Las Vegas (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Citation preview

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

LAS VEGAS

CASINOS SHOWS • RESORTS RIDES • NIGHTLIFE WEDDINGS • RESTAURANTS GRAND CANYON • SHOPPIN THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU

Las Vegas Area by Area Most of the sights described in this guide lie on or close to Las Vegas Boulevard, generally known as the Strip. The three main areas of the city are shown on the map below. Each of these areas has its own chapter and is distinguished by a color code. The sights slightly outside these areas or those beyond are covered in the Farther Afield and Beyond Las Vegas chapters. For map references, see the Street Finder on pages 190–195.

BEYOND LAS VEGAS Pages 92–107

./24( 342)0

3/54(342)0 3

FARTHER AFIELD Pages 78–83

$/7.4/7. . /7 7  &2%-/.4342%%4 -/ 43 %4

DOWNTOWN & FREMONT STREET Pages 66–77 Street Finder maps 1 & 2

NORTH STRIP Pages 52–65 Street Finder maps 3 & 4

0 kilometers 0 miles

SOUTH STRIP Pages 36–51 Street Finder maps 3 & 4

1 1

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

LAS VEGAS

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

las vegas MAIN CONTRIBUTOR R: DAVID STRATTON

MANAGING EDITOR R Aruna Ghose ART EDITOR R Benu Joshi PROJECT EDITOR R Shahnaaz Bakshi PROJECT DESIGNER R Kavita Saha PICTURE RESEARCH Taiyaba Khatoon SENIOR CARTOGRAPHER R Uma Bhattacharya CARTOGRAPHER R Alok Pathak DTP COORDINATOR R Shailesh Sharma DTP DESIGNER R Vinod Harish MAIN CONTRIBUTOR

David Stratton PHOTOGRAPHER

Nigel Hicks ILLUSTRATORS

Lucky the Clown outside Circus Circus (see pp64–5)

CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 6

INTRODUCING LAS VEGAS

Pramod Negi, Arun Pottirayil, Madhav Raman, Ashok Sukumaran Reproduced by Colourscan (Singapore) Printed and bound by South China Printing Co. Ltd., China First American Edition 2005

FOUR GREAT DAYS IN LAS VEGAS 10

07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

PUTTING LAS VEGAS ON THE MAP 12

Published in the United States by DK Publishing, Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

THE HISTORY OF LAS VEGAS 16

Reprinted with revisions 2007

Copyright © 2005, 2007 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTERNATIONAL AND PAN-AMERICAN COPYRIGHT CONVENTIONS. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING OR OTHERWISE WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER.

LAS VEGAS AT A GLANCE 24 LAS VEGAS THROUGH THE YEAR 30

Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION RECORD IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

ISSN: 1542-1554 ISBN: 978-0-75662-696-9 Front cover main image: view of Las Vegas Strip at dusk The information in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is checked regularly.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements, and entertainment and travel information, are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain. The colorful, kaleidoscopic lights of the Strip at night

Mesmerizing light shows, Fremont Street Experience (see p73)

Poker chips

WEDDINGS IN LAS VEGAS 166

The luxurious Venetian, overlooking the Strip (see pp58–9)

LAS VEGAS AREA BY AREA

TRAVELERS’ NEEDS

SOUTH STRIP 36

WHERE TO STAY 110

NORTH STRIP 52

WHERE TO EAT 122

DOWNTOWN & FREMONT STREET 66

SHOPPING IN LAS VEGAS 134

FARTHER AFIELD 78

ENTERTAINMENT IN LAS VEGAS 142

TWO GUIDED WALKS AND A DRIVE 84

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS 154

BEYOND LAS VEGAS 92

GAMBLING IN LAS VEGAS 158

CHILDREN IN LAS VEGAS 170

Red Rock Canyon

SURVIVAL GUIDE PRACTICAL INFORMATION 176 TRAVEL INFORMATION 184 LAS VEGAS STREET FINDER 190 GENERAL INDEX 196 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 208

Bellagio (see pp48–9)

