The Strip AKA Las Vegas Boulevard and other Las Vegas, NV Things to Do Tips

One of the two "centers" of the city "The Strip" is a 3.5 miles (6 km) section of Las Vegas Boulevard. Here is where the cluster of "themed" hotels lies, including Luxor, New York New York, Treasure Island, Venetian, Paris and Bellagio. The views are best at night when the lights are on.

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New York New York is one of the most charming casinos in Las Vegas (that is, if you can apply "charming" to a hotel casino). Especially if you have a thing for the real New York (which I do). It's façade recreates the Manhattan skyline, with skyscrapers, an 150-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty and a replica of Brooklyn Bridge. The inside is small (compared with other casinos on the Strip) but that is part of its charm. The casino is dressed as Central Park. If you get hungry you have the Village nearby complete with Bleeker Street and Broadway. And if you like roller coasters " Manhattan Express" comes highly recommended.

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Phone: (800) 693-6763
Address: 3790 Las Vegas Blvd

Paris hotel casino adds another landmark to the Las Vegas Strip: a half-scale Eiffel Tower. Everything is mirrored to the smallest details. You can take the elevator to an observation deck at the top and have a view of the entire Strip. The facade also has replicas of Arc de Triomphe, Paris Opera House and the Louvre. At the base of the Eiffel Tower sits the casino, complete with a Pont Alexander III, cobblestone "streets" and cast-iron street lamps. Plenty of French restaurants and stores with French goods complete the picture.

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Phone: (702) 946-7000
Address: 3655 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Directions: Center Strip next to Aladdin's Hotel and Casino
Website: http://www.paris-lv.com

Luxor hotel/casino is very easy to spot from the Strip because of its unusual pyramid shape (quite a neat building I have to say). It's also very easy to spot at night from miles away because of a beam of light projecting from the pyramid's apex. Inside the hotel, the atrium is impressive because of its sheer size; architectural features are modeled after Ancient Egypt displaying a mix of temples, statues, hieroglyphs etc. At one of the entrances, near the walkway to Excalibur there are two talking camels, so cheesy that they'll make you laugh for half a day.

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Phone: (800) 288-1000
Address: 3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Directions: South end of the strip between Excalibur and Mandalay Bay
Website: http://www.luxor.com

I didn't get to visit Bellagio until my 4th time in Vegas but I have to say that it's the classiest thing in Vegas. It deserves to be visited on a first trip to Vegas. The fountain shows (free every night at regular intervals) are beautiful and once I've seen one show I wanted more; and since they change the music, the movements of the fountains and the light effects from show to show it's hard to get bored. I think I've seen three or four different ones. Bellagio's interior is also very beautiful; the main lobby ceiling is made of glass flowers of many colors; the nearby conservatory is definitely worth a stop. There's also a Gallery of Fine Art with fine paintings by Manet, Picasso and others.

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Phone: (888) 987-3456
Address: 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Directions: Center Strip, across from Barbary Coast/Flamingo
Website: http://www.Bellagio.com

We went to the Imperial Palace to see the Auto Collection which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The collection is located on the fifth floor of the parking garage. There is a counter set up at the Strip entrance that offers vouchers for seeing the collection so you can get in for free. You can also find coupons on the web or in various free brochures, but I believe that you still have to visit the above mentioned counter to get the entrance pass.

I'm not an auto enthusiast but I liked the collection. There were over 200 classic cars on display. I remember seeing many Ford, Mercedes, Cadillacs and Chevrolets models. They have a room dedicated to the British invasion which includes rare classics from Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Cooper, Aston Martin, all dating from the 1930s through the 1960s. The collection has been there a long time, but from what I understood the cars rotate in an out. A number of the cars had a "for sale" tag. I remember seeing a convertible car that used to belong to Marilyn Monroe. This one was also on sale (together with her nightgown!)

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Address: Imperial Palace, 3535 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Website: http://www.autocollections.com/

Circus Circus is a family themed resort located at the north end of the Strip. Besides the large casino you can enjoy free circus acts performed every half hour throughout the entire day and all kind of amusements, most of them designed towards family fun. Above the main casino there is a game room dedicated to children (the prizes consist of lots of stuffed animals). This room is where you can see the circus acts. Circus Circus also has an indoor amusement park located in the pink dome behind the main building. Most of the rides are geared towards children. The hotel has reasonably priced rooms, restaurants and buffets.

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Phone: (702) 794-3939
Address: 2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Directions: Circus Circus is located on the west side of Las Vegas Blvd., between Slots-o-Fun and Sahara St.
Website: http://www.circuscircus.com

This hotel/casino recreates the city of Venice complete with copies of the Doge's Palace, the Campanile and the Rialto Bridge. Gondolas can take you inside the building and on the way you can be serenaded for a lot less than in real Venice :-) The canals lead you to - where else - the Grand Canal (upscale and expensive) Shoppes. Inside the complex cobblestone streets and bridges lie under a blue painted sky like the one in Renaissance paintings. Throughout the building you'll find reproductions of famous paintings by Venetian masters like a copy of Veronese's painting "The Apotheosis of Venice". They even kept the same prices as in Venice as the restaurants and shops are all expensive :-) But I liked their casino which is big and well air-conditioned. If you are in Vegas, don't miss the Venetian.

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Address: 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Website: http://www.venetian.com/

Excalibur Hotel/Casino recreates the medieval world of King Arthur. The exterior of the hotel with its towers, turrets, a drawbridge and Merlin sitting in a balcony makes you believe you are in fact at Disneyland. Inside the hotel the theme continues with suits of armor that line the entrance and with everything that looks medieval being in a way or another part of the spectacle. It's actually so silly that it becomes fun to look at all the details.

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Phone: (702) 597-7600
Address: 3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Directions: Between Luxor & New York, New York.
Website: http://www.excalibur-casino.com

Stratosphere is located at the northern end of the Strip, away from the main attractions, but a visit here is well worth it. The resort has one of the Las Vegas landmarks, the Stratosphere Tower which is 1149 ft (350 m) tall. From the top of the tower you get great views of the city. The views from Eiffel Tower offer more detail but here you can get a feeling of how big Las Vegas is; the mountains in the distance make for a great background. Also at the top two rides are offered, a roller coaster and a free-falling thingy called The Big Shot. I didn't try any of them but I can tell that they look scary.

Apart from the tower you'll find everything of what is offered in a Strip resort: the casino which is located on the ground level; shops, restaurants and a 1500 rooms hotel. We stayed here once and we enjoyed the room and their all you can eat buffet.

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Phone: (800) 998-6937
Address: 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South