Sightseeing In Las Vegas
Las Vegas welcomes you
Whether you are relocating or visiting – welcome to Las Vegas and welcome to so much more than The Strip, Casinos, World class shows, Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
Gambling in Las Vegas
If or when you go gambling you’ll meet the dealer, or croupier who runs the games of chance. Beside making payoffs to winners they have to explain and enforce the rules and from time to time collect losing bets. They are frequently moved from gaming table to table.
There are no formal education requirements for dealers, although employers do prefer to hire people with high school diplomas or the equivalent and strong mathematical skills are a must. Most are required to have a certificate or appropriate training from a dealer school. Casinos may provide dealer training, especially for employees who wish to change jobs.
Things to do in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is more than just spectacular shows and gambling. In Las Vegas you’ll ride the fastest elevators, swim with a dolphin, visit Paris and the Eiffel Tower, Ride a Venetian Gondola, Visit Rome and much more…
Some says that size doesn’t matter… but here in Las Vegas we believe it does…
For example:
Seventeen of the twenty biggest hotels in the United States are in Las Vegas…
Bellagio Hotel and Casino has the world’s largest glass sculpture and tallest chocolate fountain
MGM Grand is the world’s biggest hotel…
Stratosphere Hotel and Casino is the tallest building west of Mississippi and the fastest elevator in the United States…
And, the world’s most powerful beam of light is at Luxor Hotel and Casino
Sightseeing in Las Vegas
Las Vegas has a wide selection of sightseeing tours and something for everyone from Helicopter Tours to excursions to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon and of course City Sightseeing Tours that introduces you to all the sights, shows and points of interests along the famous Las Vegas Strip.
It is only Open Top Sightseeing who offers HOP ON HOP OFF Double Decker tours on Las Vegas Boulevard – better known as THE STRIP.
A City Sightseeing Tour with Open Top Sightseeing allows you to hear more about the history of Las Vegas and it is a great way to get introduced to the many Las Vegas Casinos and Shows.
The Brief Las Vegas History
Las Vegas celebrated its 100th birthday on May 15th 2005 and ever since, it has seen a little of this and a little of that.
Las Vegas and hotels goes hand in hand and back in 1905 when a sudden building at Freemont Street was accompanying the railroad boom town with whiskey, wild woman and poker chips. It was sold for astronomic one-thousand-seven-hundred-fifty dollars and in 1906 the first Hotel and Casino opened its doors to the public.
In those days the first class Golden Gate Hotel & Casino was asking one dollar a night but it was also a first class hotel!
And…, can you believe that from 1910 until 1931 gambling was forbidden in Las Vegas?
But, the history goes all the way back to about 10.000 years ago when Paleo-Indians first visited the Las Vegas valley and left behind petroglyphs that help us tell the early history.
But let us jump up till recently … and the year of 1829
This year a young scout of European ancestry discovered a valley with abundant wild grasses and plenty of water.
He named it Las Vegas which is Spanish for The Meadow.
Then on to the early 1900 - where work on the railroad began and to accommodate the hard working men, stores, boarding houses and saloons were established. This cocktail kept the enforcement occupied with many drinking related fights.
In 1909 the Nevada Legislature created Clark County named after William Clark, who brought the railroad to Southern Nevada. Las Vegas became the county seat.
In 1910, Nevada passed the strictest anti-gambling law ever! You weren’t even allowed to flip-pling a coin for the price of your next drink!
And… as you already guessed… within days underground gambling began and continued so up until 1931 where gambling was legalized and a month later the first six gambling licensed was issued.
At the same year construction of Hoover Dam began and Las Vegas grew to a population of more than 5.200 and about the same time state divorce laws were liberalized and divorce could be retained after as little as six weeks of residency. These short-term residents stayed at Dude Ranches which was the forerunners of the sprawling Strip Hotels.
Small-town Las Vegas was already then on its way as the Worlds Capital of gambling and entertainment and was nicknamed Sin City – and this was just in the grip of the Great Depression but as you’ll discover on your visit to Las Vegas – development is always going on – no matter what the rest of the world looks like.
It is said that even though Al Capone already in the 1930’s eyed the potential of gambling in the dessert - the mob decided to stay with there business in Cuba and their good relation with the Batista regime - and mob money wasn’t brought into Las Vegas until after World war II when Lucky Luciano faced the Sin City and decided to capitalize on the Cash Cow.
It turned out to be a wise decision. About a decade later Fidel Castro came to power as a result of the Cuban revolution that overthrew Batista and Cuba was history for the gangsters.
Mobsters from the Midwest and East Costs moved into Las Vegas and in the early 50’s another seven Casinos was added to the Strip – among them the Riviera - and the population grew within a few years from forty-five-thousand to one-hundred-twenty-thousand.
