There are so many casinos in Las Vegas; one could spend years just visiting,
gambling and viewing all of their other
attractions. Many of the Casinos, especially located along The Strip are considered Super Casinos. There are only a few large cities in the world where you will find a Super Casino - Las Vegas is one of these cities. A Super Casino is like an entire city contained within one giant mega entertainment complex. Ever see the movie The Truman Show in which Truman, played by Jim Carrey lives a choreographed life contained within a giant bubble - in which his reality is blinded by all the unreality that surrounds him...well at times that is the feeling you get from being inside of a Super Casino! All shopping, dining, nightlight, lodging, an eclectic array of attractions, painted
sky's, museums, gambling, and entertainment is provided - there is really never any reason why you would need to leave the Casino,
except to return to your real life! The casino gods would say "God forbid" to that.
Some of the casinos near the center of "the strip" are now connected via
walkways that rise above the city. These for the most part are not
covered, so if it rains you get wet.|
Parking is typically FREE in Las Vegas as most of the casino's have
their own parking structures and they cover the cost, as parking is
cheap compared to theoretically what you will spend in their casino.
Some of the parking garages have security checkpoints and security will
either wave you through, or stop and inspect the inside and or the trunk
of your car. Why there is no standardized parking structure security
among all the casinos is a mystery to me.
If you want to experience Las Vegas when it is most crowded you
absolutely MUST come on New Years Eve and New Years Day. This is when
life in Las Vegas reaches the utmost pinnacle of partying and many of
the casinos are wall to wall crowds.
Several casinos that the author visited during his short stay in Las Vegas are listed below.
Barbary Coast sits across the street from the the Paris Hotel &
Casino on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. This is an old style casino
where the gambling seems to be the primary attraction. This is not a
super casino - its a much smaller casino that happens to have an
excellent location on The Strip near all the super casinos. Consider
parking in their parking garage versus some of the other more busier
garages and then walking to select casinos of your choice. Their parking
garage is very central to the strip but not as popular as some of the
other casino garages. Visit:
www.barbarycoastcasino.com
The Bellagio as one might expect has an Italian feel to it. Great entertainment, botanical gardens, the gallery of fine art, the famous water show all help to make this Super Casino a world class resort complex. The daily waters shows are a must see for any trip to Las Vegas. On a warm evening this is as romantic a place as you can find in town. The mist from the finely tuned
nozzles buried deep within the blue lake in front of the Casino rain down on you to the sounds of Italian operas or arias playing in the
background. Puccini, or Pavarotti, or Bochelli will be dramatically playing and their voices will surround you. Everyone stops when the water show starts and stares into the middle of the lake,
mesmerized by the fountains.
Mandalay Bay is one of the popular casinos located on the southern end of "the strip". Your sight would have to be impaired in order to miss this Super Casino. The outside is entirely golden in color and when the sun strikes it, a radiant light is cast in all directions. From the popular family attraction
Shark Reef Exhibit, to the very popular
House of Blues Nightclub, to the 11 acre ocean beach and complete with man made waves - this Super Casino has got it all.
MGM Grand is a definitely one of the largest casinos in the world
and a result is a "super casino". They have studios, entertainment, tons
of shops, shows and more. It is the Green triagonal type building
close to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay resort on the south part of the
strip. You can't miss it. A huge central ballroom is amazing and
definitely worth the visit. Many murals and paintings adorn the upper
walls and balconies. Studio 54 is a very
popular night club here. Cirque du Soleil is a long running popular
show. Near the main ballroom is the lion habit - where you can watch
lions. Typically these lions are sleeping!
New York, New York - is a huge casino with tons of shopping, a roller coaster and a skyline that looks...well just like the real New York Skyline! Be sure to visit the Statue of Liberty. For more information visit:
www.nynyhotelcasino.com
Paris Las Vegas is owned by the entertainment conglomerate
Caesars Entertainment
and sits in the middle of The Strip. You know you are in "Paris" when
you see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc du'
Triomphe. The pillars of the 1/2 scaled Eiffel tower run right through
the roof and into the casino floor. The lighting in this hotel is
similar to parts of the Venetian casino in that the sky is lit so that
is always looks like sunset. However, the Venetian has done a better job
of making this type of lighting more surreal. There is a walkway of
shops that is reminiscent of the shop walkway in the Wynn Casino
(mentioned below).
The Wynn Casino is one of the newer casinos on "the strip" and
carries the namesake of its founder, Steve Wynn. Standing slightly north
of the center of "the strip" this casino makes an imposing presence. Its
more subtle than say the Mandalay Bay resort which anchors the southern
end of the strip. The Wynn Casino is graced in muted copper rather than
being built in bright gold such as the Mandalay Bay Resort. Inside is first class
although you can definitely tell it is a casino - it doesn't scream with
gaudiness such as some of the other casinos do. There is a first rate
Ferrari/exocit car museum - cost is about $10 a ticket to get in. Many high class
cars are located in this museum. Steve's private high end art collection
decorating two small rooms is open to the public tucked away among the
many pricy fancy shops. No photos allowed. Rembrandt, Picasso, Degas,
and Monet are among the artists featured here. A hand set with a speaker
you hold up to your ear is given to you
which contains numbers corresponding to the various photos. An excellent
presentation and description of each painting is given to you - the
man's voice who narrates these paintings may well be of Steve Wynn
himself.
Note the huge waterfall cascading over a tan colored stone - falling
into a huge dark lagoon. Patio dining is available outside in front of
this lagoon. Escalators will take you downstairs to this lagoon from the
main floor of the casino - good for taking pictures and you certainly
are not required to eat here, as you can easily take an escalator back
up to the main floor. Excellent colorful tile mosaics grace some of the
walkways in this casino.
Long a player in the Las Vegas Casino building business
(Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio), Steve Wynn has produced a first
class casino complete with the museums, shows and amenities. For more
information visit:
www.wynnlasvegas.com
The Venetian is one of the Super Casinos - in which gambling is
no longer the primary attraction. As with other Super Hotels the
Venetian has thousands of rooms, fantastic museums (including a
Guggenheim Museum), attractions for the entire family - not to mention
its gambling, amazing variety of shops and fascinating nightlife! The
main attraction for many is wondering along perfectly lit canals
stimulating a never ending sunset - listening to live opera singers
gracing small pedestals seeing romantic couples being rowed along in
gondolas. The canals are spotless, the oarsmen are perfectly groomed -
its utter perfect reality. Besides the indoor canals that wind through
the shopping areas, you can also take outdoor canal rides here.
There is a restaurant that overlooks all of this
centrally located in "St. Marks Square". This restaurant is called the
Canaletto. They specialize in northern Italian cuisine. Dining here is
like being on a movie set. The food is simply average and the service is
very sub-par.
During your meal an opera singer may lean
out from one of the many balconies above the restaurant and starting
singing. For more information visit:
www.venetian.com/dining/canaletto.cfm
