Las Vegas

The Entertainment Capital of the World — neon, shows and no-sleep casinos.

Las Vegas is the world's entertainment capital — an improbable city of 650,000 people in the middle of the Mojave Desert whose existence is entirely devoted to gambling, spectacle, luxury and excess. The Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard South) is one of the world's most extraordinary built environments: a 6.8-kilometre parade of enormous themed casino hotels — the Bellagio (dancing fountains), the MGM Grand, the Venetian (complete with gondolas), Caesars Palace, the Cosmopolitan — competing in scale and spectacle. Every major global entertainment act performs in Las Vegas residencies. Cirque du Soleil operates multiple permanent shows; celebrity chefs (Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Joel Robuchon) operate restaurants in the major casinos; the Sphere (a 160,000 square foot LED-covered globe seating 17,500) is the most remarkable new entertainment venue of the 21st century. The Fremont Street Experience in downtown is free and wild — a video-canopy covering 5 blocks of the original casino strip with hourly light shows. Beyond the Strip, Las Vegas is the gateway to extraordinary natural landscapes. Red Rock Canyon (30 minutes), Valley of Fire (1 hour), Hoover Dam and Lake Mead (45 minutes), Zion National Park (2.5 hours) and the Grand Canyon South Rim (4.5 hours) are all accessible as day trips. Las Vegas is an excellent, affordable hub for exploring the American Southwest. The food scene has improved dramatically and genuine fine dining is excellent.