Viva Las Vegas!

Las Vegas: is a place out of nowhere. Could call it the best.....and the worst place in the world! 

Viva Las Vegas

It is the entertainment capital of the world but sadly it lacks historical character of other  mid-sized cities like New Orleans, SF or Seattle.
It lies right in the heart of Mojave Desert.Many people wrongly believe that it is the capital on Nevada but it is not!  I had a rather bad experience flying there ( LA traffic and legendarily Poor customer service from Spirit Airlines). McCarran International Airport is decent.It is not world-class despite having an international terminal. I was amused to see slot machines right inside airport, may be it is the way to say "Welcome to Vegas!"

Transportation:  Transportation is decent. We need not go far,  as "The strip" where most of the casinos lie, is very close to the airport. It is also touches the Interstate 15 if you choose to come by road. We can rent cars form McCarran Airport Rentals. If you prefer to travel Pimpin' you can always rent costliest cars you can imagine - from classy Rolls Royce - Ghosts to sporty Lamborghini s.There are also City Bus services and Shuttles to the Strip for the down trodden like me and of-course.... the rude middle-eastern taxi drivers are always available if needed.

The Bellagio

Staying: You will be amazed to know how many staying options are available. From the cheapest to
the costliest to the average ones. Staying is all a personal decision, plus you would not be staying in

The Venetian

the room anyways. I would prefer to stay on "The Strip" where majority of the good casinos are located. Costliest ones are Wynn, The Bellagio  and The Venetian.  The prices are from any where around $150 to $300+ per night. The holiday weekends increase the rates. There are many added taxes like entertainment tax, resort fees etc so be aware of that so you will end-up spending more than what is marked. This is totally normal in US so don't frown! The Mirage is a good option as it is located near-heart of the strip. Other options include the Westin, Holiday Inn

Paris , Las Vega

etc. Rates would be around $100-$200 depending on the season. Lower end would be way off the strip - Candle wood suits, extended stay etc ($50+). You can obviously stay cheaper and in more horrible places. I missed my flight and had to stay overnight in a spooky place - Terrible's Casino (...and, I have not miss-spelled it. I stayed there for only $33. Rooms were decent but place was run-down. The people staying above me continuously made some noises all night - from  moving furniture to fornication.
Casino below was full of old wreaked people sitting on slot machines). One more option is to sleep on the slot machines, roulette table or black jack table...your choice.

Things to Do: This totally depends to whom you go with. If you are group of young male adults with raging hormones or young lip-locking honeymoon couple or just a loner with 2 hands. Vegas has lots and lots of options right from adult entertainment to food to gambling.

Following would be my top 5 picks:
1. Gambling - World capital
2. Food - Vegas has world class restaurants
3. Entertainment Shows - an expensive endevour
4. Adult Entertainment - Well, this place is famous for sleaziness
5. Places to look around - Hoover Dam , Nuclear Testing sites, and The Grand canyon.

Gambling: I am not an expert in gambling.Well... No one is...unless you have lady-luck on your side. Everybody comes to LV in the hope of making it big! Mortals like me think they aren't mortals and

Roulette in Planet Hollywood

loose lot of money! But there is always a joy that is left over after loosing money...isn't there? You will see lot of people shouting and screaming with joy of winning! Don't worry they are soon going to loose it all! Most people get envious of Casinos after they see how much money the casinos are making!

If you see a super hot chick with an old, fat ugly guy don't be surprised! You will see many. You too can be that old, fat, ugly guy if you can buy "her" the bling bling! or else simply buy "her".... Then there also old bimbo waitresses wearing tights and serving you drinks. I really felt sorry for the make-up that they are made to wear.

There are innumerable games in casinos black-jack, Poker, Roulette. Initially you will feel bit awkward if you don't understand a game ...be shameless..and ask the dealer.....remember everybody is pathetic as you! Slot machines are one of the most horrendous games...it will rarely give you "Highs"...and over that they make a simple game confusing by giving it a stupid theme..."Arabian Nights", "Roman Days"..... Probabilities of winning is what makes roulette very interesting but some how Casinos seem to Win...or do they....? (Note: Financial Statement)   

Chocolate Truffle Cake - The Cravings

Food: Vegas has world class restaurants...undoubtedly.... especially if you are a sea food lover. There are may buffets that one surely has to try. Best out of them was The Buffet in Bellagio. It is one of the highest rated restaurants. You get to try Italian, Japanese, Chinese and the dreaded American food (Indian food would have made it better...)! I tried

