8 things Las Vegas does better than anywhere else
Known as the “entertainment capital of the world,” Las Vegas has established itself as a go-to destination for world class amusement and luxury mega-resorts.
With millions of travelers coming to Las Vegas each year — 84 percent of whom are repeat visitors — the city has mastered a few things over the years.
Here are 8 things Las Vegas does better than anywhere else:
Out with the old, in with the new
When it’s time to breathe some fresh air into the city, Las Vegas does more than tear down buildings. Instead, Vegas goes all-out by imploding them. Most of the implosions are turned into large-scale celebrations including enormous firework displays. Some are even held on New Year’s Eve.
Likewise, when the city ushers in a new attraction, it’s not just your typical ribbon cutting ceremony. To welcome the new T-Mobile Arena to the Strip, MGM Resorts hosted a grand opening bash that featured some of the city’s best and brightest stars — The Killers and Wayne Newton.
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Some other famous faces around Las Vegas also showed up to the opening night festivities: the Blue Man Group, magician Jeff Civillico, Cirque Du Soleil and Dan Reynolds of the band Imagine Dragons.
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Mix, shake, pour, flair
In Las Vegas, bartending isn’t just a job, it’s an art, which is why many of them take lessons from industry legends.
In addition to being the home of numerous restaurants that bear the names of world-famous chefs, the city also houses a few bars led by globally recognized mixologists.
At the Cromwell’s Bound by Salvatore lobby bar, you’ll find bartenders who have gone through rigorous training by Salvatore Calabrese. Likewise, before opening the T-Mobile Arena, Tony Abou-Ganim and his “bar chefs” taught arena bartenders to create exclusive cocktails for the arena, such as the “atomic fizz.”
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
It’s also not uncommon to spot bartenders in Las Vegas throwing bottles into the air.
From juggling to catching bottles on their elbows, these bartenders don’t just shake vodka, they give guests a show with their captivating flair bartending techniques.
Between the bartenders’ skills and the fact that the city doesn’t have a “last call,” Las Vegas is better at tending bar than anywhere else.
Sun tans and champagne showers
If you’re looking to attend a pool party in the dead of winter, Las Vegas has got you covered.
To keep the pool parties flowing all year long, Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan encloses their pool area with a climate-controlled dome.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Beyond having the ability to host parties 365 days a year, pool parties in Las Vegas can also run 24-hours a day, because the city isn’t bound by the typical 2 a.m. closing times that bars and nightclubs elsewhere abide by.
As a result, many pools across the Strip transform the dayclubs into nightclubs and operate from sunset to sunrise.
Because pool parties in Las Vegas can be hosted all day, everyday, you’ll likely experience the best pool parties in Vegas.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
One word: gluttony
Buffets in Las Vegas give new meaning to the word “buffet.”
In addition to offering a 24-hour “Buffet of Buffets” pass that allows you to indulge in unlimited food at seven different buffets, the offerings at buffets in Las Vegas can be rather impressive.
Sure, you’ll find unlimited crab legs offered everywhere, but the options definitely don’t stop there. Not only can you feast on caviar at the Bellagio’s buffet, but you can also taste meals from some of Caesars’ most legendary restaurants at its Bacchanal Buffet. From time to time, Bacchanel offers fish and chips from Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Chicken Scarpariello from Rao’s and the Old Homestead’s lobster macaroni and cheese.
In case you need any further reasoning as to why Las Vegas is better at buffets than anywhere else, feast your eyes on the never-ending dessert station at the Wynn’s buffet.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Being hospitable
According to the Atlantic City Visitors Authority, Atlantic City is home to more than 10,000 hotel rooms. Likewise, in 2015, the New York Post noted that New York City was on track to reach 110,000 rooms by this year.
To put those totals in perspective, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, there are about 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas, which are used to house the approximately 43 million visitors that flock to the city each year.
In addition, the University of Nevada, Las Vegasincludes a premier education program dedicated solely to the hospitality industry — the College of Hotel Administration, which the school notes, is ranked as one of the top two college hospitality programs in the entire country.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Going all in
Besides being home to most of the biggest casinos in the country, Las Vegas is also home to the world’s largest gaming tournament, which brings 77,290 people to the city each year with the sole purpose of playing poker.
Las Vegas also provides an actual education in gaming, as UNLV’s International Gaming Institute offers a Gaming Management degree.
Not to mention, Las Vegas is likely the only place that you can play slot machines in the same place you go grocery shopping.
In 2015, Clark County collected a gaming revenue of $9.6 billion. For perspective, as of November 2015, Atlantic City had an annual gaming revenue of just under $2 million.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Celebrating every holiday
From New Year’s to Christmas, the city of Las Vegas gets in the holiday spirit like nowhere else.
For St. Patrick’s Day, not only was the Linq and O’Sheas packed to the brim with revelers, but other spots in town also hosted huge celebrations. The Fremont Street Experience had between 20 to 25 music acts performing during the weekend, according to a previous Review-Journal article.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Then there’s the Bellagio Conservatory. In addition to decorating its flower garden for major holidays, the Bellagio also changes out its conservatory for each season.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Even some of Las Vegas’ unlikely attractions get in the holiday spirit. At Christmas time, The Cosmopolitan transforms into a winter wonderland by setting up an ice rink on top of a pool.
What other city celebrates every holiday known to man? Including some less-celebrated days like the end of prohibition — Rapeal Day on December 5.
According to former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, “only in Las Vegas can there be a holiday like this.”
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Putting on a show
Anywhere can host a sporting event or a concert, so how does Las Vegas top them all at putting on a show?
Whether your appetite calls for ’80s hair bands (Rock of Ages), pop classics (Britney Spears), watching acrobats fly through the air (Cirque Du Soleil) or taking in a highly anticipated sporting event, Las Vegas hosts shows for every interest, every day.
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
On any given night, the city offers up a myriad of options for locals and visitors alike to attend — and they do. The LVCVA says that 61 percent of visitors attended shows during their stay in Las Vegas last year.
Beyond entertainment, Las Vegas has also mastered the challenge of hosting conventions and trade shows. Last year, almost 6 million convention-goers flocked to Las Vegas to attend the more than 22,000 conventions that the city hosted. Of those conventions, many are known for being some of the most-sought after trade shows in the world — for instance, the Consumer Electronic Show, National Association of Broadcasters, SEMA Show and the Nightclub and Bar Show.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Trade Show News Network has named Las Vegas as the number one trade show destination in North American for the past 21 years.
Missing something? Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitielilly_
