The main tourist attraction in Las Vegas (not counting the casinos) is a walk along Las Vegas Strip.

The city's central boulevard stretches for approximately 7 km, and along it the best hotels, shopping centers and interesting architectural projects are lined up in a long, bright line.

Despite the huge number of hotels, each of them is unique in its own way. Most hotels and casinos are themed, and the absolute advantage (unlike, for example, Turkey and Egypt) is free entry for everyone.

Another good thing about Las Vegas is that, in addition to paid entertainment, there are a lot of absolutely free shows, exciting programs and entertaining excursions. Many of them are located on or near hotels. Therefore, we will take a tour of the best casino hotels in Las Vegas and tell you about what impressed us most.

First place in the list of “the best and most unusual hotels” was taken by the legendary Bellagio Las Vegas. Even the most sophisticated tourist is delighted with its appearance and interior decoration. And the directors of popular American films (“Ocean’s Eleven”, “Ocean’s Thirteen”, “The Hangover”, “21”, “2012”) are vying with each other to shoot the handsome “Bellagio”.

The main feature of his casino was poker. It is in this gambling establishment that the World Poker Classic poker championship is held, so the minimum bets in some halls start at 20 thousand dollars.

The hotel has Gallery of Fine Arts « Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art», which features traveling exhibitions of works of art from around the globe. Separate rooms contain paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, El Greco, Degas and others.

The hotel lobby is incredibly beautiful, you don’t even want to let go of your camera! A real work of art is a chandelier consisting of 2000 volumetric flowers. This famous sculpture by the master Dale Chihuly is called "Fiori di Como" and is made of blown Murano glass.

Walking around the Bellagio you should 100% visit Hotel Botanical Garden and Greenhouse Conservatory (Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens).

What you see is simply mesmerizing!

The design of the garden changes every season, attracting crowds of curious tourists. I can’t even believe that all the sculptures are made of fresh flowers.

During the New Year holidays, the Bellagio Hotel is decorated in a special way: a fabulous atmosphere is felt in every detail of the interior.

And the main free attraction of the Bellagio, and of all of Vegas, is dancing and singing fountains "Bellagio Fountains".

This is a must-see for anyone visiting Las Vegas. Tall jets of water rise to a height of 152 m, creating a real performance.

The fountains are open every day (on weekdays from 15:00 to 24:00, on weekends and holidays from 12:00 to 24:00; until 20:00 the show starts every half hour, later - every 15 minutes), and on evening time look amazing! (Unfortunately, the video is shown without sound, since this particular audio track is protected by copyright law)

Second place in the ranking of the “best hotels” in Vegas can be safely given to "Venice" (The Venetian). Exactly repeating the aura and atmosphere of the legendary “city on the water”, the hotel transports tourists from crazy Las Vegas to cozy Italy. St. Mark's Square, the galleries of the Doge's Chamber, the Bridge of Sighs - and this is not the entire list of the main Venetian attractions recreated in miniature.

Renaissance-style statues and columns, graceful bridges and marble-paved streets, delightful sculptures and amazing painted ceilings are detailed copies of the best Italian painters and sculptors.

Closing your eyes for a second, you can hear the songs of the brave Venetian gondoliers. You read that right! The Venice Hotel has its own Grand Canal with real gondolas. By paying $21 per person or renting the entire gondola for $84, every tourist has the opportunity to sail under the arches of the bridges and admire the local beauty. Since we gave ourselves this unforgettable entertainment back in Venice, Italy, we didn’t go back for a ride in America.

The hotel has an unusual ceiling, stylized to resemble a real blue sky, with clouds running across it.

Among other attractions in "Venice" is the world famous Madame Tussauds Museum. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children.

There is a companion hotel next to Venice "Palazzo"(together they are part of the largest hotel complex in Las Vegas in terms of rooms, “The Venetian/ Palazzo/ Sands Convention Center”).

Both hotels are famous for their fashionable restaurants.

And a gallery of the best boutiques.

And in the evening, near the Venice and Palazzo hotels, the festive Christmas tree shimmers with different lights.