Sushi Table - The Buffet

at-least 15 types of sweets..and no sweats, restroom is always open for you. $30 per Head for dinner is cheap considering the expensive sea food you are getting. Other restaurants I tried were Cravings in The Mirage (I would rate it the best) and Red-Rock Buffet (The cheapest!). Vegans have few options here. There are very few Indian restaurants  around the strip. Tamba is one of the decent ones near MGM Grand (Their website is a good example of extreme bad designing. Gaudy colors, stupid loud song playing in the background. They are the only restaurant I have seen to add 20% gratuity for a party of 2.Its so dark there you will most likely eat with your nose)


Entertainment Shows: Vegas is all about entertainment baby..as dirrty as you like it! There are levels
 of entertainment.There is simple harmless, beautiful, free entertainment like the fountains of Bellagio or

The Cirque De Soliel: Mystere

stupid volcano of Mirage or the scantily claded chicks of Treasure Island. There are expensive entertainment shows like the troupes from Quebec  The cirque du soliel  (There are many versions. The 'O' in Bellagio, sensual Zumanity, Elvis and Mystere)  I paid $130 for Mystere which frankly speaking was over-rated. Well its just a high class circus...what else will you see except a very well choreographed acrobats...I see that on TV everyday! The 'O' is even more expensive $250 per ticket! Then there are stand-up comedy shows which are decent enough. Then weirdo shows like Bluemans group, David Copperfield Magic..... Its a personal choice how you waste your money in Vegas...Nearly all the casinos have their permanent shows. Then there are totally different shows like The Crazy Horse. Its a play on your eyes with different light effects on different bodies. Interestingly, nobody wears a shirt in the show...hmmm

Adult Entertainment:It is really hard to escape sex in Vegas. As you walk across the strip you will see tiny Mexican men and woman distributing flyers for strip shows. They don't spare anyone...even kids. It is their right to give those!  And all you need to do is to call her...or him or it...whatever... Thats why its the Sin City! . There are Ad-Vans on the

The Venetian Shopping

road advertising strip shows right at your room. Then as I had mentioned the hot chick (with old guys) in tightest of dress is most likely an escort...sort of hooker....they will add charm to you...make other guys jealous of you..while she spends you money playing poker..... But remember prostitution is illegal. LV is also full of hi-class clubs where you can drink all night and dance all day! Tao and Lavo are the famous ones. There are plenty of options to shop..isn't that Adult entertainment? (I never had a credit-card when I was a kid). The Venetian (Best of the breed with azure fake sky), Planet Hollywood, The cosmopolitan are excellent places to shop. Remember never let loose your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend with your credit-card! You will find all the haute brands of the world...including Gucci, Prada, Fendi , Cartier, LV, YSL...and the list goes on ...(not that I can afford $1000 wallet) but then also there is also... Aeropostal, Hollister!



Places to look around: Out of all Casinos on the Strip, most

The Fremont Experience

beautiful is The Venetian, set in Venice. Its has a good shopping and eating districts. You can go on a gondola ride like in actual Venice with

Gandola Ride in The Venetian

people staring hungrily at the lovebirds while the gondolier sings "O Sole Mio". The Bellagio is also a high class casino with fountains after 7pm. Its really worth seeing...just once. I would advise against going beyond the ends of the strip. The strip  suddenly looks like a dump! Which LV is actually... The Downtown LV which is just around 4 miles north of the strip has the Freemont Street Experience. It has the biggest display screen in the world with length of 460 meters! It is worth visiting. It also has many eating joints and cheaper casinos. The stratosphere, which is at the edge of the strip, has many rides - The

The Hoover Dam

X scream ride is the the best!  The Hoover dam is one of the big attractions close to Vegas. It is about 23 miles from LV. The Arizona-Nevada state line divides the hoover dam into two parts. During Daylight saving time you can be in two time zones at the same time (MDT and PDT)! The Huge Hoover dam Bypass bridge is also an attraction. The Backwaters of Hoover, the Lake Mead reservoir is a good place for boating. The Grand Canyon National Park Southern rim is around 180 miles from LV. It a place worth visiting. But just one day would not do justice to its beauty.There are also helicopter rides($200+) which takes us  on a Grand Canyon tour.

With so many things to do in Vegas it surely the entertainment capital of the world. And it is not Cheap! So don't expect to spend less than $1000 here! I went to Vegas Twice before I was able to finish writing this!