Non Gambler's Guide to Las Vegas

	Non Gambler's Guide to Las Vegas When we told our friends that we were going to Las Vegas for the second time in as many years, they wondered what the attraction was. "Isn't it all casinos?"
Vegas, Baby, Vegas: Of course, there are casinos in Las Vegas, plenty of them in fact, but they aren’t the only thing there. Las Vegas is a city destination, and it has everything and more that you’d expect in a city. Art galleries, theatre, cinema, concerts, sporting events. Before you go to Las Vegas, here are some items that you will find essential: Comfortable shoes, you will do a lot of walking. The hotels may look close together, but you could find yourself walking for half an hour or more and still be at the same hotel. The city is big. Sun screen and lip balm, you’re in the middle of the desert and the air is very dry, meaning that your lips will dry out very quickly. Don’t forget to drink lots of water too. We chose to stay this time in the Aladdin Hotel and Casino. Arriving jet-lagged from London, we were greeted warmly by the receptionist, who offered us a room upgrade to a larger suite for a small extra fee. Since there were only the two of us, we didn’t think we needed that much extra space and so we stayed in the room we’d booked, all their standard rooms were deluxe. Well, we certainly didn’t need the extra space. The room was enormous, carpeted and curtained in glowing jewel tones. The bed itself must have been six foot wide or more. All the wooden furniture, the headboard, wardrobe and television cupboard were all ornately carved, polished to perfection and there was room for a table and chairs, so you could even eat dinner in the room if you wanted to. A marble bathroom with a deep bathtub and a separate shower cubicle, completed the room and we were eager to go and explore all that Las Vegas had to offer. All the walking about on carpets in Las Vegas means you generate a lot of static electricity and any time you touch metal, you get a small electric shock. The Aladdin had even thought of this, and all their door handles were covered in leather straps so you didn’t get a shock! One day we went to the Zanzibar cafe in the Aladdin, ordering a short stack of pancakes for breakfast. Well, we thought we could manage a short stack (3 pancakes) each, but we were wrong! The pancakes were about eight inches across and six inches high, we just couldn’t manage to eat them all, no matter how delicious they were. Also at the Aladdin is the Desert Passage shopping mall, which has every sort of shop you can think of, clothes, gifts, cafes, toys. There were different sections, some looked as though you were in a souk in Morocco, some as if you were in a market and there were lots of benches to sit on when the feet got to sore to walk around any more. For families and people who are not interested so much in the casinos, there are lots of other activities. At the Mandalay Bay is a wonderful aquarium called Shark Reef, which has plenty of other sea-life besides sharks, but the sharks are amazing to see close up. At Circus Circus, there are circus acts performed free every day, and they also have a funfair, with rollercoaster rides etc. Every day and evening on the lake in front of the Bellagio hotel, the dancing fountains come to life, dancing in time to the music. There is also a lovely conservatory in the Bellagio, with tropical flowers and plants, very soothing to wander round. They also have an art gallery, mostly sculpture. At Sam’s Town (free shuttles to it from Harrah’s on the strip) there is a smaller fountain show indoors, not as spectacular as the Bellagio, but still worth a look, especially if you have children. Also in Sam’s Town there is a multiplex cinema and a bowling alley, as well as the casino. On our previous trip, we'd gone on a coach tour of the Grand Canyon, this time we decided to give Red Rock Canyon a go. It's closer, only about twenty five miles away from the city, but it's like another world. The Imperial Palace has a classic car emporium, an entrance fee is usually charged, but there is normally someone standing outside giving away free tickets, which we got. Some of the cars are really quite spectacular and you could even buy one if you wanted to. They also had a collection of classic jukeboxes and other collectibles, also for sale. Yet again we missed the Pirate Battle at Treasure Island because we'd gone out of season; they normally close it down for most of December. Of course, buffets abound in Las Vegas. The best value we found were the Sahara and the Imperial Palace. The best wow factor, The Flamingo, the buffet restaurant overlooks the gardens and waterfalls and nearly any food you could think of was there. If you just can’t face another buffet, head for Freemont Street to watch the light show in the evenings, and there in the Four Queens Hotel, is a lovely restaurant called Magnolia, which is very reasonably priced and the food is good too. We always make a point of going there at least once on our trips. Before you leave Las Vegas, don’t forget to go up the Stratosphere Tower for a bird’s eye view of the strip and the surrounding mountains. If you can, go twice, once during the day and once at night, where you can see why Las Vegas is known as the City of Lights. We'll certainly go back, there is just so much to do that you can't fit it all in one week!