Welcome to Las Vegas Travel
Las Vegas Hotel Room Reviews Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Las Vegas Hotel Room Reviews. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Happy Birthday Las Vegas - you've come a long way baby!
from:
Las Vegas is celebrating its 100th Birthday this year.
What would it take to entice people to an arid, dusty, brown spot of the country? A land auction started it off, in May of 1905 you could buy a parcel of Clark's Las Vegas Town site for $200.00, these were exceptionally far-sighted people if you ask me. First of all can you imagine being in Las Vegas in the early 1900's without air conditioning? This was not a deterrent to these "hardy" pioneers. Just one-year later Miller's Hotel was built and the rush was on, because after all now people had a place to stay. Miller's was on the corner of Fremont and Main. Today, renamed The Golden Gate Hotel, in deference to the earthquake that nearly destroyed San Francisco in 1906 still stands on the corner of Fremont and Main and they still serve their signature "99 cent shrimp cocktail", which is a much better bet that it was in those days.
Las Vegas was incorporated in 1911, gambling, drinking and prostitution were declared illegal...but divorce was not and in the 1920's dude ranches started popping up around Reno, the rich and famous could establish residency for six weeks and get "unhitched" from whatever mate they may have had. This was the publicity that started to put Nevada into the limelight.
Another big attraction occurred when gambling was legalized in the early 1930s. The government started work on Hoover Dan and brought thousands of workers to the area. Just think about being stuck in the middle of the desert with nothing to do with your money, so bars and casinos were thoughtfully provided.
In the early 1940s, what would become know as "The Strip" was a 3 mile stretch of Highway 91, on the new road to and from California. El Rancho was the very first casino to open in 1941 on what would later become know as "The Strip". Their address was Highway 91, Las Vegas Nevada with their "Opera House" theater restaurant, and "Monte Carlo" casino...and also in 1941, El Cortez opened in what is today downtown Las Vegas. El Cortez advertised that they were "Big enough to serve you - Small enough to want to". How's that for an advertising slogan? They also touted a Coffee Shop, Casino, Cocktail Lounge and Bar, and Complete Dinners from $2.95 In the meantime, back on "The Strip", the New Frontier opened in 1942 and The Flamingo, Bugsy Siegel's dream opened in 1946. Las Vegas was on its way.
The next major milestone for Nevada was Atom Bomb Testing, this brought scads of tourists to Vegas in the 1950s, they also discovered Las Vegas, along with the mushroom clouds. Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy on Fremont Street would just wave them on in.
The 1960s were the glamour days in Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis and the Rat Pack ruled supreme. The days of cigarettes and martinis (not the glorified watered down ones of today) but the real stuff, where even a drop of vermouth might be too much! Everybody dressed in beautiful clothes; it was the order of the day, no jeans, no shorts, just elegance and sophistication. No kids either! Sinning was in full gear, maybe not out and out, as it was to become in the 1970s, but perhaps more exciting than even today. The lounge lizards were out in force as well, nothing could top sitting in the lounges after the last headliner show and watching the likes of Louis Prima, Keeley Smith or Sam Buterra. It was truly a special time in Las Vegas history. Before the mega hotels or resorts, before the corporations. Great deals on food and rooms.
The 1970s ushered in the "new era" of Vegas. Circus Circus opened in 1968, built a 15-story, 400-room hotel tower and 850-seat showroom that opened in 1972. The International Hotel with 1500 rooms opened in 1971, only to be sold to Hilton. It re-opened in 1973 as the MGM Grand Hotel. The MGM Grand had a newly built 26 story tower that housed 2,084 rooms and with 2.5 million square feet and a 2,000-seat showroom set the new standard in defining mega-resort. Nothing was as thrilling as arriving under the marquee with thousands of lights beaming down. Corporate money had entered the scene. The 70s also ushered in the days of Elvis and his long-term performances.
In the 1980s, a new name came on the scene in the guise of Steve Wynn who ushered in a wave of luxurious hotels and casinos, as the world had never seen. The Mirage opened in 1989 and Steve Wynn's name went down in history.
