|
|
|
Beer and Roving in Las Vegas Las Vegas: home of the Liberace Museum, casinos galore, glitzy shows, glam magic, quickie weddings and Bouchercon 2003. The Vegas location seems to incite two reactions from convention goers. “Oh, boy!” or “Oh, drat!” It is my contention that a good time can be had by all in this city and I'm on a cyber reconnaissance mission to support my claim. The Place, The History, The Name
Non-natives first noticed the Las Vegas oasis in 1829. Spanish explorers enroute
to Los Angeles passed In 1855, Brigham Young assigned 30 Mormon missionaries to erect a fort in the Las Vegas valley. When you want to bring the Bible to the naive masses, what better way to do it then from behind fortified walls? The fort was the first non-Indian settlement in the region and their reason for getting up in the morning was to teach the Paiute Indians farming techniques with a little Word of God on the side. The Paiutes rejected the teachings and made an occasional raid on the fort until it was abandoned in 1857. Perhaps a community center with a basketball court would have gone over better. With the State Land Act of 1885 offering sections of land at $1.25 per acre, indigenous would no longer be the inhabitant of choice. Farmers made their way in and made Nevada an agricultural force for many years. When a railroad was set up between Southern California with Salt Lake City in 1905, the city itself was born soon after. It didn’t begin its incredible growth spurt until Nevada legalized gambling in 1931. Since that time Nevada has been one of the fastest growing states in the Union. At over 1.4 million residents, Las Vegas is a city intent on being the #1 vacation destination and entertainment Mecca in the world. The King is in the Building It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that Las Vegas is haunted. Any place with all seven deadly sins not only condoned but catered too will have some violence and heartache associated with it. I’ve tracked a few down for any ghost hunters out there. The King of Ghost ‘n Roll There can be little doubt that Elvis loved Vegas. He loved the beautiful women, he loved the glamour and Lord did he love the tacky excess. Elvis and Las Vegas went together like bellbottomed jumpsuits and sweaty red neck scarves. The King died in Graceland in the summer of 1977, but he still shows up all over in Vegas on a rather consistent basis. The young Elvis hangs out at the Flamingo Hilton, where parts of ''Viva Las Vegas'' were filmed. The older Elvis spends most of his time on Fremont Street taking in the light shows and Landmark Drugs, where his prescriptions were filled. His favorite haunting place seems to be the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton). The King headlined here in the early '70s, and turned the 30th floor into the Elvis Presley Suite. Elvis is seen striding down the hall outfitted in studded leather. He actually lived here at 525 Park Paseo Drive and visits every now and again to keep an eye on things.
Earning the nickname 'Bugsy' early in his criminal career for the delightful attribute of 'going bugs' with little provocation, Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel built a gambling palace unparalleled in it’s day -- the Flamingo. Land was cheap and gambling was legal. A Mafia boy’s dream come true. Emptying mob bank accounts after tiring of hobnobbing with movie stars, extorting money, swindling vis-a-vis illegal gambling and murdering the odd gangland rival, Bugsy ticked off a few of the wrong people. He would eventually pay the price. In his Hollywood hotel, one night in 1947, Bugsy sat down to read a newspaper. A barrage of bullets sprayed the room. He was killed outright and the identity of his executioner was never discovered. Bugsy's made his way back to Las Vegas in spectral form. He is often seen lounging by the pool late at night when the area is bereft of guests. Once, a cleaning lady quit after seeing Bugsy on the fifth floor. The current owners of the hotel, the Hilton Corporation, tore down Bugsy's old bungalow and consider Bugsy’s name an anathema. The Goldfield Hotel This 154-room hotel, named because it was built on top of an abandoned gold mind, is now closed off and abandoned. Several ghosts currently occupy the hotel. Room 109, a small room with a single bed in the downstairs employees' area, is haunted by the presence of a pregnant woman. People have witnessed her ghost chained to a radiator there. The tale behind the haunting is a grim one. George Winfield, the original owner of the hotel, chained a pregnant prostitute named Elizabeth in the room. After giving birth, the woman was left in the room to die. The baby was thrown down the mineshaft at the northern end of the basement. She roams the halls looking for her child. Elizabeth's ghost turned up on a photograph taken in the room by a reporter from Las Vegas.
