Garman - AARP Frommers Las Vegas 2012

Las Vegas

2012

by Rick Garman

Published by:

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

111 River St.

Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

Copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Frommers is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ISBN 978-1-118-02745-5 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-07688-0 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-13254-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-13255-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-13256-2 (ebk)

Editor: Naomi P. Kraus

Production Editor: Lindsay Conner

Cartographer: Liz Puhl

Photo Editors: Cherie Cincilla, Richard Fox, Alden Gewirtz

Design and Layout by Vertigo Design

Graphics and Prepress by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services

Front cover photo: Slot machine FirstShot / Alamy Images

Back cover photo: Left: Sassy Sally neon sign in Glitter Gulch Jon Arnold Images Ltd. / Alamy Images. Middle: A cowgirl enjoys the desert landscape at Red Rock Canyon Michael Ventura / Alamy Images. Right: Dice and poker chips Garry Gay / Alamy Images.

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Opening up the world and the wonders in your own backyard.

Maybe youre finally planning that big trip youve dreamt of for years. Maybe youre ready to hop in the car and go where the road takes you. Or maybe youre visiting far-flung family and friends.

Welcome to travel for grown-ups. Where do you turn for help?

Dedicated to helping you enjoy and enrich your life through travel, AARP has teamed up with Frommers to offer the best advice on must-see destinations, from daytrips to journeys around the world. Well guide you to the best food, accommodations, shopping, nightlife, sights, and activities that suit your lifestyle.

And true to AARPs commitment to help you stretch your dollars, well show you how to get the best value, whether youre traveling near or far. Want to splurge on a fancy hotel and eat cheap, or vice versa? We offer all price ranges. And give you the flexibility to tailor your trip to your budget. Whatever you choose, whatever your budget, well make sure you have memorable and wonder-filled experiences.

So hit the road and enjoy every minute. Well show you the way.

About the Author

Rick Garman began visiting Las Vegas as soon as he was not barred from doing so by pesky things like laws. He started writing about the city in 1997 when he and his best friend Mary Herczog were invited to write Frommers Las Vegas. He went on to create Vegas4Visitors.com, one of the most respected Las Vegas travel resources on the Web and has appeared in various outlets as a self-proclaimed Vegas expert, although most of that expertise has been gained sitting at a slot machine with a glazed look in his eye while mumbling incoherently to himself. When not gambling away his life savings, Rick lives in Los Angeles and works in the entertainment industry.

A Note from the Author

Mary Herczog wrote this book starting with the 1998 edition that we co-authored, our first collaboration as professionals but certainly not our first as best friends. It was not long after that book hit the shelves that Mary was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the next dozen years, Mary faced her illness with a kind of aplomb that most people found either inspiring or confounding; as she chose to focus less on whatever treatment she was undergoing and more on what fantastic meal she was going to get to eat on her next trip to Vegas. She wrote about what she called her tribulations in a series of articles for The Los Angeles Times and later on her website CancerChick.com as a way of demystifying the process, hoping that it might make it a little less scary for anyone else that might be going through the same thing. Through it all, she continued to write her guide books to Vegas and New Orleans and other destinations, which she loved doing partly out of her adoration of travel in general and partly out of her incredible knack for being able to tell people what to do and usually be right.

Mary Herczog died on February 16, 2010 surrounded by her family, her friends, and her dogs, exactly as she wanted it to be... if it had to be at all. About a week earlier, shed asked me to take over this book and I am both humbled and honored to do so. Even though my name is on the title page, this is and always will be her book. Viva Las Vegas, Mary... the city will not be the same without you.

How to Contact Us

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful placeshotels, restaurants, shops, and more. Were sure youll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, wed love to know that, too. Please write to:

Frommers Las Vegas 2012

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

frommersfeedback@wiley.com

Frommers Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for: