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Posts Tagged ‘Las Vegas’

Is Las Vegas The Thrill Ride Capital Of America?

May 17th, 2010 No comments

Nowadays, Las Vegas provides a lot more than gambling and the development of many state of the art thrill makes it a must see for thrill ride lovers. We all benefit as each resort tries to outdo the other and offer the most exiting rides. If you are one of those people that love roller coasters and other thrill rides you should review the listed below of just a few of the attractions in Vegas.

The Circus Circus Adventuredome is a 5.5 acre mini theme park under a glass dome. With rides like the Sling Shot, that shoots you towards the roof at 4G’s, or the Disk O roller coaster with cars that spin, there is non stop action. The Canyon Blaster is a high speed roller coaster with the only double-loop, double-corkscrew track in the United States. Also at Adventuredome is the Chaos ride. Built on a circular platform, Chaos rises amid the Canyon Blaster’s track and twirls riders counterclockwise, backward and upside-down. The variation of speed and motion makes each ride unpredictable and assures that no two rides will be the same. And with the coaster whizzing by above you, Chaos packs in the thrills. There are many other rides and attractions that promise a full day of fun for your family.

The Big Shot is not your typical thrill ride, since it sits on top of the 100 story Stratosphere Tower! This ride lets you feel like an astronaut by shooting you 160 feet in the air in just 2.five seconds. That would be thrilling in itself, but the ride propels you up the mast on top of the 1000 foot tall Stratosphere Tower! Once you reach the top you will briefly experience weightlessness as you drop back down, eventually bouncing a few times before floating into the base. Thrill ride lovers come off this ride so energized that they can’t stop laughing.

Also on top of the Stratosphere Tower is Insanity – The Ride. Not for those who fear heights, this ride extends 68 feet over the edge of the tower and spins its passengers at up to 3 G’s. While spinning the ride also tilts at a 70 degree angle, giving you incredible views of the Las Vegas Strip more than 900 feet below. The ride is also programmable so there are over 100 variations on how the ride moves, so it will be a little different each time!

The Stratosphere Tower also has a third ride known as X Scream. Unlike a typical roller coaster that takes you up and back down, this ride stops in midair at a 30-degree angle. It gives you a feeling that you are about to fall but, at the last moment, the car teeters backward. The vehicle then slides back and forth across the track kind of like a teeter totter. What makes all this more exiting is that you are suspended more than 900 feet off the ground!

The Sahara offers a roller coaster ride known as Speed – The Trip. What makes this coaster unique is the sheer force of the ride and an element of surprise. Quickly reaching speeds of 35 mph by the very first curve, the coaster immediately dives into a corkscrew then into a mist-filled tunnel. The coaster is soon going more than 70 mph as it roars through a heart-stopping loop. Just as passengers begin to catch their breath, the roller coaster rapidly ascends a 224-foot tower. Then comes the surprise! Once the coaster reaches the very top, it begins falling backwards and goes back through the entire ride backwards at the same speeds!

You can’t miss the roller coaster at the New York – New York hotel. Its surroundings consist of a replica of the New York harbor, complete with a 150-foot model of the Statue of Liberty and a number of of Manhattan’s best known buildings. The final touch is that the roller coaster cars are made to look like New York taxicabs. This isn’t your typical upside-down roller coaster. The loops on this trip are insane — you’ll twist and turn in ways you don’t expect. The combination of corkscrews, hills and also the exhilarating, 180-degree spiral will have you gripping your harness tight throughout the ride!

Buffalo Bill’s Resort is located just forty miles south of Las Vegas and offers a number of rides at fairly reasonable prices. The most imposing ride is probably the Desperado, one of the world’s tallest and fastest coasters. Another exiting ride, the Turbo Drop will do just that. It raises you up 170 feet then lets you drop at negative 1 G. The Adventure Canyon Log Flume provides swirling rapids and treacherous water falls, but also gives you a chance to do some target shooting with state-of-the-art laser light pistols. There are many other attractions at Buffalo Bill’s that promise a complete day of enjoyment for your entire family.

