Travel to Las Vegas: Unusual and Different Sights

Guest Author — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:46 +0000

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw; Photos by George Bradshaw

There are things to do and see in Las Vegas besides the casinos and the machines that take your money or the expensive shows that you have to wait in line for hours to see. There is a free show every night in downtown Las Vegas called the “Fremont Experience” and it is just that. They have erected a screen covered with thousands of LED lights that goes from Las Vegas Boulevard to the Plaza Hotel at the other end of Fremont Street. Every hour on the hour they produce a light show, each one with a different theme with different special effects and soundtracks. Las Vegas is trying to draw tourists from the Strip to downtown to rejuvenate the area. It is a very neat “Fremont Experience” and is worth getting a crook in your neck to look up and see.

Fremont Street Experience - Las Vegas

Another place in Vegas that is not well known but worth going to see is the Classic Car Museum on the fifth floor of the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino on the Strip. The cars on display are constantly changing so you can go there every time you travel to Vegas and still see different cars. They have old time cars that have been restored and classic muscle cars from more recent time. There are a lot of cars that used to belong to famous people and movie stars, both present and past. At one time this museum owned Hitler’s car but it has now been sold. All the cars on display are for sale but you will need to mortgage your house to purchase them and you will still be short. My favorite is a 1939 red roadster with a price tag of $2.3 million. It is a very interesting place to see and you don’t necessarily have to be a car buff to enjoy it.

Classic Cars from Imperial Palace Car Museum

REALLY classic car - 1886 Benz

On East Tropicana is another popular attraction – the Liberace Museum. All of the glitz and glamour that was once the entertainer is now showcased in the Liberace Plaza. His fabulous costumes and furs, his sparkly pianos and cars, and his expensive jewelry and personal possessions are all on display to be oohed and aahed over. This is a one-of-a-kind place to visit.

In the middle of the Flamingo Hotel is a bird sanctuary and you don’t have to be staying there to wander through it. It is also free of charge.

African Crowned Crane - Flamingo Hotel Bird Sanctuary

There are many exotic birds from different parts of the world wandering around the lush landscape, complete with meandering ponds with colorful fish and all types of turtles.

All you have to do is look around and there are a lot of unusual and different things to see when you visit Las Vegas. Of course there is a gift shop connected to each and every one!

First Visit to Vegas

Shelley Gillespie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:38:38 +0000

Everyone said that I should go to Las Vegas. People were incredulous that I had never been there. I resisted.

“It’s decadent!” “I hate gambling!” “Look at all that waste of electricity!”

Finally, in 2008, I went to Vegas.

Excess and excitement

Precisely the reasons I refused to go are the reasons to experience Las Vegas – at least once.

Entering Vegas from the south, we experienced the excess and elegance that is Vegas. A wedding party was camped out at the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, immortalizing their vows and blocking traffic.

In Vegas, size does matter, as a large billboard reminds people. Size and glitz are Las Vegas, so a drive up the strip provides a fun overview. The giant Coca Cola bottle, half an enormous Harley growing out of a building, the massive Luxor pyramid, a scale version of the Statue of Liberty and landmarks of New York City, the Eiffel Tower, and Treasure Island ships, all make Las Vegas the most eclectic mix of pop culture found anywhere.

Ritualistically, visitors walk the main three miles of The Strip, wandering in and out of hotels to see the fabulous themes or sample the restaurant offerings. When tramping the miles gets tiring, the monorail is available to scoot people nearer to their destination with a reasonably priced day pass. The monorail is accessed behind The Strip and is clean, comfortable and runs regularly. Otherwise, taxis often sit on Las Vegas Boulevard as if they are in a parking lot.

Although it is rumored that New York New York Hotel has hot dog scents wafting out of the entrances, we didn’t detect that. We did find the giant lobby, evocative of New York neighborhoods, charming. The food vendors do business under marquees that proclaim “Broadway” and other New York landmarks. The front desk is reminiscent of Radio City Music Hall with Grand Central Station thrown in.

Paris Las Vegas’ theme is appealing with domed ceilings painted to look like the sky. All shops are decorated as various French neighborhoods. Le Village Buffet reflects the various provinces of France, with the different offerings set up in different “shops.” Although a Saturday evening required a 35-minute wait, the all-you-can-eat buffet at Le Village was worth the wait with king and stone crabs, shrimp, beef bourguignonne, crepes and a multitude of pastries as some of the delicacies available. One diner, who had tried several buffets, proclaimed Le Village “the best buffet on The Strip.” We were inclined to agree due to atmosphere, service, price and food quality. (Buffets do not take reservations.)

Traveling up and down, in and out of the many hotels, we developed some favorites. Many of the hotel themes are fun, but once inside the lobby, the gaming machines dominate and themes become secondary. A visitor can’t begrudge a hotel trying to make money. However, for a non-gambler there are many other attractions.

Hotel highlights

Caesar’s Palace has fabulous-themed shopping in its Forum Shops with the big names in luxury retailers and includes a whimsical, giant Trojan horse guarding the entry of the FAO Schwarz Toy Store.

Gondoliers offer guests rides (fee charged) to ride about the canals of Venice, a romantic recreation at The Venetian Hotel.

If given the chance to stay anywhere in Las Vegas and money was no object, where would I stay? Easy answer! The Bellagio. With its tastefully performed fountain shows (at half hour intervals in the afternoon, every fifteen minutes after 8 PM), gorgeous, Chihuly glass-flower-ceilinged lobby, Botanical Garden with seasonally changing exhibits, Gallery of Fine Art (entrance fee), and general ambiance, the atmosphere is extremely inviting. It was hard to leave. The fountains are programmed to music and lights with every show different. Pop, classical and rock music provide a backdrop for the undulations of intricately waving water that can shoot up to 250 feet high. Cirque Du Soleil also performs its show,”O,” at the Bellagio. There is an aura of lightness that makes the hotel very inviting without being overly fussy.

Rides and Adventures

Focused more toward families were the MGM Grande and Circus Circus. At the MGM Grand, the lions were napping, so a long walk to their enclosure was disappointing.

Circus Circus Hotel, the site of the Adventuredome, had a short circus performance with acrobats and a juggling clown, performed at varying intervals daily. The Adventuredome offered roller coasters, invertors and other rides (fee charged) where people can experience adrenalin rushes from many perspectives. As a hotel, Circus Circus seems like a throwback to an older Las Vegas time. It needs rejuvenating.

NYNY has a roller coaster that weaves in and out of the hotel, too. The Stratosphere, at the north end of the Strip, offers several scary rides with names like “xScream” and “Insanity” for the fearless.

In downtown Las Vegas, the Fremont Street Experience is touted for its major light and sound show with other entertainment. We tried, but with only two days to see Las Vegas we never made it to downtown.

What stays in Vegas

Ultimately, Las Vegas is a vacation destination. Hotels have numerous restaurants, gaming opportunities, entertainments (magicians, comedians, the ubiquitous Cirque du Soleil shows, rides), and creature comforts. Everyone can make his or her own choices for spending discretionary dollars. In recent years, Vegas has had some kid-friendly options, however, most entertainments are for those 21 and older. It is not a Disney destination.

Realistically, for the amenities provided, Las Vegas offers the chance to have a fabulous time – be it luxuriating at spas, eating every imaginable type of cuisine, or seeing a show. A first time in Vegas makes you wish you could go back. After a few days, you’re betting that you just haven’t experienced everything that you’d like to see. You’d win the bet.

With the economy being what it is, terrific deals are there to lure potential visitors. Now, I’m planning when – not if – I can return to Vegas.