Simplifying Las Vegas

North Strip

• Adventure Dome at Circus Circus is quite a fun place for rides for big kids, little kids, well, kids of all sizes!
• Sky Jump, Big Shot, Insanity, and X-Scream at the Stratosphere are all cool rides with a cool view of the Strip. All this and you get to scream your head off, too.
• The Venetian has indoor and outdoor Gondola Rides with Italian gondoliers. And, check out Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum to see stars, wannabe stars, and soon-to-be stars. Well, in wax form anyway.
• If you like cars, I mean really fancy cars (this is Vegas, after all), you'll enjoy Wynn's Penske-Wynn Ferrari Maserati.

• Las Vegas is like a circus, so while you're there, why not see free circus acts at Circus Circus?
• There's lots of people with makeup at the Venetian. Some act like statues, some sing. The performances occur periodically throughout the day.
• If you like odd art and wacky chandeliers and sculptures, try the SLS casino for some free, fun entertainment.

• Want something sexy? Pin up this show from the Stratosphere (inexpensive).
• Get your groove on with Human Nature at Venetian (moderate)
• Your dreams may seem more vivid at the Wynn's Le Reve (it means The Dream in French - expensive)

• Zine Noodles Dim Sum may be a funny name for a restaurant, but it's a great Pan-Asian restaurant.
• A great little spot for dinner, Fellini's Ristorante is tucked away behind the casino and a great meal at a great price.
• Want something more upscale? Bazaar Meat at SLS is very trendy.

Mid Strip

• Linq has a great Auto Collection that frequently changes, so even if you've seen it once, you may see something different each time. You can also get free tickets to it (like in What's On and Showbiz magazines) all over town. Vroom!
• 460 feet above the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. It's everywhere you want to be. And, you can be there when you shoot up the elevator in the Eiffel Tower Experience. Tickets are not available online; you can get them at the Eiffel Tower Box Office. Look for 2-1 coupons around town.
• The Bellagio has the last Fine Art Gallery on the Strip.

• The Bellagio fountains, day or night, is the continually rated the best free show on the Strip. There's music, there's dancing water, and you don't have to pay for it. It's wonderful.
• There are three shows inside Caesars Palace Forum Shops. You got yer Atlantis, with fire, water, and sibling rivalry. You got yer Festival of Fountains, with Bacchus (god of gluttany), and you got yer fishy tank behind the Atlantis show. All are fun, free, and family-friendly. If you are in the Forum Shops anyway, why not watch 'em?
• For something a little more explosive, the Volcano at Mirage was one of the first attractions of its kind on the Strip. Only in Vegas.

• I highly recommend The Beatles Love at the Mirage. You may not like the Beatles. You may not like Cirque. But I bet you'll love this show.
• Old school is still cool. Evidence? Jubilee! at Bally's. This is one of the best (and last) examples of classic Vegas production show.
• Mac King at Harrah's will make you laugh in the afternoon.
• Oh, and one more thing. O at Bellagio is another great Cirque du Soliel show.

• Battista's Hole in the Wall, while technically not on the Strip, is only a block behind the Flamingo. It's one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Las Vegas.
• The Palm in Caesars Palace Forum Shops has steaks and seafood. Great place for lunch, dinner, and people watching.
• I have two suggestions at the Bellagio. First, try Olives, especially for lunch, as a casual place. If the weather is nice, you can sit outside and catch the fountain show. And then there's Picasso, a fancy shmancy place with actual paintings by Pablo in the joint. Wow.

South Strip

• If you have a strong constitution, ride The Big Apple Roller Coaster at NY NY. Watch out for that first dip, it's a doosy.
• To get your fix of fish in the middle of the desert, check out Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef. Ths is a fantastic place for the whole family.
• The Titanic exhibit at Luxor is... well, Titanic. We're not talking about one or two artifacts dusted off here, we're talking about 25,000 square feet of history.

