Las Vegas Strip, Nevada

Think Vegas. You think of Vegas and you think of the Strip. Considered the Entertainment Capital of the World, middle name Sin City, Las Vegas, Nevada, and its Strip live up to the hype. While what goes down at the Strip now is off-the-chain popular, the Strip is relatively new in scale.
The course of events leading up to the Strip's popularity today is also the history of Las Vegas' explosion of wealth and population. The very latest census of 2006 estimates 1,036,180 people in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, making it one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. One key event turned the tides for Las Vegas, Nevada. With the opening of the Mirage in 1989 on the Strip, what could be called the era of "Mega-resorts" began. This shifted attention from any other Las Vegas area to the Strip. What a shift!
The Mirage is just one of the mega-resorts. Step onto Las Vegas Boulevard and in your ear and eye will flood the dazzle of hotel and casino resorts (from south to north): Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Tropicana, New York-New York, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo, Planet Hollywood, Paris Las Vegas, Bellagio, Bally's, Caesar's Palace, Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon, Imperial Palace, Mirage, Harrah's, Treasure Island, Venetian Resort, Wynn Las Vegas, Fashion Show, New Frontier, Riviera, Circus Circus, Sahara, and Stratosphere. Directly off the Strip are resorts such as the Hilton, Westin Casuarina, Hard Rock, and Hooters.
Your business in Vegas doesn't have to stray far from the business of having a good time. Near the Hard Rock is the Thomas & Mack Center; next to the Hilton is the Las Vegas Convention Center. Three to four blocks from the Strip is the McCarran International Airport.
The Strip is a virtual microcosm of entertainment, with everything from pools and water slides, roller coaster rides, circus shows, musicals, stand-up comedians, shops, casinos, to restaurants for all tastes and budgets. Some of the chefs you may recognize: at the Wynn Las Vegas, Chef Alessandro Stratta cooks in the French Riviera vein at his restaurant, Alex. At the Venetian restaurant, AquaKnox, Chef Tom Moloney prepares fresh seafood flown in from around the world. Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare of the Wynn Las Vegas is home to Chef Paul Bartolotta and his Italian fine dining. At the MGM Grand, Chef Tom Colicchio, who is a James Beard award-winning chef, uses the choicest meats, like Kobe Beef, in his restaurant, Craftsteak. Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse owns and operates Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian. You can also eat at a few Chef Wolfgang Puck restaurants on the Strip, including his world famous Spago. There are literally hundreds of restaurants of every style and ethnicity to choose from.
After a night playing blackjack and catching shows like Celine Dion or standup with Jay Leno or Jerry Seinfeld, sleep in, and hit the shops on the Strip. Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstroms, and outlets and malls packed with stores are within walking distance. Who's who comes to town to put on shows. With venues at all the major resorts, you'll have to keep your eyes and ears open for where and when your favorite act comes to Las Vegas. Be sure to catch events that go on each year. One event you won't want to miss is your own wedding. Las Vegas, Nevada, is notorious for its outlandish weddings, its drive-by weddings, its sky-diving weddings, its Elvis-as-minister weddings. While the rap is bad, there are just as many black-tie, conventional weddings as there are hair-brained ones. Whatever your flair, Las Vegas has it, making it the Wedding Capital of the World.
Las Vegas' Strip is a place you have to see to believe. One note: in the era of Mega-resorts, Las Vegas and the Strip have radically changed in image. You, your family, and friends may never want to drop a dime into a slot machine. The activities to do and sights to see are so various children will love their trip. The Strip's scale, wealth, and possibilities of things to do are unimaginable. You can plan a complete vacation ahead of time, or step off the plane and see where the days and nights take you. Before you know it, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", will mean you need to stay in Las Vegas, Nevada, again to see what happens.