Sheree Murphy: Dazzled by Las Vegas
It's bold, brash and crazy
Wednesday, 3 January 2007
'My favourite place on earth is Las Vegas. It's everything you imagine it to be and more,' says former Emmerdale star Sheree. 'Harry [Kewell] and I got married there in a little chapel and took about 25 people with us. It was brilliant - we partied for a week.'
Las Vegas : A history
This is a town that doesn’t do discreet or refined and probably thinks Restraint is a quiet little place over on the East Coast somewhere.
A century ago no one could have guessed that this unpromising chunk of silent desert would one day become such a tourist magnet. Back then its only potential seemed to lie with the railway. In 1902 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad company bought a quiet ranch in the dusty wilderness at a spot the Spanish had named Las Vegas – The Meadows.
The site was attractive mainly because of its creek of water, vital for the running of steam engines, and two years later tracks were put down. On 15 May 1905 the company auctioned off 110 acres of surplus land around the line to form Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite. The area remains the heart of downtown Vegas to this day.
The following year the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino opened for the benefit of passing passengers – and the rest is history. Las Vegas has become the entertainment capital of the world and, amazingly in this ever-changing town, the Golden Gate Hotel is still open and packing in the punters.
Must see must do
THE STRIP
Fifty years ago it was a parched thoroughfare. Today it’s the heart of the town, a 3.5 mile showcase of extravagant shops, malls, bars, restaurants and hotel casinos. On maps it’s labelled Las Vegas Boulevard, but everyone calls it ‘the strip’. Hotels dominate the centre with seductive state-of-the-art strategies to lure gamblers off the street. Where else would you find a Polynesian paradise, a Venetian-style lagoon and an erupting volcano on the same block?
DOWNTOWN
These eight blocks of shops and carnival attractions clustered around Fremont Street have been dubbed ‘Glitter Gulch’.
STRATOSPHERE TOWER
At the top of this famous landmark is the High Roller, the tallest roller coaster in the world (rides cost about £3). Take the 40-second trip to the tower’s floor-to-ceiling glass observation deck: by day you can see Arizona and California; by night, one of the world’s best light shows.
RED ROCK CANYON
This area of natural beauty is only 30 minutes’ drive from town. Half-day jeep tours cost around £50 each, including a stop at the visitor centre.
NIGHTLIFE
You have to be over 21 to drink alcohol. Bars and clubs proliferate and many casinos have lounges that are open 24 hours a day. Don’t miss the live shows featuring top performers such as Céline Dion and Elton John at Caesars Palace or the acrobatic fantasy of Cirque du Soleil – visit
www.lasvegasfreedom.co.uk for details and tickets. Prices start from £25.
Free activities
There’s plenty to see free of charge, especially in the fantasy hotels. Among the pick of the bunch currently are the magicians at the Centre Ring at Circus Circus, the jesters at Excalibur and the Masquerade Village Show In The Sky at the Rio. You can also wander through 15 acres of wild habitat at the Flamingo, with penguins, flamingos and swans, or check out the bird show at the Tropicana.
Getting around
Taxis, buses and trolleys are plentiful on the strip or you can hop on and off the free casino shuttle services. Car hire is cheap, too: rates start from around £20 per day plus £6 insurance.
Getting married
If you’re both over 18 you’ll need proof of identity, $55 (£30) for the licence from the Clark County Marriage License Bureau and usually a witness. There’s a vast range of venues – the only limits are your imagination and budget. Around $50 (£25) for a civil wedding is the cheapest it gets.
Gambling
You must be over 18 to visit a casino and over 21 to place a bet. In the evening the hotel casinos on the strip charge $10 (£5.50) minimum. Downtown is cheaper. All the major casinos have slot clubs that check how much you gamble and reward you with points
that you can use for show tickets or discounts and there’s no joining fee.
There are two types of slot machine: non-progressive ones with fixed paybacks and lower prizes, and progressive ones that are linked to similar machines. With these, the longer it takes for someone to hit the jackpot, the higher it will be. Resist the cocktail waitresses who hand out free drinks to gamblers or you may get tipsy and not realise how much you’re spending.
Philip Blackmore
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