Viva Las Vegas
- Written by Ilknur Gurdal
- Published in Travel
Ilknur Gürdal Fieldhouse
When Las Vegas is mentioned, the votes are divided. Some people say, “Las Vegas all the way!” while some people hate it and decide never to go back. If you are a person who values colorful lights and the creativity of human genius, you will like Las Vegas.
When Las Vegas is mentioned, the votes are divided. Some people say, “Las Vegas all the way!” while some people hate it and decide never to go back. If you are a person who values colorful lights and the creativity of human genius, you will like Las Vegas.
How could a city take me under its spell so much? The colorful city lights; the ever-changing faces from all around the world; the energy in motion; the victory of human ingenuity in changing a desert into one of the richest and most dazzling cities in the world; high quality shows that blow your mind; superior quality restaurants…
Are all of these the reasons for my love for Vegas, or is love a feeling that just happens without any describable rationale, a feeling that just has to be lived? I believed in a definable love, and deciding to live Vegas, I went back twice more.
Vegas is a city for every budget. You can have a very cheap vacation if you wish, or spend thousands of dollars within a couple of hours at a casino. But if you decide to visit Vegas, you should take the opportunity to see the very professional performances of dancers, acrobats, circuses, magicians, concerts and designs.
The truth of the matter is, once you decide to go to Vegas, especially after traveling such a great distance, you should be greedy and liven up you vacation with the great restaurants, perfect shows, beautiful shops, helicopter tours, tours of the Grand Canyon and Death Valley.
VEGAS HOTELS
THE MIRAGE
One of the main factors that made Vegas world-famous its “theme hotels”, with each hotel created around a different theme.
You will feel like you’re in a tropical rainforest as soon as you enter the hotel. Seeing the volcano in front of the hotel that erupts every hour throughout the evening is breathtaking.
The hotel hosted the extraordinary magic show of Siegfried and Roy until two years ago.
The Mirage hosted the magnificent show in which Siegfried and Roy would fly in the air; appear among the spectators in sudden flashes of lightning; real tigers and lions would appear and disappear instantly on the stage; an elephant would fit into a small box and come out again; and real wild animals would appear and disappear in front of your eyes.
The show came to a tragic end when, on October 3rd 2004, Roy almost lost his life on the stage after being bitten and dragged by his neck by one of the tigers.
While walking around The Mirage, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit Siegfried and Roy’s secret garden, and see the noble white tigers.
THE VENETIAN HOTEL
When you pass the Venetian cafes on the streets of the hotel, constructed in gorgeous Venetian architecture, you will believe that you are in Venice. But in reality you are in Las Vegas, in the third largest hotel in the world.
At the entrance of the hotel, you will see the clock tower, the buildings of San Marco Square in Venice, canals, gondolas, and Venetian bridges.
Gondolas will accompany you when you walk down the Grand Canal street passing Italian cafes. You can see newly married couples in their wedding clothes having a tour, or couples getting married on the gondolas.
They also copied the famous San Marco square and Rialto Bridge.
I visited the “Venetian Tower”, which at a cost of $275 million was added to the present hotel in early 2003, and gazed at skill of the Turkish artisans with pride. The stones and mosaics used in the pool, Jacuzzi, and garden were crafted by Turkish artisans and exported to Las Vegas, and were designed to give you the sensation of being surrounded by the mosaics of Venice centuries ago.
The couple of hours I spent in the pool and Jacuzzis of Venetian Tower took me away from the crowded gambling halls. Seeing how Turkish artisans carried mosaic art to the present day and to the opposite side of the globe filled me with pride.
THE PARIS
The most French hotel in Las Vegas is The Paris. Of course, Paris, the most romantic city in the world, with its emblematic Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysées, was not forgotten by Vegas.
The Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas was built to exactly half scale of the original. Once you pass the reception area, seeing Las Vegas from the top of the Eiffel Tower is possible. You also can say “yes” here, if you ever dreamed of getting married on the Eiffel Tower.