Las Vegas is a city where all dreams come true! Do you want to go to Paris? - Follow us! Tall handsome man hotel-casino "Paris Las Vegas" built in the heart of the Strip Boulevard. The hotel itself and its main attractions are a real corner of France, with its characteristic charm.

The property of the hotel is a 165-meter Eiffel Tower, which is almost two times lower than the original (the tower could be much higher, but the “neighborhood” of the McCarran International Airport does not allow violating construction standards). A high-speed elevator takes visitors to one of the highest observation decks in the city, which offers a special view of Vegas at night. (Detailed ticket information can be found on the hotel's official website: https://www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas/things-to-do/eiffel-tower#.Vjtw5NLhBdg).

Another “highlight” of Paris, transferred to the Strip, is Arc de Triomphe. Well, why not the Champs Elysees?!

The list of Parisian treasures in miniature is complemented by the beautiful hot air balloon of the French aeronautical genius Montgolfier.

Continuing to travel through the most incredible places and countries, we find ourselves in ancient Egypt. The whole flavor of the eastern country embodies hotel-casino "Luxor", built in the form of a glass pyramid.

At the very top of the pyramid there is a powerful spotlight. Its beam is one of the most powerful in the world and can be seen 160 km away! And the temperature in the room where the lamps are located rises to 156°C!

But the “unusualities” of the miracle pyramid do not end there. The Luxor Hotel is a unique architectural structure: to get to the hotel room, guests use special elevators located along the inner surface of the pyramid at an angle of 39 degrees.

The hotel lobby features themed sculptures.

The Egyptian hotel is guarded by a large and beautiful Sphinx, with which you will definitely want to take a photo.

The overall architectural ensemble is complemented by a 43-meter copy of the Luxor Obelisk, on which hieroglyphs glorifying the god Ra and other pharaohs are carved.

Our journey through time and space continues at the hotel "Excalibur".

The entire complex is built in the style of the medieval Camelot castle, where the Knights of the Round Table gathered. The hotel got its name in honor of the legendary sword of King Arthur.

The hotel's interior is also decorated in medieval knightly style.

And over the slot machines hang carved balconies, from which a beautiful princess is about to look out, waiting for her “knight of the heart.”

The hotel is an imitation of the city of New York with the famous 45-meter copy of the Statue of Liberty "New York - New York".

12 of Manhattan's most famous skyscrapers (Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, etc.) have roller coasters wrapped around their entire perimeter " The Roller Coaster" with a “dead loop”, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h.

Near the New York - New York Hotel you can also walk through a replicaBrooklyn Bridge.

And the main play area is called “Central Park”.

And one more interesting and absolutely free entertainment that I would like to talk about is located near hotel-casino "Mirage".

Every evening from 19.00, an artificial volcano begins to “erupt” to the accompaniment of special music. The exciting show begins once an hour, and the fiery lava rises to a height of up to 30 m. Don't miss it!

During our several days in Vegas, we didn’t manage to visit all the hotels, because time flies here at an incredible speed! Leaving this stunning city, we take a final look at the outskirts of Las Vegas and the plane delivering new tourists to their adventure. But that’s a completely different story... We’re leaving to definitely come back! See you again, holiday city!

The deseat.me service, with which any Gmail user can delete all information about themselves from social networks and various services. Lenta.ru finds out why more and more people are erasing their digital traces.

Web suicide

According to Swedish developers, to completely disappear from the Internet, just log into their deseat.me service through your Google account. The program will independently detect all subscriptions connected to the email, and the user will have to choose which profile to get rid of. Once the required positions are identified, the program redirects you directly to the resource page, where you can erase your account with one click. However, keep in mind: deletion using deseat.me is final and irrevocable - information cannot be restored.

Less radical users, as well as those who do not have a Gmail account, will have to be content with deleting profiles manually. So, to hide your presence in Facebook , Twitter or in "VKontakte", you need to go to the page settings and delete your account yourself. After some time (from two to four weeks, depending on the rules of the social network), the account and all publications associated with it will disappear from the Internet.

