by Jacqueline Beach

Created on: May 21, 2008

Viva Las Vegas The King said. Yes, Vegas sure knows how to throw a party. This is where it all begins, and indeed where over the past half a century millions have made this same pilgrimage to the gambling world's Mecca.
What inevitably springs to mind for most people is no doubt the gambling, strippers, casinos, quickie weddings (there are even drive through chapels)and all the glitz and glamour that make it the world's adult playground. Vegas marries tackiness and ostentatious showing off together. The vibe of the city is predictably hedonistic as the dazzling lights of the strip appear to have a dizzying effect on its average visitor. With the myriad of themed hotels on the Strip, from the Egyptian Luxor and Paris Las Vegas to the likes of the upmarket Wynn and the Bellagio it is a place that embodies the American mantra of bigger and better down to a tee.

Yet for the seasoned Vegas visitor, or someone planning a longer stay, the Strip can get a little overwhelming after three to four days. The Vegas which lies off the Strip is truly surprising and a well worth the visit.
Off Strip, with its heavily discounted price tags is proof that you can live the high life at half the price. Plus, don't have to leave all your cash in Las Vegas to have a truly amazing time. With multi billion dollar casinos offering discounted prices on accommodation as well as offering world famous entertainment acts, off Strip Las Vegas is experiencing a renaissance.

This is where the real Vegas comes into play enter Downtown and the off Strip casinos. Being the real' Vegas is what Downtown prides itself on. Although the first casino as we know it was the Flamingo, the heart of the city began beating in saloons complete with cowboys and sawdust floors right in the centre of the Downtown area on Fremont Street. The original was the Golden Gate, which still stands today. Indeed U2's infamous Where the Streets have No Name' was filmed just outside, with lights flashing and original haunts of Sinatra and the Rat Pack in the background. Nightly light shows which occur hourly from 8pm are projected onto the world's biggest TV screen which encapsulates the street.
Strolling down Fremont on a day such as St. Patrick's Day may have you wondering whether or not you are in Dublin, as a sea of green T-Shirts pass by, and the festivities are engaged by all with gusto. Real Irish bands play traditional Irish music, not just U2, and drink and meal deals are commonplace. Downtown similarly holds relics

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