NEVADA, “THE SILVER STATE”
BY CLAY
LARROY
Traveling is the kind of activity, which almost all the people love. For someone it
is an opportunity to relax and abstract from everyday busy life. For others it
is interesting to observe the
way people of other cultures and mentality live. Some
people consider it to be the best way to
have fun and always try to visit as many clubs, pubs,
restaurants and cafes as possible for their wallets and time limits. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Las Vegas, “Sin City”
Las
Vegas History
A couple of centuries ago, Las Vegas was a little-known oasis in
the Nevada desert. It's thought that the first non-Native American to set foot
in the region was a young Mexican scouting for water in the 1800s, who happened
to find natural springs where Vegas now stands.
Though the spot became better known, there were still only 30
residents here at the dawn of the 20th century. A railway line found its way to
the settlement by 1904 and Las Vegas was officially founded a year later when
the railroad company auctioned off 1,200 lots that would later make up the
city.
After a few decades as a slightly unruly desert town, it witnessed
a population boom thanks to an influx of thousands of construction workers on
the nearby Hoover Dam.
New arrivals helped combat the impact of the Great Depression.
There was a betting culture here even when Nevada laws strictly prohibited the
practice, but it was only in 1931, with the advent of a legalised gambling
bill, that Las Vegas began its meteoric rise.
Progress stalled during WWII, but by the 1950s, resorts like The
Flamingo, The Desert Inn and The Sands Hotel helped its national (and
international) reputation to grow quickly.
Stars like Frank Sinatra and his attendant Rat Pack helped cement
the city as somewhere to see and be seen as the range of gaming and nightlife
options continued to augment over the decades. The truly next big step came
with the advent of the mega-resort in the late 1960s and 1970s.
The Strip began to resemble the neon jungle of legend, and as
investment continued to flood in, so the scale and ambition of the main resorts
continued to escalate.
By the turn of the millennium, the metropolis stood as the largest
city in the world founded in the 20th century. Today, despite the scares caused
by the global downturn, Las Vegas can now lay claim to offering some of the
most exclusive accommodation, dining and entertainment facilities on Earth.
Did you know?
- After spending $25 million of building Caesars Palace, the owners spent another $1 million on a three-day opening party in 1966. There were 1,800 on the guest list.
- Gambling was first legalized in Nevada in 1931 to raise tax money for schools.
- The city's first racially integrated hotel was The Moulin Rouge, which opened in 1955.
- After spending $25 million of building Caesars Palace, the owners spent another $1 million on a three-day opening party in 1966. There were 1,800 on the guest list.
- Gambling was first legalized in Nevada in 1931 to raise tax money for schools.
- The city's first racially integrated hotel was The Moulin Rouge, which opened in 1955.
City
Attractions in Las Vegas
Bellagio
Cashing in on the recent trend towards Euro-opulence, the Bellagio
sits on its own four-hectare (10-acre) 'oasis', featuring a mock-yet-tasteful
northern Italian village on the shore, behind which looms the bulking mass of
the hotel itself. The property has more than 3,900 rooms and suites, 15
restaurants, six lounges, botanical gardens and five Mediterranean pool
settings. Its 9,000-sq-m (100,000-sq-ft) casino features over 2,000 slot
machines and electronic games and over 100 table games. The Bellagio also has a
fine art gallery, as well as a huge glass-encased shopping mall. Its free
fountain shows, held regularly throughout the afternoon and evening, are the
stuff of legend.
Caesars Palace
An old denizen of the Strip, Caesars Palace possesses more Las
Vegas character than its newer neighbors. It sits in a lavish Roman setting,
perhaps the historical theme best suited to this city of excess, with Roman
columns, grand staircases, manicured shrubbery, imported marble statuary and
luxuriant fountains. It has two main casinos, which feature all the regular
games, as well as an 'empire' of slot machines. This is also where you'll find
the Colosseum, an entertainment venue familiar to Elton John and Celine Dion.
