New Orleans City Park

The City Park is at the other end of the city. New Orleans’ City Park is double the size of Ne York’s Central Park. It has a botanical garden, a sculpture garden, a light railway and a collection of old oak trees, the oldest one being 800 years old. Moreover playing tennis or golf is possible.

The Park is north of the French Quarter. You will be driving a bit off the tourist routes to go there. Information on how to reach the park can be found here:

http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/city-park-map

We could only go there for a very short time. Even though the driving instructions sound a bit difficult, it was not difficult. Signs were everywhere and parking was easy to find. If you have a rental car anyways, come here. We went there on the last morning and after that left New Orleans heading to Florida.

http://neworleanscitypark.com/

Steamboat Mississippi Tour

The tour on the Mississippi Steam Boat starts right at Jackson Square (Steamboat Natchez Tour). Because of New Orleans’ unique atmosphere and history, these tours somehow fit into the city and match its character. Don’t expect anything very spectacular. You enter the steamboat, can walk up and down on it and drive down the river a bit. The steamboat makes a turn and goes to same way back. You get to see some of New Orleans’ houses a bit later a sugar cane factory and all the other traffic on the river.

The tour is sold in several varieties: brunch tour, jazz tour, diner tour etc. We did the regular afternoon tour (at 2.30 pm, another one is at 11.30 am). The lunch buffet was offered for an additional 10 dollars. The tickets are sold directly at the port, the booths are very visible and easy to find.

The food at the lunch buffet was ok, you do not need to leave hungry. Neither food nor variety is outstanding. It’s in general ok, not more and not less.
All other things on the boat are a matter of taste. A band is there: they play for a very short period of time (very loud but not very good, literally all street bands were better). The tour is full-narrated (like so many tours in the US): that means someone has a mike and tells all kind of information about the tour and the area. I have to say, what they were telling was not even that interesting and the speaker sounded very repetitive and bored, almost to the point of rattling everything.

The only interesting thing was the engine room where you can see the steamboat engine.

It was a nice trip after all. The world always looks different from the water. I would not call this trip a must-do in New Orleans but it was still good.

More information about the tour: http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/

There is also a second tour option: http://www.creolequeen.com/

Streamboatnatchez says they are the original. Creole Queen does not use a steamboat at all. I don’t know it that’s right but it’s what they said at Steamboatnatchez.

Further Activities in New Orleans

New Orleans has many guided tours, most of them themed voodoo or ghost. Some of them only in the evenings when it’s dark. There are also Airboat and Kayak Tours to swamp areas of New Orleans (I wrote something about Airboat in the Everglades Article). A second larger park is the Jean Lafitte Preserve. Highway 1 and 23 are the southern end of the city (not really in the city but already far outside) and end in the ocean. At the very end of highway 23, there is Pass A Loutre State Park (only reachable per boat), the highways ends shortly before the park. At the end of highway 1, there is Grand Isle and a little protected area. Both tours need at least 1 ½ hours one way. I cannot say anything about that, we did not do them.

What is a Must-Do in New Orleans?

Definitely French Quarter, bring enough time to enjoy its atmosphere. Also walk along the Mississippi River, and to Jackson Square. You should definitely listen to some live music, either on the roads in French Quarter or in one of the bars. Also visit Garden District, maybe for lunch or dinner. Last but not least at least one of the Vacherie plantations (see Plantations in the South).

Safety in New Orleans

Safety has always been an issue in New Orleans; Americans call it “a dangerous city”. That means, you always need to be a bit careful where you go. French Quarter and Garden District are safe and not dangerous at all. The easiest thing is just to stay here in the evenings after sunset. All hotels are nearby and like that you do not take an unnecessary risk.

All standard tourist routes are safe, all booked tours of course as well. Everything else, unusual areas and routes, should be checked in advance. That does not mean that you cannot go there. But US cities have ghettos which mean that sometimes one side of the street is safe and the other one is not. At some bus stops, you can only walk left, never right or something like that. These invisible borders in cities are real. Every city has some blocks that you should better avoid.

I don’t know anything like that from Germany. I would recommend asking the hotel staff or a cop for advice. In the US, people are in general very kind and helpful and always answer friendly. Things like that change quickly and I think asking for updated information is the best.

New Orleans definitely has a poverty problem. We saw many people living under car bridges. Between French Quarter and Garden State, some of the larger roads have entrances and exits on big ramps. People were living there in tents, in the middle of that traffic mess.

Parking in New Orleans

Parking in New Orleans is – there is no nice way to put it – a pain in the ass. Our hotel charged 38 dollars for one day. For three nights (= four days) that was too much for us. Our hotel was not an exception; all hotels in the French Quarter have these kinds of parking fees.