• Lots of free stuff to experience at New York New York's attractions, including Hershey's Chocolate World, the Bad Check cab, the cool Statue of Liberty and other NY city landscapes like the Brooklyn Bridge. You'll think your in the Empire State, not the Silver State!
• At Excalibur's Fun Dungeon, you'll find arcade games and fun for the whole fam.

• MGM Grand's Ka is a great Cirque du Soleil show. Tickets will run you between $100 and $150.
• NY NY has an exotic and erotic Cirque show for something a little zany. It's called Zumanity
• The King of Pop still pops at Mandalay Bay's Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du soleil.

• Il Fornaio is a great little Italian restaurant in the heart of the NY NY casino. Mangia.
• MGM Grand has a ton of great restaurants, ranging from moderate in price to zowie. On the moderate side, try Tap for a cool sports bar experience. On the zowie side, I love Craftsteak. Great food, great atmosphere, great service.
• Like MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay is another place that has about a zillion restaurants. For a Mexican meal, there's Border Grill. For something more upscale, sip on Aureole. Not only do they have great food, they also have Wine Angels to fetch your bottle for you - that says it all.

Downtown

• Downtown has a great Arts District. If you happen to be in Vegas the first Friday of the month, check out their First Fridays block party.
• Ever notice all them pretty lights in Las Vegas? The Neon Museum has preserved some of the older signs in Las Vegas and has tours of The Boneyard, an outdoor display of unrestored neon signs.
• The Fremont East District has been revitalized and has some great bars, nightclubs, and kitchy signs (go at night to see them all aglow).

• The Fremont Street Experience is a great laser light and sound show. It changes frequently, and it draws a big crowd downtown. But there's always a good spot to see it, so pack the kids in the car, head downtown, and check it out!
• You won't believe the size of the golden nugget at Golden Nugget. So, bring your camera and show your friends that you weren't lying. Well, about the golden nugget, anyway.

• At The D Las Vegas, Frankie Schinta is a long-time Vegas favorite.
• Even if you are not into Elvis, give The Spirit of the King at Four Queens a shot. Best Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas, which is saying something!
• At the Nugget, Gordie Brown does a little bit of everything, from singing to comedy to imperssions.

• Remember those old images of restaurants in Las Vegas? Chuck wagon type deals, where you could get a buffet for $1.95? Some people think downtown is still like that. No way! A great example of a fine restaurant with decent prices is Binion's Top of Binion's Steakhouse. Yum.
• For Cantonese, Szechwan and Pan Asian cuisine, there's no better restaurant downtown than Lilly's Noodle House at Golden Nugget.
• How about something a little different? On the rooftop of Downtown Grand Las Vegas, have a picnic at Picnic, or at least a few drinks and some bites on their lunch menu.

Outskirts

• The Orleans has some cool stuff for kids and adults, all located close to the Strip. Why not take a break from the casino and put some money down on a sure thing, like movies or bowling?
• Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix is great for kids and adults who like to race. It also has rides, midway games and parties (for adults and kids). Fun!

• There's a really cool aquarium at Silverton, which contains over 117,000 gallons of water and over 4,000 fish.
• Sam's Town on Boulder Highway has a great Sunset Stampede show every day at their Mystic Falls Park. Get along, little doggies!

• At the Rio, Penn and Teller are illusionists who take you inside the world of magic. It's a pretty funny show, too.
• Pearl is the Palms' concert theater, and they constantly bring in top-notch entertainment.
• Another great concert venue is The Joint at Hard Rock. After seeing a concert there, your friends will ask you, who smoked The Joint?

• For my list of Outskirts Restaurants, I'm suggesting 3 locals joints. These are not fancy-pants places, just good, clean eats with something special to offer:
  • Hash House A Go Go is not only a cool name, it's a great diner-like joint with huge portions.
  • Four Kegs comes highly recommended. Cold Beer and strombolis. Life is good.
  • Lotus of Siam is the best Thai restaurant in Las Vegas. In Nevada. Maybe, in the country!
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