Calculate by IP

Few people think about how much information about ourselves we leave in the public domain. And the point is not at all in reputation-defaming photographs and videos - today it is absolutely not necessary to be a seasoned hacker to find out the phone number, address and even location of any person.

In July 2016, workers at one of the British cafes conducted a social experiment. They offered passersby a free drink in exchange for a Facebook like. And while the participant was placing an order, his data was quickly collected online. As a result, visitors received a short profile about themselves, including contact information, as well as information about education, work and religion.

Video: Cifas / YouTube

Moreover, there are many special programs for searching user data. Thus, with the help of facial recognition systems, you can find out a person’s name from just one photo, and from the most ordinary email, you can find out the IP address and location. And the first thing we do is search for every new acquaintance or business partner on Google, simply by entering the first and last name in the search bar.

This phenomenon has long been noted by Boston University professor and author of the book “What Happens in Vegas Stays Online,” Eric Qualman. According to him, due to the abundance of constantly stored data about users, you need to behave online as if “your mother, boss, coach and enemies are watching you.” “In essence, that’s how it is. Whether we are talking about your personal life or your career, your reputation on the Internet today determines your reputation off it,” says the researcher.

The dangers of storing user data were discussed back in 2009. Then the famous American marketer Tony Fish, in his book “My Digital Footprint,” noted that by analyzing network activity, users can not only be imposed “interest-based advertising,” but also easily manipulated.

Digital footprint

Fish identifies two types of digital traces: passive and active. Passive ones are formed on the basis of data unintentionally created by the user - visits to various sites, social networks and resources. This kind of information is automatically stored on provider servers, in web archives and data centers.

Of course, de jure it is available only to administrators of resources visited by a particular user. But in reality, it is precisely thanks to the passive digital footprint that network users are haunted by intrusive targeted advertising, subtly hinting to them that they recently visited a site with sneakers or household appliances.

Active digital traces are actions on the Internet performed directly by the user. For example, publishing a photo, post or comment. Such information is not only automatically stored on special servers, but can also be used by anyone.

Fish predicted that users would demand that search engines remove their personal data, and his prediction is coming true.

Right to be forgotten

Since 2014, the European Union has had a law on the right to be forgotten. Now all EU citizens can demand that Google remove information that defames them from search results. The law applies to links with false or irrelevant information about the applicant.

The adoption of the law was initiated by the court case of the Spaniard Mario Costeja Gonzalez against Google, which was considered in May 2014. Gonzalez demanded that the corporation remove several defamatory publications in the media. The European Court of Justice upheld the Spaniard's claim because, according to the court, storing personal information without the user's approval is contrary to the EU Directive on the Protection of Personal Data of 1995.

In Russia, the Internet came into force on January 1, 2016 in the form of an amendment to the federal law “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection.” An exception is information about events containing signs of criminal offenses, the terms for bringing to justice for which have not expired, and information about the commission of a crime by a citizen for which the criminal record has not been expunged or expunged.

In the first three months of the law alone, Yandex received more than 3.6 thousand requests from 1,348 people, but 73 percent of the applications were rejected. Yandex explained this by saying that it could not verify the accuracy of the information. This, in particular, applies to doctors who demand that links to resources with negative reviews about them be removed.

Network contraception

In order to avoid deleting accounts, communicating with technical support of social networks and making statements to Yandex, you should behave extremely carefully online. For example, use the Adblock blocker, which not only allows you to get rid of intrusive advertising, but also, as Edward Snowden claims, protects you from disguised malware.

Personal correspondence on social networks can also easily become public, because hacking an account on Facebook or VKontakte is not so difficult - in Russian-language Tor it will cost from 2.5 thousand to 7.5 thousand rubles. Unfortunately, even the most complex password will not provide a 100% guarantee of data protection.

In addition, to access the Internet securely, you can use a virtual private network or VPN, where traffic is redirected through a chain of servers. However, firstly, the services of most VPN clients are not free, and secondly, they readily transmit information about users at the request of intelligence agencies. For short and discreet access to the network, there are free services such as VPNBook with support for Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android and iOS.

