In general, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but these facts are too sensational to be kept secret! From the neon lights to the shrimp buffet, discover the unsung face and the most beautiful tourist attractions of Las Vegas!
Neon-tastic!
Vegas is undoubtedly a city of glitz and dazzling lights and just about everywhere you look you see blazing neon lights. In fact, one of the city’s symbols is the giant neon Vegas Vic cowboy. There are over 15,000 miles of neon tubes in the city. Gleaming electric signs are such an integral part of Las Vegas that a museum is dedicated to them: the Neon Museum . Located in the repurposed lobby of the historic Concha Motel, the museum hopes to open in 2012 and display more than 150 iconic signs with their stories.
Gambling paradise?
Las Vegas hasn’t always been the gambling capital, at least not legally. The city was founded in 1905, but a federal anti-gambling law put an end to betting in 1910. This only made such activities underground until Nevada legislated again in 1931. And Vegas continued to grow into a mecca. casinos that we know today.
Curiously though, the state of Nevada does not allow the lottery. Pursuant to Article IV, sect. 24 of the state constitution, “No lottery shall be authorized by this state, nor shall the sale of lottery tickets. Many attempts to change this law have failed, although raffles and fundraisers for the benefit of the Church and charities are now permitted.
Not enough rooms?
Las Vegas hotels offer more than 130,000 rooms. In fact, four major hotels alone like the Tropicana, the Excalibur, the MGM Grand (which offers over 5,000) and the New York-New York have more rooms to rent than the entire city of San Francisco. And it’s not just to look good: occupancy regularly approaches 90 percent.
The Strip
The 6.8 km stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is called the Strip, but in fact it is not located in Las Vegas. The city of Las Vegas goes as far south as Sahara Avenue, but the Strip passes through two unincorporated municipalities: Winchester and Paradise. All of these municipalities are in Clark County, Nevada. Eighteen of the largest hotels in the world are located on this prestigious boulevard. However, some of the properties on the Las Vegas Strip are located up to a mile off the boulevard.
A hotel worthy of the gods
Much like the Egyptian pharaohs who strove to impress us with the size of their monuments, the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas built its reputation on a flashy thirty-story pyramid covered in bronze-colored glass, with a Sphinx and obelisks.
The hotel‘s atrium, completed in 1993, has 29 million cubic feet (820,000 m³) and could accommodate 9 Boeing 747s stacked on top of each other. Ramses himself would not have disdained such an atrium.
It is said that the projector which points its light beam towards the sky from the tip of the pyramid would be the most powerful in the world.
Forget the tables
Want to know where casinos get most of their revenue from? Would you believe they come from the one-armed bandits? Slots make up more than 60 percent of a casino’s revenue , even though video slots are required to pay out at least 75 percent on average. This does not mean that a machine pays regularly. It can run for days without a significant win occurring, or it can cough up two big wins in a short period of time. The typical slot machine that we know is designed according to the Liberty Bell model, invented by Charles Fey in 1899.
Bridal Bells
Thinking of exchanging vows and having Elvis as your witness? Vegas is the perfect place for weddings, both traditional and alternative.
It is estimated that an average of 500 pairs mate there per day. Most years the total is over 100,000 marriages.
By comparison, Disney World in Orlando blesses nearly 2,000 unions. Perhaps it is the presence of all these children that is less conducive to spontaneity.
All you need in Vegas is a driver’s license or passport and around $55 for the marriage license, which can be obtained in as little as 20 minutes. Cash only. A check probably wouldn’t cash in time for the vows.
Cornucopia
Vegas is known for its food. Not so much for the gastronomic aspect of the thing, but especially for the abundance. Casinos often offer their patrons food at a low price or even for free. To get an idea of the quantities ingested in a day, shrimp is consumed at a rate of more than 60,000 pounds per day. That’s more than the rest of the country eats on a typical day.
A room with a view
At 1,149 feet (350 m), the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest observation tower in the United States and the tallest man-made structure west of the Mississippi River. The observation deck perched at 869 feet offers a 360 degree view of Las Vegas.
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