You can use one of the parking decks or parking spaces in the French Quarter. Signs about them are everywhere. The thing is: the closer you are to French Quarter, the more expensive. We found a parking deck in advance on google. We were there but that did not work at all (the parking deck was either full or closed or we did it wrong, I don’t know). Anyways, it did not work for us. The second try was better: it was a parking space charging 10 dollars per day. Still a lot but better than 38 per day. We had to walk there twice and buy a new parking tickets (I was one of these “buy it and put it on the dash” systems). Of course, that wasn’t a perfect solution. A regular parking deck ticket with a total in the end would have been easier and better. But it was ok. It was just a daily walk from the hotel to the car.

Some advice: French Quarter and its many little roads were a bit confusing to us in the first evening. It was only a 2 km walk from the car to the hotel but finding the right way wasn’t easy. Our parking space was somewhere at North Rampart Street. Definitely take a map and a GPS phone with you to avoid walking the wrong way.

If you don’t mind walking, this could be the right option for you. If you do, find a parking garage or pay the hotel’s fee.

You don’t need a car in the French Quarter. It’s better to walk here. We used to car only for trips outside the French Quarter. We left our luggage in the hotel; one person of the group was watching it until the car was there. While looking for parking, always consider New Orleans’ safety issues and don’t park too far from the French Quarter.

Resumee New Orleans

New Orleans is a unique city, a place like no other. One of my all-time-highlights, I could have stayed much longer!

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Beale Street

We stayed in the Comfort Inn Hotel which is a 15 minute walk from Beale Street. Beale Street is the city’s musical center. We were lucky and happened to be in Memphis on a Friday and could enjoy a Friday night live music in one of the bars. All the bars have promoters in front who try to make visitors come in. They were quite charming and have a nice way to do that. We were convinced and went into one of these bars. They ask “food or drinks” and because we said “drinks” we went to the bar. With food, we would have gotten a table. Soon, the band started playing, Blues of course. None of us really is a blues fan but all of us liked it. Nashville is America’s music capital but Memphis is number two on the list. The band was really good, a very good experience.

A little story at side: part of our group ordered alcohol, I only ordered coke. The bartender asked “Are you the designated driver? We support drivers in this bar.” While he was saying this, he already nodded his head. I said yes, even though we were walking and got my coke for free.

Live music was everywhere that night. It’s not difficult to find, just walk along Beale Street.

Beale Street is blocked for traffic in the evening. Street artists perform, the road is always busy. Something is always happening.

Downtown Memphis

Memphis has some historic buildings from the high period of the South. The hotel had booklets with walking routes in which you see the most important buildings. My travel book also had several walking tours. You can also book a guided tour. Horse carriages in the city center offer tours as well.

We did an early morning walk. Our body clock was still wrong, we were awake early anyways. This is a good way to do something in the morning when most places are still closed.

It was winter in Memphis (November) but to me (German standard kind of) it was a decent, comfortable spring day where Jeans and T-Shirt are enough.
National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel), Mud Island River Park, Bass Pro Shop and Shelby Farms Park

As mentioned above, we stayed in the Comfort Inn Hotel. From our room, we had a great view of the river, the port and Mud River Park. Mud River Park is a small island in the Mississippi River. In summer, tours are available. In winter, when we were there, Mud River Park is closed. From our hotel window, we also saw a pyramid. This pyramid is Bass Pro Shop, an outdoor and sports store. There is a viewpoint from which you can see the entire Memphis skyline. Taking the elevator make a 10 dollar fee. There is also an upstairs restaurant. You get a 10 dollar voucher for the restaurant by using the elevator. We did not know that and just paid our 10 bucks. In the store you get to see everything possible and impossible: even a huge weapon area. Crazy, I have never seen anything like that. How American!

1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
opened from 8 am – 10 pm

http://www.basspro.com

The National Civil Rights Museum was built the Lorraine Motel spot. Lorraine Motel was where Martin Luther King was shot. We missed the opportunity to go there which I regret a lot. If I ever come back, I definitely want to go there.

450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

The biggest park in Memphis is called Shelby Farms. The park has 1800 hectares which is five time the size of Central Park. We were running out of time and could not go there.

6903 Great View Drive North, Memphis, TN 38120, USA

http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org

Musicians are probably interested in the big Gibson Store. To all non-musicians: Gibson is a famous guitar brand. They mainly sell guitars but also other instruments. A second option is the Gibson headquarters in Nashville. The Memphis store is near Beale Street next to the Rock’n’Roll Museum.

145 Lt. George W Lee Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

http://www.gibson.com

Is Memphis an Interesting Place to Visit?