The most reliable solution to the problem of anonymity on the Internet is the anonymous Tor network, which operates using onion routing technology. The information in it is encrypted and passes through a large number of intermediate systems, but this results in extremely low page loading speeds. In addition, according to rumors, intelligence services of leading countries have already managed to identify users on Tor and are actively developing a method for de-anonymizing the entire network.

I continue to translate the book of the Turkish writer Beste Uyanik “The Art of Finding a Husband”
This part is about her first wedding

I got married for the first time at 23 years old. 750 people were invited to the wedding. Most of the guests were my father's acquaintances from the municipality and women from my mother's association. Relatives, of course, both near and far, up to seventh hour.

The parents invited all their friends, and to these 750 invitees came another hundred and fifty guests. A large circle of important people in society gathered and all the magazines wrote about the wedding. My parents organized everything beautifully, I was incredibly lucky

On the surface, everything looked great, but during the preparation stage, passions between our families ran high. Nothing to do with love and high feelings. But despite the troubles, after the expensive organization, no one wanted to cancel the wedding

On the wedding morning, July 29, the sun shone in a special way. All the birds and pigeons also flocked to the garden of our house, because they knew that there was a wedding in this house today. The weather was warm and the sky was cloudless. Meteorologists called me the day before and asked, “What weather do you want?” No wonder she was as ordered

That morning my mother kissed me 230 times “My daughter became a bride.” She repeated it so many times that all the neighbors probably heard it, but a deaf person wouldn’t hear it.

Having quickly grabbed something dry, we hurriedly left the house and went to the palace. Are you surprised? And where else should a wedding worthy of a princess take place, if not in a palace!

Of course, we booked this place many months in advance, but out of concern that another wedding might be held there on that day, we went there without even having breakfast.
When my mother asked why we were leaving so early, they said that we might get stuck in a traffic jam. We were driving from Beykoz to Yeniköy, but of course my mother mixed up the area, because the navigator built a route to Silivri (districts of Istanbul)

In the palace, on the golden porch, a hairdresser, a makeup artist, a shoemaker, a tailor were sitting and waiting for us (a long list, don’t expect me to list them all, use your imagination a little), in general, everyone who comes to mind

Preparation began immediately and after about five hours I was ready! I apologize, it took 45 minutes just to secure the veil..
In the bride's room, my mother is crying with happiness, photographer "Mrs. Beste, look to the right, look to the left, look up"

Everyone was ready by 17:00 and the photo session overlooking the sea began. We look into the distance, we look at each other.. The photographer took three thousand photographs in the park. For three hours, the sound of a camera and instructions from the photographer could be heard throughout the palace: “Now I’m photographing the bride’s mother, now my son-in-law’s relatives, now my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,” I’m photographing and photographing, photographing and photographing...

By eight in the evening, guests began to arrive at the mansion of Said Halim Pasha (Ottoman statesman).

We held a nikah (marriage ceremony) and without changing our wedding traditions we came to the table. (We are talking about the process of collecting gifts, when all the guests come up in turn and congratulate the newlyweds, kiss them on both cheeks and hang money, gold coins or jewelry on them. The bride and groom thank the guests, and kiss the hands of the elderly as a sign of respect)

At that moment, this man's mask fell off and he showed his true face.

Don’t say that I quickly skipped over the topic of nikah; to tell the truth, I was so worried that I don’t remember anything.

Let's get back to the moment of congratulations.. Someone tell me who even invented this torture for the bride and groom? To be fair, these are gifts, and the bride should be pleased, right? Who am I to be indignant!

It's actually a great activity and a good cardio workout first and foremost. If anyone is looking for a way to lose weight, girls, I recommend it. Only the dress and veil are not suitable. Gold necklaces normally weigh this much, it’s heavy, but what can you do, don’t throw them away? Frankly we were shining from gold (like two Christmas trees)

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be rude, but all 750 people came in line. How many guests have I kissed and how many hands have I kissed from different uncles and aunties...

