Page 9 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

HOW T O USE THIS GUIDE  7
LAS VEGAS  103
LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Rising like a mirage out of Nevada’s beautiful southern
desert, Las Vegas is a glittering wonderland that promises
fun to all its visitors. The city’s unique attraction is its
hotels with their fantastic architecture, re-creating such Introduction
cities as New York and Venice. At the heart of these palaces
This unique city has its own lie the casinos where the lure of million-dollar jackpots 1The landscape, history, and
draws almost 40 million visitors each year.
chapter, which is introduced Occupied by the Ancestral Puebloan the 1990s, numbers of ever more character of Las Vegas are
peoples until around 1150 AD, the Las
extravagant resorts have been built in
the city, including the impressive Bellagio,
Vegas area later became the home of
by a historical feature. The several Native American tribes, including Venetian, and Cosmopolitan, and this described here, showing how
expansion shows few signs of slowing.
the Paiute, until Mexican traders arrived
For those who can tear themselves
in the early 19th century. Mormon
main sights are numbered pioneers built a fort here in 1855, away from the city, the surrounding the city was developed and
country has much to offer. Lake Mead
establishing the beginnings of a
and the stunning rock formations of the
settlement in the area, which gradually
and plotted on the City Map, developed. Officially founded in 1905, Valley of Fire State Park provide a range what it offers the visitor today.
the city of Las Vegas expanded in the
of outdoor pleasures from horseback
1930s with the building of the Hoover
riding to watersports.
as are points of interest in Dam across the Colorado River, some growing city in the US, but the
In 2006, Las Vegas was the fastest
30 miles (45 km) away, and the
legalization of gambling here in 1931. population has since stabilized at just
the Greater Las Vegas area. The influx of construction workers with 104 under two million. Tourism and gaming LAS VEGAS  105
remain the most successful industries –
money to burn, and the electricity and  LAS VEGAS
water provided by the dam, paved the
it has 20 of the 27 largest hotels in the
The information for all the way for the casino-based growth that Exploring Las Vegas NORTH 1ST ST E A ST WASHI NG TO N AV EN U E
world – but it is also known for its
took place in the 1940s and 1950s. Since
wedding chapels and entertainment.
NO RTH MARYLAND PARKW A Y
sights is easy to locate within Las Vegas has two centers – the wonderland of the Strip, 15 N LAS VEG AS BLVD NORTH 9TH ST E A ST BO NA NZ A R OAD 1 9
HA RR IS AV E NUE
and the older Downtown area, where the city began in
1905 (see pp100–101). The Downtown area focuses on
Fremont Street (see p122), while the Strip is a 4.5-mile-
the chapter as it follows the (7.2-km-) long section of Las Vegas Boulevard (Hwy 604) S TE WAR T AV E N U E EAST MESQUITE AVE
8TH ST
that runs southwest towards California. Strictly speaking,
Greyhound
the part of the Strip that lies south of Sahara Avenue is in SOUTH G R A N D CENTRAL PARKWAY CASINO CENTER BOULEVARD 3RD ST FREMONT STREET 9TH ST OGDEN AVENUE MAR LI N A V E N U E 16TH ST 95
MARYLAND PARKWA Y
Bus Terminal
LINDEN AVENUE T H S T R E E T
1ST ST
numerical order on the map. Clark County, while the city proper is centered around W BONNEVILLE AVE SOUTH MAIN STREET GARCES DOWNTOWN 14TH STREET The famous Forum at Caesars Palace
10TH ST
CARSON AVE
7TH ST
Downtown Vegas. Ringed by mountains, canyons, and
15
BRIDGER AVE
desert, the Las Vegas area also has a wealth of natural
6TH ST
beauty in a variety of national parks, some just a short 1ST ST CLARK AVENUE 1 5 T H ST RE E T Sights at a Glance
The city has its own Practical drive from the Strip (see pp124–25). C O M M E RC E S T R E E T COOLIDGE AVE SOUTH 3RD ST 3R D S T 4TH ST AVENUE HUNTRIDGE 16TH STREET LEWIS A VENUE Hotels and Casinos Streets and Malls
EAST BONNEVILLE AVENUE
CASINO CENTER BLVD
9 Showcase Mall
1 Mandalay Bay
E AS T
GASS AVE CH A RLES TO N B OUL EVAR D
SOUTH MAIN STREET
2 Luxor
d Fremont Street Experience
CIRCLE PARK
Information section, which W E ST E RN AV E N UE W WYOMING AVE LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD SOUTH BEVERLY WAY SOUTH 5TH ST SOUTH 7TH ST SWEENEY AVE NORMAN AVENUE SOUTH 15TH STREET BRACKEN AVENUE SOUTH BRUCE STREET 3 Exca
4 New York New York
5 MGM Grand
t The Auto Collections at
