Must try and get these top 5s shorter. Should be easy as we have been to Vegas before and so I don't need to cover the obvious. Here goes...
1. CityCenter - the most expensive privately funded construction project in the US's history ($11billion) this enormous hotel, shopping and resi complex has pulled it off. Beautiful architecture internally and externally (especially the inside of the Crystals shopping center (beautiful geometry)) and very understated decor. It's so understated it's almost not Vegas but it would certainly be my hotel/mall/home of choice if I were super rich! (Holiday home only obviously, my primary residence is in Beverley Hills!)
2. Premium Outlet Mall - minutes from the strip and massive. Roughly 150 shops of the mid to high end type. Brilliant reductions, so better than shopping on the strip (although less fun - no themes here) although largely outdoors (Bicester Village style) so can be very hot work. Best bargain: True Religion jeans for $79.
3. LOVE by Cirque de Soleil - the Beatles themed show is short on the acrobatics but strong on staging and atmosphere. The staging really is awesome (360 degree experience) and very imaginative and they really do succeed in bringing the Beatles to life in parts. And of course the music is the best there has ever been. A recipe for success! The Revolution Bar next to the theatre (in The Mirage by the way) had enough sense to play Beatles music the entire time we are in there which makes up for the stupidly expensive drinks (the decor is pretty fun too). A top night out.
1. CityCenter - the most expensive privately funded construction project in the US's history ($11billion) this enormous hotel, shopping and resi complex has pulled it off. Beautiful architecture internally and externally (especially the inside of the Crystals shopping center (beautiful geometry)) and very understated decor. It's so understated it's almost not Vegas but it would certainly be my hotel/mall/home of choice if I were super rich! (Holiday home only obviously, my primary residence is in Beverley Hills!)
2. Premium Outlet Mall - minutes from the strip and massive. Roughly 150 shops of the mid to high end type. Brilliant reductions, so better than shopping on the strip (although less fun - no themes here) although largely outdoors (Bicester Village style) so can be very hot work. Best bargain: True Religion jeans for $79.
3. LOVE by Cirque de Soleil - the Beatles themed show is short on the acrobatics but strong on staging and atmosphere. The staging really is awesome (360 degree experience) and very imaginative and they really do succeed in bringing the Beatles to life in parts. And of course the music is the best there has ever been. A recipe for success! The Revolution Bar next to the theatre (in The Mirage by the way) had enough sense to play Beatles music the entire time we are in there which makes up for the stupidly expensive drinks (the decor is pretty fun too). A top night out.
4. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas - didn't get round to seeing the iconic sign (I'll put up a photo) last time as it is beyond anything you might want to visit on the strip. With the benefit of the car we were able to see it this time and it summarises the retrokitschy feel which is slowly succumbing to the sleek CityCenters and Wynns of the world. A piece of pop culture history (with handy parking spaces in the middle of the highway so you can stop and look at it for a bit).
6. Elvis Exhibition at Imperial Palace - ok, so I am sure this isn't that exciting if you have been to Graceland but in this unprepossessing hotel is a really excellent collection of Elvis's personal effects. The collection includes his golden gun, his letter to Nixon basically asking if he could spy on the many dissident elements in 60s USA (I didn't know the King was a Republican!), the handwritten notes for his funeral service and a great selection of Elvis sunnies. You get the picture. An excellent collection if you like celebrity effluvia!
The Atomic Testing Museum also deserves mention. Basically educational and the cinema where they try and simulate viewing an atomic bomb test was never going to be anything other than lame but the content is genuinely interesting although very pro-bomb. I learnt a lot of new stuff about the Nevada Testing site and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something non-kitsch and non-consumerist to do in Vegas!
Final recommendations:
- Go on a weekday. Accommodation was the cheapest we have experienced in the US (especially Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon - on the middle of the strip and $42 inc tax in the week!) and the city is still buzzing so why pay weekend prices?
- You don't need to spend a lot on booze. If you go to some of the lower tier hotels or off the strip you can get really cheap drinks. A couple of examples: Ellis Island (off strip and $1.50 for a pint of brewed on site beer), O'Sheas (Irish themed Casino on the strip; 99c for a small draft beer).
Be warned though Paul did leave Vegas with a mystery black eye, so I guess what they say about Vegas is true....
PS. No blogs from me about the amazing scenery in the Southwest as they don't really lend themselves to a top 5 but hopefully the photos (and Paul's excellent blogs) speak for themselves. Quickly though - Bryce Canyon - wow, wow, WOW!
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