I have to say I wasn’t expecting much of Memphis. Because Memphis is so far from everything else (320 km to Nashville and 400 km to Vicksburg) I wasn’t sure if I want to go there at all. For a while I preferred the idea of going directly from Nashville to New Orleans. I did not really feel like driving to Memphis and Vicksburg. I have to admit, I was wrong. I really liked both, (see Vicksburg article) even Memphis was much nicer than expected. The two nights there were exactly right. One night would not be enough because it takes a while to reach. The live music in Memphis was outstanding, the Slave Heaven Museum very interesting. If we missed something by not doing Graceland and Sun Studios, I don’t know. We decided all together to not do that. As mentioned above I regret having missed the Civil Rights Museum. Apart from that I’m glad we were there.

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French Quarter: Bourbon Street and Jackson Square

The French Quarter buildings mostly date back to the 19th century, some are even older, a few from the 20th century. Most of them have been protected buildings for 100 years.

In the French Quarter, Bourbon Street is the central street. The street is not that busy on the day but wakes up in the evenings: it gets blocked for traffic, pedestrians take over. Bourbon Street has all kinds of bars, restaurants and nightlife. Apart from that, a bit unnecessary, many cheesy stores sell the usual tourist junk.

Bourbon Street is located in the center of the French Quarter. It’s a five-block-distance to the river and a three-block-walk opposite direction. All these little streets make the unique New Orleans character. It doesn’t really matter where exactly you walk in the French Quarter, you will definitely find a spot to take a good picture. This is how you can spend quite some time: just lingering around in the French Quarter.

Jackson Square, a one-block-square is located right next to the river. There you find the President Andrew Jackson statue, a Cathedral, the Presbytère and the Cabildo (former home of the government, now a museum). From here you can go to the river promenade. In the North you find the New Orleans Flew Market, a bit further south the river’s port for steam boat tours, after that the New Orleans Aquarium and even farther south a shopping mall.

At Jackson Square, the horse carriages wait for guest. The Aquarium is next to Canal Street (an intersecting east/west street). Canal Street (upriver) is the Southern end of the French Quarter. The shopping mall starts here, so kind of at the outskirts of the French Quarter.

French Quarter: How to Reach and How to Move There

The French Quarter is not that big. You can easily walk anywhere. Walking and strolling along its streets is quite something. The entire area has no American chain restaurants like McDonalds, Starbucks or Pizza Hut. There are many restaurants and bars but they don’t have big neon lights and signs. This is how the French Quarter’s maintains its unique atmosphere.

Driving a car there is not a nice thing to do. The roads are very narrow, on the day, trucks are everywhere. There is almost no space anywhere. Most roads are one-way-streets. Often, it is necessary to take a detour and drive the long way even though walking distance would be rather short. The last two kilometers to the hotel took a long time, easily as long as it would have taken to walk. Because of all these detours, you definitely need a GPS. Without a GPS, finding your hotel is probably difficult.

Canal Street

Canal Street is the southern end of French Quarter. If you are into theater, ballet and opera, this is the right place to go to. You find all of that on this street (in the direction of Rampart Street crossroad, western end of the French Quarter). Canal Street is a big six lane road you can and you can also see the stylish New Orleans Cable Car here.

Some five-star hotels and hotels from the well-known chains are south of Canal Street. Moreover, you find the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and a World War Two Museum here. On the east (right next to the river) is an Outlet Shopping Mall.

At Canal Street and a few steps further south, you find some cheaper restaurants: Ihop, Hard Rock Café and many other chains (CVS Pharmacy, Saks, etc.). Southern end of this quarter is the Pontchartrain Expressway.

Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery

Moving up north along the river leads to the Garden District. The Garden District was originally built because US-American wanted to separate themselves from the Creoles in the French Quarter. Nowadays, it’s mainly a living area for well-off people. The quarter has many beautiful houses, totally different from the ones in the French Quarter. The area is remarkably larger than the French Quarter; you need a ride to go there, either your own car or the bus. When you are in New Orleans, you should definitely visit this area. This is also where you find the famous Lafayette Cemetery.

Magazine Street in the Garden District has many restaurants and cafés, again no big chains. A very nice place to stop for a coffee.

According to Wikipedia, many celebrities live here: Sandra Bullock, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, John Goodman, Nicolas Cage. We did not see anything about that. A big hit for tourists was the Manning House (don’t know if Eli’s or Peyton’s). They both live in French Quarter and all Americans were super happy to stand in front of their house.

The graves at Lafayette Cemetery have many rock constructions, looking quite monumental. Some graves are very old, other a bit younger. If you are in Garden District anyways, come here to see the cemetery. Parking is easy: we found a spot at the street in front of it.

This is part 1 of New Orleans.