W UTAH AVE
6 Tropicana
the LINQ
EAST
offers useful advice on Decorative stained-glass ceiling of Tropicana’s elegant casino INDUSTRIAL ROAD W ST LOUIS AVENUE W BALTIMORE WEST CHICAGO AVE PARADISE R D SANTA C LARA DR SANTA ROSA DRIVE OAKEY BOULEVARD PARK S O U T H M A R Y
g Neon Museum
8 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
E A S T S T L O U I S A V E N U E
h Discovery Children’s Museum
0 Planet Hollywood
BAKER
j The Las Vegas Natural
AVE
q Paris
History Museum
shopping, entertainment, Replica Venice complete with canals and gondolas at The Venetian W CINCINNATI AVE EAST SAHARA AVENUE w Bellagio k Old Las Vegas Mormon State
e Caesars Palace
WINCHESTER
Historic Park
r Flamingo Las Vegas
SLS Station
y The Venetian
KAREN AVENUE KAREN AVENUE
LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD SOUTH
DEL MAR AVENUE
Historic Towns and Cities
and gambling. The dazzling sight of the Las Vegas Strip, illuminated at W ES TWO OD D RIVE SOU T H H IG H LA N D DRI VE I N D US TR IA L RO AD CIRCUS CIRCUS DR RIVIERA BLVD Station LVH V EGAS V ALLE Y DR
i Treasure Island
BEL A I R D R R K W AY
LAGUNA AVE
VE GAS V A LL
o Wynn Las Vegas & Encore
night by myriad shimmering neon lights
Areas of Natural Beauty
PINEHURS T D RIVE
LAS VEGAS
STRIP
15 NOR TH JOE W. BR O W N DR I V E COUNTRY CLUB PALO R A A V E p SLS Las Vegas z Lake Mead National
a Circus Circus
Recreation Area
DRIVE
CAPELLA AVE CONVENTION CENTER LA CANADA STREET s Stratosphere x Valley of Fire State Park
Getting Around EA ST DESERT INN ROAD LV Convention EAST DESER T INN ROAD c Mount Charleston
The Strip is a long road, and driving FASHIO N SHOW DR Center Station v Red Rock Canyon
is the best way to get around. Major WYNN GOLF SIERRA VISTA DRIVE P AWNE E DRI VE LAS VEGAS Key
hotels have free parking lots, as well COURSE PARADISE ROAD PARA DISE ROAD NORTH GOLF COURSE Greater Las Vegas
NATIONAL
as valet and shuttle bus services. INDUSTRIAL ROAD SA N D S AVENUE ROYAL CREST CIRCLE Central Las Vegas
The Deuce bus runs along the Strip, SOUTH AL G ONQUIN DR IVE O TTAWA DRIVE
stopping at the major hotels, and EAST TW A IN AVENUE Interstate
continues to Downtown, while the JAY SARNO WA Y Harrah's & the PALO VERDE ST C A M B R I D G E S T R E E T EAST KATIE AVENUE Major highway
monorail service operates between
City Map the MGM Grand and SLS Las Vegas. Flamingo & Flamingo Wash SWENSON STREET EAST VIKING ROAD Highway
Quad Station
Caesars Palace Station
Taxis, Uber, and Lyft are also available.
EAST FLAMINGO ROAD Greater Las Vegas 93 15
EAST FLAMIN GO ROAD
Bally's & Paris
2For easy reference, Key LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD SOUTH Station KOVAL LANE Tropicana Wash 156 95 Desert National Wild
EAST ROCHELLE AVENUE
EAST UNIVERSITY AVE
sights are numbered The Strip see pp106–109 AUDRIE ST AUDRIE ST EAST HARMON AVENUE EAST HARMON AVENUE 157 Range North 147 Las Vegas Dunes Muddy Mountains
Recreation Lands
E N AP LE S RO A D
RUE DE MONTE LORILYN AVE GABRIEL DRIVE Las Vegas Sunrise Manor 147
LAS
CARLO
and located on a map. 0 kilometers 1 MGM Grand EAST TROPICANA AVENUE Spring Valley VEGAS Winchester Lake Mead
SOUT H L AMA R C T
ELIZABETH AVE
Station
Paradise
Blue
0 miles 1 SOUTH McCarran LULU AVE Mountain Diamond Boulder Beach
Springs
RENO AVENUE International WILBUR STREET EAST RENO AVENUE Enterprise 515 ARIZONA
STRIP Airport PARADISE ROAD P ARADISE 93
160
0 miles 10 Sloan
SPENCER STREET
15 TAMARUS STREET 15 95 Co lo r ado
EAST HACIENDA AVENUE
WESTMINSTER AVE EAST HACIENDA AVENUE 0 km 10
RENT A CAR ROAD
S W E N S O N S T R E ET
For hotels and restaurants see pp238–40 and pp251–4
For keys to symbols see back flap
Street-by-Street Map 196  NE W MEXIC O SANT A FE  197
3This provides a bird’s-eye 1 Street-by-Street: Central Santa Fe Plaza VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
The oldest state capital in North America, Santa Fe was founded
by the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, who created Road map E3. * 84,000. n Plaza
view of the heart of a a colony here in 1610 (see p43). This colony was abandoned in Galeria, 66 E. San Francisco St. (505)
955-6215. _ Spanish Market
1680 following the Pueblo Revolt, but settlers recaptured it in
(Jul); Indian Market (Aug); Fiestas
1692 (see p44). When Mexico gained independence in 1821,
de Santa Fe (Sep). ∑ santafe.org
sightseeing area. Santa Fe was opened up to the wider world, and traders and Transport
settlers from the US arrived via the Santa Fe Trail (see p29).
