So to make things a little easier, I’ve created itineraries for a couple of walking tours that I thought I’d share with you. Versions of these first appeared in my Moon Handbooks Las Vegas, but I’ve updated and expanded them since they were published.

This week let’s talk a way around the Center Strip area.

Starting and ending point: Bellagio

Approximate distance: 2 miles

Approximate time: 3-4 hours depending on how long you stop to stare

Best time: evening

If you are driving, park at Bellagio in the main garage and if you’re walking enter through the main doors into the lobby. Your first stop, the Botanical Gardens, is just off the lobby and adjacent to the doors that come in from the parking garage so you can’t miss it either way. Spend a few minutes appreciating the artistry that goes into creating these floral masterpieces. Go out the back of the gardens and walk down the hall to find the giant chocolate fountain at the Jean-Phillippe Patisserie. If you love chocolate, this is like a holy shrine. If you don’t like chocolate, I have nothing more to say to you.

Next head outside to catch a showing of the Fountains of Bellagio, the epic water, light, and sound show that is entertaining no matter how many times you’ve seen it. The fountain show is best viewed after the sun goes down to get the full effect of the colorful lights that accompany each one.

Walk north along the Strip to the pedestrian bridge that crosses Flamingo Road and you’ll arrive at Caesars Palace, a Roman-themed wonderland located here since 1966. The pedestrian bridge deposits you in an outdoor plaza that leads to the casino. Traverse it carefully – it’s easy to get lost, but if you turn get turned around just keep following the signs for the Forum Shops and that’s the direction you want to go.

Wander through the Forum Shops to get a gander at the silliness of a Gap in ancient Rome, plus you may catch the fountain shows inside the mall if your timing is right. They’re a good amusement but not worth going out of your way to see so if it’s a choice of waiting 30 minutes to see the next one or moving on with your life, I suggest the latter.

Keep going through the mall and eventually you’ll be deposited back on The Strip. Turn to your left and you’ll see a moving sidewalk that will take you into The Mirage. Just inside the entrance is the white tiger habitat and on your way to the front door you can see the tropical rain forest and the aquarium behind the check-in desk. Exit the front door to the valet parking area for a view of the Mirage volcano show.

Alongside the valet parking area is a stop for a tram that will take you to neighboring Treasure Island. It deposits you on the second floor at the back of the property near the parking garage and as you exit, turn right to take an escalator down to the main casino floor. Feel free to explore but if you want to skip this one, walk straight ahead to the exit through Buccaneer Bay, where they have the awful pirate show you shouldn’t bother seeing unless you’re desperate for entertainment or a glutton for punishment.

Instead, turn right and you’ll find a pedestrian bridge that will lead you across The Strip to The Venetian. It delivers you to the second floor walkway overlooking the outdoor St. Mark’s Square replica (and Gondola Rides) with an entrance to the Grand Canal Shoppes mall. With its replica of the Grand Canal, this is where you’ll find the indoor gondola rides. You can wander through the mall or take the escalators down to the main casino floor. Be sure to look up as you go for some really stunning artwork on the walls and ceilings. Turn right as you get off the escalators and follow the signs for the front desk. It’s worth the extra few steps to see the Grand Hall and lobby area, highly impressive marble affairs with enough filigree to fill the Louvre. Exit the main doors to the valet parking area.

As you come out of The Venetian head to The Strip and turn left on the sidewalk. This will lead you past Harrah’s and Imperial Palace to the Flamingo Las Vegas, one of the oldest continually operating resorts on The Strip, opened in 1946. Whether you choose to stop in any of these places is totally up to you. I personally wouldn’t put them high on my “sightseeing” tour since about the only good photo opportunities are of more slot machines, but if you feel like losing a few bucks these are not bad places to do it in.

Keep going past The Flamingo and you’ll come to a pedestrian bridge that crosses over Flamingo Road to Bally’s. Take the elevated moving sidewalk inside this hotel and pause for a minute to remember that this was the scene of one of the most devastating hotel fires in U.S. history. 87 people died here in 1980 when the hotel was known as the MGM Grand. Pass through the casino and on your right just past the main casino cage is a walkway lined with shops and restaurants. Take it.

That walkway will lead you to the back of Paris Las Vegas. Turn right and you’ll follow a cobblestone Parisian street scene to the main casino where you’ll find the ticket counter for the Eiffel Tower Experience. After you’ve finished, go out any of the main doors of the hotel to The Strip.

Turn left as you exit and you’ll see the hotel that was once known as The Aladdin, but is still in the process of being redeveloped into Planet Hollywood. This is due to be complete by mid-2007 so whether or not it’s worth your time to visit depends on when you read this.

Return to Bellagio via the crosswalk near Planet Hollywood or via the pedestrian bridge near Bally’s.

return to the top

Question: Hey Rick, one of my favorite movies is "Las Vegas Vacation" with Chevy Chase. I have to believe it is one of my favorites because I enjoy going to Las Vegas so much and find most of the scenes familiar and/or humorous. Do you have a list of favorite "Las Vegas" movies?

