Las Vegas – A Sin City Which Never SLEEPS !

Las Vegas – A sin city which never sleeps!

Las Vegas – Having lived in eastern part for three long years, I wished to move/at the least visit western part some day. But then the trip was getting delayed since SJ was in India. Once he joined us, I and SAN have been discussing for a long time to plan a trip to west coast. Though there were many places blessed by Mother Nature, I wanted to visit Las Vegas for its glamor, glitters, parties and casinos. It’s not that we were interested but then we were curious. We also wanted to celebrate SJ’s arrival.  That’s how we planned to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon during the Memorial Day weekend.  Do read about our experiences in The Grand Canyon here.

On the third day, we visited Lake Mead and Hoover Dam during the day and reserved the evening for LV.

Let’s explore the history of Vegas! The glittering paradise was once a small town in the middle of the barren desert which was discovered by the Mormon missionaries. They called it so which means “Meadows” in Spanish. They figured it as the perfect place to link Salt Lake City and Southern California through a railroad in early 1900’s. By 1930, construction of Hoover Dam began under President Hoover and thousands of workers were employed for the work where few lost their lives too. They worked rigorously during the week and were not allowed for any pleasure during their working hours. They were smelly, dirty with strenuous work, hence the demand for the entertainment was natural. Hence, popped up theaters, plays, strip clubs and casinos like Northern Club and Freemont. But then by 1940, the city was cleaned up during the war.  After the war, gangster Bugsy Seigel and mob boss Meyer Lansky opened The Flamingo and the amount of money which flooded the city through gambling was huge. Even the famous stars performed throughout the city, thus solidifying its reputation as “The Entertainment Capital of the World”. By 1980’s, magnificently themed casinos were built along the strip which later surpassed the downtown and became the “Must visit place” in Vegas.

True to its name, the city lives up to the expectations with assorted activities, (which can be mentioned and which cannot be) to escape from the reality of life. As it is said, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, one has the freedom to do those weird dirty activities which he held up within himself here – be it a pool party, strip shows, gambling or just gazing around. One can see the small casino stations set up in the airport itself. That’s how Vegas welcomes you.  The charm of the city lies in the southern part of the strip with themed casinos along the way.

We decided to walk along the strip and visit every casino on the way. By the way, we stayed in the hotel, “The Paris”. They have big bedrooms with a comfy bed and well-designed interiors. They have the best buffet in the town.

By evening, we started walking along the strip. We were tired after our visit to Lake Mead but then the charm of the city will catch you and believe me, you can’t just stay inside your room. There are multiple themed restaurants on the strip. To name a few:

• The Luxor hotel – Egypt Themed
• New York New York hotel and casino – southern part of the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard)
• Excalibur, another themed hotel with thousands of rooms and inspired to King Arthur and the Middle Ages in general.
• The Paris hotel & casino, inspired to Paris, which houses the reconstruction of the Eiffel Tower with a restaurant on top.
• Bellagio hotel & casino
• Mirage hotel & casino
• Treasure Island
• The Caesar’s Place
• The Venetian – inspired to Venice
• The Stratosphere – Northern most along the Las Vegas Boulevard, has a tower 1149 feet high which offers a 360-degree view over Las Vegas and southern Nevada.

We watched the Volcano eruption show by the Mirage Hotel and then, Music foundations by the Hotel Bellagio.  We also visited Eiffel Tower on top of the hotel – The Paris. The Sky view from the top of the tower is a beautiful scene of the entire city which is a must thing to do. There were shows conducted across the city and some are really worth watching. How could one return back from Vegas without gambling? We had reserved it for the next day. Did I tell you that I had my share of Margarita? It’s Vegas Babes!

The next day, we grabbed our breakfast from a restaurant in the Hotel Paris – a delicious lip smacking Crepe desserts for breakfast. We played roulette in the casinos. Wait! We are not regular gamblers but then once in a while, losing $20 to experience the feel doesn’t hurt our pockets. And we didn’t lose at all, SAN and SJ really got back their money, in fact, more than what they spent? Isn’t that a fun? Whereas, I lost everything and blamed them for not guiding me properly. Girls are Girls, at the end of the day.