BELLAGIO
The origin of life, “water, H20” has become a respected name in Vegas. In the Hotel Bellagio everything is merged with water. The spectacle of the hundreds of fountains placed in the artificial lake in front of the hotel spouting in accompaniment to music is repeated every half hour and attracts thousands of people every day. These might be the most magical moments in Vegas.
CAESER’S PALACE
The theme of this hotel is the Greek gods and Greek mythology. You have to make yourself find enough time to sit next to the Fountain of Lovers, and stroll down the shops of the Forum.
NEW YORK NEW YORK
It would be improper if there weren’t a hotel representing the US, wouldn’t it? New York New York is a real American establishment. With the Manhattan Bridge located in front of the hotel, the American Starbucks cafe, interior design reflecting the streets of New York, and the Statue of Liberty on display, visiting this hotel is a truly American experience.
MGM GRAND
At the entrance of the hotel you will see the statue of the roaring lion that you have glimpsed at the beginning of many Hollywood films. The MGM Grand Studios, where many movies were shot, are also represented in the hotel. To watch real lions in a glass chamber is fitting, as the hotel is symbolized by a lion.
OTHER HOTELS
Each of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip is built around a different theme. The Hotel Luxor, inspired by Egyptian pyramids; The Hotel Monte Carlo, named after the famous Monte Carlo Casino of Monaco; Hotel Rio, bringing in the sounds of Brazil, and others.
Maybe for me Vegas means stepping beyond my dreams. Who knows, maybe this is the source of my unexplained admiration for this city.
VEGAS SHOWS
These shows, which offer performances far above the merely professional, are worth watching.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL GROUP
This world-renowned group deserves to be called #1 for their shows, which push the limits of human abilities, and their clever scenarios.
Their shows, the “O” at Bellagoi Hotel, “Zumanity” at New York New York, “KA” at MGM Grand Hotel, and the “Mystere” at the Treasure Island Hotel will take your breath away.
LA FEMME
La Femme is a successful adaptation of eroticism and sex appeal with art and a professional show.
V THE ULTIMATE VARIETY SHOW
Its name says it all; it is a combination of many different components in one show, which you can follow without getting bored. It is a show that will sometimes make you laugh, but sometimes the acrobatics will make your heart flutter in excitement.
FORBIDDEN VEGAS
A show full of color, making fun of other Vegas shows, remembers forgotten Vegas legends.
OTHERS
New shows and names appear every year in this town. Music, comedy, productions, magic, dance!
Just decide what kind of a show you’d like to see, and you’ll find one to match your taste.
OLD VEGAS
You also have to spend a night to visit the Old Vegas district, where the hotels were first built. It is the ideal location to see the town of American cowboys, of the 1950s-1960s, and how attractive Vegas was even then. You should not forget to take in the laser show, which happens every midnight in the center of Old Vegas.
MARRYING IN VEGAS
Do you need a city where marriage is easy and fast? Do you want to be married in an instant?
If you want to get married without taking a step outside your car, you also have “drive-through” options. You approach the office, you show your IDs, they ask you if you say yes, then if you do, they give you your marriage certificate (that’s what I’ve been told)
MY DREAM ABOUT LAS VEGAS
Every time I visit this city, located almost on the other side of the world, I dream about an Istanbul Hotel.
A hotel where the Bosporus Bridge would be duplicated, with the signs “Welcome to Asia” on one side and “Welcome to Europe” on the other; where on the European site you would be staying at the Topkapi Palace, on the Asian site at the Beylerbeyi Palace.
Where Turkish delight is offered in the guest rooms, the streets are named after Turkish streets, with simit and boza sellers, Turkish cafes and the Turkish pancake “gozleme” houses. Where Turkish dishes and kebabs are listed in the restaurant menus, where the Turkish bath takes over the modern spa.
