Virtual Solvang Hotels and Hotel

With more than 50,000 new residents making Las Vegas home yearly and a population that will exceed two million inhabitants by 2010, Las Vegas is more than the dazzling lights and glittering resorts. It is a great place to live, play and work!

Las Vegas, Spanish for "the meadows," was founded by Mormon missionaries. These early settlers were followed by westward-traveling pioneers and, later, by the men who built Hoover Dam, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.

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The legalization of gambling in the 30's transformed the city into an American adult playground that continues to evolve and transform. Where else can you go from Paris to New York within a block? Where can you see white tigers and witness a volcano erupting? Where can you visit an Egyptian pyramid and the ancient Roman empire all in the same day?  Almost 40 million pleasure-seeking tourists wager millions of dollars every year and enjoy world-class shopping, cuisine and entertainment in some of the world's most renowned resort hotels and casinos. Only in VE GAS, baby!

"The Entertainment Capital of the World" welcomes almost 40 million people a year. Visitors love to enjoy luxurious hotels, world-class cuisine, unique shopping experiences, dazzling and unusual stage shows and world class gaming. Of course, Las Vegas is also a recreation and golfer's paradise.

A world of natural beauty unlike any other place on earth also delight visitors. Enjoy hiking in Red Rock Canyon, skiing and snowboarding in Mt.Charleston, and cool off in the biggest desert oasis, Lake Mead. The Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire, Zion National Park and Death Valley are all short day trips from the Strip.

What? You didn't come to Las Vegas for the Liberace Museum? We are shocked. Shocked.

Yes, there are gambling opportunities in Vegas. We've noticed this. You will, too. The tip-off will be the slot machines in the airport as soon as you step off the plane. Or the slot machines in the convenience stores as soon as you drive across the state line. Let's not kid ourselves: Gambling is what Vegas is about. The bright lights, the shows, the showgirls, the food -- it's all there just to lure you in and make you open your wallet. (The free drinks certainly help ease the latter as well.)

You can disappoint them if you want, but what would be the point? This is Las Vegas. You don't have to be a high roller. You would not believe how much fun you can have with a nickel slot machine. You won't get rich, but neither will most of those guys playing the $5 slots, either.

Of course, that's not going to stop anyone from trying. Almost everyone plays in Vegas with the hopes of winning The Big One. That only a few ever do win doesn't stop them from trying again and again and again. That's how the casinos make their money, by the way.

It's not that the odds are stacked so incredibly high in their favor -- though the odds are in their favor, and don't ever think otherwise. Rather, it's that if there is one constant in this world, it's human greed. Look around in any casino, and you'll see countless souls who, having doubled their winnings, are now trying to quadruple them, and are losing it all and then trying to recoup their initial bankroll and losing still more in the process.

We don't mean to dissuade you from gambling. Just be sure to look at it as recreation and entertainment, not as an investment or a moneymaking opportunity. Spend only as much as you can afford to lose. It doesn't matter if that's $10 or $100,000. You can have just as good a time with either. (Though if you can afford to lose $100,000, we would like to meet you.)

Remember also that there is no system that's sure to help you win. We all have our own systems and our own ideas. Reading books and listening to others at the tables will help you pick up some tips, but if there were a surefire way to win, the casinos would have taken care of it (and we will leave you to imagine just what that might entail). Try to have the courage to walk away when your bankroll is up, not down. Remember, your children's college fund is just that, and not a gambling-budget supplement.

The first part of this chapter is a contribution from James Randi, a master magician, who looks at the four major fallacies people bring with them to the gaming tables in Las Vegas; it's fascinating, and we thank him for this contribution.

The second part tells you the basics of betting. Knowing how to play the games not only improves your odds but also makes playing more enjoyable. In addition to the instructions here, you'll find dozens of books on how to gamble at all casino hotel gift shops, and many casinos offer free gaming lessons.

The third part of this chapter describes all the major casinos in town. Remember that gambling is supposed to be entertainment. Picking a gaming table where the other players are laughing, slapping each other on the back, and generally enjoying themselves tends to make for considerably more fun than a table where everyone is sitting around in stony silence, morosely staring at their cards. Unless you really need to concentrate, pick a table where all seem to be enjoying themselves, and you will, too, even if you don't win. Maybe.

Welcome to MetroGuide.Network 's Las Vegas DiningGuide, a directory of restaurants and related restaurant information for Metropolitan Las Vegas , Nevada. Use MetroGuide's DiningGuide service to find Las Vegas restaurants by location or cuisine. Try our Dining Search box (above), to look for a particular name or address, or use our Las Vegas overview map (at right), to jump to dining options.

Once known mostly for all-you-can-eat buffets , Las Vegas has branched out as a haute-culinary outpost, with cuisine from far-flung corners. Historically, buffets started in the ‘40s at the original El Rancho Vegas Hotel to keep patrons on premises during wee hours. The idea caught on, and legendary buffets now feature dozens of items per meal, sometimes specializing in seafood , steak , or ethnic taste sensations. Hotel-casino “gourmet rooms” catering to high rollers followed buffets , and now Las Vegas high-end dining enclaves are hot across the board, often featuring renowned chefs . Among award-winners are Bellagio 's Le Cirque and Picasso, and the Mirage 's Renoir.

Top Las Vegas chefs satisfying appetites include Helene An (Crustacean at the Desert Passage ); Gian Paulo "Zeffirino" Belloni (Zeffirino Ristorante at the Venetian ); Tom Colicchio (Craftsteak at MGM Grand ); Todd English ( Olives at Bellagio; Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of the Food Network's "Too Hot Tamales" (Border Grill at Mandalay Bay ); Jean-Marie Josselin (8-0-8 at Caesars Palace ); Thomas Keller (Bouchon at the Venetian; Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand and Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian; Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque at Bellagio); Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu at Hard Rock Hotel ); Maurizio Mazzon (Canaletto at the Venetian and Il Fornaio at the New York-New York and Green Valley Ranch ); Michael Mina (Nobhill and Seablue at MGM Grand and Aqua at Bellagio; Tom Moloney (AquaKnox at the Venetian; Charlie Palmer (Aureole at Mandalay Bay and Charlie Palmer Steakhouse at the Four Seasons ); Wolfgang Puck (Spago and Chinois at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Postrio at the Venetian and Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay; André Rochat (Alizé at The Palms and Andre's in downtown Las Vegas and at the Monte Carlo ); Julian Serrano (Picasso at Bellagio; Kerry Simon (Simon Kitchen and Bar at Hard Rock Hotel; Joachim Splichal (Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian, Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Prime at Bellagio), Michael White (Fiamma at MGM Grand); Piero Selvaggio ( Valentino at the Venetian and Caffe Giorgio at Mandalay Place ); Alessandro Stratta (Renoir at the Mirage; and Bradley Ogden (Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace). In a 24/7 culture that is pure Las Vegas action, 24-hour cafés are in nearly every hotel and casino , many serving tasty breakfasts around-the-clock.