Fremont Street and The
Fremont Street Experience
Located Downtown near the Plaza Hotel, Fremont Street bills itself
as providing the 'vintage Vegas experience'. Eight casinos, over 60 restaurants
and countless bars and lounges offer 'Old Las Vegas' style enticement – think
wandering showgirls, traditional casinos and free live bands. Perched nearly
30m (90ft) above Fremont Street is a hi-tech overhead light and sound show
canopy stretching for five blocks over 425m (1,400ft) composed of one of the
world's largest and longest LED screens. Thrill seekers can ride the SlotZilla
zip line down the street, flying either above or below the canopy. Fremont
Street is open 24 hours with shows starting at 2030, running hourly between
2100 and 2400.
High Roller
The city's newest big attraction is also the world's largest
observation wheel. Standing 168m (550ft) above the ground at its highest point,
it's a full 30m (98ft) taller than the London Eye, to which it bears more than
a passing resemblance. Each cabin can hold up to 40 people, and the views from
the top are undeniably spectacular, particularly at night.
Mirage
The Mirage is best known for its nightly outdoor spectacle: an
artificial volcano that erupts every 30 minutes from 1900-2300. The setting is
completed by a lagoon with 54 waterfalls that flow down the side of the
volcano. Inside is an indoor tropical rainforest, a dolphin habitat and a
saltwater tropical aquarium. The hotel also boasts several pools and a spa, 15
cafés and restaurants, lounge bar areas, a white tiger habitat, Shadow Creek
golf course and the casino, which features over 2,000 slot machines.
Mob Museum
Learn about the history of the mob, its infiltration into Vegas
and its battle with law enforcement in this fascinating museum. Devote at least
three hours to touring the former courthouse offering interactive exhibits,
artefacts and high-tech theatre presentations.
Stratosphere Tower
Dominating the skyline at the northern end of the Strip,
Stratosphere Tower rises 350m (1,149ft) above the casino and hotel of the same
name. It's the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States, and
has the obligatory indoor and outdoor decks with views of the entire city.
There is a bar and restaurant at the top, plus several high-altitude adrenaline
thrill rides, including a 10-second 'decelerator descent' back to ground level
via a vertical zip wire.
The ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las
Vegas’ Sign
Debatably the most iconic Vegas sight of them all, the landmark
7.5m-tall (25ft) 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign is as defined a part of
the city's heritage as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Ocean's Eleven. Created
by graphic designer Betty Willis in the 1950s, the diamond-shaped placard is
considered by many to mark the unofficial southern end of the Strip, and
remains a perennially popular photo opportunity.
Venetian Resort Hotel and
Casino
Costing an eye-watering US$2 billion to construct, the Venetian
isn't the only Vegas complex to cash in on a European theme, but it is the most
entertaining to stroll through. No effort was spared in recreating the city's
own version of Venice, complete with trompe-l'oeil skies, immense oil paintings
and plenty of water. Much of the complex features canals, on which gondolas
carry visitors up and down. The 10,800-sq-m (120,000-sq-ft) casino, featuring
around 2,200 slot machines and 120 table games, sits behind a replica of the
Doge's Palace. The complex also has almost 40 bars and restaurants, five pools
and a fitness center.
Wynn Las Vegas
Erected on the spot where the legendary Desert Inn once stood, the
Wynn Las Vegas has become one of the city's most recognizable (and most
glamorous) landmarks. Sheathed in coppery bronze reflecting the desert sun,
this 42-storey, 78-hectare (192-acre), US$2.7 billion megaresort boasts a
10,000-sq-m (110,000-sq-ft) casino, an 18-hole professionally designed golf
course and a fine art gallery. The centerpiece of the resort is a 46m-high
(150ft) mountain with a five-story waterfall cascading into a man-made lake.
REFERENCE SITES:
Las Vegas is the boiling pot
of entertainment.
Don Rickles
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