Where strolling the streets, you would come across a statue of Ataturk, copied from the MinyaTurk park. Where Turkish folk dances are presented as shows. An Istanbul Hotel, originating from Istanbul, from Anatolia; presenting us to the world, showing Turkish hospitality, something that says “we are here”. A hotel that is “Turk” in every sense of the word. Don’t you think it would fit in the streets of Las Vegas? Could my dream come true one day?
(
Are all of these the reasons for my love for Vegas, or is love a feeling that just happens without any describable rationale, a feeling that just has to be lived? I believed in a definable love, and deciding to live Vegas, I went back twice more.
Vegas is a city for every budget. You can have a very cheap vacation if you wish, or spend thousands of dollars within a couple of hours at a casino. But if you decide to visit Vegas, you should take the opportunity to see the very professional performances of dancers, acrobats, circuses, magicians, concerts and designs.
The truth of the matter is, once you decide to go to Vegas, especially after traveling such a great distance, you should be greedy and liven up you vacation with the great restaurants, perfect shows, beautiful shops, helicopter tours, tours of the Grand Canyon and Death Valley.
VEGAS HOTELS
THE MIRAGE
One of the main factors that made Vegas world-famous its “theme hotels”, with each hotel created around a different theme.
You will feel like you’re in a tropical rainforest as soon as you enter the hotel. Seeing the volcano in front of the hotel that erupts every hour throughout the evening is breathtaking.
The hotel hosted the extraordinary magic show of Siegfried and Roy until two years ago.
The Mirage hosted the magnificent show in which Siegfried and Roy would fly in the air; appear among the spectators in sudden flashes of lightning; real tigers and lions would appear and disappear instantly on the stage; an elephant would fit into a small box and come out again; and real wild animals would appear and disappear in front of your eyes.
The show came to a tragic end when, on October 3rd 2004, Roy almost lost his life on the stage after being bitten and dragged by his neck by one of the tigers.
While walking around The Mirage, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit Siegfried and Roy’s secret garden, and see the noble white tigers.
THE VENETIAN HOTEL
When you pass the Venetian cafes on the streets of the hotel, constructed in gorgeous Venetian architecture, you will believe that you are in Venice. But in reality you are in Las Vegas, in the third largest hotel in the world.
At the entrance of the hotel, you will see the clock tower, the buildings of San Marco Square in Venice, canals, gondolas, and Venetian bridges.
Gondolas will accompany you when you walk down the Grand Canal street passing Italian cafes. You can see newly married couples in their wedding clothes having a tour, or couples getting married on the gondolas.
They also copied the famous San Marco square and Rialto Bridge.
I visited the “Venetian Tower”, which at a cost of $275 million was added to the present hotel in early 2003, and gazed at skill of the Turkish artisans with pride. The stones and mosaics used in the pool, Jacuzzi, and garden were crafted by Turkish artisans and exported to Las Vegas, and were designed to give you the sensation of being surrounded by the mosaics of Venice centuries ago.
The couple of hours I spent in the pool and Jacuzzis of Venetian Tower took me away from the crowded gambling halls. Seeing how Turkish artisans carried mosaic art to the present day and to the opposite side of the globe filled me with pride.
THE PARIS
The most French hotel in Las Vegas is The Paris. Of course, Paris, the most romantic city in the world, with its emblematic Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysées, was not forgotten by Vegas.
The Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas was built to exactly half scale of the original. Once you pass the reception area, seeing Las Vegas from the top of the Eiffel Tower is possible. You also can say “yes” here, if you ever dreamed of getting married on the Eiffel Tower.
BELLAGIO
The origin of life, “water, H20” has become a respected name in Vegas. In the Hotel Bellagio everything is merged with water. The spectacle of the hundreds of fountains placed in the artificial lake in front of the hotel spouting in accompaniment to music is repeated every half hour and attracts thousands of people every day. These might be the most magical moments in Vegas.
