Las Vegas
Sleepless in Las Vegas
This is also Las Vegas - in the midst of the glittering world of themed hotels, the "Strip" has been given an avant-garde look with the stylish CityCenter, which opened in 2009. With no-gambling hotels, designer stores and art, the city tried to polish up its image as a gambling town. Then came the recession and the expensive stores remained empty. Nevertheless, the new scene is appealing - especially when it comes to the highly decorated restaurants, the ambience of the bars and lounges and the range of shows on offer.
Beautiful new Las Vegas world - The City Center on the Strip
The CityCenter, which cost 8.4 billion dollars to build, is a complex of hotels and casinos covering 27,000 square meters, with 6,000 beds, its own boulevard and even its own elevated railroad. For this extravaganza of glass and steel, everyone who is anyone in the international architecture business was engaged to lend prestige to this private construction project: Daniel Libeskind built the Crystals shopping center, Helmut Jahn such as Rafael Vinoly, Cesar Pelli, Norman Foster and David Rockwell were responsible for the hotels. However, these luxury hotels are not themed hotels like their neighbors Bellagio, Luxor, Paris, Le Mirage or the hotels of the MGM Group, which co-financed this gigantism. Instead, there are two that are intended to represent the "new Las Vegas" - the Aria with casino and the Vdara as a no-gambling hotel. Next to it, the elegant-looking Mandarin Oriental rises as a large block with a view of the Veer towers leaning against each other, designed by the German Helmut Jahn. And in between, the crystalline super mall Crystals with the most expensive brands, restaurants that should be nominated for an architecture prize and a wooden staircase construction that contrasts perfectly with the high-tech façades. Drawn on the drawing board of star architect Daniel Libeskind.
Bobby Baldwin, President and CEO, explains: "CityCenter combines the dynamism of Las Vegas with experiences that travelers want to have when visiting major metropolises - spectacular architecture, culturally significant works of art, appealing public spaces, sophisticated hotels, unique restaurants and countless other amenities. It is a very special place that will change Las Vegas from the ground up, similar to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Centre Pompidou in Paris or the SONY Center in Berlin."
The only question is whether all the pomp is coming a little too late, as the city's boom years were at the beginning of this millennium. Business travelers demanded expensive restaurants with celebrity chefs instead of whisky bars, Cirque du Soleil instead of topless revues, Prada instead of Levis and hotels without casinos - but with real works of art by Cézanne and Renoir, such as in the Artisan Hotel. With the crisis, however, congress tourism also declined, unemployment figures rose and hotels had to offer low-budget rates. The dream of a new super image was over.
As purist as the exterior facades and some of the interiors of the new hotels are, the range of bars, lounges, nightclubs and shows is just as pompous. The current motto is: "What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas." In the evenings, people meet up in the trendy bars and restaurants, crowned with star cuisine or "Five Diamonds Award", of which there are a considerable number here. Afterwards, the nightclubs are buzzing, despite the entrance fee and high prices, but money doesn't seem to play a role and is even a license for bad behavior for many.
The Strip and its showpieces
Even if you are already familiar with Las Vegas Boulevard (Strip), you will always be fascinated by the themed hotels, which were mainly built in the 1990s. They are still the most popular with the public and are now often available at bargain prices. And where else can you stay so cheaply in Manhattan's skyline, by the Eiffel Tower, Lake Como or with roller coasters all around the hotel, with hammerhead sharks and white tigers? Las Vegas is the undisputed master in the staging of illusory worlds and the motto "higher - bigger - faster" applies to no other city so perfectly. No wonder that this offer, combined with the casinos, is still the main selling point for the majority of visitors.
"Yes I do" - Getting married in Las Vegas
One thing is certain: nowhere else can you get married as easily as here. A valid passport and 60 dollars for the marriage license - that's it! Of course, there are unlimited options for the wedding ceremony here: either very simple and matter-of-fact in the "Office of Civil Marriages" with a witness or in several dozen wedding chapels - with or without a wedding planner. The outfit is also a matter of taste, whether in a tuxedo or bikini, as a pin-up girl or in a Halloween costume. With around 120,000 marriages a year, the wedding ceremonies take place every half hour, unless the wedding planners come up with something special. Joni Moss and her "LV Wedding Connection" make just about anything possible: from an "Elvis Wedding" with the Pink Cadillac in the Graceland Chapel or with "James Bond" in Sally's Victorian Chapel. The only difference is the price: the offer ranges from 100 to 10,000 dollars. However, this puts you in the ranks of famous yes-men such as Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, Richard Gere & Cindy Crawford and Andre Agassi & Steffi Graf - and at least this marriage is still going strong!