Whiskey Pete's Hotel & Casino Take a long trek through the southwest desert to the California/Nevada state line and Whiskey Pete's Casino is there to welcome you. The rambling hotel complex offers gaming, shopping and recreation. A cantankerous old miner named Whiskey Pete opened a filling station on the remote and forlorn spot. He increased his paltry fuel sales with vigorous moonshine sales. Although Whiskey Pete died in 1933 he lives on decades later with the advent of casinos and hotel suites. Visitors’ report parking their cars with their gas tanks on empty to return to and find them filled. The specter of the old man is seen watching over the gamblers as the win and lose. He apparently finds this amusing. Cool Things to See in the Vegas Area
Neon Museum • 702-678-5777
Fremont Street Experience • 702-678-5600
Caesars Magical Empire • 702-731-7333
Eiffel Tower • 702-946-7000
Circus Circus Adventuredome
Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area
Las Vegas Outdoor Exploring
Bookstores in the Vegas Area
Waldenbooks
Gundy’s Book World • 702-385-6043
Albion Books • 702-792-9554
B. Dalton Bookseller
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Bookstar
Parkland Books • 702-732-4474
Psychic Eye
Readmore Books & Magazines
Book Magician • 702-384-5838
Borders Books • 702-258-0999
Dead Poet Books • 702-227-4070
Music Stores
Big B's CDs and Records · 732-4433
Benway Records · 702-597-9440
Border’s Books Music & Café
LIQUID 303 · 702-383-3245
Tower Records-Video-Books
Virgin Megastore Las Vegas · 702-696-7100
The Wherehouse
Comic Book Stores
Alternate Reality Comics · 702-736-3673
Malls
The Strip · 702-866-0703
Forum Shops at Ceasars · 702-893-4800
Belz Factory Outlet World · 702-896-5599
The Tower Shops · 702-383-4790
Factory Stores of America · 702-897-9090
Fashion Show Mall · 702-369-8382
Greater Las Vegas
Masquerade Village · 702-252-7777
Galleria at Sunset · 702-434-0202
Boulevard Mall · 702-735-8268
Meadows Mall · 702-878-4849
Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet · 702-877-0087
Shoes Stores
Bally Of Switzerland · 702-369-8382
Dillard's · 702-369-8382
Macy's · 702-791-2100
Macy's · 702-369-8382
Neiman Marcus · 702-731-3636
Robinsons-May · 702-369-8382
Saks Fifth Avenue · 702-369-8382
A link to all of the buffets offered in Las Vegas http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/buffets.htm. Cool Places to Hang Out
Cafe Espresso Roma · 702-242-7669
Hookah Lounge · 702-731-6030
V Bar · 702-414-3200
Huntridge Tavern · 702-384-7377
Baby's · 702-693 5555
Double Down Saloon · 702-791 5775
Karaoke
Chicago's Cactus Club · 702-655-2582
Fifth Avenue Pub · 702-385-5000
Hot Shots Bar & Grill · 702-547-6600
Calico Jack's · 702-255-6771
Cheyenne Saloon · 702-645-4139
Jack Potter's Quarter Club · 702-248-4211
Sagebrush Saloon · 702-452-7038
Skip's Gold Coin Saloon · 702-871-4550
Thirstbusters · 702-454-9200
Sunrise Lounge & Restaurant · 702-438-6944
Sunset Brewing Co. · 702-547-7777
Whiskey Creek · 702-431-8805
Dress Codes
Do I Have To Dress Up In Las Vegas?
Dressing for Fine Dining:
Dressing for Nightclubs and Lounges:
If you’re a clubbing regular, you bedeck yourself in funky array all the time. Note that in Vegas, there’s no such thing as too sexy, as long as you’re fashionable. Hotel lounges with free, live entertainment are much more laid back and usually have no dress code. You might feel out of place in a first-class hotel lounge you like you’re about to go to a farmer’s market, and they do reserve the right to enforce a dress code.
Dressing for Las Vegas Shows:
How Do Ya Get Around In Las Vegas?