As the Uyanyk family, we respect traditions. Of course, you can’t kiss on one cheek like in America... everyone is kissed on both cheeks, in total I kissed dear guests 1500 times. The first husband, of course, is smart, he didn’t kiss anyone, he just shook hands with the guests.

My dear father in the bride’s room told me: “Daughter, we are the hosts, give all the guests a warm kiss and hug!”
I told everyone, “Thank you for coming,” and showed hospitality to make my family proud. Then the line ended, I already wanted to say to my mother “thank you for coming”

I won’t forget one question from the wedding, “Beste, you recognized me, right? When you were two years old, you came to the Club Med Antalya Hotel.” I answer, “Of course, how can you forget!” What can you say to please the guests at your wedding!

You choose shrimp, they ask why there is no meat, you choose meat, they say that it was cheap, they could have put seafood on the tables.
It’s impossible for someone to then say, “They put that family much closer, they had a view of the sea.” Then there will be bad talk about the wedding (evil eye).
You put in the effort in organization, then the makeup and ten hours of preparation, and still gossip can start among the guests. The veil is too long (grew up), the bride looked a little plump, her makeup ran a little...

Now let's get back to my story, dear readers. The champagne flows like a river, the conversations never stop, the birds in the sky spread the good news of the wedding to everyone...

But as they say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” 10 months later we divorced...

Las Vegas is not a city. This is Disneyland for adults with a casino at every turn. It doesn’t matter where you are going to go: to the grocery store, to lunch with your family, to a gas station, to a coffee shop or a souvenir shop - you will still end up in a casino. There may not be roulette tables, blackjack or poker, but there will definitely be slot machines.

We continue to talk about our car in a joint project with “Crown Techno”.

Parody Street

We are driving along the Strip, a seven-kilometer stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard where the city's largest casinos are located. On the left side of us there is a quarter made in the Venetian style.

In front of the huge three-pointed hotel complex, a replica of the Venetian Rialto Bridge connects two pedestrian areas. To the left of it stands the fake Doge's Palace, resting on openwork arches. The gates to it are copies of the columns of St. Mark and St. Theodore, installed in front of the bridge over an artificial canal along which gondolas with gondoliers float. To the right of the Rialto Bridge rises (mamma mia!) the Campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral.

The Parisian quarter imperceptibly flows into the modern Hollywood quarter, interrupted by low-rise commercial buildings, but before you have time to take a break from the architectural cacophony, another parody is shoved in your face.

This time - a small New York of the 1940s with the Statue of Liberty looking across the intersection at the Tropicana Hotel. The skyscrapers of little New York are replaced by the medieval towers of Excalibur, and knightly motifs give way to Egyptian ones with a pyramid, sphinx and obelisk. The fair of architectural fakes ends with Hawaiian Mandalay Bay.

The sign where everyone takes pictures

Behind the casino is another symbol of Vegas - a huge “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. It's a mecca for first-time tourists and a prime spot for selfies. People stand in long lines to take a photo.

Along the “rut”, like a ticket cashier, Elvis wanders with lush black and gray hair on his head and chest. This is David. He is a street impersonator of the King of Rock and Roll.

David has been working here for two years. Formerly a regional promoter in San Francisco. He moved to Las Vegas when his mother retired and needed care. Around the same time, he changed his profession.

“This job is a lot more fun,” Elvis laughs.

David appears to be about 50 years old. He is wearing a snow-white flared jumpsuit with rhinestones and sneakers. He has the latest iPhone on his left belt, a wallet with dollars on his right, and portable speakers on his back. The false king glows with rhinestones and jewelry, like a gypsy baron.

“I didn’t like Elvis before,” David confesses. “I listened to his songs and couldn’t understand what people found in him.” Everything changed when I put on his suit. I began to understand him, started listening to his compositions and simply fell in love. Now I love watching his performances, listening to his songs, watching his movements on stage. His voice, gestures. How can you not love him?! He is the best artist in history. Sometimes I turn on his songs, listen and cry. This supports me and makes me move forward.

