The Nonstop Party,Las Vegas

image: A nighttime view of The Strip in downtown Las Vegas.
A nighttime view of The Strip in downtown Las Vegas.

 

The Nonstop Party,
Las Vegas
By David Stratton

For a jolt of high-intensity entertainment, Las Vegas is your best bet. In this adult amusement park, every night is New Year's Eve. A long weekend is just about the right amount of time to spend here, too; you may not be able to stand it any longer.

"This is a place where you can do anything, go exotic or extreme, all in one gulp," says Monti Rock III, a show biz columnist for a Vegas weekly.

As the 18- to 35-year-olds discover Vegas, nightclubs are replacing showrooms. One of the best is Studio 54 at the MGM Grand (3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; +1 702 891 7254), a magnet for visiting celebs and notables.

"It has spectacular sights and sounds, multilevels, niches, and dance floors," says Rick Ramirez, author of Sin City X: Generation X's Guide to Las Vegas Nightlife. Post-Gen-Xers might prefer Club Rio (3700 W. Flamingo Rd.; +1 702 252 7777). "Their mainstream formula attracts the ‘older' singles," Ramirez says.

As for gambling, the city's casinos have become high-tech arcades where electronic slot and poker machines blink and bleep until dawn. While there's very little to distinguish one casino on the Strip from another, locals prefer to gamble in the downtown or "neighborhood" casinos such as Palace Station (2411 W. Sahara Ave.; +1 702 367 2411) and the Orleans (4500 W. Tropicana Ave.; 702-365-7111).

No matter where you play, a good place to stay is the Venetian, whose guest rooms are the largest in town. The Venetian is also home to many fine restaurants, including Valentino's (888-283-6423), which serves superb Italian cuisine and has a great wine cellar. Or, to escape the madding crowd, stay at the Alexis Park (375 E. Harmon Ave.; +1 702 796 3300), a non-casino resort that features town house-style suites with amenities such as fireplaces and whirlpool tubs.

Among the latest dining choices are trendy steak houses; one of the best is the Yukon Grille (Arizona Charlie's Hotel & Casino, 740 S. Decatur Blvd.; +1 702 258 5200). The dining room has a fieldstone fireplace and Western tack and serves great broiled steaks. Or feast on the aged Midwestern beef and the to-die-for banana cream pie at AJ's Steakhouse (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 4455 Paradise Rd.; +1 702 693 5000).