For gamblers traveling around the world visiting different casinos, there is one place on their must-visit list. A place filled with neon lights, majestic casinos, and never-ending nightlife, it is deemed to be a gambler’s paradise. Known to be the entertainment capital of the world, that place is known as Las Vegas city.
Construction and Development
Before all the lavish hotels and casinos, the city of Las Vegas was inhabited by Native Americans from South Nevada. During the 19th century, Antonio Armijo, a Mexican explorer, was on a journey from New Mexico to California. While on his way to Los Angeles, they changed directions – which brought them 161 kilometers northeast of present-day Las Vegas.
In 1890, railroad developers determined that Las Vegas would be strategic if railroads were built within it. Along San Pedro, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, it would connect Las Vegas to cities on the Pacific Coast. Soon enough, with the arrival of the railroads in 1905, Las Vegas was on the map. Saloons, bars and inns began spreading around the town. It was then determined to be officially founded on May 15, 1905.
The city of Las Vegas was predominantly occupied by railroad workers and ranchers. With it, there was an interest growing among them – gambling, drinking and prostitutes among the likes. As a result of this, many illegal casinos began operating underground regardless of the Nevada’s 1901 gambling ban. This added insult to injury – which made Las Vegas an ideal breeding ground for organized crimes. East Coast mobsters and mafias soon enough began establishing its roots in the city.
Entering the 1930s, gambling was legalized in Nevada. This made Las Vegas city flourish once more. With new casinos opening in the vicinity of it, this attracted more workers and people to come. However, World War II proved to be a peril towards Las Vegas. Regardless of that, the first hotel, El Rancho Vegas, was built in 1941.
History
In 1996, billionaire Howard Hughes was staying at the Desert Inn. With his wealth and money in control, he decided to buy the hotel. He bought even more hotels, which meant he was pushing out the mobster-owned hotels that was dominating the city. By the 1980s, casinos that were owned by Mafias soon vanished. In 1989, Steve Wynn perpetuated a new trend that would prove to be evolutionary towards hotel design and construction.
That trend was mega hotel. He then built the Mirage, the first ever lavish and grand resort hotel in Las Vegas. Jumping to the next two decades, a lot of developments began to take place. By 1994, Las Vegas has had more than 13 large resort hotels. Fast forward to today, the city of Las Vegas is now a major district and a city filled with luxurious hotels and casinos.
Tourist Attractions
The city of Las Vegas is not only just casinos. It is filled with different landmarks, attractions and points of interests that tourists can choose to visit. Deemed to be the entertainment capital of the world, the city of Las Vegas has a plethora of places to visit.
To start things off, tourists can relive old Las Vegas by visiting The Neon Museum. The Neon Museum is a boneyard where many of Las Vegas’ neon signs are kept after being removed. It was removed due to reasons such as renovations. There lies about 120 signs which was mostly made by the YESCO corporation in the early 1950s to 1980s. Tourists can take a guided tour around the museum, in which they can learn about the trends of the sign, its design and technology used. The museum also has the lobby of La Concha, which as an old motel that was saved from demolition.
Scenery
If you think Las Vegas is just all big buildings and neon lights, then you are wrong. The city of Las Vegas offers you a scenic treat. This is done by booking a place on the Las Vegas City Lights Tour. This helicopter tour offers you various scenic flights. Which gives you the experience to see Las Vegas from above.
The best time to go on this tour is in the evening – where you will be taken on a 15-minute loop on the Strip of Vegas. It is more beautiful in the evening because the city lights will radiate towards you, adding up to its beauty. This helicopter tour is a must for people wanting their eyes to be pleased.
Be ready to throw some cash if you’re going to visit the city of Las Vegas – because IT IS that lavish. It feels wrong when you do not shop at Las Vegas, so shopping can be done at Crystals – which is an art-filled retail district. Teemed with luxurious brands from Tom Ford to Gucci, this is the place for your shopaholics out there.
The Mafia and its Culture
The city of Las Vegas owes half of its development to the mafia. Believe it or not, the mafia helped Las Vegas thrived as a gambling city. This was due to the fact that back then, numerous underground casinos operated and the mafia helped these casinos flourish. Now, casinos make up most of Las Vegas. Reliving the mafia and is culture can be done by visiting the Mob Museum – which showcases the history of organized crime in the United States – specifically in Las Vegas.
The Dream of Every Gambler
The city of Las Vegas is a gambling city. The diversity of gambling in Las Vegas is very rich. Different casinos and different games are available for gamblers to enjoy. While there are different casinos for gamblers to visit, the must visit casinos while in Las Vegas is The Golden Nugget Casino.
The Golden Nugget has been around for a long time – since the 1940s. A large casino and much more upscale, The Golden Nugget is much more lavish compared to other casinos around. However, this means that The Golden Nugget isn’t the cheapest casino in the area.
The design of the casino stays true to the spirit of Old Vegas – its lively casino floor and classy architecture brings out the best ambiance out of Las Vegas gambling. Other than regular table games, different other games are also found here in the Golden Nugget. Slot machines, keno, a poker room and sports betting are also found here. The casino is also crowded and is constantly high-energy. Although not as big as the mega-casinos available in the Strip, the Golden Nugget provides easier navigation and a more classic, old Vegas feel to it.
The city of Las Vegas is truly a gambler’s dream come true. While it is mostly made up of casinos, Las Vegas is still a family friendly city as there are different attractions and resorts that will still keep visitors amazed and wanting it more.