This is by far America’s most sought-after travel destination. For many, it’s like a huge amusement park, thanks to its vast array of attractions and entertainment offers. It came into being in the barren lands of the Mojave Desert and today, in addition to being Nevada’s largest city, is an oasis of enjoyment for people coming from L.A. and the rest of the world.

Casinos, glamorous and gaudy shows, fancy hotels, great entertainers, boldface names, past and present legends, let alone round-the-clock amenities and golf are some of the things Las Vegas offers today. The Las Vegas Strip, a four-and-a-half-mile-long straight avenue, is the heart of the city’s life. The most famous hotels and everything around them are built around that beltway. Eighteen of the world’s tallest and fanciest hotels are there. If there’s not a huge cloud up in the sky and weather permitting, this street can be strolled hassle-free on foot. There are date palms lined up in rows, lovely places for taking a rest, manicured gardens and a cityscape that really meets the eye and beyond. The Bellagio, the Treasure Island, Paris or Caesars Palace casinos are all good stops in the way. Speechless! The latter is simply amazing. It opened back in the 1960s and has been refurbished several times since then. It features a whopping 3,349 guestrooms scattered in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Roman, Palace and Forum. There’s a plaza, an amphitheater-shaped coliseum, stores and a whole lot more. Moreover, there are three villages that cost $44 million –Spanish, Greek and French- that really goes your imagination one better. They can be rented now, though they rank as one of the world’s priciest. But Las Vegas is more than just its glamorous Strip. Any traveler can easily understand that as soon as they turn right or left and traipse down the crossing streets: Russell Road, Tropicana Avenue, Harmon, Flamingo Street, Sands Avenue and Spring Mountain Road. As a matter of fact, this is the golden core of this part of town, home to the casino hotels of Treasure Island, Mirage and Caesars Palace on the west side, and Palazzo, Venetian, Casino Royale, Harrah’s, Imperial Palace and Flamingo Bill’s on the right side. If you ever get a chance to travel to Vegas –no wonder nearly 40 million people visit this city every year- don’t miss out on this opportunity. If you’re looking for more, you can plan an escapade to one of the national parks around the burg: Grand Canyon, Monument Valley or Arches. That’s just another way of sightseeing the state of Nevada.