There are many more attractions in Las Vegas than can be covered in this short article. Las Vegas has one of the largest concentrations of thrill rides available. For those of you who love these rides, you owe it to yourself to schedule a trip to Las Vegas so you can decide for yourself if this city has become the thrill ride capital of America.

Odell Skaalington specializes in websites on exercise, weight reduction and internet marketing, but his latest website www.toryburchhandbag.com evaluates and lists the best Tory Burch Handbag.

Planning The Perfect Spring Break On A Budget

February 10th, 2010 No comments

Every year, thousands of College students head to exotic island hot spots for spring break. Unfortunately, the recent economic conditions and the rise in the price of tuition have now left many students on a tight budget. Many students cannot afford the usual spring break exotic vacation destinations. Fortunately, there are many things a student can do to plan the perfect spring break vacation while on a budget.

1. When planning a spring break vacation, you should figure out how much you can afford to spend. Once you know how much you can afford, you can plan a vacation that will not have serious financial consequences. You should set the amount of money aside and stick to your budget. Do not take more money than you can afford to spend as you will likely spend it. As well, you should plan how you will spend your money on things like, transportation, food, entertainment, and other expenses. Wherever possible, use cash to buy your items instead of a credit card. You do not want to return from your trip and find yourself saddled with high credit card debt that you cannot afford.

2. Selecting the right vacation destination is a key component to helping you stick with your budget. Decide where you want to go for spring break. If you cannot afford a traditional exotic beach vacation, you should consider a more local destination. Miami and Las Vegas are fun places to vacation. They can also be more affordable destinations. The internet is full of travel sites that offer special spring break packages. Once you have decided on your destination, make sure you book early to ensure you get the best and cheapest deal.

3. Traveling alone or with one person can be expensive. Plan your vacation with a group of friends. You can often get great travel and hotel discounts if you book as a group. If you are traveling by car, travel with a group of friends so that you can share fuel costs. You can also share a hotel room. Having about four people per room will significantly cut down on the cost of accommodations. It can also be really fun staying together.

4. Restaurant costs can really take a bite out of the budget. Instead of dining out every day, get a hotel room that has a kitchenette and buy your food from a supermarket. If you do dine out, look for restaurants where you can get a cheap meal such as a fast food franchise restaurant. By doing so, this will significantly cut down on food expenses.

After calculating how much money you will need and you discover you still cannot afford a vacation, there are many other options to take advantage of such as going on a road trip with friends for a few days, visit family or friends, or take a day trip to another city or fun attraction such as an amusement park. No matter what destination you choose, you should have fun, relax, stay safe, and enjoy the break from your studies.

Adriana Noton is a freelance writer who specializes in providing great financial information for Canadians. When searching online for debt counselling or credit counselling, one of the many resources available is Consolidated Credit; offering a variety of debt counselling services and financial planning tools to help Canadians get their debts under control.

Golf Vacation Packages For The Golf Lover

November 26th, 2009 No comments

Looking for a place to go relax? Need THE perfect gift for a golfer? Check out a golf vacation package. There are so many places to go and things to see, a golf vacation package is a perfect choice. You will be able to find a course, or courses, that suit your taste and a package that fits your budget.

One important thing to remember when shopping for the ideal golf vacation package is that the ideal package will include everything you need. Make sure that everything you want and need can be booked via the golf package of your choice. If you are going to need a car, make sure car rental is included in the package. That’s the idea behind the package deal, to make booking your all-inclusive golf vacation secure and easy.

Golf packages commonly include air fare, accommodations, a specified number of rounds of golf, and meals. If you can find just the right package, you will get time with a professional golf trainer. What you thought of as only a vacation get-away, can transforms into more than you ever expected with a great vacation deal.

Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Williamsburg are among the most popular places in the United States to book golf vacation packages. There are many more luxurious locations, but these are the most popular. In any of these golf resort locations you can book a vacation that last as little as a weekend or as long as a week or two.

