The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has no less than 13 notable restaurants and cafes, and even an Irish pub. Canal Street is its steak and seafood restaurant. Prime Rib is one of its specialities, all in a distinctively New Orleans style.

Prime Rib Loft is definitely the best for prime rib in this hotel. This restaurant overlooks the casino area and you need to be serious about eating prime rib to eat here. Of course, ther are other items on the menu too, as well as excellent service and a “comfortable and attractive ambience,” to quote the web site.

Big Al’s Oyster bar speaks for itself:

“Serving freshly shucked oysters and clams or choose from steamed clams, Voodoo mussels, pan roasts, bouillabaisse and pasta dishes all served with an authentic Creole/Cajun flair.” www.orleanscasino.com

The French Market Buffet features an unusual mix of foods. They have Mongolian, Mexican, Italian and Chinese for a start. It’s a buffet as its name suggests, and expect the best, especially from the dessert bar!

Don Miguel’s is an extremely good Mexican restaurant. Don’t miss it! And Koji combines a Sushi Bar with a China Bistro. This is an Oriental mix that works really well. Chinese cuisine and Orleans-style specialities combine in the Courtyard cafe, which is open 24 hours a day.

The Orleans Hotel has a T.G.I. Friday’s. It’s as good as any you might find of the chain. They also have Brendan’s Pub. It’s as authentic an Irish pub as you’ll find outside of Ireland. Here you’ll find genuine Irish beers and whiskeys. They also serve pub food, which is very good.

Seattle’s Best naturally has to center on coffee. Whichever your favorite coffe brand might be, you will probably find it here. Terrible Mike’s is a fast food place. they have hot dogs, sandwiches, hamburgers and more. And finally Subway will serve you their healthy alternatives that have made them famous. Enjoy!

The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, better known in town as The Rio, was opened in 1990 on January 15th. The opening entertainment was from Sergio Mendes ‘99 of Brazil, and Henrietta Alves of New Orleans. The hotel is located close to the Strip in Clark County.

This marvellous hotel has 2,563 suites. They range in size from the modest, though not too small, to the not so modest, and not at all small: 600 square feet up to 13,000 square feet. The windows in The Rio are all floor to ceiling offering a great view of Las Vegas.

“This hotel doesn’t lack for creature comforts. Just check out the 2,563 spacious suites, sprawling 120,000-square-foot casino and the 18-hole championship Rio Secco Golf Club. The highlight is the lush, sandy Ipanema Beach at the edge of a tropical lagoon encircled by waterfalls, swimming pools and Jacuzzi-style spas. Each suite has all the basic amenities plus spectacular views of Las Vegas.” www.gayot.com

An interesting trivia fact about The Rio Hotel and Casino is that it has a wine cellar holding 50,000 bottles. That’s one big cellar! It also has 16,000 square feet of space in its Rio Pavillion Convention Center. And then it has a huge casino area too.

This is a casino and hotel that is not on the Strip. “Oh my god!”, I hear you cry, “Not on the Strip?” Well, not everything revolves around the Strip in Las Vegas. The Strip is great, but it’s not the beginning and the end.

Boulder Station Hotel and Casino, for example, is ten to fifteen minutes drive from the Strip – yes, FROM the Strip, and it’s still within civilization as we know it! Some people actually prefer to go away from the hustle and bustle. And did you know that Boulder Station Hotel And Casino offers better odds than on the Strip? It’s true!

“Surrounding the casino, a 7,000-square-foot hardwood walkway is crowned by a hand-painted ceiling featuring billowing clouds and blue skies. It takes guests to non-gaming attractions such as The Broiler, Pasta Palace, Guadalajara Bar & Grille and the 270-seat Railhead Lounge, where legendary performers entertain.” www.gayot.com

This is a place that is serious about gambling. The casino has over 2,900 slots and video poker machines. There are 42 table games. This includes favorites like, blackjack, baccarat, pai gow poker, craps, and roulette, and more.

There’s a ten-table poker room. You will have the choice of smoking, or non-smoking. The sports and race book has no less than 300 seats available, and there’s also a 30-seat keno lounge. Add to that the fact that you will get better odds at Boulder than on the Strip, and it’s a no-brainer!

Scream factor is a phrase describing how good a ride is. The Thrill Ride Adventure Tour claims to have five scream factors, and that’s very good news for thrill ride enthusiasts! This attraction incorporates no less than five of the greatest experiences you can have with all your clothes on.

