Things to do in Las Vegas
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Eiffel Tower Experience
Just as in the French capital, the signature attraction of Paris–Las Vegas is the Eiffel Tower Experience. Ascend in a glass elevator to the observation deck for panoramic views of the Strip, notably the Bellagio’s dancing fountains. How authentic is the half-scale tower? Gustave Eiffel’s original drawings were consulted, but the 50-story replica is welded rather than riveted together. It’s also fireproof and engineered to withstand a major earthquake.
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Desert Rock Sports
Run by climbers, this outdoor-adventure shop rents bouldering crash pads and carries all-weather apparel and brand-name hiking, rock-climbing, camping and backpacking equipment. The indoor Red Rock Climbing Center is next door.
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Mandalay Place
With a de-stress atmosphere and vaulted ceilings, M-Bay’s airy promenade shows off almost two dozen unique boutiques, including Suite 160, Metropark and Urban Outfitters for tweens, Lush beauty shop, the Art of Shaving and ARCS salon, and the first-ever Nike Golf store.
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Sterling Brunch at Bally's
Indulge in the best - and most expensive - Sunday brunch ($85) in town. Ice sculptures and lavish flower arrangements abound at the Sterling Brunch, as do food stations featuring roast duckling, beef tenderloin and fresh sushi.
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Beauty Bar
At the salvaged innards of a 1950s New Jersey beauty salon, swill a cocktail while you get a makeover demo or chill out with the hip DJs and live local bands. Then walk around the corner to the Downtown Cocktail Room, a low-lit speakeasy owned by the friendly young entrepreneurs who run the Beat Coffeehouse.
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Double Down Saloon
You can't get more punk rock than a dive whose tangy, blood-red house drink is named 'Ass Juice' and where happy hour means everything in the bar is two bucks. (Ass Juice and a Twinkie for $5; one of Vegas' bizarrely badass bargains.) Killer jukebox, cash only.
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Fireside Lounge
The Strip's most unlikely romantic hideaway is inside the Peppermill, a retro coffee shop serving giant omelets, pancakes and pie to the just married, the freshly divorced and the hungover. Courting couples flock here for the low lighting, sunken fire pit and cozy nooks built for supping on multi-strawed tiki drinks and for acting out your most inadvisable 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' moments.
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Mirage
With a tropical setting replete with a huge atrium filled with jungle foliage and soothing cascades, the Mirage captures the imagination. Circling the atrium is a vast Polynesian-themed casino, which places gaming areas under separate roofs to evoke intimacy, including a popular high-limit poker room. Don't miss the 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, with 60 species of critters hailing from Fiji to the Red Sea (including puffer fish, tangs and pygmy sharks), in the hotel registration area. Out front in the lagoon, a fiery faux volcano erupts hourly after dark until midnight.
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Moon
Stylishly outfitted like a nightclub in outer space, the retractable roof opens for dancing under the stars. Admission includes entry to the only Playboy Club in the world, a surprisingly chic and intimate affair whose skyline views are decidedly more eye-popping and dramatic than the, ah, views offered by the surgically-enhanced, bunny-eared blackjack dealers.
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The Beat Coffeehouse
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Bellagio
Fans of eye-popping luxury, along with movie buffs who liked Ocean's Eleven (several key scenes were shot here) won't want to miss Steve Wynn's Vegas' original opulent pleasure palazzo. Inspired by a lakeside Italian village, the Bellagio is now a classic fixture of the strip, perhaps best known for its dazzling choreographed dancing fountain show that takes place every 15 to 30 minutes during the afternoon and evening. Other highlights include the dreamy pool area, a swish shopping concourse, a European-style casino and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Don't miss the hotel lobby's showpiece: a Dale Chihuly sculpture composed of 2000 hand-blown glass flowers in vibrant…
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Buffet Bellagio
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Caesars Palace
If you want to glimpse a vision of the pre-Bellagio version of quintessential four-star Las Vegas, Caesar's is your first stop. When it debuted in 1966, this Greco-Roman fantasyland captured the world's attention with its full-size marble reproductions of classical statuary and its cocktail waitresses clothed as goddesses. Bar girls continue to roam the gaming areas in skimpy togas, and faux-ancient Muses guard the high-roller rooms. The Colosseum showroom hosts mega- concerts featuring international icons like chanteuse Celine Dion. Don't skip a stroll through the curious mix of haute couture and cheesy Roman spectacle at the Forum Shops.
