos and observe people at play is phenomenally entertaining. Here almost the whole gamut of American society can be seen trying their luck. From polyester-clad working people who have saved hard for their annual Vegas pilgrimage, to Gucci and Versace adorned folks simply passing their time and their wealth on the tables. It is fascinating to watch the former - in ecstasy during a lucky streak or bitterly disappointed (or worse) when they lose. The latter often just seem rather bored by the whole process no matter how they fare at their chosen game of chance.

Downtown

	Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas

Since the advent of the Strip in the days of Bugsy Siegel the Downtown area of Las Vegas has always seemed almost like a poor relative in comparison. The two areas have always competed for visitor dollars and Downtown has several premier properties such as the ever-popular Golden Nugget thought by many to be the only Vegas establishment with real class. Downtown also has a good selection of lower key casinos, showrooms and theatres that are often cheaper than their flashier rivals on the Strip. For food, this part of Vegas has some very good deals much like the Strip used to have in the days when casino restaurants subsidized food costs. For example the San Francisco Deli in the Golden Gate Hotel (the first modern hotel in Las Vegas) serves a mammoth-sized shrimp cocktail for a very low price.

Much of Downtown has been turned into a pedestrian mall affectionately known as Glitter Gulch. The latest and most impressive attraction Downtown is the new Fremont Street Experience. The best way to describe this is as a 90-foot steel-mesh canopy that covers the street for four blocks. Embedded in the canopy are 2.1 million lights, and various video and laser features including moving pictures in neon. This has had the effect of making everything in the street appear as if it is under one immense and very colorful roof. Thirty-five different computers and very advanced fibre optic technology control the system.

Vegas Outrageous

No trip to Vegas would be complete without paying tribute to some of the more flamboyant and somewhat controversial individuals and traditions that are synonymous with this resort. The two celebrities that instantly spring to mind in this context are Elvis and Liberace. Elviss ties to Las Vegas have even been the theme of several movies. Elvis lives on with countless live impersonators and references to him throughout the city. For every Elvis fan, wannabe or those merely bemused by the whole Elvis culture, the Elvis-a-Rama Museum is a must see while in Las Vegas. The five million-dollar museum has what is billed as the best collection of Elvis memorabilia west of Memphis.

It includes costumes from various movies, an army uniform, cars, stage outfits, photos, and various letters and documents. The museum documents Elviss almost surreal transformation from simple and humble southern rock and roll singer to the gargantuan media icon that became larger than life. A live show performed by one of the ubiquitous Elvis impersonators is also included with admission.

In a similar theme, but even more outrageous was Liberace. There is no doubt that beneath the glitz and glitter was a brilliant musician, and the Liberace Museum does pay some tribute to the technical musical genius of this legend. However most of the museum is dedicated to the show business side of Mr Showmanship and his talent in this regard must also be acknowledged as brilliant no matter what ones own tastes are. Liberace epitomized Las Vegas; he never ran out of ideas to make each show more outrageous than the last, and to shock and surprise his millions of very loyal fans. The museum showcases this, and has examples of the various costumes from feathers to fur and from seashells to diamonds, - its all here. The incredible collection of jewelry, pianos, antiques and other collectibles is mind-boggling.

Above all the automobiles on display are remarkable everything from a VW turned into a mini Rolls Royce, to several of the real thing, and a 1934 vintage Mercedes covered in rhinestones. An added benefit of the Liberace Museum is that it is non-profit. All proceeds go to Liberaces Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts which benefits arts students with various scholarships and grants.

Other classic examples of Las Vegas schlock are the various wedding chapels located throughout the city. In Vegas no blood test or waiting period is necessary just a license is needed. On the plus side, getting hitched in a quickie Vegas ceremony is certainly a lot less stressful something the over 120,000 couples that marry here annually can attest to. However the Elvis or Captain Kirk lookalike conducting the ceremony may cause enough stress in their own way! It is intriguing to go to some of these nuptial venues to observe the proceedings.

There are numerous chapels many of them have been patronized by the rich and famous of Hollywood. At one Little Church of the West Mickey Rooney tied the knot with each of his eight (at last count) brides. Others include Candlelight Wedding Chapel popular because of its central location on the Strip near to Circus Circus, the Graceland Chapel one of the better-known Elvis-themed chapels and A Little White Wedding Chapel with drive through service. Star Trek The Experience will even beam couples up to the bridge of the Enterprise to have the ceremony officiated by their Star Trek character of choice, and the happy pair can wear full Klingon makeup and costume if they so desire.

Outside the City

As the city of Las Vegas is not well known for its natural splendor a trip to one of the many attractions and sights in the surrounding desert will be most welcome for many visitors. The Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s and represented one of the worlds most significant hydroelectric projects in its time. Though still man-made, its setting amidst dramatic desert canyons is stunning. The dam is as tall as a 70-story building, and the base is as thick as two football fields. There are frequent guided tours of the dam complex.

Aerial View of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, Nevada

Near to The Hoover Dam is another natural looking man-made attraction. Lake Mead is the reservoir created from the back up of the Colorado River when the dam was constructed. It is the largest reservoir in the USA and provides great recreational opportunities under the hot Nevada sun. A whole range of water sports is available here, and the lake is well stocked with various breeds of fish. Many types of vessels are available for rental, from houseboats to speedboats. Lake cruises on larger vessels are also available, including dinner cruises.

To see some outstanding desert scenery, the approximately one hour drive north east of Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire State Park is well worth the drive, and will certainly help to air casino cobwebs out of ones mind. This is renowned for the various colors of the rocks from lavender to deep flame red that resemble fire, bizarrely shaped rock formations, fossils and for the petroglyphs dating back to the Anasazi and Basketmaker people from between 300 BC and 1150 AD. Unlike at many locations where vandalism has spoiled them and they are now closed to the public, the petroglyphs at the Valley of Fire can be seen the best are located up a 100-step staircase close to the Visitors Center. Close to the park is the Lost City Museum in the town of Overton. This houses one of the finest collections of Anasazi artifacts in the Southwest and includes a restored Basketmakers pit house.

The city of Laughlin offers visitors and gamblers a lot of what Las Vegas does but in a much more relaxed and low-key way. The casinos here all look out of large windows on the Colorado River that flows through the town very different from the dark and windowless casinos in Las Vegas. The prices of food and accommodations here are less, as are the minimums at the gambling tables. Laughlin now hosts over five million visitors annually and is Nevadas third largest resort. Of course it lacks the all out pizzazz of its big brother resort 90 miles north, but for those who want a break from the pace of Las Vegas, but still want to gamble, it is the perfect destination.