 Nevada - Las Vegas |
Las Vegas Travel Guide - Nevada
Lets not beat around the sagebrush, although it has some stunning scenery no one goes to Nevada for that. There are Ghost Towns, the Hoover Dam and the wide-open vistas we imagine of the American west, but no one comes here to look at these. People come to Nevada for one reason only. They come to gamble.
Nevada was really nothing more than a place to pass through on the way to California for many years. Initially it was part of the Utah territory but became a state in its own right in 1864. This happened shortly after a huge silver find was made in 1859, just when the Government needed money to fund the war. That was lucky wasn't it?!
When the silver (The Comstock Lode) was played out, the budding population went into reverse. It revived briefly at the start of the 20th century with more mineral discoveries and agriculture began to develop as an industry. The Depression put an end to all this and in 1931 the State Government took the decision to legalise and therefore tax gambling. Now as a major tourist attraction fuelled by electricity from the Hoover Dam and mans insatiable desire to throw his money away Nevada is a huge money-spinner. There is still mining, farming and ranching. The military use its wide-open spaces for air and nuclear weapon testing. No one seems bothered, as long as the casinos stay open.
Las Vegas
The word may mean 'meadow' in Spanish but in any other language it means gambling. For years nothing more than a watering stop, it has grown into a mammoth, neon lit, 24hr city where avarice is a virtue the kindly Casino owners do their best to encourage. It is capitalism run riot and one has to admire the million cunning ways that have been devised to encourage people to indulge in excessive behaviour. 30 million people come here every year and the city has done its best, through careful marketing and police action to rid the town of its 'Mob' image. It is still a place that can lure stars to perform, even if the golden years of the Rat Pack and Elvis are long gone.
In order to go one better than the neighbour's, hotel/casino design is out of this world. In order to keep one step ahead, developers think nothing of blasting last years model down to make way for this years latest themed mega-hotel. Many of the hotels have put in theme parks in a not entirely convincing attempt to appeal to the 'family tourist'.
Despite the 'Liberace Experience' the Guggenheim Hermitage, the Elvis-A-Rama and other alternatives to the gambling there is no getting away from the fact that the hotels with their huge casinos are the main attraction.
MGM Grand
The world's biggest hotel has a theme park and 'Lion Experience'.
Paris
Complete with scale models of the Eiffel Tower (half size!) and Arc de Triomphe. Amongst the restaurants here there is even one on top of the Eiffel Tower.
New York, New York
Tour the city on the Manhattan Express Rollercoaster.
Treasure Island
Every 90 minutes there is a battle between a Pirate Galleon and a British Frigate.
Caesar's Palace
A place that sums up, in it's aping of the hedonistic excesses of Rome, Las Vegas. Still one of the best.
There are many more, each one with its own theme, each theme more bizarre and extravagant than the last.
When Casino Burn Out sets in?
You could visit the Hoover Dam or the lake that it produced, Lake Mead. The lake is 500 miles around and offers watersports for all.
Red Rock Canyon is worth a visit especially at dawn or sunset.
Or You Could Get Married
The other thing for which Vegas is famous is the ease with which it is possible to get married. You can get drive in weddings or have 'Elvis' as your best man; in Vegas all things are possible. If you are over 18, have ID and aren't already married then, having paid over the money, you are away. Romantic? Hilarious? Kitsch? A Bad Idea? It probably depends how the marriage turns out.
Away from the Tables what about Food, Drink and a Place to Sleep?
If you can tear yourself away from gambling to indulge in any of these then you are not trying hard enough! Las Vegas isn't as cheap as it was. Hotels have realised that they don't need to cut each other's throats to separate people from their money. Many of the Hotels and Restaurants have shown signs of moving up market.
You are advised to try and book rooms in advance. Apart from the massive hotels there are still plenty of motels at reasonable prices, some hotels are geared up for camper vans to overnight in their car parks.
Although Haute Cuisine is now available, the all you can eat buffet is still to be found all over.
I can't imagine why, but in many Casinos drinks are free! In every hotel and casino, there are numerous bars in which to either celebrate, or drown your sorrows.
I wonder what the good Dr Thompson would make of it all now.
Reno
The self styled 'Biggest Little City in the World' is set at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A gorgeous location for what is a slightly dowdy version of its flashier neighbour. In common with Vegas, it is a 24 hr a day gambling town with the same kind of inducements to stay and spend. It is also easy to get wed or unwed here.
Reno offers a few half-decent museums in the National Automobile Museum and the Nevada Historical Society Museum.
From Reno, you may want to take a trip to Carson City. This is the state capital and was named after the frontiersman Kit Carson. It has tree-lined streets and the Nevada State Museum to recommend it.
See the American white pelican at Pyramid Lake, which is a 25-mile drive north of Reno.
In Reno there is a range of reasonably priced places to stay and the casinos all offer the 'All You Can Eat Buffet' so staying here is more reasonably priced than Vegas.
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