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One-armed bandits, beautiful desert, free drinks and unlimited glitz.
Las Vegas is all about glamour for its own sake: over-the-top hustle and flash as means and end. Its crowds of people in polyester pantsuits, big hair and gold chains, staring at neon signs and spinning cherries like deer hypnotised by headlights.
'For a loser, Vegas is the meanest town on earth.' - Hunter S. Thompson
Not that Vegas doesn't have a serious side - billions are at stake on the tables and at the megaresorts. But you're given enough distractions to ignore it, until you lose. If you tire of the ding-ding-ding of the slot machines, the surrounding area has some of the Southwest's most beautiful scenery.
Restrictions on airline carry-on baggage are in place throughout the US. For details check the Transport Security Administration website.
Las Vegas is in the southern part of the state of Nevada, about 80km (50mi) east of the California border and 50km (30mi) west of the Arizona border. The city is divided into two main parts: a compact downtown centred on Fremont St, nicknamed Glitter Gulch, near the intersection of Highway 95 and Interstate 15; and the Strip, a corridor of hotels and casinos lining Las Vegas Blvd, parallel to but east of Interstate 15, a few kilometres south of downtown.
The casinos are divided between downtown's Fremont St and the Strip; most hotels are on or near the Strip. McCarran International Airport is located east of the southern end of the Strip, about 10km (6.5mi) from downtown. The Greyhound bus station is downtown and is located next to the Plaza Hotel and Casino.
