Open Top Sightseeing in Las Vegas

An Open Top Sightseeing Bus on the Las Vegas Strip

     A fun, convenient and affordable way to get around Las Vegas on vacation is the Open Top Sightseeing bus.  They cover a lot of territory and are reasonably priced.  As of summer 2011 ticket prices were $33 for adults and $17 for kids ages 4 - 12, and the tickets are good for two days.  Tickets good for five were priced $60 for adults and $30 for kids.  Special family tour packages are also available.  Tickets are available onboard, at visitor information desks, at select hotels, and online.  Tickets can be purchased online for a discounted price.
  We think Open Top Sightseeing buses compare well to other modes of travel in Las Vegas, and they are a definite Las Vegas vacation pick.

Open Top Sightseeing bus in front of the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip.

Open Top Sightseeing bus at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino.

New York-New York Hotel and Casino

The Statue of Liberty at the New York-New York Hotel Casino

Las Vegas can be a real roller coaster ride
with plenty of ups and downs and thrills galore.

  It is an incredibly audacious concept.  Take the New York skyline with some of its most famous landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building and the Brooklyn Bridge, scale it down and drop it on the Strip in Las Vegas, and presto!  Big Apple in the desert.  The New York-New York Hotel Casino features twelve facsimile skyscrapers that are one-third the size of the originals.  Also on view are Ellis Island and the New York Public Library.  Stroll across the one-fifth scaled replica of the Brooklyn Bridge and enter the Hotel Casino where inside awaits a recreated Central Park, Park Avenue, Times Square and Greenwich Village.

Looking up at the faux New York-New York skyline the top foreground of this picture shows part of the roller coaster track.  The roller coaster cars are designed to look like yellow cabs which is a nice touch.  

Lady Liberty can be seen through
the Brooklyn Bridge in front of the
New York-New York Hotel Casino
in Las Vegas.

Looking up at the (other)
Brooklyn Bridge.

The Flamingo Las Vegas

Flamingo Falls

  Want a little Miami in your Las Vegas experience?  Do you find Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architectural features appealing?  Want to feel a little connection to old-school Las Vegas?  The Flamingo Las Vegas might be just the spot for your Las Vegas vacation.  The overall look is definitely reminiscent of Miami and South Beach.  While it was the third resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip, it is now the oldest still in operation.

  The Flamingo has its roots in a project dreamed up by Billy Wilkerson, owner of the Hollywood Reporter, in 1945.  He quickly ran into financial trouble during construction and was bailed out by Bugsy Siegel, the legendary mobster.  Wilkerson remained a minority partner while Seigel took over supervision of construction.    The Flamingo opened in 1946 with a price tag of $6 million dollars, really big bucks in those days!  Seigel named the resort The Flamingo after his girlfriend Virginia Hill.  Virginia had long, skinny flamingo-like legs which had inspired Bugsy to nickname her Flamingo.  In 1947 the resort's name was changed to The Fabulous Flamingo.  When Seigel first opened the Flamingo all staff at the luxury resort were required to wear tuxedos.  Unfortunately, for Bugsy Seigel, the Flamingo had a rocky financial beginning and there were allegations of his having skimmed money during construction.  This was not taken well by his mobster investors in the property, and in 1947 he was gunned down in true gangster fashion at his Hollywood home.  Hilton Corporation bought the property in 1972 and changed the name to Flamingo Hilton.  In 1999 the resort was renamed the Flamingo Las Vegas, and Hilton was no longer an owner.  

This is a view of one wing of the Flamingo Las Vegas at dusk, viewed from the gardens and wildlife sanctuary.

X Burlesque

Nathan Burton's show is kid friendly.

                     

Donnie and Marie are booked through 2012.

Laugh!

Chilean Flamingos in the Wildlife Habitat

The Miami/Art Deco themed resort's    current profile includes 3,999 units, a 77,000 square foot casino that includes a race and sportsbook, a wildlife habitat primarily populated by Chilean Flamingos, a fifteen acre tropical retreat pool area, and entertainment including comedian George Wallace, magician Nathan Burton, the X Burlesque entertainers, and headliners Donny and Marie Osmond who are booked through 2012.  The Flamingo Las Vegas's central location on the strip at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road makes it an excellent choice for a Las Vegas vacation if your plans including walking the strip to explore and enjoy the variety and visual spectacle of locations and action going on all around.

Shopping for fun at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

The Flamingo Las Vegas is home to one location of the Sin City Brewing Company.

  

Sin City Brewing Company at The Flamingo

Sin City Brewing Company at The Flamingo

Las Vegas' own micro brewery, the Sin City Brewing Company, is an up and coming business with a lot going for it.  Particularly, its four hand-crafted small batch brews:  Sin City Amber, Sin City Light, Sin City Stout, and Sin City Weisse.  The company has three beer-pouring outlets including the original location at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, the most recent location at the Grand Canal Shoppes in The Venetian, and their largest facility at The Flamingo.  The Sin City Brewing Company at the Flamingo is definitely a Las Vacation Vacation pick.  In addition to the great beers, it has an open and airy location with indoor and outdoor patio seating.  Outdoor seating includes heating for colder nights, and it is located right next to the resort's wildlife habitat populated by, I'm sure you guessed it, pink flamingos!

Pink Flamingos at the Wildlife Habitat at The Flamingo

The Las Vegas Monorail - Alternative Transportation on the Strip

The Monorail Station at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino

The Las Vegas Monorail provides a unique and very 21st century method of traveling the four miles from one end of the strip to the other.  It goes from the MGM Grand at one end to the Sahara at the other with stops along the way at Paris/Bally's,  Flamingo/Caesar's Palace Station, Harrah's/Imperial Palace Station, the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the Las Vegas Hilton.  Free shuttle rides out to the Rio Las Vegas and Sam's Town are available from Harrah's/Imperial Palace Station.  A monorail ride from the MGM Grand at the south end of the strip to the Sahara at the north end takes only about  fifteen minutes.    Rides are not cheap at five dollars a pop, but a day pass can be purchased for twelve dollars, and a three day pass for twenty-eight dollars.  The Las Vegas Monorail operates Monday - Thursday from 7:00am to 2:00am, and Friday through Sunday from 7:00am to 3:00am.  Tickets can be purchased online at lvmonorail.com.


While the Las Vegas Monorail does provide convenient,  environmentally friendly, and safe travel up and down the Las Vegas strip, it has not turned out to be a winning bet.  According to a report in the Las Vegas Review Journal, the non-profit monorail has filed for bankruptcy reorganization to deal with $658.8 million in debt.