This article continues in part 2:

New Orleans – The Big Easy: Part 2 Mississippi Steamboat Tour, City Park, Safety Issues and the Parking Situation

Der Beitrag New Orleans – The Big Easy: Part 1 French Quarter, Canal Street, Garden District and Lafayette Cemetary erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Memphis Without Elvis and Graceland

To be clear about that right in the beginning: we did not visit Graceland and the Sun Studios. We wanted to see a different Memphis, less Elvis-ish. Moreover, we found these sights overpriced and did not want to support that.

The Peabody Ducks

That all was a bit weird: the Peabody Ducks. The Peabody Hotel is a luxury hotel in the city center. The hotel has been there since 1925 and the Peabody Duck Tradition was introduced in the 1930s. The hotel has a very classic style (according to Wikipedia the style is called Italian Renaissance). To me that basically means: big, colorful carpets with patterns, very characteristic for old hotels, lots of gold colors, opulent ceiling lamp and fountain, very little daylight in the lobby, everything seems a bit dark. Five ducks, called Peabody Ducks live in the fountain. In fact, the really live on the hotel’s rooftop terrace but they move to the fountain every morning at 11. In order to do that the “duck master” – the guy responsible to take care of the ducks – walks with them to the elevator, arrives in the lobby and the ducks walk to the fountain. At 5 pm they go all the way back from the lobby to the rooftop terrace.

The fountain is in the middle of a big lobby. The lobby also has a bar and several tables. You are only allowed to sit on these chairs; everyone sitting on the floor was sent somewhere else. We watched everything from the first floor which is basically a square gallery from which you can see very well.

We were in the hotel almost an hour before everything started (around 4 pm). All the seats in the lobby were already taken. The ducks’ walking path to the elevator is marked; there is even a red carpet. Visitors are allowed to stand behind that red carpet. It’s not a long way, maybe 10 meters. The hotel is full of people, everywhere, in the lobby, on the gallery. You need to be there at least 30 minutes before 5, otherwise you may not be able to see very well.

After our 1-hour-wait, the duckmaster appears and orders the ducks to walk to the elevator. The ducks follow and woddle to the elevator. After two minutes, everything is over.

Of course, we did not have to be there that early but in the end it was a lot of waiting for basically nothing. It was funny, indeed. But after all, the question is why did so many people come for that and why were we even there ourselves?

If you are in the area at 11 am or 5 pm and have some time left, you can come here and see the ducks. I would not cancel other things or hurry to do that. The Peabody Hotel is a nice place, an old traditional hotel. Imagining that this duck tradition has existed for more than 90 years is funny. The ducks are regular ducks, the ones that live in every river at home, male duck green head and grey/white body and the female brown (mallard duck).
The ducks are very well aware of their big moment. We first came to the hotel at 1 – 2 pm and the ducks were totally relaxed and swimming in the fountain. At about 4.30 pm they grew a big bitter looked a bit like the fountain was a throne and did a lot of cackling.

The Hotel’s theme is very obvious: ducks. A gift shop has hundreds of varieties of ducks souvenirs (ducks on clothes, toys, dishes, ducks as stuffed animals, soap dispenser, statues, ducks, ducks, ducks, …)

What is it people say? The South has its own traditions, everything is a bit odd. The Peabody Ducks are definitely part of that.

Slave Heaven Underground Railroad Museum

In the 19th century some houses in the South offered shelter to runaway slaves. These houses gave them some time to relax and recover and offered a safe route to the next house. This network of houses and routes is called “Underground Railroad”. Don’t take that name literally; there are not underground tunnels and roads. Memphis is a Southern city relatively far north. The runaway slaves had already made a long way when they came here. That is why Memphis was an important place to stop and recover.

Refugee slaves were running in the night, in daylight they had to hide. Burkle Estate had a secret underground cabin that could not be found by inspectors.

The Burkle Estate is a medium-sized house from 1849. It was built the German emigrant Jacob Burkle. A door in the front looks like a main entrance. In fact, the main entrance is in the back, not facing the street. Almost no one takes the right door; most people just walk in the front door. The lady from the museum welcomes everyone and guides the visitors through some secondary rooms to the main entrance at the back of the building.
You can book a guided tour. Pictures and stories of individuals are used to tell the story of slavery. In a group you walk from one room to the other. They tell many short stories, for example a female slave has three kids, 10, 6 and 2. The slave is sold and the new owner only wants to buy two kids. Which two kids will the owner buy? The two older ones because they can work and pick cotton, the youngest one cannot.

These stories are painful, more than painful, cruel and strongly inhumane. But they were not new to us. Some of the US-Americans seem to never have heard that. They were obviously shocked. If my impression is right and the average person in America does not know these things, these museums have an important education job to do.