“Enjoy some of the most intense and fun thrill rides in Las Vegas as you take on 5 of the best rides – The Big Shot, X Scream and Insanity at the Stratosphere, Speed the Ride at the Sahara and then Manhattan Express at New York New York. Five hours of heart-pumping fun!” deals.travelape.com

There’s not a lot to say after that! Except that this is ride paradise. Everything you ever hoped good rides would be will come true when you take the Thrill Ride Adventure Tour in Las Vegas. For a start, you commence at the very top of the Stratosphere, one of the highest points for miles around. Here you will start off with The Big Shot, experiencing no less than four G’s of force, traveling at 45 miles an hour. Nut there’s more to come…

X Scream is the third highest ride in the world. And of course, they don’t have the word, “scream” it its name for nothing! If you want a really good view of the Strip and Las Vegas in general, then Insanity is for you. This amazing ride will push you some 64 feet out over the edge of the Stratosphere tower. It will spin you at three G’s of force though, so maybe your view of the city will be a bit distorted. But you didn’t go on the ride for the view…

Speed comes next. This ride is at the Sahara Hotel. This ride is as good as it gets. You will go forwards and backwards at 70, yes 70, miles an hour. Last but not least comes the Manhattan Express. It’s two minutes of twisting and turning. Then there’s a 50 degree drop, almost straight down. Just as well lunch comes next, and not before!

The Grand Canyon. The only spectacle on earth that is greater than its combined hype. This is a self drive tour to Grand Canyon West Rim, so you take it at your own pace. The day starts when they pick you up by complementary shuttle and take you to the rental desk where you will receive your rental car for the day.

An interactive map, road games and a full gas tank is what you get, along with the car, of course. The idea is to follow the map and discover important sites of interest along the way.

“Once past Boulder City and Lake Mead, you will see the incredible Hoover Dam! Past The Hoover Dam will be tiny towns and communities. Watch out for longhorn sheep, wild horses, cows, and if you look close, you may see a snake crossing the road at the Joshua Tree Forest.” www.viator.com

After the incredible Joshua Tree Forest you will make a turn off in the direction of the Grand Canyon. You will now be on Hualapai Land and another phase of the journet starts. You will pass through several points of interest: Indian Village, Eagle Point, Guano Point, and Hualapai Ranch.

From here you can enjoy a half hour horse drawn wagon ride which takes you to Hualapai Ranch at the rim of the canyon. Here you can take the optional activity of going out on to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. This is a glass bridge suspended out over the canyon. You can stand 4,000 feet above the canyon floor and feel like you are standing on air. Amazing!

The Death Valley Day Tour is a seasonal tour and, because of the extreme heat generated in the area in summer, it only operates in the winter months between October and May. The tour last around 11 hours, which includes transport to and from Las Vegas.

A complementary continental breakfast is served to you at Beatty in Nevada. This is your first stop out of Las Vegas in the incredibly beautiful Mojave Desert. Scotty’s Castle is the next stop where you will be taken back a century or so in history information.

The castle tour takes a full hour, then you will have a half hour to explore the area for yourself. You can also eat the complementary lunch provided during this time.

Your next stop is at the Ubehebe Crater. There once was a volcano here, but an eruption at one time was so violent that it disappeared and just left a big hole in the ground. The hole, or crater, is half a mile across and 800 feet deep.

Furnace Creek Ranch museum is the stop next on the list and here they will tell you the history of Death Valley. Moving on you come to Badwater. This is lowest point in the western hemisphere. It stands, or lies, 282 feet below sea level.

You end the tour at Rhyolite Ghost Town. Her they will present you with your Death Valley Explorer Certificate!

Las Vegas Revew Journal voted it one of the 10 Best Shows in the city. Most people who go to see it also agree. This is an adult entertainment show of fetish and fantasy. It’s eroticism at its best. It’s also the first arotic show in Las Vegas to make the 10 Best list of the Las Vegas Revew Journal, who also voted it as having the Best Choreography of all the shows in the city too.

“The Fashionistas is a gender-blending erotic extravaganza and a unique entertainment option never before seen on the Las Vegas Strip. With what critics call a “muscular and aggressive” staging technique, a hard-driving soundtrack, imaginative and unique costumes, and a humorous and sly story line, the Fashionistas pushes the envelope of human form, fashion and spectacle in high style.” www.fashionistastheshow.com

Playing at the Harmon Theater at Planet Hollywood, the Fashionistas is a highly memorable show. The costume designs are stunning and all original. There’s a large cast who have obviously rehearsed a lot. The music is a diverse mix of pieces from various sources that all fit together with surprising ease: Modonna, Led Zeppelin, Evanescence, Lords of Acid, Crystal Method, and Tool.

