Las Vegas, NV

Need a place to unwind? Look no further. Well, look far away if you're not on the United States' west coast. Las Vegas, on of the few places in the world where you can be both happy and a loser at the same time.

In and Out Burger: Apparently the best burger joint in the west coast

The obvious attraction in Las Vegas is of course, the mega resorts littered along the Strip, from the Stratosphere in the north to Mandalay bay at the south. And we all know with mega resorts comes mega casinos. The average tourist spends about $600 in the casino on their trip to Vegas. Do try out the casinos if you are able to. But as always, gamble with your head and not over it. The only winners when you gamble are people the likes of Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.


But then again, as I found out during my recent trip there, the casino is not the only way to have fun in Vegas. If you're a fan of Wolfgang Puck or Emeril Lagasse, you can have a taste of their exquisite cuisine right here in Vegas. Being Vegas, the fare here is not exactly cheap either. Be ready to fork out about $100 per person if you're going for the full appetizer-entree-dessert meal. Add a little more for the wine.
One thing that I regretted was that I could not catch Celine Dion on her last night of performance there in Caesar's Palace. Contrary to popular belief, the show is not limited to Celine dishing out her hits to audiences but a combination of dance, music and visual effects distinguishes her show from other seasonal performers. Bette Midler is slotted to replace Celine in Caeser's (according to a poster I saw there) but whether her success could be replicated remains to be seen.

Freemont Street Experience is another attraction one could look forward to. Located on the street of its namesake in downtown Las Vegas, attractions includes the light shows, pedestrian malls and free concerts.

Moving around Vegas would be a trouble if you are the kind who do not have the patience for public transportation. If you plan to restrict your movement to just the mega resorts along the Strip, the Las Vegas Monorail offers the convenience of rapid transit between those resorts. As with anything Vegas, the ride is on the pricey side. With single ride tickets priced at $9 and long term pass averaging $5 per ride is expensive, but it is the most convenient way to move around the Strip. Public buses serves other non-strip routes but rent a car if you need the anytime-anywhere convenience.

Do visit Vegas if you have the time and opportunity. Personally, I have one word of advice; do not bring your kids along. They can become quite a nuisance. While Las Vegas tries its best to cater entertainment for all age groups, including kids there is still hardly any attractions for anyone younger than teenagers. Except maybe for the Hannah Montana performance when I was there on one December weekend. I wished I could have met Miley Cyrus. :)