Remember that outdoor appearances can be deceiving. The casinos are colossal inside. Something’s may look like they’re a five-minute walk and you’ll find yourself there 20 minutes later. Happily, the Strip has so much to look at, will be quite enjoyable. Cabs: Cabs are fine if you are coming to gamble, sit by the pool, and you don't care about running all over the place. However, if you are staying on The Strip, want to visit the Fremont St. Experience (Old Vegas downtown), have tickets to a show playing at another hotel, you'd better have deep pockets for cab fare. Cabs are expensive. Add airport transportation to that and you may wish to rent a car. Cab drivers in Las Vegas are also notorious for taking the longest drive from point A to point B. Airport Shuttles: Just follow the signs. From baggage they will lead you to a number of shuttles that will take you from the airport to most hotels in town for between $4.00 - 6.00. City Bus: The city bus runs up and down The Strip, continuing into downtown and the Fremont Street Experience every 5-10 minutes. Fare is only $2 per person. They’re slow and can be very crowded. Assorted Vegas Factoids 1. On average 150 couples get married in Las Vegas each day. 2. Las Vegas has more than 120,000 hotel rooms. It would take 329 years to sleep in all of the rooms for one night. 3. Hoover Dam's structural volume surpasses the largest pyramid in Egypt, which took 20 years and 100,000 men to complete. It took 4 years and 5,000 workers to complete Hoover Dam? 4. Although the Las Vegas "Strip" is a well-known insignia, it is not the official name of the multi-lane street that fronts the multitude of world-renowned Las Vegas casinos. It is actually called Las Vegas Boulevard South 5. Nevada means "snowcapped" in Spanish. Its nickname is the "Battle Born State" and it is the seventh largest state in terms of square miles. Las Vegas means "the meadows" in Spanish. It was founded in 1905 and incorporated March 16, 1911. 6. In 1996, it was reported that Las Vegas was the brightest city in the world. The Desert Research Institute took data off a military remote satellite orbiting the earth more than 500 miles up. Las Vegas, they say, was a lot brighter than Tokyo and Los Angeles, and slightly brighter than New York. Luxor's beacon, strong as 40 searchlights, was the world's brightest artificial light. 7. The lights were dimmed on the Strip when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin died (on September 14, 2001, Las Vegas Hilton, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Paris, and Bally's were dimmed, and parts of the resorts went dark in memory of the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks). Bring the Kids!
Kid-Friendliest Hotels in Las Vegas
Things to Do When You're One Foot Two http://www.lasvegaskids.net/las_vegas_activities/top_things_to_do.htm http://www.lasvegaskids.net/las_vegas_activities/gameworks.htm http://www.kidsinvegas.com/attractions.htm http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/guide/familyvacation.html http://www.allaboutthefun.com/ALLABOUTTHEFUN/kids_in_vegas.html
Child Care
http://www.kidsinvegas.com/clark-county-childcare.htm Vegas Coupons You don’t have to gamble all of the money away! http://www.wedoitallvegas.com/VegasDiscounts.asp http://lasvegasfunbook.com/ http://www.las-vegas-coupon.com/ http://www.allwnycoupon.com/lasvegas.html http://www.lvstyle.com/ http://www.insidervlv.com/InsiderViewpointCoupons/index.html Hope that helps! Jennifer Jordan ©
|
|
through
the unexplored Las Vegas Valley, then referred to as “jornada de muerte”, or
journey of death. A young scout named Rafael Rivera saw the valley was crammed
with wild grasses and had a copious water supply. He renamed the valley
"Las Vegas" which means "the meadows." A little better for
tourism.
The
Flamingo Hotel
On the first floor, mysterious
cigar smoke and fresh ashes have been found the George Winfield Room. George has
also been seen near the Lobby Staircase. The ghosts of a dwarf, and two small
children have also been seen. The Gold Room is haunted by a ghost that
"stabs" people. For years, locals have seen unusual lights when the
building is vacant, people in the windows and heard peculiar noises. Some say
that the Goldfield Hotel is one of only seven portals to the Other Side that
exist in the modern world.