We then visited the Venetian and I loved every bit of it – long walls with intricate designs, with small bridges, colorful walls with wide windows, gondolas, and eateries. I have always read about Venice in novels and wanted to visit sometime in my future. Now, after experiencing the grandeur of Venetian, I definitely want to visit Venice and have been nudging SJ to plan a trip soon. We tasted macaroons and brought a box of assorted flavors to home. Grabbed a chocolate covered fruits along the way. Enjoyed Gondola rides with a beautiful rendition by the guide.

We reserved buffet lunch at La Village and oh boy, what a spread of Italian dishes – we had everything from salad to crepes, crème blue to macaroons, pastas to tarts! They were scrumptious, delish and a pure bliss with authentic Italian flavor and taste. It was hard to move after a delicious meal. We visited shops in the casinos and picked up which attracted me like magnets and a small Paris Eiffel tower.

Our friend, Saravanan, who lives in Vegas, insisted us to visit Freemont, which has jaw-dropping light shows and casinos which have the charm of Old Vegas, restaurants, Neon Museum and SlotZilla Zip Line.  With such a city which has a wide variety of attractions, one couldn’t miss out certain things if lost in the glitters and lust of the city like us. We skipped visiting Freemont and reserved it for our second visit. SJ and I wanted to try out the Sky Jump and X-scream offered by The Stratosphere. We couldn’t do it as everyone was dead tired void of energy and the heart was racing to reach home, bang on the bed and sleep like a dog. By late evening, we headed back to the airport and waved Good Bye to the city – A city which has love/hate relationship. Huge thanks to the hospitality by Saravanan and without him, we would have felt like left alone in an unknown place!

Things to Do in Vegas:

• During the day, the city looks like every other normal town and one cannot find people out on the roads. Not to mention their hot weather. The best bet is to visit casinos and try your luck.
• Walk along the strip. By evening once the sun is down, walk along the strip from Southern Part to Northern Part.
• Watch the artificial volcanic eruption at the Hotel Mirage. The volcano erupts periodically by stimulating the emission of lava through jets of water lit by fire and flames with a driving soundtrack from The Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and Indian Tabla Sensation Zakir Hussain (Proud Me!)
  • ​​The volcano shows happens at the prescribed times and free to the public
    • Sunday – Thursday: 8 PM & 9 PM

    • Friday – Saturday: 8 PM,  9 PM, 10 PM

• Watch the Fountains of Bellagio.  There is nothing like seeing them in person which romances your senses. The spectacular show has beautifully blended water, music, and light. It just mesmerizes you. And it’s free for any visitor to enjoy. Each one is unique in its expression. The show occurs every 15 minutes starting from late evening to midnight.
• Experience the Heart-stopping action at New York Hotel. Experience the thrill by the world’s first coaster to feature an 180-degree “Heartline” twist. 
• Take a Gondola ride – Visit the hotel “The Venetian”. Lose yourself in the beauty of Venice and take a Gondola ride. Don’t forget to kiss your loved one under the bridges.
• Sky view from Eiffel Tower. View the city from the top of the Eiffel tower.
• Visit Freemont. Don’t forget to experience the adventure – The SlotZilla Zip Line, an exciting zip line thrill attraction at Freemont Street Experience. View the downtown from the Heights. Visit Neon Museum.
• Watch a show. There are numerous shows conducted across the city. Grab a ticket and watch the show. People say it’s really worth the money.

• Watch the sunset from the Stratosphere observation deck. If you really like adventure, then do try the rides – X-scream. And also try the Sky Jump!

• Gamble. It’s not a sin to lose your money once in a while. Set a budget and play to experience it. Moreover, it’s Vegas and you should do it.

• Eat. There are a lot of eateries with Ice cream sandwiches, Margaritas, pastries, breakfast options, buffet and crafted beers. Step down from your diet plan and enjoy the plethora of dishes offered across the strip.

Finally and most importantly, enjoy. Relieve yourself from all your inhibitions and enjoy to the fullest. Gaze at the glitters of the city. Observe people. Walk until your legs are sore. Party hard.

If you are not a big fan of flashy lights and need a tranquil place bestowed with Mother Nature, then do visit The Grand Canyon and The Antelopes. Read about my experience here.

Las Vegas – Where everything is fair!

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Thanks,

Karthi