Frommer's EasyGuide to Las Vegas 2017 (Easy Guides)

308 Pages·2016·31.034 MB·English

by  Grace Bascos

From the most trusted Name IN travel
EasyGuidE
to
l a s v e g a s
2017
Quick to read • easy to Carry • For expert advice
In all Price ranges

FROM THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN TRAVEL
EASYGUIDE
TO
LAS VEGAS
2017
Quick to Read • Easy to Carry • For Expert Advice
In All Price Ranges
By Grace Bascos
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, muse-
FROMMER’S STAR RATINGS SYSTEM
ums alter their opening hours, and buses and trains change their routings. And all of this
cEavne roy chcoutre iln, rtehset asuervaenrta, l amndo natthtsra acfttieorn o liusrt eadu tihno trhsi sh agvueid veis hitaesd b, ienesnp eracntekde,d a fnodr qwuriattlietyn aanbdo ut
these hotels, restaurants, museums, and transportation services. Though we have made val-
value. Here’s what the stars mean:
iant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevita-
b ly occur in the periods beRfeocreo ma mreevnisdeedd edition of this guidebook is published. So please
b ear with us if a tin y numbHerig ohfl yth Ree dcoemtamilse innd tehdis book have changed. Please also note that
we have no responsib ility oAr mliaubsitl!it yD foonr' ta nmyi sins!accuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconve-
nience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, muse-
ums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this
can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about,
these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services. Though we have made val-
iant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevita-
bly occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please
bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that
we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconve-
nience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.
Artist Dale Chihuly covered the ceiling of the Bellagio (p. 57)
with a garden's worth of exquisite, hand-blown glass flowers.
C O N T E N T S
1 5 Downtown 198
THE BEST OF WHERE TO EAT 92
LAS VEGAS 1 Restaurants by Just Off the Strip 200
2 Cuisine 92 South & East of the
SUGGESTED
Strip 201
LAS VEGAS South Strip 94
8
ITINERARIES 10 Mid-Strip 107 ENTERTAINMENT
Iconic Las Vegas 10 North Strip 122 & NIGHTLIFE 203
Over-the-Top Las Downtown 125 The Performing
Vegas 14 Just Off the Strip 132 Arts 203
Guys’ Getaway 16 South & East of the The Bar Scene 219
Girls’ Getaway 18 Strip 139 The Club & Music
Scene 227
Unlikely Las Vegas 20 North & West of the
Eating Las Vegas 21 Strip 141 The Gay & Lesbian
Scene 236
City Layout 23 Buffets &
Brunches 142 Strip Clubs 238
Neighborhoods in
Brief 24 6 EXPLORING LAS 9 DAY TRIPS FROM
3 VEGAS 150 LAS VEGAS 241
LAS VEGAS IN
CONTEXT 27 South Strip 151 Hoover Dam, Lake
Mead & Lake Las
Las Vegas Today 27 Mid-Strip 154 Vegas 241
Looking Back: Las North Strip 157 Valley of Fire State
Vegas History 29 Downtown 159 Park 246
When to Go 36 Just Off the Strip 163 Red Rock Canyon 250
Las Vegas Calendar of South & East of the Mount Charleston 252
Events 38 Strip 166
10
4 North & West of the PLANNING
WHERE TO Strip 168 YOUR TRIP TO
STAY 41 LAS VEGAS 257
Casino Gambling 171
Practical Information 41 Getting There 257
Getting Married 180
South Strip 45 Getting Around 259
Outdoor Activities 184
Mid-Strip 56 Fast Facts: Las
Fore! Great Desert
North Strip 68 Vegas 266
Golf 187
Downtown 72
Spas 189 INDEX 275
Just Off the Strip 79
7
South & East of the SHOPPING 192 MAP LIST 282
Strip 85 South Strip 192
ABOUT THE
North & West of the Mid-Strip 194 AUTHOR 285
Strip 89 North Strip 197
The famed fountains outside
the Bellagio (p. 158).
A LOOK AT LAS
VEGAS
Glitzy, gritty, gaudy, glamorous, and sometimes goofy, Las
Vegas may well be the most colorful city in America. That goes
for the people who call it their home (or make it their home for
the weekend), the lights and playful structures, the multi-hued desert
and mountain scenery that surrounds it, and the ever-changing cityscape.
Las Vegas is constantly in flux: new attractions and restaurants con-
stantly appearing, new efforts to challenge the normal standards of
morality that some cities cherish. That's why we revise this guidebook
yearly. Our author has captured the very latest and most outrageous
Las Vegas efforts to shock, amuse or intrigue you. What follows now
are some of the sights you'll see, the adventures you'll have, and
everything else that "Vegas" provides in such awesome amounts.
Arthur Frommer
The myth about the pyramid-shaped Luxor (p. 53), with its sphinx out front, is that the beam of
light shooting from its peak can be seen from outer space. That isn't true, but it makes quite an
iv impact on the Las Vegas Strip.
THE LAS VEGAS STRIP
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Hand-painted frescoes, 25-foot high Bottocino marble columns, and a floor that's an exact
replica of the one in Venice's Church of Santa Maria Rosario greet guests checking into the
Venetian (p. 60).
Singing gondoliers serenade visitors both Glam chandeliers are draped throughout the
inside and outside the Venetian. lobby of The Cosmopolitan (p. 194).
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The food (smoked salmon- and caviar- deviled eggs in this case) is as swank as the setting at the
Venetian's db Brasserie (see p. 109).
It's not unusual to see Elvis on the Las Vegas Strip. And sometimes Elvi roam in packs. You'll be
vi expected to tip if you ask for a photo with one of them.
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Britney Spears is just one of the many stars Cirque du Soleil's KÀ (p. 206) combines spec-
who play Vegas in lieu of touring. tacular feats of daring with exquisite sets and
costumes.
Though Absinthe (p. 205) is not a Cirque du Broadway shows, like Rock of Ages (pictured),
Soleil show, like them it features jaw-dropping are now a fixture of the performing arts scene
acrobatics. here. vii
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E A DJ gets the crowd going at Light (p. 231), one of Sin City's most popular nightspots.
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Just off the Strip, the Hard Rock's Pool Party (p. 79) is considered as sizzling a scene as anything
that happens after dark.
For some, watching the dancing waters in front of the Bellagio (p. 57) is all you need to do to
viii have a great night on the town.