The final stop of the tour is the music room. The tour lady sang a slavery song and deciphered the song’s secret code. The song is indeed a pledge for freedom. The lady was a very good singer, very impressive. We really liked it; just like that out of the blue we heard some great singing.

The tour also shows the underground hiding place for runaways. This place made the house a safe house, part of the Underground Railroad.

The tour is good because of the stories the guides tell. Even when you have already heard a lot about slavery, you get to hear new things. At the exit, they sell some books about slavery, freeing slaves and the Civil Rights Movement. They do not have many books but the ones they have are outstanding. Many unknown writers, nothing from the bestselling lists. I bought a book about Nate Turner’s slave rebellion.

Even though, slavery is one of the darkest chapters of US history, it is an important one. You cannot go to the South without visiting at least one museum about that issue. They do a lot of educational work there and try to tell the story of slavery as good as possible. The plantations do the same. There are many exhibitions about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement as well. Do visit at least one of these museums, exhibits or tours.

The museum is a bit outside town. From Beale Street, it’s 4 km. Burkle Estate is in a housing area. At first, we were not sure if that was the right place. It looked like a standard house where people live. We parked at the street right in front of it.
Wikipedia says some historians doubt if Burkle Estate ever really hosted runaway slaves. I don’t know anything about that, I can only tell the things they said in the museum.

This article continues in Part 2:

Memphis – Beale Street, Downtown Memphis and National Civil Rights Museum

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Walking Along the Strip – Measuring Distances

Distances along the Strip are not short. It’s sometimes difficult to reach anywhere. The Strip has a 7.2 km length; most southern point is the Mandalay Bay Hotel. I was in Las Vegas several times, also in several seasons and heat periods. Once even on New Years. In winter you can easily walk along the Strip. 7 km is doable, the weather is convenient.

In summer, in Las Vegas summer means most time of the year, this is no longer the case. It is extremely hot, dry and the sun is strong. It becomes very clear that the city is in the desert. In August, I was exhausted only walking from the Flamingo Hotel to Caesar’s Palace (both hotels are located opposite of each other on the Strip). In August, you basically rescue yourself by finding shelter in an AC hotel. There is almost no pedestrian traffic on the Strip, everyone just stays inside.

In summer, never underestimate how far it is from one place to another. You look from the Flamingo Hotel to Bellagio and think it’s not a problem to walk there. But the heat makes it a problem, definitely. For any hotels at the beginning or end of the Strip, it’s better to take a cab or the bus.

Outside it is extremely hot; inside in all the hotels it is almost cold, due to the AC. That makes quite a difference in temperature. It was cold in the hotels most of the time. Better take a thin jacket or pullover with you for that.

In winter, the Strip was crowded. From the list of the 25 biggest hotels in the world, 14 are in Las Vegas on the Strip. All these people need to be somewhere. In winter, they walk along the Strip.

Las Vegas has many bridges for pedestrians. These bridges connect several hotels and help to cross the main street. Finding them is easy, just follow the crowd. Many people with different messages are on the bridges. Some ask for money, others are musicians who want to sell their music. Soliciting is common on the bridges. We ran into several demonstrations by Christian fundamentalist. They protest against the lifestyle of Las Vegas in general (gambling, gluttony) and prostitution in particular. Only a few steps away, promoters deliver flyers for prostitutes. Men always get little sheets with naked women on it and a telephone number to call and order a girl. An ad for prostitution (“Girls4less”) is on a car and drives up and down the Strip all day long.

The pedestrian bridges usually end in hotels. You need to walk through a hotel and casino most of the time to keep moving. Because of this, you cover quite some distances while walking along the Strip. Anyways, all other options aren’t any better.

Driving along the Strip in your own car is quite stressful. We happened to arrive in Las Vegas on a Saturday. The roads were very busy, full of pedestrians, many of them drunk and tottering. You need to be very careful to not crash into someone. On a weekday it’s better. Anyways, the main road on the Strip is always busy; you get stuck in traffic several times.

All hotels offer valet parking. Sometime, the valet has a long waiting line. Up to 30 minutes is normal. After shows and in the morning at check-out, waiting time can be much longer. To me, this is always a bit of dead time, time that was wasted just sitting at the valet and waiting for my car. You are not allowed to go and get your car yourself. While arriving, valet is very convenient of course; you can just leave the car in front of the hotel. Sometimes there are self-parking areas. But they are usually full and far away from the hotel, you need to walk quite a bit to reach the hotel from there.

Another option is to take a cab. In Las Vegas, cabs don’t stop at the street. There is no need to wave at them. In the hotels, there is a cab stand usually right next to the Valet. Either cabs are already waiting there or a hotel employee blows a whistle and thus signals them to come. It is possible that you are the only one at the taxi stand, and get a cab right away. But it is also possible that you need to wait in a line.