Some golf vacation packages allow you to book different locations to which you will travel throughout your vacation. This is an excellent opportunity to play different courses, which will improve your game. Instead of learning what to expect at every hole, you will be challenged to by each new golf course on which you play. You will have no choice but to practice and adapt your initial hit off the tee and practice your putt. A golf package that allows you to visit a variety of locations offers an excellent learning opportunity for you.

A wonderful selection of golf vacations is available from which to choose. The decision is up to you. Go wherever you want and enjoy the challenge of playing new courses. Just remember to make sure everything you will need is included in the package. Don’t forget, if you can book valuable time with a golf professional you will have a golf vacation that is an experience unlike any other.

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Vegas Hotels On And Off The Strip

October 23rd, 2009 No comments

Thinking about heading off to Las Vegas but do not want the hustle and bustle of the strip to contend with each and every day you are there? Well okay, it is possible to find a nice quiet hotel some place well off

Although you may think that Vegas is purely about modern-style hotels this is not the case at all. Of course there are plenty of modern hotels to stay in but there are also a number of old-colonial style places that offer you the sense of days gone by. Combine that with the casino side and you may feel you are living back in the old days.

You may be thinking that Vegas is about modern-day hotels to match the modern-day casinos. Well yes and no.
If you care for a bit of the old-colonial style building work then you can find that in Vegas. Its a nice thought – sitting playing roulette (and winning of course) in the surroundings of a beautiful old colonial style building!

One good thing about modern buildings is that although they may be situated in a very built up and very busy and bustling area, they are very capable of excluding almost all surrounding noise.

One positive thing about modern buildings to note is that even though they may be located in town center, they are still great at noise reduction. Imagine being in a hotel on strip Vegas with single glazed windows and a plywood door?! Oh dear, no rest for you for sure! Modern day hotels tackle this problem very well indeed, fortunately enough!

There are lots of hotels that offer discount packages and great deals. Obviously Vegas is a highly competitive hotel district and as such if you care to search just a little you will find great deals to be had all year round. After all, the casinos are open all year round so the tourists tend to flock there all year round.

Even if you are struggling to find a fantastic deal, the hotel rates in Vegas (somewhat surprisingly perhaps) are competitive with other parts of the States. With so much local competition between hotels, you tend to find that the prices for rooms are keen no matter what time of year you wish to book.

So it is possible to find some great off strip hotels that will offer you the best of both worlds. Many are situated within a mile or so of the strip so if you care to venture there on occasion its easy and quick to do so, whereas at the same time if you are not interested in the strip at all then you are far enough away to avoid it entirely. Have a great time!

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The Mapes Hotel: Lost Landmark Of Northern Nevada History

July 25th, 2009 No comments
by Ross Everett

On January 31, 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The destruction of the Mapes put an end to years of efforts to preserve the building via lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots action. The National Trust for Historic Preservation took up the cause of the Mapes, and challenged the destruction in a suit that eventually reached the Nevada Supreme Court.

While the efficacy and justification of demolishing the Mapes is debatable, one thing that is not is the glorious history of the hotel. It was built in 1947, and signaled the start of the modern era of casino gambling. Despite the notoriety of Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was the Mapes that became the first building in the nation to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of ‘The Misfits’. Joseph McCarthy, America’s famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn’t have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.

During the ‘Rat Pack’ era of the 50′s and 60′s it became along with the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The 11th floor, window walled Sky Room Lounge hosted performances by a roster of entertainment legends including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Milton Berle and Mae West. Downtown Reno struggled during the 1960′s and 70′s but the Mapes continued to prosper. The hotel finally closed in 1982, due to financial problems experienced by the Mapes Family brought about by their other Northern Nevada casino holdings.

Reno has yet to experience the sort of growth that has been seen in Southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands”perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state”is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.

The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. Back in 1996, the city of Reno purchased the hotel and began entertaining proposals for renovation and redevelopment. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which eventually led to the demolition of the structure.

Following the 2000 demolition, the lot remained vacant for over a year until a temporary ice skating rink was hastily constructed the following winter. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, isn’t the sort of game changing improvement suggested by the City Redevelopment Agency and their adamant insistence that the building be demolished. To the contrary, it appears they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark that played a significant part in the economic growth of the entire state.

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