But it wasn’t only the mafia who eyed the Las Vegas potential. Celebrities too is said to have had stakes in some Casinos and Jimmy Hoffa too was bringing instalments of Teamsters Pension Fund money into Las Vegas and did among other finance Circus-Circus in 1968. It is important to remember that Las Vegas and its Casinos wasn’t some underground businesses but a business that thousands of tourists was visiting to have a good time and a business that occupied many people…
…though your employer could be a little different than your everyday boss. Dealers with too sticky fingers weren’t just fired. The dealers name was put out to the other casinos and if you were a really bad dealer there was a risk that all fingers on both hands were broken… It is said it also had an influence on your colleagues…
Besides running at professional business Las Vegas was then a small almost crime free town. Everyone knew about the mafia and no one dared to cross them.
Talking about the 50’s it was also then the first atomic bomb was detonated at the Nevada test side North of Las Vegas…
Up through the 60’s, 70’s and some of the 80’s Government tried to take control with the various Families of organized crime in Las Vegas.
But, they were up against experienced business men – though with a slight different codex than most other business men.
Agents from across the Nation were sent to Las Vegas. To some of them the special Las Vegas touch was too much and they were carried away of the Sin City temptation and a few of them had a hard time deciding who their employer was.
It is said that it all ended in June 1986 when “The King of The Strip” 48-years-old Tony Spilotro and his 41-years-old brother was taken out of the game and buried together in an Indiana cornfield.
New businessmen took over and rapidly changed the image of the Sin City to a place for the whole family to visit – Viva Las Vegas!
Today’s Las Vegas
Las Vegas isn’t only about gambling. Within education the city has 64 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, 10 High Schools, 1 UNLV satellite campus and 1 CSN satellite campus.
About two million people are living in Clark County. Out of that about six hundred thousand lives in Las Vegas which by the way is the fastest growing city in the United States of America. Of course there are also many people who leave Las Vegas but the monthly many settlers are a huge challenge to the city.
The cost of living in Las Vegas is lower than in any other United States metro area and many fine attractions and shows are free and when hungry – boy, there are so much to choose from including affordable buffets at some of the resorts.
Citizens of Las Vegas do not pay any state income tax and just as in the past salaries are often based on tips which hopefully reflect a high service and nice atmosphere.
Some says that size doesn’t matter… but in Las Vegas they believe it does…
For example are seventeen of the twenty biggest hotels in the United States located in Las Vegas!
Bellagio Hotel and Casino has the world’s largest glass sculpture and tallest chocolate fountain!
MGM Grand is the world’s biggest hotel!
Stratosphere Hotel and Casino is the tallest building west of Mississippi and the fastest elevator in the United States!
The world’s most powerful beam of light is at Luxor Hotel and Casino!
Enviromental
Las Vegas has always been known as the ultimate escape with all its glamour and glitter.
Most first time visitors get amazed about the consumption of energy we are using to keep on the light over Las Vegas.
I assume it is any environmentalist’s nightmare but also a picture of Las Vegas then and now! When in Las Vegas it is Okay to skip the everyday rules of behavior and fulfill your dreams in luxury! And remember, Las Vegas wasn’t really built do last – but it does – telling me, there is a need out there for ultimate escape…
It is said that each person consumes about one-hundred-ninety gallon of water each day and some environmental activists predicts that the Vegas Valley may exhaust its entire water supply within the next twenty-five to fifty year.
Las Vegas Tourism – Gambling, one of the things to do in Las Vegas
Each year about thirty nine million people pay a visit to Las Vegas and it takes just about one-hundred-thirty-thousand motel and hotel rooms to accommodate all our visitors from around the world.
The tourism’s economic impact is around forty Billion dollars and occupies most of us living in Las Vegas.
If you are in Vegas for about three to four nights, are spending between five and 600 hundred dollars gambling and are in the late 40’s – you just won… to be an average Las Vegas visitor!
You can learn more about all the different things to do in Las Vegas at Vegas.com and visitlasvegas.com.
Sightseeing Las Vegas In Two Hours
www.opentopsightseeing.com allows you to go sightseeing in your own pace. A full loop lasts 2 hours and is the perfect sightseeing tour for you who is in a hurry or want to orientate yourself before starting all the HOP ON – HOP OFF sightseeing stops at those sights that have your interest!
MORE LAS VEGAS SIGHTSEEING
So much to do and so little time in Las Vegas… Open Top Sightseeing Las Vegas has partnered with friends and other fine Las Vegas Operators and suppliers to make your stay more easy and to get full value for your money while in Las Vegas.
Your flexible Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing ticket is valid for either 2 og 5 consecutive days for unlimited rides and Hop On Hop Off.
Open Top Sightseeing partnere with following fine companies and if you purchase your Combo Ticket at www.opentopsightseeing.com you’ll save money!
- Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
- Adventuredome Circus Circus
- Magic Neon with Stars and Stripes Air Tours
- Hoover Dam with Stars and Stripes Air Tours
- Hard Rock Cafe
Learn more about the amazing sights in Las Vegas
We are looking forward to see you in Las Vegas
The staff
at OPEN TOP SIGHTSEEING.
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