Las Vegas
La Vegas displays its neon lights during the day and at night, giving the city an odd luminosity at all times of day. The Las Vegas strip is known for its casinos which offer gambling, shopping, and every kind of entertainment you could imagine (maybe even some you couldn?t!). This city is also known as the "entertainment capital of the world" or "sin city", giving you an idea about the shenanigans going on in this desert town. The night life is incredible and diverse? you can find a strip show, drink a smart cocktail at a piano bar, or dance along to famous singers and DJs at a club. And if that fails to interest you, there?s always the gambling.
The climate is always perfect, with very little rain, and it?s almost always warm enough to cruise around at night with short sleeves. The winters are mild and the summers are hot - Las Vegas is after all, in the desert. The Hoover Dam, Colorado River and the Grand Canyon are all a quick drive away. If you want a day trip, these are ideal places to go during the summer, so is Boulder City in the Rocky Mountains. Boulder City, framed by its spectacular landscape, has film festivals, farmers markets, and Shakespeare Festivals. The town is quite a bit more modest than its scandalous neighbour, Las Vegas if you ever feel like a breather from Sin City. You know the Las Vegas reputation ? it?s a city that has been, after all personalised so many times in American popular culture, like the infamous ?Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
What to do:
Gamble. Shop. Eat. Be a complete hedonist
For shopping in Las Vegas there is the Bonanza Gift Store, the world?s largest gift store, as well as the fashion show Sall and Desert Passage. The Grand Canal Shopper has real, water-filled canals, with singing gondoliers that take you winding along shop fronts? a unique shopping experience if anything else.
Looking for weird, wacky, quirky? or, well, weird?? Las Vegas is the place to find it! Try these -
+ the CCSN Planetarium where you can watch the sky dazzle from afar.
+ the Desperato, a 209 feet tall rollercoaster zooming at over 70 miles per hour
+ a 1/2 size replica of the Eiffel Tower, with glass elevators for a view of the city
+ Gameworks, a video arcade, with over 300 interactive video games for the forever young, and a 75 feet indoor rock climbing facility.
+ the original Bonnie and Clyde?s car (complete with bullet holes), rests at the Whiskey Pete's Hotel & Casino. There is also a restored Dutch Schultz-Al Capone bullet-proof Gangster Car.
+ then there?s the Dancing Fountain at the Bellagio, stretching over 220 feet into the sky for beautiful pictures.
If you are looking for a calmer scene, try the secret garden of Siegfred & Roy. It?s a 2.5 acre natural habitat showing 6 almost extinct animal breeds. Some of the animals shown are white lions and tigers, Bengal tigers, panthers, snow leopards and an Asian elephant. The Shark Reef is an aquarium which also shows many types of animals, mostly sharks and alligators.
Here, the entertainment never stops. The streets are always lit with hotel and casino signs that make way for a good time. Just enjoy yourself and remember that what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. (Did we mention that you could gamble in Las Vegas?)
What to eat:
The Hard Rock Cafe with its 84 foot neon lit guitar, Planet Hollywood and the Harley Davidson Cafe all make for an exciting rock 'n roll dinning experience. If you want a more elegant atmosphere, try the Restaurant Guy Savory which offers American gourmet (and a world class chef to boot). It?s located on the second floor of the Augustus Tower with a view of Ceasar's Palace Hotel and Casino. There?s also plenty of food from around the world that you?ll also find along Las Vegas's avenues. Fin and La Salsa Catina would be good options for Mexican or Chinese dining. If you would like some seafood, there is Kokomo's where you can dine in a tropical rainforest surrounded by waterfalls and a lagoon.
