Page 504 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

502  THE SOUTHWEST

1 Las Vegas

The heart of Las Vegas, Nevada’s most famous city, lies
along Las Vegas Boulevard, a sparkling vista of neon
known simply as “the Strip.” The southern stretch of this
3.5-mile- (6-km-) long street that runs northeast through
the city is home to a cluster of lavishly themed hotels,
with their own shops, restaurants, and gaming casinos.
They lure more than 40 million visitors every year,
making Vegas the entertainment capital of the A dazzling nighttime view of the Strip
world. When the lights come on in the evening,
these new megaresorts become a fantasyland with
riotous design and architecture, such as that of the
Luxor’s striking pyramid with its sphinx. Las Vegas’s New York New York
A replica of the Statue of Liberty
ability to constantly re-invent itself is epitomized forms part of the façade of this
by the ever-expanding CityCenter complex, which hotel, which is composed of a
opened in 2009. host of such Manhattan
landmarks as the Empire
Luxor State Building.
The main portion
of the hotel is a
365-ft- (111-m-)
high, 30-story
pyramid encased
in 11 acres (4 ha) The Monte Carlo is
of bronze glass. filled with Corinthian
colonnades and arches.
Mandalay Bay’s interior, Excalibur’s towers are
with its palm trees a kitsch fantasy of
and bamboo, re -creates medieval England.
a 19th-century
tropical paradise. A V E T R O P I C

A N A

L A S V E G A S B L V D H A R M O N A V E
E A S T

Showcase Mall is a
striking building, with
its giant neon Coca-
Cola bottle. Attractions
include M&M’s World,
World of Coca-Cola,
and the Grand
Canyon Experience.

MGM Grand Hotel
One of the largest hotels in
Tropicana the US with more than 5,000
The rooms, suites, and villas at rooms, the Grand displays
the renovated Tropicana have a a 45-ft- (15-m-) high statue
bright, South Beach-style decor, of Leo, symbol of the
as seen at this poolside villa. Hollywood film studio, MGM.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp550–52 and pp553–55

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