6

H O W

T O

U S E

T H I S

G U I D E

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

T

all the important sights, with maps, photographs, and illustrations. Farther Afield d looks at sights just outside the city, while Beyond Las Vegass explores other inviting locations within easy reach of the city. Information about hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment, and sports is found in Travelers’ Needs. The Survival Guide has advice on everything from using the postal service and the telephone system to Las Vegas’s medical services and public transport system.

his Dorling Kindersley travel guide helps you to get the most from your visit to Las Vegas by providing detailed practical information and expert recommendations. Introducing Las Vegas maps the city and region, setting it in its historical and cultural context, and describes events through the entire year. Las Vegas at a Glancee is an overview of the city’s main attractions. Las Vegas Area by Area starts on page 34. This is the main sightseeing section, which covers

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND THE SIGHTSEEING SECTION Each of the three sightseeing areas in Las Vegas is color-coded for easy reference. Every chapter opens with an introduction to the area of the city it covers, describing its history and character, and has a Street-by-

Streett map illustrating typical parts of that area. Finding your way around the chapter is made simple by the numbering system used throughout. The most important sights are covered in detail in two or more full pages.

 
  

 


Each area has color-




coded thumb tabs.

 





/
+*!
/%)!
/$!
*+-/$!-*
!*
+" $!.!
)!#
-!.+-/.
(!1!(!
/$!
/$!
.
!#. /-%,
2. "%!(
2%/$
/$!%-
.+0/$!-*
+0*
'*+2*
"+-
%/.
#%*#
*
/!-,-/.
*
.!/
/$!
./* -
+"/!*/%)!.
62+-'%*#(..7
"+-
*+/
&0./
/$!
"0/0-!
!1!(+, .%*+.
+/!(.
.0$
.
/$!
)!*/.
0/
(.+
"+-
+( !-
-!.+-/.
$-
*
%-0.
%-0.
2!-!
/$/
0* !-2!*/
(-#!.(!
,+,0(-
2%/$
/-1!(
#!*/.
*
)+ %"%/%+*.
*
-!*+1/%+*.
/+0-
+,!-/+-.
0/
*!1!-
$!(
%*
//!),/.
/+
)+ !- *%5!
/$!
./-
%((%*#
2$%$
/$!
!(%/!
Lucky the Clown, +-/$
/-%,
(.+
$+./.
/$!
%/4.
-!.+-/.
.+0/$
+"
()%*#+
+
Circus Circus ,-!)%!-
.$+,,%*#
+),(!3
/$!
+))* ! 
 $  /
$  .
 ( (
.$%+*
$+2
((

-!!*/
$*#!
2%/$
/$!
+,!*%*#
+"
/$!
(030 !3,*.%+*
$.
) !
/$%.
)((
/$!
&!2!(
-%+0.
!*!/%*
%*

* 
)+-!
+"
!#..
.$+,,%*#
,-+)!* !.
*
-!!*/(4
/$!
!(!#*/
4**
.
!#.
+*!
+"
%/.
)+./
1%.%/!
!./%*/%+*. SIGHTS AT A GLANCE Hotels and Casinos

Malls



 --$.  .
!#.
%(/+*
 %-#!  %1%!-  $-  /-/+.,$!-!
   
  



 


.$%+* $+2
((


GETTING THERE +-/$ /-%,
*
!
!..!
4

0.
*+

*


/$!
/-%,
-+((!4
$!
%/4
)+*+ -%(
)'!.
(%)%/!
./+,.
(+*#
/$! /-%,


"-!!
)+*+-%(
-! ) *+ % +**!/.
%-#!
/+
  /+ 

Cathedrals

0- %* *#!(
/$! -(
Walks

('
+"
/-.



8:0.*/(
"7&/6 /6& $0..&3$&



8
/&8
:03,
"7& 8 :0 , "

8
$)*$"(0
"7& "(

0 meters

800

8
1)*-"%&-1)*"
"7& 8 1)*-"%&-1)*" -1) "7&

30

8
#0450/
8
#0450/



8 450/ /





"7


"7& "7&




"-

%
"7&

40



# "4

± 4BIBSB

Introduction to the area

lotted on an area map. This map also shows monorail stations. The area’s key sights are listed by ategory, such as Museums and Galleries and are also shown on the treet Finder on pages 190–195.

-"

4



7

&(

1"3"%*4&

N

/ 5" 3 * 5

-7

*/