Las Vegas rises, Oz-like, from the scorched brown earth of the desert, an Emerald City whose hue is the color of money. That money, one casino employee joked, comes from vice and virtue, with the city's two biggest industries being gambling and weddings.
The Vegas mystique is writ large. Chevy Chase took a memorable vacation here; Hunter S. Thompson found "fear and loathing" here; Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis woke to the mother of all hangovers here. Las Vegas — for better or worse — affects all comers.
Although legalized gambling came to this sleepy southern Nevada town in 1931, it was the 1960s that saw Vegas transformed into an international playground for the famous and infamous. Among them was eccentric billionaire oilman Howard Hughes, who, after being asked to vacate his room at the Desert Inn, retaliated by buying the entire hotel. Around that same time, entertainers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., dubbed the "Rat Pack," became regulars on the Strip. Las Vegas never looked back.
While iconic properties such as the Sands and the Dunes have given way to bigger, glitzier ones (the Venetian and Bellagio, respectively), Vegas is still a town of one-name headliners. Dean, Frank and Sammy are gone; now there's Britney, Reba, Donny and Marie.
And it's not just the entertainers who have achieved a one-name level of fame. Check out the myriad of restaurants in the resorts, and you'll find Gordon, Giada, Wolfgang and Emeril. In Vegas, it seems celebrity trumps everything, except, of course, money.
Arriving on the Strip
When you arrive on the Strip, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer enormousness of it all — the skyscraper resorts, neon signs and towering billboards. A good way to get your bearings is to purchase a Go Las Vegas Explorer Pass (choice of three, four or five attractions and good for 30 days).
Among the attractions your pass will get you into are the outdoor gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel and the High Roller at the LINQ, Vegas' answer to the London Eye. You can walk on the wild side at the Mob Museum or stay on the right side of the law at "CSI: The Experience." You can even party like Elton or Rod on the Rockstar VIP Club Tour.
Should you wish to do your own thing, just remember: Taxis are expensive (second only to New York City) and distances between places, even on the Strip, can make for a long walk.