AAA Washington’s John King is truly a guru when it comes to inside information about the Silver State’s scenic riches. First he steered me on a side trip to Pyramid Lake when I was in Reno this past May on a travel research trip (read my recent blog about this surreal-looking body of water).

And when it was time to head back to San Francisco, John recommended a short detour: Instead of hopping on I-80, he suggested taking SR 431—better known as the Mount Rose Highway—to Incline Village. He promised it would be a beautiful drive. ... Read More

I visit Las Vegas about every other year, and I place my first bet on the fantastic entertainment this city has to offer for visitors, even for those in town just for a few days (three days is my usual length of stay). 

I’m a really pathetic gambler, so I’ll knock a few bucks in some slot machines while in town, but the sure thing for me in Sin City is the access to world-class entertainment. I know I will leave far richer for the experience of  seeing fantastic live performances — especially the unique entertainment of Cirque du Soleil. ... Read More

First off, I want to extend a tip of the hat to my good friend and colleague John King at AAA Washington. I was on travel assignment in Reno recently, and he—aware of my fondness for unspoiled Western landscapes—recommended a side trip to Pyramid Lake.

My one previous visit to the Silver State was a three-day weekend in Vegas back in 1997 (also work-related), so I was definitely looking forward to returning. And since John’s travel suggestions are always on the mark, I penciled in a day excursion to the lake, which is about 40 miles north of Reno.... Read More

You should know before setting out on a road trip to Virginia City that it is what is affectionately known as a “tourist trap.” There’s no getting around it—this is a Nevada town whose heyday is long gone, and past glories are what fuels the present. My knowledge of Virginia City history was zilch, so a recent travel assignment brought along a whiff of adventure; I wasn’t sure what to expect.... Read More

Another one bites the desert dust. A year shy of its 60th birthday, the Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will forever close its doors next Monday, May 16. Operating the Rat Pack-era resort “was no longer economically viable,” say the owners, who plan to someday transform the property into a swank hipster hotel, a la The Palms.

In the no-man’s land that is the north Strip, where the Fontainebleau Resort construction project remains stalled and tumbleweeds blow through the empty Stardust lot, my guess is... Read More

 

With the grand opening of City Center, Las Vegas , and the comedy hit "The Hangover" recently released on DVD, I have Vegas on the brain. But not the real Sin City. I’ve been thinking about ‘movie Vegas’, the town where I don’t blow the rent money, eat shovels full of bellyache buffet food, drink like Dean Martin and wake up the next afternoon wondering why I bet $500 on the Detroit Lions. Instead, I sit back and watch actors do these dumb things. And I love it.

I mostly enjoyed “The Hangover”.  Though apparently not as much as some Vegas visitors, who after seeing the movie are hot to stay at Caesars Palace, where many of the scenes were filmed. ... Read More

     
October, 1982. Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal walks out of the Tony Roma’s restaurant on Sahara Avenue carrying an order of take-out ribs. When he slides behind the wheel of his Cadillac Eldorado, the car explodes.  “Lefty”, legendary sports handicapper and boss of the mafia-connected Stardust casino, survived the attempted “amateur night” mob hit. But symbolically, the old Las Vegas, the Vegas run by the Chicago Outfit and entertained by the Rat Pack, was dead.

I’m too young to have seen Sinatra at the Sands or Elvis at the... Read More

 
This post has been contributed by Linda Butler, an auto travel counselor for AAA Tidewater in Virginia.

AMAZING!!  By day three of our week in Las Vegas my friends were begging me to find another word.  Grandiose, extravagant, over the top?.  Those all work really well in describing the western ‘City That Never Sleeps.'  That’s what Las Vegas reminded me of, too -- a western New York City -- lots and lots of people and traffic, huge buildings, lots of concrete and half-price ticket booths sprinkled throughout the Strip.

After you pick up your... Read More

     I have no idea how many tons of all-you-can-eat crab legs, shrimp and prime rib are served in Las Vegas each year. But I do know there are more than 60 hotel buffets in the greater Vegas area. From perfunctory spreads to the new breed of super buffet, that’s a lot of bloated bellies and Alka Seltzer. Naturally, the glut of smorgasbords means there are many bad ones. And when I say bad, I’m talking places that’ll remind you of the horrific spread from “Vegas Vacation.”  On my last trip, I stuffed my... Read More

     AAA travel editors recommend these Las Vegas experiences, excerpted from the AAA Travel Guide: Las Vegas:

- Get the best view of the city skyline from the Stratosphere Tower, at 1,149 feet, it's the tallest freestanding tower in the United States.

- Visit the Bellagio, where dancing fountains, a conservatory with seasonal flowers and plants and Dale Chihuly glass appeals to a visitor's sense of sight, smell or touch.

- Walk under the spectacular canopy of 2 million lights and LED screen suspended 90 feet above a four-block section... Read More