This is an electric show by John Stagliano. It’s intelligent and witty, humorous and slick without camp or cheese. It’s expertly produced and directed. Come along and see for yourself!

Bally’s is located in a prime spot in Las Vegas, right in the center of the Strip. It has an imposing pair of neon towering columns by the entryway with cascading water fountains nearby. This is a hotel with class and style.

“Nestled comfortably between old and new Vegas, Bally’s offers equal measures of convenience, class and spectacle, featuring a classic showgirl extravaganza, gourmet restaurants, a popular spa and comfortable rooms, all in a mid-Strip location.” www.vegas.com

It has several restaurants within the complex that are well worth looking at. Bally’s Steakhouse, the Asia, The Big Kitchen Buffet, The Terrace Café, Java Coast, Nosh Snack Bar, al Dente, the Ichiban, and Johnny’s Delicatessen are just a few of the gastronomic delights that await you in this top class Las Vegas hotel.

There is also the Sterling Sunday Brunch.This is a high quality mid Sunday morning “snack.” You get fancy linen and silver cutlery laid out tables with waiters to help if you need them. It isn’t cheap, but it’s better than it first seems. You get an unlimited buffet that has some very fancy items available.

Do you like caviar and champagne for Sunday brunch? You can have your fill at Bally’s Sterling Sunday Brunch. Lobster, sushi, monkfish? No problem! There’s even ostrich on the menu, or should I say buffet table. This is not your usual buffet, it’s as good as it gets, and it’s at Bally’s.

Not many hotels in Las Vegas have celebrated their Golden Anniversary. The Riviera is one that has. It was opened in 1945. It’s known worldwide and it’s one of the best hotels in the area, known for big time emtertainment, superb casino action, and nostalgia.

This is where much of the legendary Rat Pack action took place. They are all gone now and new entertainers have taken over. But will the new ones be remembered as much as Sinatra, Davis, Martin, et al? Probably not, but we can’t wallow in the past forever. Time moves on, and the Riviera has certainly moved with it. So, what does the Riviera have to offer today?

“Over 2000 refurbished oversized rooms offer maximum comfort and breathtaking views of the glittering Las Vegas Strip with its western scenic panoramas. Each accommodation has been attractively decorated, including all the important amenities Las Vegas has to offer for both leisure and business travelers. Our guests can also enjoy the Riviera’s Convention Center, a self-contained full-service experience,all under one roof, serving tradeshows, conferences and major corporate and industry shows alike.” www.rivierahotel.com

Thisd is certainly a quality hotel. It has a wedding chapel, a casino, restaurants and much, much more. The name, Riviera, spells quality in a sublime manner. If you want to feel special, there’s no better place to feel it than here – at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas!

Las Vegas is a city that constantly changes. Many of us who don’t regularly frequent the place may still have an image of bright neon lights, clicking chips, The Rat Pack, or Elvis, and the chance to win, win, win!

Is it still like that? Not really. Las Vegas has gone more and more mainstream. The glitzy image is fading. Casinos still abound, but they are increasingly the less attractive attraction in this city. Sin City? That’s a name it got from an earlier time. The city fathers have tried to erase that image, but maybe Las Vegas is now living up to it better than before!

“A brief sojourn in the new Las Vegas, where growth is booming but you have to search a bit to find the blackjack tables, raises a few questions. Is gambling played out in its historical capital? Now that it has gone mainstream, is gambling a discretionary spending industry, tethered to the flagging fortunes of the American consumer? And, really, just how much of Celine Dion can one city take?”

These are some of the questions asked by www.slate.com. Eugene Christiansen notes:

“Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo casino in Vegas in 1946. For virtually all of history, there’s been more demand than supply.”

Has that changed? Is the “new” Las Vegas becoming a gambling-less city? Will the attractions, the pseudo Parisian streets and Venetian gondolas, become the major reason for people to visit the city that carved its reputation on casinos and gambling? Maybe…

“As the strip fills up with condos and veteran casino operators tout their malls and variety shows, Native American tribes and states are seeking to provide local residents with gaming options. California now has 55 Indian casinos, whose combined haul now rivals that of Las Vegas.”

Maybe Nevada’s claim on being the gambling state is receding. It begins to look as if other parts of America are providing gambling to its eager residents. Kansas has started to open the doors on gambling. Massachusetts too. Maybe it won’t be long before all of America looks a bit like las Vegas.