The last option to move along the Strip is to take the bus. There are many bus stands, but you always need to walk a bit the reach the next one. Schedules can be found at the bus stand, but there are also guides who give you information about the bus system. The bus system is called RTC busses.

In general, the Strip is always busy. No matter if you take a cab, the bus or your car you will definitely move slowly. Always plan enough time to reach; it’s never fast even though the distances seem short.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Las Vegas?

Las Vegas is usually combined with a tour in California. That is why many people come to Las Vegas in summer. From June till September it is extremely hot. In July, Las Vegas has an average temperature of more than 40 degrees. You should definitely consider that. In the dry heat of the desert, walking is challenging.

I liked October in Las Vegas a lot. It was warm but not too hot. It would recommend going to Las Vegas in these between-times. That means October, April, May. It don’t recommend the summer months.

I also enjoyed winter in Las Vegas, once in November, once in December. It’s warmer than Germany but still a little cool. In the mornings and evenings, you need a jacket. A pullover is not enough. Most people can hardly imagine that because they come to Las Vegas in summer. Las Vegas had snow in December several times. If you decide to go in winter, be prepared for some cooler weather.

Las Vegas is highly visited on the weekends. Many US-Americans go there to gamble. Hotel prices rise on the weekend and fall on weekdays.

When you prefer hustle and bustle, go there on the weekend. But most offers are also available on weekdays, shows are running, restaurants are open. Almost anything you get on the weekend is also there on a weekday. Only exceptions are certain shows, sports and unique events.

Is Las Vegas worth a trip? How much time do I need there?

Yes, Las Vegas is one of the cities you should have seen. It is an entirely artificial city in the desert. Because of all the visitors, the city has grown a lot over the years. Words like sea of lights, crowds of people but also light pollution get an entirely new meaning here. Lights are everywhere, everything is colorful and someone always plays music. Something is always going on, lots of actions; it’s always loud (except in your hotel room). Some people in my travel group found it too artificial, too restless, too wired and too loud. I cannot disagree. That is how Las Vegas is. A restless gambling city in the desert. But that is exactly why you should have seen it at least once in a lifetime.

Reaching Las Vegas is very simple. There are many flights from Europe, some of them even non-stop (e.g. from London). The flights are mostly cheap. Coming here might be a cheap option to travel to West of the US. The airport is not far from the Strip. There is no need to plan a lot of time for that drive, maybe 20 minutes.

Las Vegas is a good starting point for the West of the US. You can either head east to Arizona and Utah (Grand Canyon, Zion Nationalpark, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches Nationalpark, Capitol Reef Nationalpark). There are many options, almost an endless number of combinations. Instead of going east, you can also head west to California in particular to Los Angeles.

I would stay in Las Vegas for 3 to 5 days. You have never seen everything; you can always go see another hotel. About four nights would be enough for me (assuming you arrive in the evening). I would not do much less, cause in that case you would practically see nothing. You need some time here at last. Depending on how much risk you are willing to take and how much you tend to gamble, don’t stay too long.

This is the end of the Las Vegas Article. Part 1 can be found here, Part 2 here.

Information about the Flamingo Hotel can be found here.
Information About Outlet Shopping can be found here.

Der Beitrag Las Vegas Part 3: General Advice on How to Survive the City and When to Come erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Hotels in Las Vegas

Besides gambling, hotels are the main attraction in Las Vegas. I want to describe some of them here.

Stratosphere Tower

In fact, Stratosphere Tower already belongs to Downtown Las Vegas. To me, it’s always the end of the Strip. It has several rides, some of them on crazy heights. Starting point for this is the observation tower. When we were there, all the ride were closed because of strong winds. Stratosphere Tower offers a great view of the Strip and its many lights. There is a restaurant and a bar. We only had a drink and enjoyed the view.

Stratosphere Tower is a bit difficult to reach because it’s located off the main Strip hotels. When it’s hot in Las Vegas, I’d rather go here by cab or bus, walking is too far.

The Venetian

The name already tells it: this hotel is an artificial version of Venice. You can find the famous Rialto Bridge and its waterstreet here. You can take a gondola ride through the channels under and artificial sky. Colours, clouds and state of that artificial sky changes every now and then.

Shops, restaurants and casinos are everywhere. There is also a famous show: Rock of Ages. We did that show and were totally thrilled.

The Mirage/Treasure Island

The Mirage had the Siegfried and Roy show for many years. Their white tigers can still be seen there. Treasure Island also belongs to the Mirage complex. Its theme is pirates. Between these two hotels, there is an artificial volcano that explodes regularly. Right next to it is a pirate ship with the Treasure Island pirate show. Both is for free and can be seen from the street.