~ Santa Fe Municipal Airport,
The central plaza has been the heart of Santa Fe since its . New Mexico Museum of Art 10 miles (16 km) SW. of Santa Fe.
founding, and there is no better place to begin exploring the This museum focuses on the city. Rail Runner: Santa Fe Depot.
£ Lamy, 18 miles (29 km) S. of
city. Today, it houses a Native American market under the portal paintings and sculpture of . Palace of the Governors (866) 795-7245. ∑ riometro.org
Southwestern artists.
This single-story adobe building dates back to the early
of the Palace of the Governors, and the square is lined with 17th century. Now part of the New Mexico History Museum,
shops, cafés, and galleries. the palace houses displays on the city’s history. Museum of
Contemporary
Native Arts
L I N C O L N
A V E N U E C A T H E D R A L P L A C E
S H E R I D A N
The Plaza E . S A N F R A N C I S C O S T R E E T
The obelisk at the center of this main square P A L A C E
commemorates the Anglo defeat of New
Mexico’s Native peoples. The Plaza is dominated
by the Palace of the Governors and lined
with old colonial buildings. P L A Z A
Stars indicate the sights B U R R O A L L E Y W . S A N F R A N C I S C O S T R E E T O L D S A N T A F E T R A I L E . W A T E R S T R E E T
that no visitor should miss. D O N G A S P A R A V E N U E
La Fonda
Hotel
W A T E R S T R E E T
G A L I S T E O S T R E E T
A suggested route for a Loretto Chapel
Built in Gothic style by
walk is shown in red. 0 meters 100 100 French architects in
the 1870s, the Loretto
0 yards
Chapel was modeled
on Sainte-Chapelle in
Original Trading Post Paris. The building St. Francis Cathedral
This historic trading post and elegant spiral This colorful, carved wooden statue of
Key
sells Hispanic art, staircase inside were the Virgin stands in a chapel belonging
Suggested route antiques, and Native commissioned for the to the original 17th-century church on
American crafts. Sisters of Loretto. which the cathedral was built in 1869.
For hotels and restaurants see pp241–2 and pp258–60
92  ARIZ ONA TUCSON  93
San Xavier del Bac Mission VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
San Xavier del Bac is the oldest and best-preserved mission Practical Information
church in the Southwest. An imposing landmark as it rises out Road map: C5. 1950 W. San Xavier
of the stark, flat landscape of the surrounding Tohono Rd., 10 miles (16 km) south of
Tucson on I-19. Tel (520) 294-
O’odham reservation, its white walls dazzle in the desert sun. .Main Altar 2624. Open 7am–5pm daily. For all top sights, a Visitors’
A mission was first established here by the Jesuit priest Father The spectacular gold and red 7 - =
Eusebio Kino in 1700 (see p44). The complex seen today was retablo mayor is decorated in ∑ sanxaviermission.org
Mexican Baroque style with
completed in 1797 by Franciscan missionaries. elaborate columns. More than Checklist provides all the
Built of adobe brick, the mission is considered to be the 50 statues were carved in
finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the US The Hill of the Cross, to the east of the Mexico then brought to San
(see p26). The church also incorporates other styles, including mission, offers fine views Xavier where artists gilded practical information you
several Baroque flourishes. In the 1990s its interior was and painted them with
brightly colored glazes.
extensively renovated, and five retablos (altarpieces) have
been restored to their original glory. need to plan your visit.
Altar Dome
The dome and high transepts
.Façade of the church are filled with painted wooden
The ornate Baroque façade is decorated statuary and covered with
with the carved figures of saints (although murals depicting scenes
some are much eroded) including a from the Gospels.
headless St. Cecilia and an unidentifiable
St. Francis, now a simple sand cone.
Top Sights in the
4Southwest
These are given two or more
full pages. Historic buildings
Stonework detail
The identity of the carved statues to
the left of the entrance has changed. are dissected to reveal their
Long thought to be St. Catherine of
Siena and St. Barbara, they have now
been identified as St. Agatha of
Catania and St. Agnes of Rome. interiors; interesting districts
KEY
1 The mortuary chapel contains a are given street-by-street
statue of the Virgin Mary, surrounded
by candles.
2 The bell tower’s elegant, white
dome reflects the Moorish styles that Painted ceiling maps, and national parks
are incorporated into San Xavier’s On entering the church,
Spanish Colonial architecture. visitors are struck by the
3 The patio is closed to the public dome’s ceiling with
but can be seen from the museum. and forests have maps
its glorious paintings of
4 The museum includes a religious figures. Vivid Chapel of Our Lady
sheepskin psalter and photographs pigments of vermilion The shop This statue of the Virgin is one of the
of other historic missions on the and blue were used to entrance Church’s three sculptures of Mary. showing facilities and trails.
Tohono O’odham Reservation. contrast with the stark Here she is shown as La Dolorosa or
white stone background. Sorrowing Mother.
For hotels and restaurants see pp236–43 and pp248–61
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