USA
Las Vegas – the Entertainment Capital of the World!
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
Known as the entertainment capital of the world, it may be surprising to know that Las Vegas has evaded us for many decades. Finally visiting, we would start our scheduled road adventure of lower Nevada from Vegas by spending two nights at both the beginning and end of our trip. In just a short while here, I could only say I hadn’t seen anything small and cute but instead just about everything was grand and magnificent.
Our two main areas of exploration were the world-famous strip and downtown Las Vegas. It ended up with us spending most of our time downtown as it had plenty to offer.
The Circa Resort & Casino
Our hotel was perfectly located in what was originally the Las Vegas of Bugsy Siegel. This large building has it all and is close to everything a visitor could want for a fun and comfortable vacation. The Circa’s pièce de résistance was the stadium pool. It was hard to believe it was real and was like being in a football stadium with no less than six gigantic pools and an enormous screen playing sports. It was both horribly wrong and amazingly intriguing.
Fremont Street Experience
Directly in front of our hotel entrance, the Fremont experience offered a carnival-like atmosphere throughout the day. The long and wide pedestrian street had an amazing ceiling projected screen, many casino hotels, a multitude of bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and convenience stores, plenty of street performers and lots of fantastic live bands playing to an energetic crowd. We loved and enjoyed our strolls along this fascinating part of town, and no trip to Las Vegas would be complete without it.
AREA 15
To say that Area 15 is one of a kind is an understatement. It was refreshingly entertaining with a multitude of pavilions over a large area with plenty to see and do for all, and a full day can easily be spent with all its eclectic offerings. Our favourite was the Van Gogh experience, where we immersed ourselves into a 3D graphic journey of this famous painter’s artwork and landscapes with the use of special glasses.
Downtown Lip-Smacking Foodie Tour
Close to our hotel, this guided foodie tour is a wonderful way of visiting downtown Las Vegas and tasting some excellent finely prepared food. In less than two hours, we would try some very tasty foods and drinks prepared by talented chefs. While these individual and sometimes shared plates were small, we would be full and satisfied in some very attractively decorated restaurants. Being a visitor on a tight schedule we felt this was a fantastic way of being introduced to some of the best eateries in the district.
The Grand Boulevard
The strip is Las Vegas and Las Vegas is the strip. There is nothing in the world that resembles or even comes close to this place in opulence and decadence in such a small area. In a short time, we made our way through some of the most incredibly beautiful resorts available anywhere in the world, including the Wynn, the Bellagio, the Aria, the Venetian and Caesar’s Palace. It was sensory overload, but wonderful fun and we were constantly in awe. Within a few hours we were both amazed and exhausted by the sights and sounds of it all. I believe the strip must be consumed one bite at a time and one day at a time.
There is so much to see and do, we barely scratched the surface and would only get a sampling of Las Vegas. This incredible city is now on our radar, and we will return.
