Strip south from the roof of the Treasure Island. Photo credit: Las Vegas news bureau
Las Vegas is the undisputed leisure capital of America, recently celebrating its centenary year. Never has it been so easy to reach this entertainment capital by air, or to stay in world-class accommodation at affordable rates. McCarran Airport is a modern, busy gateway which has been much upgraded in recent years. Las Vegas Boulevard - commonly referred to as "The Strip" - fizzes with action, less than a mile from the airport. The size of each of the hotel resorts along the Strip is not intended to scare you - it is intended that they provide no reason to ever leave their air-conditioned confines. Each collectively boasts the best restaurants, bars, shopping, theater and (need we mention) casinos in the world. Elsewhere, downtown Las Vegas harks back to the days of old (remember the waving neon cowboy sign?), and a little further away is the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon.