Whereas our tour of the south strip began at the south end and worked its way to the north; I've started our tour of the north strip at the north end and headed south.

The Stratosphere (2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89104. 800-998-6937) (formerly Vegas World) the northernmost megaresort on Las Vegas Blvd., is technically on the strip (defining "the strip" as the row of megaresorts on Las Vegas Blvd.) but is one-third of a mile north of the next closest resort to the south, Sahara; and four-fifths of a mile north of Circus Circus. Once you cross Sahara you enter an urban area that's very different from the tourist-oriented area between Sahara & Tropicana Avenues. Las Vegas Blvd. between Sahara Ave. and downtown (Fremont St.) has a number of panhandlers and other assorted sketchy characters. Businesses along this stretch of the strip mainly consist of cheap motels, strip clubs, fast food, gas stations, quickie wedding chapels, bail bondsmen and pawnshops. If you're accustomed to urban environments you won't feel uncomfortable in this area. The couple from rural midwestern America or a small town in the Swiss Alps might feel very much out of place and uncomfortable, however. The Stratosphere itself is a nice property. While it does cater more to "budget travelers" than high rollers, the overall atmosphere is pleasant and it's got the best view of the city from the observation deck on top. It costs about $10 to ride the elevator up (I think it's 109 stories) and since September 2001 you have to go through a metal detector first. They also have three different thrill rides on the observation deck. These are extreme heart attack attractions that would appeal to skydivers and bungee jumpers; not the average roller coaster fan. And there's a Starbucks at the top of the Stratosphere. A 16 ounce plain coffee was $2.29 up there when the price at "ground level" was $1.60. Plus tax.



I stayed at the Sahara (2535 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, NV 89109. 888-696-2121) for my first visit to Las Vegas, which was around 1990. Their casino is kind of small and the location is terrible, but overall it's an OK place to stay and may very well be the nicest of the budget priced north strip properties. The main drawback is that there is nothing in close walking distance. Even the nearest properties (Circus Circus across the street and to the south, Stratosphere to the north) are about a half mile away. Sahara also has the NASCAR Cafe on site, and a roller coaster.



The Hilton Grand Vacations Club both sells and rents condos. It's just north of Circus Circus.



Sky Las Vegas condos 2780-C Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. 702-877-4SKY are immediately south of Hilton Grand Vacations Club.



Across the street from Sahara, I've also been a guest at Circus Circus (2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89109. 877-224-7287) twice, in the early 1990s. You'll find the rooms of acceptable quality, but this is definitely a "family" property. If you've ever gone shopping at a discount store like Target or K-Mart on a Saturday morning... this is what Circus Circus is like. Don't expect a romantic or glamorous atmosphere. If you like a noisy, huge casino (Circus Circus actually has 3 interconnected casinos) and carnival-like atmosphere (garish colors, carnival midway games on the second level, and free circus shows every 30 minutes) you will like it here. The Circus Circus steakhouse has a solid reputation as one of the best in the city, but the buffet does not.



Slots-A-Fun is right next to Circus Circus, to the south, but it is not a hotel. It's a small rectangular casino which is almost always crowded. The emphasis here is on fun and low limit games. They've had $1 to $1.50 bottles of imported beers for a long time - usually Becks, Fosters Lager, Corona and Heineken. Most casino bars on the strip will charge you $5 or more for a bottle of imported beer. If you're gambling you can get any drink for free from the cocktail waitresses (in any casino) but you should tip at least $1 per drink. While tipping is not required, it is customary and will keep the cocktail waitress coming back. Nontippers might be ignored. Don't gamble just to get free drinks, however. I've seen people order a drink while playing a slot machine, run the credits down to zero; then they stick in another $20 while they're waiting for their free drink. Which was actually not a free drink, but a $20 drink.



Riviera (2901 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas NV 89109. 1-800-634-6753) is directly across the street from Slots-A-Fun and has one of the largest casinos on the strip and one of the most colorful exteriors at night. This is a great place to gamble if you're a conservative player, and they have an area they call "nickel town" which is full of 5-cent machines. The last time I passed Riviera I saw that they'd added a "Penny Town" as well; although the concept of penny slots is misleading. You don't sit there dropping in pennies one at a time. Penny slots accept bills up to $100 and you can lose as much as if you played 25-cent or higher value slots since you can gamble hundreds of credits (each credit equalling 1 cent) per spin. Newer low-limit slot machines have also been changing over from the old fashioned 3-symbols-across, single pay line model to multi-combination models that include 3 or more separate horizontal lines containing 5 or more "slots" instead of the old standard one by three configuration; plus a variety of weird diagonal and zig-zagging combinations which create an insane number of separate pay lines. If you only play one credit at a time, you disqualify yourself from hitting anything on the dozens of other pay lines. Always pay attention to the pay tables on the slot machine back glass! Hitting "the big jackpot" will NOT pay off unless you've got that particular pay line covered with the maximum bet. (You've probably heard stories about people who dropped $1 into a Megabucks machine and thinking they hit the $50 million or whatever jackpot; only to be told by casino staff that you have to wager $3 to be eligible to win the big jackpot. For $1 the prize is... nothing.) Smart players always play "maximum coins" on high jackpot machines. I like the Riviera casino, for the same reason I like the MGM, Planet Hollywood, Paris and Monte Carlo casinos. They seem quieter and less hectic than typical. Riviera also has a small video game arcade and a fast-food court near the south entrance. I'll never forget the day I was sitting in their food court (August 13, 2007) and watched an old man walk in from the 108 degree heat wearing a winter jacket. You'll inevitably see or meet some odd characters on the Las Vegas strip.



Stardust was imploded March 13, 2007. Click here to view my "memorial" photo gallery of the Stardust. A $4.4 billion resort called the "Echelon" is being built at the Stardust site. This has been reported to be an upscale property similar to Mandalay Bay. It looks as if developers are following the lead of Wynn in venturing north with new properties. The Echelon is scheduled to open in late 2010. Boyd Gaming, which owned Stardust, also owns Echelon.





Westward Ho no longer exists. I walked by on Christmas day 2006. The entire Westward Ho property was bulldozed. All that was left was the skeleton of their sign. Barbary Coast is rumored to be moving to the old Westward Ho location.



The New Frontier (3120 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, NV 89109. 800-634-6966) has also been demolished. Below are a few photos I shot on December 13, 2007, shortly before Frontier was reduced to a pile of rocks.



The Las Vegas Plaza, modeled after New York's Plaza Hotel, is planned for a 2011 opening with 4,100 hotel rooms and 2,600 condos at the New Frontier site. El Ad Group bought the Frontier in 2007 and is constructing the Plaza.

Here ends our tour of the individual strip properties. Next I've featured "The Deuce" which you'll encounter all along the entire length of the strip, and the Las Vegas Monorail which travels between the Sahara and MGM Grand; followed by a summary.



    The Deuce is what they call the new (since October 2005) double-decker buses you'll see in mass quantities on the strip. It used to be, you'd see a gang of people standing at a bus stop and the bus (Strip line 302) would cruise right on by, showing the "FULL" sign on front. This happens less often with the doubled capacity of The Deuce. If you're driving the strip, stay in the left lanes to avoid getting stuck behind one of The Deuces. Traffic can be so heavy on the strip that you won't be able to pull out. I've never ridden The Deuce but I did ride a bus from the airport to Circus Circus around 1995. That was my only bus trip in Las Vegas. It really sucks. Spring for a taxi.



     Las Vegas Monorail - I rode the Las Vegas monorail once just to see what it was like. It runs approximately parallel to Las Vegas Blvd. and Koval Lane from the MGM Grand to Harrahs (with additional stops at Bally's/Paris and the Flamingo); then turns east along Twain for a short stretch before turning north along Paradise Rd. to stop at the Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton, and the Sahara. One ride is $5, two rides are $9, an all day pass is $15. Considering that there are only 7 stops along the monorail line, it doesn't offer much of an advantage over taxis. It's also quite a walk from some of the casinos to the monorail stations, whereas taxis will drop you off right at the door. I think the ideal location for a monorail would be straight up the middle of Las Vegas Blvd from the airport to Fremont Street (downtown) but perhaps that configuration would present huge traffic problems and take too big a bite out of taxi revenue. Visit their web site (link above) for more info.

In summary, the best and most concise advice I can offer a first-time visitor to Las Vegas is: if PRICE is the most important factor in your vacation, you'll want to stay downtown, or on the north strip, or off-strip, or at Imperial Palace mid-strip; or Excalibur on the south strip. If ATMOSPHERE is most important to you, stay on the south strip or mid strip anywhere except Excalibur or Imperial Palace. And don't ignore the option of booking a higher priced suite in a budget property, which kind of combines 2 opposing atmospheres (the large size, the status, and the amenities of a suite will make you feel upscale; but only while you're in the room.)

As far as transportation options in Las Vegas, you don't need a rental car or lots of cash for taxis unless you plan to see the sights near Las Vegas, such as Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, Area 51 (Groom Lake), ghost towns, Laughlin, Jean, Primm, the legal brothels, Mojave Desert, etc. You don't want to get on a crowded tour bus with screaming kids and comply with the tour schedule. I've walked from the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign which is half a mile south of Mandalay Bay, to downtown (Fremont Street) in August when it's 110 degrees and it wasn't uncomfortable. I've also walked from the airport to Westward Ho, from the strip to the airport several times, and from the south end of the strip to the north end and back. I'm not an athlete either. I was very thirsty all the time but there are plenty of places to stop for beverages (keep in mind that alcohol dehydrates you; drink a lot of water when you're hiking in the heat). If you push yourself too far and become totally exhausted just grab a taxi. They're always lined up waiting for passengers in front of nearly every casino. If you rent a car you can plan on spending at least $50 per day (for a small car) between the rental charges, gas, and tips for valet parking (valet parking is free at every property but you should tip at least $1 or $2 when picking up the car.) I tip both when dropping off and picking up (which you can do too) but that's not the "standard practice."

Taxiing around will probably cost about the same as or less than renting a car. From the south/center strip to downtown will run about $20; from one end of the strip to the other (4 miles or less) will cost $10 to $15 if traffic is not heavy; short hops from Rio Suites or Hard Rock to the center strip are around $10; and fare from the airport varies (anywhere from $8 to $35) with the location of your hotel. Combining walks of 1 to 3 miles with 2 or 3 cab rides per day will get you anyplace you'd care to visit on the strip or downtown; and save you the frustration and stress of driving the strip (if you think Los Angeles or New York is bad... you haven't driven the Las Vegas strip yet.) In addition to the lumbering monster buses, there are hundreds of taxis zipping around and hundreds of tourists not paying attention, walking around AND driving rental cars, rubbernecking at the huge neon lights.

When cabbing, watch out for the "long haul." Cab drivers like to take the freeway (which runs parallel to Las Vegas Blvd.) because it's usually faster and usually costs more for most trips from the airport to a strip or downtown hotel, from one strip property to another, or between the strip and downtown. Use this handy Nevada Taxicab Authority fares and fees chart to see what an approximate fare should be for various destinations from the airport. The best instructions to give a cab driver are either "take the fastest route" OR "take the least expensive route." For any trip, surface streets will usually be the least expensive route and the freeway will usually be the fastest route. But not always.