I strive to be the best Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas. I ordered my suit from the studio. It's very expensive. Of course, you can buy something cheap in any store, but what's the point? You need to be as similar to the King as possible.

Elvis six days a week

There are a lot of Elvises in Las Vegas. They pose on the streets, marry couples in love, invite people to casinos, hand out booklets, give city tours in a pink Cadillac, entertain tourists, and perform in clubs. There are streets, bars, diners, chapels, motel rooms, drinks, burgers, sandwiches, desserts, waffles and donuts named in his honor.

The King of Rock and Roll did not live here, but often performed in the summer season. During July 1969 he performed twice a day and gave 58 concerts. However, he won the popular love of the city residents thanks to the song Viva Las Vegas, which became the unofficial anthem of the city.

David works as Elvis six days a week. Closed on Monday. Works at the same point from 11.00 to 22.00.

- It's like regular work. Sometimes I get very exhausted during the day in the heat. Try standing for 10-12 hours under the scorching sun in this suit and wig. Why don't I quit? I like to entertain and make people happy. Here I feel part of Las Vegas. People come up to me, take pictures, smile, laugh. Thanks to me, they relax and are glad that they came to Las Vegas.

He refuses to answer the question about his daily income, but notes that “there is enough for food.”

— There is a lot of competition among Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas. Sometimes it comes to fights. But this is in crowded places, where there are too many Elvises per square meter. I've never fought another Elvis. I have nothing to share with them. I always work in this place and don’t get involved in other people’s affairs. There is another parodist working with me here, but we have entered into a gentleman's agreement. He goes out in the first half of the day, I go out in the afternoon. We don't interfere with each other.

Elvises in Vegas are divided into two castes

- But in general we have an unwritten law. If Elvis is already working at the point, then you will have to look for another place. I abide by it. Others - not always. If someone comes to my place and fights off tourists from me, then I definitely won’t fight. I will continue to work here and take quality. It’s a small spot here—it would be cramped for two Elvises, and there aren’t that many tourists. When the second Elvis comes to me, he is working, realizes that he won’t earn much money here, and leaves.

Elvises in Vegas are divided into two castes: entertainers and street impersonators. The former perform in casinos, gather clubs and concert halls, while the latter make money from taking photographs with tourists.

— Artists are on a completely different level. They are the real Elvises. Street parodists fool around more, joke, make faces, and may wear cheap costumes. The artists try to “merge” with Elvis in manners, performance style, and clothing. Artists do not work on the streets. They perform in casinos and clubs. I am now a street impersonator, but I want to become an artist in the future. I do vocals and sing well.

David fumbles for the IPhone on his belt, goes into the music player, selects a song, and beats are heard from the portable speakers that hang on the back of his same belt. Elvis draws his head into his shoulders, smiles broadly and hesitantly begins to perform some dance moves that look like a twist. After a short introduction, he starts:

- A little less conversation and a little more action please. “All this aggravation ain’t satisfying me,” David sings, trying to imitate a soft, velvety baritone.

— We live for tips. I don't have any fixed rate. Someone can take a photo and give a dollar, someone - a tenner.

At this moment, Elvis is distracted by passing tourists - a group of young girls. The king “puts on” a snow-white smile and walks towards them with a “springy” gait.

“Hello, beauties,” the parodist says coyly, hangs himself on the slender necks of tourists and “shoots” his index finger at the guy who reached for his mobile phone for a selfie.

After several frames, the girl takes out 20 dollars from her wallet and hands it to the false king. The parodist says goodbye: “Viva Las Vegas,” and continues the conversation:

— The main thing here is not just to “promote” a person in a photograph. So he will leave little tip. You need to talk to him, have fun, laugh. Then he will leave you more money. When a person is positive, he is ready to spend more money. My main motivation is not money, but the work itself, but you have to live for something,” Elvis smiles slyly and leaves for the next pair of tourists, saying goodbye: “Viva Las Vegas.” And we move on.

