Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 4 . GETTING TO KNOW LAS VEGAS
Tips Help for Troubled Travelers
The Traveler’s Aid Society is a social-service organization geared to helping
travelers in difficult straits. Their services might include reuniting families
separated while traveling, feeding people stranded without cash, or even
emotional counseling. If you’re in trouble, seek them out. In Las Vegas there
is a Traveler’s Aid office at McCarran International Airport (& 702/798-1742).
It’s open daily from 8am to 5pm. Similar services are provided by Help of
Southern Nevada, 953–35B E. Sahara Ave. (Suite 208), at Maryland Parkway
in the Commercial Center (& 702/369-4357). Hours are Monday to Friday
from 8am to 4pm.
All of the major car-rental companies are represented in Las Vegas, if you choose
to rent a car while you are in town. For a list of agencies and more information on
getting a good deal on a rental, see “Getting Around,” later in this chapter.
VISITOR INFORMATION
All major Las Vegas hotels provide comprehensive tourist information at their
reception and/or sightseeing and show desks.
Other good information sources are: the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Authority, 3150 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89109 (& 877/VISIT-LV or
702/892-7575; www.vegasfreedom.com), open daily from 8am to 5pm; the Las
Vegas Chamber of Commerce, 3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy., #100, Las Vegas,
NV 89109 (& 702/735-1616; www.lvchamber.com), open Monday to Friday
from 8am to 5pm; and, for information on all of Nevada, including Las Vegas,
the Nevada Commission on Tourism (& 800/638-2328; www.travelnevada.
com), open 24 hours.
CITY LAYOUT
There are two main areas of Las Vegas: the Strip and Downtown. For many
people, that’s all there is to Las Vegas. But there is actually more to the town than
that: Although maybe not as glitzy and glamorous as the Strip and Downtown—okay,
definitely not—Paradise Road and east Las Vegas are home to
quite a bit of casino action, Maryland Parkway boasts mainstream and alternative-culture
shopping, and there are different restaurant choices all over the city.
Confining yourself to the Strip and Downtown is fine for the first-time visitor,
but repeat customers (and you will be) should get out there and explore. Las
Vegas Boulevard South (the Strip) is the starting point for addresses; any street
crossing it will start with 1 East and 1 West (and go up from there) at its intersection
with the Strip.
THE STRIP
The Strip is probably the most famous 4-mile stretch of highway in the nation.
Officially called Las Vegas Boulevard South, it contains most of the top hotels
in town and offers almost all of the major showroom entertainment. First-time
visitors will, and probably should, spend the bulk of their time on the Strip. If
mobility is a problem, we suggest basing yourself in a South or Mid-Strip location.
For the purposes of organizing this book, we’ve divided the Strip into three
sections. The South Strip can be roughly defined as the portion of the Strip
south of Harmon Avenue, including the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, the
Monte Carlo, New York–New York, Luxor, and many more hotels and casinos.