Vegas is a city of stories, amazing facts and history. Over 37.5 million people visit Las Vegas each year. Each one arrives with the small glimmer of hope that this trip could be the one where they return wealthier than they arrived. At the very least, each leaves with a story of their own to tell.
I have been to Las Vegas on several occasions for sporting events but, most importantly as a representative of Jadd Fong Travel, an Albuquerque travel agency. On each trip, I am left with a different impression of the city of Las Vegas.
- Seventeen of the 20 largest hotels in the United States are in Las Vegas.
- The first casino was licensed 1931. The current number of licensed gambling places is over 1,700.
- There is gambling aplenty, from penny slots to the highest stake tables and even private card games.
- Mobster Bugsy Siegel named the Flamingo after the long legs of his girlfriend. Siegel's "financiers" were unhappy when the budget for the casino went from just over one million dollars to nearly 7 million dollars.
- Las Vegas is one of the most popular places to get married in the world with very few legal requirements and even a drive-through marriage chapel.
- Las Vegas has historically been an adult destination, but during the 1990's city leaders and publicists attempted to remake the city into a more family-friendly destination. Results were mixed.
- Visitors almost always underestimate the amount of walking they will do in Vegas. The hotels are huge, the distances between hotels equally long. Take comfortable shoes!
- Not everyone spends time outdoors, but a good sun block is important as well. Speaking of the outdoors, Vegas hotels are famous for their lavish and lively collection of swimming pools, some of which are adult only.
- There is nothing subtle about Las Vegas architecture. Where else will you see the New York City skyline next to the Eiffel Tower next to the canals of Venice, next to one of the Pyramids, next to Camelot?
- Las Vegas casinos are famous for their bargain dining options and buffets, but the city is also home to world-class dining in many of the major hotels with a collection of famous chefs that rival any city anywhere.
- Vegas weather is predictable. If you are looking for cooler weather come from October to February. Looking for hotter weather? Come March through September.
- The casinos are not the only attractions. Grand Canyon tours are popular as are trips out to the desert.
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