Baby Boomers who had kids in tow by the 1990s thought it would be great fun to take their kids to Vegas. The hotels responded and built "kid friendly" attractions. Wet n Wild water slides, cartoon characters, humongous swimming pools and video arcades ushered in the "kiddies era". Hello, what was everyone thinking? If you're pushing baby strollers you sure aren't gambling and you've changed the atmosphere from exciting and different to old hometown. The Bellagio Hotel (another Steve Wynn masterpiece) opened in 1998 (with the distinction of being the most expensive hotel - at the time) banned any persons under age 18 who were not registered guests of the hotel. The Stratosphere hotel (tallest building west of the Mississippi) opened in 1996. 1997 brought New York, New York with its roller coaster. Mandalay Bay opened in 1999 with 3,300 rooms. In 1999, phase one of the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino opened with 3,036 suites. And in 1999 Paris Las Vegas Casino opened.
Rod Stewart, Bette Middler and Tina Turner, Las Vegas "Boy Wonder" Wayne Newton and other notable stars ushered in the millennium.
With the long awaited opening of Wynn Las Vegas, Steve Wynn scores once again with a new level of opulence, this may not be the biggest hotel in town, but it's the only one with a full-service Ferrari and Maserati dealership and it's own museum and art collection. Wynn also features a 100-foot mountain overlooking a 3-acre lake, what must Howard Hughes be thinking?
The turn of the century has brought Las Vegas back to its senses, once again sin is in, the main attraction is alive and well! Who knows what the next hundred years will bring?
Maybe it’s time you planned a Las Vegas Trip. Book Las hotel room discounts at Las Vegas Wow.
ãCopyright @ http://www.lasvegas-wow.com
About Author
Joan Ewart, World Traveler, Author, Photograper publishes many websites about travel. This article can be found at http://www.lasvegas-wow.com
Source: ArticleTrader.com
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=&pID=60557&cat=las+vegas+hotel+room+reviews&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/jts066s/public_html/las-vegas-travel-guides/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Las Vegas Hotel Room Reviews Specific links
Las Vegas Hotel Room Reviews News
Community Calendar
Deadline for items for the Community Calendar is Wednesday at noon two weeks before desired publication date. Send information on fund-raisers, clubs, lectures, community events, reunions and support groups to Community Calendar, Pioneer Press, 3701 W. Lake Ave., Glenview IL 60026; Fax (847) 486-7495; or e-mail to jmolitor@pioneerlocal.com. There is no charge for ...
Read more...TripAdvisor Unwraps America's Top 10 Sweetest Attractions
TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its list of the top ten sweetest attractions in the U.S., as identified by TripAdvisor editors. Travelers with a soft-spot for candy and hard-centered cynics alike will melt as they take in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of these sweet spots, which include chocolate fountains, ice cream empires and jelly bean feasts.
Read more...Hotel Accommodation: Where the Price is Worth Paying, and Where not - the Best Destinations for Customer Service
USA:
Read more...Doubletree Hotel At The Entrance To Universal Orlando Becomes First Hotel In Orlando To Introduce PURE Allergy ...
Leisure, convention and business guests traveling to Orlando can breathe a little easier, knowing that the Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando has announced that they have become the first hotel in the city to introduce PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms
Read more...Fight Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a WSOP
Three-time world champion boxer Jeff Fenech has made it to day 3 in the $10,000 main event at the World Series Of Poker in Las Vegas. Fenech has outlasted 888poker team mate and fellow Aussie Shane Warne, as well as the 2005 World Champion, Joe Hachem.
Read more...Need a break from the girls? Top 10 guy trips
The next time you boys need some time off from the girls, skip the afternoon outing in favor of a full-blown guy trip. Travel - United States - Recreation - Travelogues - Shopping
Read more...Hotels.com Reveals Hot Hotel Deals for the Summer
Hotels.com Hotels Price Index reveals now is the time to book your five star room and pay a three star price
Read more...Leon Black Loses to Carl Icahn as Apollo Sets New Credit Terms
As the group dined on Hong Kong-style loup de mer and filet mignon prepared with an Armagnac-peppercorn emulsion, Michael Milken , who worked with Black at junk-bond firm Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. in the 1980s, praised him for using his deep knowledge of finance to survive the credit crisis, according to people who were there.
Read more...Interview: Kailin Gow, Author of Rise of the Fire Tamer
I am extremely thrilled to bring another interview, to readers, with the lovely and incredibly talented Kailin Gow! Ms. Gow is the author of over 30 books, ranging in all generations and genres. Her specialty, however, lies within the tales she creates and weaves for the young adult ...
Read more...