True Traveler: Insider's Guide

True Las Vegas

By Ken Van Vechten | November 1, 2010

Las Vegas

With 40 million visitors annually, Vegas is many different things to many people. Bottle service and ultra-lounges now compete with gambling for visitors’ time and dollars, and cooks-turned-celebrities have turned the city into a foodie’s paradise. You still can gamble, of course, but that’s just one card in the city’s deck.

Thread Count

The stylish Vdara is a smoke-and-casino-free boutique hotel that’s part of the new megalopolis-like CityCenter (between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo, 866-745-7767). // On the south edge of town the guys who built the Rio and made it an icon of vibe and value are back with M Resort (12300 Las Vegas Blvd S, 702-797-1000). // Off the strip and hard up against the Spring Mountains, the JW Marriott Las Vegas Golf Resort and Spa has been around for years but still weighs in with some of the best “standard” rooms in town and has an oasis for grounds (221 N Rampart Blvd, 877-869-8777).

Food Fix

Enoteca Otto Pizzeria in “St. Mark’s Square” at the Venetian is an all-encompassing salumeria/pizzeria/ristorante. The people-watching is choice; Mario Batali’s pork shoulder is prime (The Venetian, 702-677-3390). // Michael Mina’s Nobhill Tavern sounds like a pub, but it serves contemporary American and in an atmosphere of classy-comfort minus the attitude; the lobster pot pie is legendary (MGM Grand, 702-891-7337). // Marche Bacchus, a bistro overlooking a lake in a residential community, speaks to the vigor and sometime quirkiness of Vegas’ dynamic local food scene. With pan-roasted duck, moules mariniere and cheese course, it’s a real French restaurant where you’d least expect it. (2620 Regatta Dr #106, 702-804-8008).

Night Out

TAO wins for over-the-top nightclub with its Balinese temple decor, seemingly infinite rooms, alcoves and intimate corners, pan-Asiatic restaurant and chill rooftop poolside lounge known as the “Beach” with views of the Strip (The Venetian, 702-388-8588). // Cirque du Soleil productions appear to have taken over Vegas with seven shows around town, but Mystere was the first and many maintain that it’s still the best (Treasure Island, 702-894-7722). Beatles fans say it’s the circus troupe’s homage to the Fab Four, LOVE (Mirage, 702-792-7777).

Dont Miss

From the fountains to the conservatory, the Chihuly sculptures to the Bellagio Gallery of Art, the Bellagio is still the model all the hotel-casinos aspire to (702-693-7111). // Head downtown at night to see “old Vegas” and check out the Fremont Street Experience light-and-sound show (702-678-5777). Downtown is still true Vegas to millions of visitors. // Sin City had a pre-neon existence, and the story unfolds at Springs Preserve natural/cultural history center; great for the whole family (333 S Valley View Blvd, 702-822-7700).

Stones Throw

Nothing did more to make Vegas possible than the Hoover Dam. While there, drive across the newly opened, 900-foot-high bypass bridge, equal parts art and mad engineering. (45 minutes southeast, 702-494-2517). // Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area contains pine-clad mountains, riparian corridors, verdant desert flats and Colorado-hued sandstone bluffs (30 minutes west of the Strip, 702-515-5350). // Critters love it, as do cyclists, climbers, hikers and those who prefer to take it all in from a car cruising the scenic drive. // The Chase at Coyote Springs (50 minutes north, 702-422-1400) and 54-hole Las Vegas Paiute Golf Club (30 minutes northwest, 800-711-2833) are standouts among the highly competitive golf scene.

The Lowdown:

PGA TOUR winner Charley Hoffman has called Las Vegas home since his college days at UNLV. We asked him to tee up a few of his Vegas faves.

GOLF:
I play and practice out of TPC Las Vegas (9851 Canyon Run Dr, 702-256-2500). It’s a PGA TOUR facility with a great staff, excellent practice facilities and views of the Strip. And it’s open to the public.

REFUELING THE TANK:
Vegas is loaded with restaurants, and my go-to spot is Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (3500 Las Vegas Blvd S, 702-792-9222). Crab, steak, Key lime pie; ’nuff said.

WATER WORLD:
When it’s time to get away from rough, bunkers and life on tour I head out to Lake Mead to jet ski with my wife and friends.

What $100 Buys You In Las Vegas

* Two fixed-price meals at many of the best eats in town. Try Zeffirino (Venetian, 702-414-3500), L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (MGM Grand, 702- 891-7358) and Border Grill (Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7403).

* Fifteen-minute twilight City Lights ’copter tour of downtown and the Strip (Private terminal at McCarran, 866-807-4697).

* Kayak rental, gear and drop-off/retrieval service for a day exploring Black Canyon below the Hoover Dam with Evolution Expeditions Kayaking; watch for hot springs, bighorns and eagles (Meet near the dam, 702-259-5292).

Other City Guides

Posted In: Bellagio, Circque du Soliel, gambling, golf, Hoover Dam, hotels, Las Vegas, Mario Batali, MGM Grand, restaurants, Tao, The Venetian

Ken Van Vechten: is the author of Golf Las Vegas—The Ultimate Guide, Las Vegas EAT! and Neon Nuptials—The Complete Guide to Las Vegas Weddings.

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