Las Vegas
Pulsing out of the sands like some crazy neon mirage, Las Vegas is globally synonymous
with gambling, rock-star luxury and a 24-hour excess that has become a brand in
its own right. Nowhere throws a 365-day party quite like Vegas, and those marketing
taglines for ‘the world’s entertainment capital’ aren’t far off the truth. For a
town stuck on its own at the southern tip of Nevada, it gives one hell of a decadent
bang for its buck.
The city has its detractors, but as somewhere to escape from the routine ebb and
flow of the real world, it’s almost peerless. The electric frenzy of the Strip flows
through the centre of what has now become, from humble 18th-century beginnings,
an adult playground of epic proportions. Gambling was legally introduced here in
the 1930s, since when brash hotels and casinos have sprung up like so many fantasy
castles to accommodate the human tide pouring in. Las Vegas translates into Spanish
as ‘The Meadows’, but if you’re looking for pastoral calm you’re in very much the
wrong place.
The magic, for many, lies in the limitless potential for self-gratifying adventure.
Cabaret performances dazzle and explode into the wee hours. Limousines and SUVs
throng the Strip from dusk until dawn. The alcohol flows, the dice tumble, the music
shakes. And the Vegas experience can be as elegant or debauched as desired, thanks
to a glittering panoply of different good time venues ranging from the crystal-hung
bling of a plush casino to the vodka-fueled rock-out of a sweaty nightclub, and
from the Michelin-starred delicacy of a gourmet restaurant to the gargantuan spread
of an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Notoriously, the betting floors don’t have any clocks on view. It’s not hard to
understand why, of course, and this lack of time management is in many ways emblematic
of how best to enjoy the destination on a wider level. Las Vegas doesn’t naturally
lend itself to structured itineraries, but if the idea of combining roller-coasters,
roulette, dance floors and vatfuls of champagne into one night out is an appealing
one, then the overall experience is unlikely to disappoint.
That said, there’s far more to the city than hedonistic nightclubs and blackjack
tables. If you’re willing to scratch beneath the surface, or to venture out of town,
you’ll find a destination boasting everything from art galleries and heritage museums
to some of the most jaw-dropping natural scenery that North America offers. Explore
the new Mob Museum and Neon Museum, which both opened in 2012. The eagerly-anticipated
LINQ development will open in 2013, featuring open-air shops, dining and entertainment
options, plus a 168m-high (550ft) observation wheel which will transform the city's
skyline. And it’s still perfectly possible to experience the thrills of the Strip
without downing your body weight in booze and dispensing 50-dollar bills to croupiers.
Many of the most notable mega-resorts, in fact, can provide eye-popping reward without
you even having to open your wallet. The best of them are worlds unto themselves:
casinos, hotels, shopping malls, food feasts, circuses and theme parks all rolled
into one.
It’s said that Macau (China’s ‘Vegas of the East’) now draws higher gaming revenues,
but in terms of the sheer spunk, thrills and exuberance on offer, nothing compares
to Sin City and its legions of pleasure palaces.