Paris

This hotel has rebuilt Paris. Its theme is France and you can go up the Eiffel Tower. From the top it you have a great view of the Bellagio fountains. I’d definitely recommend doing that.

Bellagio

Definitely the most well-known hotel in Las Vegas, very fancy and high-class. It has the water fountains in front of it. The show is every 15 minutes. The fountains dance to light and music. Its music changes regularly, even within a day. You get to see different performances. The hotel is also known for its art exhibits. It was featured prominently in Ocean’s Eleven with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

New York, New York

New York New York has another big ride. It’s aesthetics are quite nice, all the New York rebuilds looks quite casual. Las Vegas tends to be a big cheesy in general. But the atmosphere in this hotel is more laid-back.

Circus Circus

This is the place to be for kids. If you visit with your family, go here. Circus Circus has a fair and a circus.

Caesar’s Palace

The forum shops in Las Vegas are the main attraction. Its theme “Caesar” can be found anywhere. Everything is in gold, many dressed actors walk around and there is also a Caesar and Cleopatra performance.

All the Las Vegas hotels are a never ending source of entertainment. They can easily keep you busy all day long.

Eating at Buffets in Las Vegas

Visiting Las Vegas is incomplete without going to one of the big buffets. A very popular one is in Caesar’s palace. It’s expensive, though (50 dollar) but the buffet itself is pure luxury. Downtown has some cheaper offers. The Flamingo Hotel has a very good breakfast buffet with windows to the Flamingo Garden.

These are just a few examples. One thing you can definitely always do in Las Vegas is eat! Check the hotels website or ads in town to see who offers good buffets.

Sometimes these buffets can be very crowded. At the main times, you might need to wait in a line to get a table. Best option is to eat early (5 – 7 pm), not much later than that. Our German dinner time counts as early to most Americans. 6 pm is a good choice to beat the crowds. 8 pm is too late; the buffets are usually busy at that time. We only ate twice a day, breakfast and an early buffet dinner. Like this, we were hungry enough to enjoy these buffets.

This article continues in Part 3:

Las Vegas Part 3: General Advice How to Survive the City

Der Beitrag Las Vegas Part 2: Hotels and Buffets in Las Vegas erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Gambling – At Las Vegas Strip or Las Vegas Downtown?

Gambling at the tables or machines is the main thing to do in Las Vegas. Some gambling machines are small, others are huge; some have a 25 cents or even 5 cents minimum other are more expensive and have a minimum amount of 1 or 5 dollars. All machines have one thing in common: they are colorful and designed quite nicely. Some of them show pics of movies and tv shows (Hangover, Sex and the City) other use regular card symbols or pics of fruits. Anything is possible and can be found in the casinos. These machines are designed to be fun and entertaining. For beginners, all these machines with little amounts of money are the starting point. Anyways, don’t expect to win a lot. To win, high amounts of money need to be bet, a certain risk is necessary. All the small bets are cheap but you will most likely not win a lot (only at very rare occasions, this is different). One example: I did win at one of this one-armed bandits, I used 1 dollar and got 5 out. That’s really good, five times the amount I used. Anyways, that only pays off when I would have bet more (for 50 Dollar I would have gotten 250 already, 100 would have been 500). The gambling tables offer all kinds of games. Most common is Black Jack, Roulette and this Dice game that American love so much. I know that dice game only from movies; the dice tables are always super busy. I have never really understood the rules.

I tried to watch several times but was always pushed so far to the back that I could see anything. What usually happens is: “Are you playing?” – “no” – “Please go to the back.”. Poker tables can be found a bit away from the main routes, you cannot just go there, ways and views are blocked. Makes sense, indeed.

All Casinos at the Strip have a minimum amount for the bets. If you are lucky, it’s only 5 dollars but sometimes it’s much more (15 dollars plus). If you feel like playing high, there is usually a maximum amount as well. On the strip, you will always find tables with lower bets and higher bets. Anyways, lower bets can also mean at least a two numbered amount.
In the older casinos in downtown, bets are usually lower and the minimum amount is lower than on the strip. If you like gambling at the tables, consider going downtown to do that. The casinos are exactly the same but you might lose less money in one evening.
All casinos are located very prominently at the entrance of each hotel. No matter where you want to go, you need to cross the casino (only exception is the lobby of the hotel). Everything else, restaurants, buffets, shows and attractions can only be reached through the casino. Sometimes that can be quite a walk. All casinos have very colorful carpets with many patterns on it. I always tend to walk the wrong direction in casinos. I think that is partly because of the carpet and because all the slot machines and tables look the same. That doesn’t mean that I get lost eintirely of that I’m unable to find the exit, it just means that I sometimes walk in circles and do not use the direct way out. Anyways, signs are everywhere and lead the way. But I really need these signs.