“Everything that happened in Vegas will stay in Vegas... Except herpes. They bring him home"

On the advice of Elvis, we go to Fremont Street, the main party street of the city. Fremont is a long pedestrian area covered by a huge arched movie screen in the shape of a dome. On the sides there are casinos, restaurants, bars, shops and bar counters, music thunders from every corner, and the starry sky is replaced by a huge display that broadcasts abstract images.

If the Strip is the face of the city, then Fremont is its soul. People come here to explore Vegas on a quantum level, to see what it's really like. Fremont talks about what Streep is silent about. Here luxury coexists with poverty, piety with vice, aesthetic restraint with flashy kitsch.

“Evil will be called good, and good will be called evil,” reads a sign carried through downtown Fremont by two young men with loudspeakers.

They walk past three beggars who introduce themselves as Vietnam War veterans, past a balding Cupid in a red thong, past half-naked girls in angel and demon costumes, past two nymphs covered with stars on their nipples and strings on their buttocks, past a guy dressed as a bearded Zach Galifianakis with a baby doll in a sling from the movie “The Hangover.”

- Everything that happened in Vegas will remain in Vegas... Except for herpes. They’re bringing him home,” the parodist quotes a line from a popular comedy to the delight of the crowd.

- Repent. The second coming is near. Sinners will burn in hell, comes the response from the loudspeaker of the young Christians.

A man runs up to them, holding a cocktail glass in his hand in the shape of a woman’s leg with a high-heeled shoe. He hugs one of them and poses for a photo. Religious fanatics with their harsh demagogy, unwittingly, become part of Fremont. The street “eats” them and digests them along with its other inhabitants: half-naked girls, wizards, dancers, singers, drummers, beggars and crazy people.

Together they become what is officially called the Fremont Street Experience.

Take away the fanatics, and the balance will be disrupted, harmony will disappear, yin will swallow yang. Fremont should not be consumed in parts. It needs to be swallowed in one sitting. Only then will you understand him, love him and forgive all his shortcomings.

The motel sign reads: “I think my guardian angel is drinking.” Photo taken on Samsung Galaxy S8.

No, Las Vegas is definitely not the same as Ilf and Petrov remembered it - faceless and monotonous. It is bright, sometimes pretentious, noisy, sometimes too much, bold and young.

This is a teenage city that imitates its idols. He wants to be Venice, and Rome, and Paris, and New York. Wants to be Egypt, Hawaii, Hollywood. Wants parks, squares, canals, rivers. And all around is desert.

Vegas glitters with the gold of its hotels, the electronic music of slot machines squeals, it rocks with tourists and meets the hangover morning with them. You may not like a teenage city for its feigned pathos, but you can’t judge it – it will outgrow it.

We remind you that you can find all the materials on the TUT.BY Great Travel from New York to Los Angeles by car on!

If you are suddenly planning to go to Las Vegas, then I warn you for the second time: you will want to escape from this hellish place in a few hours. However, it’s still interesting to look at Sin City, even though it is located on the other side of the planet from us - the pure flight time to Vegas is about 17 hours, and the total journey takes about a day. Have you heard the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”? Finally, you will find out the truth - what is going on there! Just read the post!

I went to the gambling capital of the world three times, but for short periods of time: on the longest visit I stayed here for 4 days. This post contains information and photos from trips in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

It's absolutely fair to say that Las Vegas doesn't sleep around the clock, and this is a rare case where the expression is not an exaggeration. New York never sleeps? Moscow never sleeps? Bronx and Bibirevo are fast asleep at midnight!

Vegas doesn't really sleep. Once I was flying out of here at 4 in the morning, and, going down to the hotel lobby, I found such trash and frenzy in the casino that it’s even a shame to show it on my chaste blog. Here is the Ferris wheel that was visible from my hotel window:

I specifically checked at different times of the day - late at night, early in the morning, in the hot afternoon - when it was stopped. Answer: never.