(updated 2017)
Photo: ©Las Vegas News Bureau
It seems that everything that glitters here is pure gold, from the Veer Towers to the façade of the extravagant Wynn Hotel. But with the construction of the new CityCenter together with the non-gambling hotels The Mandarin Oriental and Vdara, Las Vegas wants to establish itself as a high-class travel destination.
travel destination. Whether this has been successful remains a matter of opinion.
Highlights
Connoisseur Circle tip:
RED ROCK CANYON
A short drive out of the city - half an hour - and you reach the Scenic Drive, a 20 km long panoramic road that leads to Mountain Ranch State Park. This is located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, at the northern end of which lies the imposing, glowing red mountain range. The various layers of sand and limestone actually shimmer in different colors - but they are particularly intense in the morning and at sunset. The visitor center provides information about flora, fauna and maps. You only have to provide your own picnic.
www.redrockcanyonlv.org
www.visitlasvegas.com
DIPLOMATISCHE VERTRETUNGEN
in Germany
American Embassy
Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 83050
www.de.usembassy.gov
in Austria
Embassy of the United States
Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 1 313390
Fax: +43 1 3100682
E-Mail: embassy@usembassy.at
www.at.usembassy.gov
for Switzerland
Embassy of the United States
Sulgeneckstrasse 19, 3007 Bern, Switzerland
Phone: +41 31 3577011
Fax: +41 31 3577320
www.ch.usembassy.gov
Lage
USA, Bundesstaat Nevada, Clark County
Fläche
286.367 km² (Nevada), 352 km² (Las Vegas)
Bevölkerung
Nevada: 2,839 Millionen Einwohner, Las Vegas: 603.488
Hauptstadt
Carson City
Religion
Predominantly Christian (Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, etc.)
Weather
Wetterüberblick/Klimatabelle:
Las Vegas liegt in einer Wüstenlandschaft, die Niederschlagsmengen sind sehr gering. Die Temperaturunterschiede sind jahreszeitlich stark ausgeprägt, auch die Tag-/Nachttemperaturen können erheblich schwanken.
Beste Reisezeit
Mai - Oktober
Klima
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Max. Temperaturen | 14 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 31 | 38 | 41 | 40 | 35 | 28 | 20 | 14 |
| Min. Temperaturen | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| Sonnenstunden | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Regentage | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Zeitverschiebung
UTC -8 Stunden
Währung
US-Dollar
Vaccinations
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Dining in Las Vegas - bars, nightclubs and lounges
Las Vegas at night has much more to offer than just bright, colorful lights! The city simply puts everyone in a party mood! Whether through lounges, cocktail bars, nightclubs or casinos.
A few years ago, Las Vegas focused on family-friendly entertainment, but wickedness has now moved into most of the bars and nightclubs. Peep shows can be found in most hotels and the classic Las Vegas showgirls can usually be admired topless in the evening performances.
Let yourself be seduced by the atmosphere of this city and enjoy wonderful views, shows with the best entertainers, unforgettable water games and traditional Vegas lounge performances.
Nightlife in Las Vegas - A different world
Whether you prefer traditional casino lounges, cocktail bars
bars or nightclubs with top DJs and dancing until the early hours
hours - Las Vegas will keep you in the party mood.
The latest trend in the city's nightclubs are
Ultralounges. These are elegant, intimate spaces where DJs play cutting-edge
play cutting-edge tunes in an entertainment-friendly environment,
while fashion-forward hipsters mingle with a martini in hand.
mingle with the crowd.
Sights in Las Vegas - enjoy the uniqueness There is certainly no shortage of sights and attractions in Las Vegas.
From the "Bellagio Fountains" to the "Fremont Street Experience" to the
the Stratosphere Tower, there is a lot to see and experience.
Another related attraction is the Grand Canyon Skywalk,
which is not in the Grand Canyon National Park, but on Indian territory
a little closer to Las Vegas. You only need about half the driving time
of the driving time. This Skywalk was only inaugurated in 2007. It is a
horseshoe-shaped viewing platform with a glass floor, through which you can
through which you can look almost 1,200 meters into the depths. This Skywalk
can accommodate 120 people at a time. As this
attraction is located in the territory of the Hualapai Indians, it therefore
belongs to them.
Hotels