CAESER’S PALACE
The theme of this hotel is the Greek gods and Greek mythology. You have to make yourself find enough time to sit next to the Fountain of Lovers, and stroll down the shops of the Forum.
NEW YORK NEW YORK
It would be improper if there weren’t a hotel representing the US, wouldn’t it? New York New York is a real American establishment. With the Manhattan Bridge located in front of the hotel, the American Starbucks cafe, interior design reflecting the streets of New York, and the Statue of Liberty on display, visiting this hotel is a truly American experience.
MGM GRAND
At the entrance of the hotel you will see the statue of the roaring lion that you have glimpsed at the beginning of many Hollywood films. The MGM Grand Studios, where many movies were shot, are also represented in the hotel. To watch real lions in a glass chamber is fitting, as the hotel is symbolized by a lion.
OTHER HOTELS
Each of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip is built around a different theme. The Hotel Luxor, inspired by Egyptian pyramids; The Hotel Monte Carlo, named after the famous Monte Carlo Casino of Monaco; Hotel Rio, bringing in the sounds of Brazil, and others.
Maybe for me Vegas means stepping beyond my dreams. Who knows, maybe this is the source of my unexplained admiration for this city.
VEGAS SHOWS
These shows, which offer performances far above the merely professional, are worth watching.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL GROUP
This world-renowned group deserves to be called #1 for their shows, which push the limits of human abilities, and their clever scenarios.
Their shows, the “O” at Bellagoi Hotel, “Zumanity” at New York New York, “KA” at MGM Grand Hotel, and the “Mystere” at the Treasure Island Hotel will take your breath away.
LA FEMME
La Femme is a successful adaptation of eroticism and sex appeal with art and a professional show.
V THE ULTIMATE VARIETY SHOW
Its name says it all; it is a combination of many different components in one show, which you can follow without getting bored. It is a show that will sometimes make you laugh, but sometimes the acrobatics will make your heart flutter in excitement.
FORBIDDEN VEGAS
A show full of color, making fun of other Vegas shows, remembers forgotten Vegas legends.
OTHERS
New shows and names appear every year in this town. Music, comedy, productions, magic, dance!
Just decide what kind of a show you’d like to see, and you’ll find one to match your taste.
OLD VEGAS
You also have to spend a night to visit the Old Vegas district, where the hotels were first built. It is the ideal location to see the town of American cowboys, of the 1950s-1960s, and how attractive Vegas was even then. You should not forget to take in the laser show, which happens every midnight in the center of Old Vegas.
MARRYING IN VEGAS
Do you need a city where marriage is easy and fast? Do you want to be married in an instant?
If you want to get married without taking a step outside your car, you also have “drive-through” options. You approach the office, you show your IDs, they ask you if you say yes, then if you do, they give you your marriage certificate (that’s what I’ve been told)
MY DREAM ABOUT LAS VEGAS
Every time I visit this city, located almost on the other side of the world, I dream about an Istanbul Hotel.
A hotel where the Bosporus Bridge would be duplicated, with the signs “Welcome to Asia” on one side and “Welcome to Europe” on the other; where on the European site you would be staying at the Topkapi Palace, on the Asian site at the Beylerbeyi Palace.
Where Turkish delight is offered in the guest rooms, the streets are named after Turkish streets, with simit and boza sellers, Turkish cafes and the Turkish pancake “gozleme” houses. Where Turkish dishes and kebabs are listed in the restaurant menus, where the Turkish bath takes over the modern spa.
Where strolling the streets, you would come across a statue of Ataturk, copied from the MinyaTurk park. Where Turkish folk dances are presented as shows. An Istanbul Hotel, originating from Istanbul, from Anatolia; presenting us to the world, showing Turkish hospitality, something that says “we are here”. A hotel that is “Turk” in every sense of the word. Don’t you think it would fit in the streets of Las Vegas? Could my dream come true one day?
(
Last modified onSaturday, 06 May 2017 10:07