The main points of attraction in Vegas stretch along the Strip (in fact, Las Vegas Boulevard, the Strip is the slang name for one of the sections of the street), which affects not only the city itself, but also its suburbs. All of the pulp is actually built in the town of Paradise and partly of Winchester, although this does not matter.

So, one of the main entertainments in Las Vegas is a walk along the boulevard. As far as your legs can go: from the Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas entrance sign to the Stratosphere Hotel, even just to the very center around the Bellagio and its fountains.

As I said in the last post, Vegas hotels are not just hotels, but entire entertainment complexes offering guests - both guests and random people on the street - a portfolio of sins. None of the hotels with casinos close their doors to those walking along the boulevard. You can go to any hotel and leave a hundred in the nearest machine, or use it all for red, or in any other way to clear your wallet. In case of winning, the client receives a paper ticket with a certain denomination, which is accepted at any hotel in Las Vegas. In fact, an internal currency!

Last year I managed to get a little warm on the machine

There are about one and a half dozen main hotel complexes in Vegas. Some are certainly interesting to watch, some can be skipped. So, in Venetian, real Venetian canals are built, and the gondoliers who float along them in gondolas really sing.

Las Vegas is all about luxury and scale; walking around the city feels like walking through a museum of kitsch and wealth.

At some point I even wondered if it was possible to find a public toilet decorated in gold in Vegas? Imagine, there is such a thing - just in Venetian. Marble on the floors, gilded flush handles.

Of course, not everyone in Las Vegas plays in casinos. After all, this is the capital of entertainment in the broadest sense of the word, so there are plenty of options for spending your time. Of course, shopping. Shopping until death, until complete personal bankruptcy and debt trap. All the brands of the world, Louis Vuitton stores within walking distance, any drink and rag from the latest collection of the pretentious luxury VIP brand.

I even once decided to measure how long it takes to walk through just one floor of boutique galleries. At Caesar's Palace it takes 20 minutes. It only takes twenty minutes to walk from end to end along one floor. Lord have mercy on our souls!

In addition, almost each of the hotels is themed, that is, it entertains you not only with its appearance and decoration, but also with certain entertainment. What a pity that I didn’t think of taking a photo of the chocolate fountain at Bellagio :)

By the way, it features the same famous dancing fountains, tuned to a dozen different songs from our youth and the youth of our parents. At midnight the US anthem plays, and every 15-30 minutes, depending on the season, - Celine Dion, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley and other gang.

The Bellagio fountains traditionally attract the largest number of people.

What else? Restaurants, cafes, fast food - from the body; concerts, shows, striptease, street magic - for spiritual nourishment; on every corner there are Mexicans with stacks of brochures for prostitutes - these people start to infuriate you within half an hour with their annoying desire to sell you photographs of naked girls. Of course, booze. You can get drunk legally on the Strip, which is what the vast majority of people do. By midnight, half of them are drunk, everyone is “having fun” the way they imagine it - screaming louder, screaming in a raised voice.

All this whirlpool of people, loud sounds, street music, Mex with prostitutes, drunks - and against the backdrop of kitsch, pathos and the eleven-hour difference from Minsk - is somehow especially tiring. Really, on the second day Las Vegas makes you want to howl and moan! But we haven’t gone to the old city yet :) Although there’s nothing special to do there, just a smaller copy of the Strip.

This is where various sightseeing tours, both organized and independent, come to the rescue.

Car rental in Vegas is not cheap, so you can take a bus (or helicopter, hehe) and travel to Boulder City, where the famous Hoover Dam is located. An impressive sight, I swear to God.

Exactly in the middle of the dam is the border of Nevada and Arizona, and the border of the time zone.

Another option is to take the famous Highway 66 into the heart of the Mojave Desert. The desert is really cool - peace and tranquility, lizards, centipedes, scorpions and cacti. One of the natural wonders of the southern United States:

If you don’t have a license or don’t want to go somewhere, then you can wander around the themed shops of Vegas. 4 floors of M&M's or Coca Cola - what else do you need to surprise yourself and those to whom you show the photos?

And then run away from the city. Otherwise you'll just go crazy!