All casinos are rather dark, little light and no daylight at all. Smoking is permitted (nowhere in the US but in the casinos). Drinks are served, also at the cheap slot machines. These drinks are for free. I had a Rumcoke with very little rum. Anyways, I didn’t care. It was basically for free (only cost the amount of the 2 dollars a played at the slot machine).

Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown is the old city center of Las Vegas. This is where the first hotels and casinos were, even before the Strip. Fremont Street, a shopping street, is the center of it. All 10 downtown hotels are located at this street. Fremont Street has a lightshow experience as soon as it is dark. A curved roof over the street with thousand of lights has a light show. Several different shows rotate. Every hour on the hour, all hotels and casinos switch off their lights and the show starts (including lights and music). The show is quite nice, it’s free and quite entertaining. If you are in downtown anyways, you can do it. But it’s not a big must-see.

Where you are in the street to see the show is not important. You only need to look up/front up. Looking a bit back, you will see that the same images are shown. I read in a travel book that pickpocketers are very active as soon as the lights go out because everyone just looks up. Anyways, be sure to watch your bags and keep your valuables closely during the lightshow.

Fremont Street also has a ZIP Line and three stages with free live music. Also the mall neonopolis is there.

To me, a reason to go to Fremont Street is to see the old casinos and hotels. They have a very different atmosphere than everything on the Strip. It’s less fancy and less rich, old Las Vegas still seems to exist a bit. Very remarkable are the cheap buffets in all the hotels. We went to Main Street Station. They had a huge buffet with anything you want for 10 dollars. My favorite hotels in Downtown are Main Street Station and Golden Nugget.
All hotels in Downtown have their own shows. If you are interested in something in particular, you have a reason to come here. Also gambling is way cheaper than on the Strip (minimum amount!).

I did some reading and somewhere it said that 80 % of all Las Vegas visitors don’t even leave the Strip. I would recommend a trip to Downtown to everyone. It’s not far from the Strip, you can take the bus (same bus as the Outlet Premium Shopping Bus), a cab or drive there yourself.

Shows in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is very well-known for its shows. All shows are on a very high level, singers are dancers are the best. I have seen many shows over the years. Many years back even Siegfried and Roy, the Cirque du Soleil a couple of times and musicals and shows with famous singer impersonations. Not a single one of the shows was bad. I usually buy cheap seats, somewhere in the back and at the side. In Germany, these cheap seats usually offer a bad view, in Las Vegas they never did. I could always see very well. I visited some of the shows only because they were cheap or because tickets were available. I was never disappointed, all the shows were great.

I need to mention the Cirque du Soleil shows in particular. The biggest one is the O show in Bellagio. But there are many more shows in different hotels. At the strip, there are several small booths called “Tix4less”. You can buy tickets here for all shows that are not sold out. Tickets for the same evening are discounted. We all liked this option. The ticket booths open in the morning (I think at around 10). They have screens with lists of their offers. We could see a musical for only 40 dollars. Even David Copperfield tickets were discounted. If you are not focused on one exact show, you will most likely be able to find something here.

Discounts are also available for many other things. We found a coupon for the big breakfast buffet in the Flamingo Hotel (see Flamingo Hotel). The regular rate was 20 dollars, we paid 16. Just go to the ticket booth and see what’s on their list.

You can buy tickets for all the shows in advance online or in the hotels. In the Flamingo Hotel, they sold tickets for all the shows, not only the Flamingo’s show. You can also ask for advice here. I wanted to see the O show in Bellagio but it was too expensive for me. The lady recommended a different Cirque du Soleil show, also with water tanks but much cheaper.

Some shows are a huge hit and always sell out. To see one of these shows, you need to buy tickets in advance. Again, Bellagio’s O is an example. This show never has discounts or special offers. Some shows don’t run every day, for example Britney Spears and Céline Dion. For these, try to get information and bookings in advance. For everything else, that’s not necessary. In Las Vegas you usually get tickets and even discounts.

Discounts and Coupons

As described above, Las Vegas always offers discounts. We went toe the fake Eiffel Tower in Paris hotel. You can take the elevator up and enjoy the view of the Strip. I found a free magazine somewhere in the hotel with a coupon in it. This coupon offered an elevator ride for two for the price of one. It worked; we were four and saved half the price.
In fact, the need the paper voucher, that means they physically need the voucher. We did the same thing at the Stratosphere Tower and only had to pay half the price. Just keep your eyes open, whenever you see a magazine and coupon take it with you. You can save quite some money like this.

This article continues in part 2: Hotels in Las Vegas

Der Beitrag Gambling or not? Doing Las Vegas without gambling? Part 1: Gambling at The Strip and in Downtown, Las Vegas Downtown and the Shows erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.