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CityCenter
Just when you thought you'd seen it all on the Strip, where themed hotels compete to outdo each other, comes the CityCenter, which beats the competition by not competing at all. We've seen this symbiotic relationship before (think giant hotel anchored by a mall 'concept') but the way this LEED-certified complex places a small galaxy of hyper-modern, chichi hotels in orbit around the glitzy Crystals shopping center is a first.
The uber-upscale spread includes the subdued, stylish Vdara, the hush-hush opulent Mandarin Oriental and the dramatic architectural showpiece Aria whose sophisticated wood and chrome casino provides a fitting backdrop for its visually stunning…
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Cosmopolitan
Hipsters who have long thought they were too cool for Vegas finally have a place to go where they don't need irony to endure – much less enjoy – the aesthetics. Like the new Hollywood 'IT' girl, the Cosmo looks good at all times. Expect a steady stream of ingénues and entourages, plus regular folks who enjoy contemporary design. With a focus on pure fun, it avoids utter pretension, despite the constant wink-wink, retro moments: the Art-o-Matics (vintage cigarette machines hawking local art rather than nicotine), and possibly the best buffet in town, the Wicked Spoon. The va-va-va-voom casino lives up to the hotel's name, and the hotel bars – from a James Bond-esque…
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Downtown Arts District
On the First Friday of each month, a carnival of 10,000 art lovers, hipsters, indie musicians and hangers-on descend on Las Vegas' downtown arts district. These giant monthly block parties feature gallery openings, performance art, live bands and tattoo artists. The action revolves around the Arts Factory, Commerce Street Studios and the Funk House. Check the website for shuttle bus info.
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Emergency Arts
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Encore
A slice of the French Riviera in Las Vegas – and classy enough to entice any of the Riviera's regulars – Steve Wynn has upped the wow factor, and the skyline, yet again with the Encore. Filled with indoor flower gardens, a butterfly motif and a dramatically luxe casino with scarlet chandeliers, it's an oasis of bright beauty. Botero, the restaurant headed by Mark LoRusso, is centered on a large sculpture by Fernando Botero himself. Don't miss the elegant Baccarat room with its jeweled peacocks, or the stunning casino bar. Come summertime, the Encore Beach Club throws one of the hottest pool parties in town.
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Ferraro's
The photos on the wall offer testimony to the fact that locals have been flocking to classy, family-owned Ferraro's for 85 years to devour savory Italian classics. These days, the fireplace patio and the amazing late night happy hour draw an eclectic crowd full of industry and foodie types at the friendly bar. To-die-for housemade pastas compete for attention with legendary osso buco, and a killer antipasti menu served till midnight.
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Flamingo
Back in 1946, the Flamingo was the talk of the town. Its original owners – all members of the New York mafia – shelled out millions to build this unprecedented tropical gaming oasis in the desert. Today, it isn't quite what it was back when its janitorial staff wore tuxedos; think more Miami Vice, less Bugsy. Drop by during the madhouse afternoon happy hours to sling back massive margaritas. Out back is a wildlife habitat with magnificent gardens where Chilean flamingos and African penguins wander, and 15 acres of meandering pools and waterfalls filled with swans and exotic birds.
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Funk House
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Golden Gate
Famous $1.99 shrimp cocktails (super-size 'em for $3.99).
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Golden Nugget
Downtown's royal jewel has serious panache, thanks in part to gorgeous Dale Chihuly-inspired glasswork everywhere you look. No brass or cut glass was spared inside the swanky (and lively) casino, known for its nonsmoking poker room; the RUSH Lounge, where live local bands play; and some of downtowns' best restaurants. Don't miss the gigantic 61lb Hand of Faith, the world's largest gold nugget, around the corner from the hotel lobby.
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Hard Rock
Beloved by SoCal visitors, this très-hip casino hotel is home to one of the world's most impressive collections of rock and roll memorabilia, including Jim Morrison's handwritten lyrics to one of the Door's greatest hits and leather jackets from a who's who of famous rock stars. The Joint concert hall, Vanity Nightclub and 'Rehab' summer pool parties attract a pimped-out, sex-charged crowd flush with celebrities.
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