Answer: I do have a list, not necessarily of my favorite Vegas movies but of the movies in which I think Vegas was a key "character." It appeared in this column a couple of years ago and is also in my Moon Handbooks Las Vegas guidebook, but it's worth a repeat I think. That's for asking:

Vegas Goes to the Movies
Vegas has long been a favorite of moviemakers, and why not? It's one of the most extravagant backdrops ever created and offers an almost instant atmosphere of excitement and sinful decadence.

But not all movies that feature Vegas as a setting are created equal. Many movies have failed to capitalize on the unique energy the city has to offer, making it seem like nothing more than a neon-lighted studio lot set.

So I sat down and developed the following list of movies that I think best showcase Vegas in all of its glory, debauchery, seediness, or wacky fun. In alphabetical order:

Bugsy (1991) - Warren Beatty, Annette Bening
Barry Levinson's epic about mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the man widely (and incorrectly) credited with creating Las Vegas was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two. Although some of the historical details were a little fuzzy, at best – the Flamingo was not the first hotel on the Strip, as the film would have you believe – it still offers a stunning portrait of the early days of Vegas in a way that no other movie has ever done.

Casino (1995) – Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone
Another renowned director, Martin Scorsese, with another stunning cast examining the effect of the mob on Las Vegas, this time in the fabulous 1970s, before all of the big corporations came to town and kicked all the "goodfellas" out. Check out the amazing period detail (shag carpeting and smoky mirrors) and if you look closely you'll see current Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman in a small role.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Sean Connery, Jill St. John
Sean Connery's last turn as James Bond put him on the trail of a Howard Hughes-like billionaire bent on ruling the world, but that's not really important for this list. What is important is the fact that much of it was shot in and around Vegas with classic shots of old-glory hotels such as the Tropicana, Las Vegas Hilton, and Circus-Circus among others. This is a fantastic time-capsule of the city.

Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) – James Caan, Nicholas Cage
Much of this film was shot at Bally's, and it's interesting to see the neighborhood pre-Bellagio and Paris. But it's really the end scene featuring Cage as one of a group of skydiving Elvis impersonators parachuting in over the city that establishes this as one of the best uses of Vegas in the movies ever. Plus, it has Sarah Jessica Parker, and you just have to give extra credit for that.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – Nicholas Cage, Elisabeth Shue
Cage returned to Vegas a few years later and left with an Oscar for his turn as an alcoholic reaching the very depths of despair and finding some measure of redemption with a prostitute played by Shue. Certainly not one of the more cheery movies ever made, but the way the filmmakers captured the undercurrent of desperation that runs through the city was astonishing.

Mars Attacks (1996) – Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening
You'll note this list is about best representations of Vegas in the movies, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are good movies – a point proven by this entry. Although this Tim Burton comic book-inspired film about Martians attacking the Earth has a certain camp appeal, it's the Vegas settings – including a battle in the old location of the Neon Graveyard – that earn it a place on this list. After all, what other film includes an implosion of a real Vegas hotel (the Landmark)?

Ocean's 11 (1960) – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin
I know I'm risking the ire of Vegas movie buffs by saying this, but you all secretly know it's true: The original Ocean's 11 is a pretty terrible movie. As evidence, I point out the part where Sammy Davis bursts into song with a group of garbage men. 'Nuf said. But from a time-capsule perspective, no other film comes close to capturing the mood, the vibe, and the sheer spectacle that was Vegas during the Rat Pack era. Plus, seeing current and long-gone classics like the Sahara, the Desert Inn, and the Flamingo at the height of their swinging glory is an absolute joy.

Ocean's 11 (2001) – George Clooney, Brad Pitt
In 40 years will we look back on this remake with the same fondness with which we view the original? Hard to say, since none of us can imagine hotels like Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand not being there the way that the Desert Inn and Sands have disappeared since the Frank and Dino version. But this is still sheer popcorn-movie fun and features some of the coolest, most glamorous, sexiest shots of Las Vegas ever committed to film. Here, the city becomes another character almost as entertaining as the rest of the star-studded cast. Whether the Vegas set Ocean's 13, due in theaters summer 2007, can compete for a spot on this list is yet to be seen.

Showgirls (1995) – Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan
Remember what I was saying about bad movies? Yes, "Showgirls" is widely considered to be not just a bad movie but one of the worst movies ever made. The good news is that it is so bad that it almost becomes good again – a campy, catty, and lewd look at the supposed life behind the headdresses. This is a terrific example of the seamy side of Vegas.

Viva Las Vegas (1964) – Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret
Shot mostly on location in and around Las Vegas, this is another trifle of a film that manages to capture the city like a moving postcard. The cotton-candy colors and vibrant energy of the 1960s are in full view here, along with what has become the unofficial theme song of the city: "Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire...”

return to the top