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BRIAN JONES
By T. Foster Jones
LAS VEGAS IS all about offering more (más),
the biggest, the only, the most and the best.
With dining and entertainment, it accom-plishes these goals across the board.
The Strip at Las Vegas is home to award-winning dining and Broadway-caliber
entertainment.
Dining
Las Vegas has transformed itself into a top
culinary destination, offering the most comprehensive collection of celebrity chefs and
world-class, award-winning restaurants, and
more master sommeliers than any other city
in the world. Bon Appétit declared the destination one of the nation’s top five restaurant cities. “Las Vegas’ dining experiences rival New
York City’s,” says Dawn Christensen, director
of communications for the Las Vegas
Convention and Visitors Authority.
Las Vegas hotels recruited some of the top
chefs in the world to open and run restaurants
inside their properties: Mario Batali, Todd
English, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu
Matsuhisa, Michael Mina, Charlie Palmer,
Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, Michael
Richard, Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy, to
name but a few.
Even the concept of the Las Vegas buffet
has been reimagined. The Bacchanal Buffet at
Caesars Palace, for instance, features more
than 500 food items prepared daily by well-known chefs.
celebrity acts. Among the performers taking
up residence for the next few months or years
are Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Shania Twain,
Carlos Santana, Garth Brooks, Celine Dion,
Donny & Marie, Elton John and Rod Stewart.
Current shows include Rock of Ages and
the award-winning musical Jersey Boys.
The estate of Michael Jackson has joined
forces with Cirque du Soleil to create shows
based on the music of Michael Jackson. Other
Cirque du Soleil shows run the gamut from
Zarkana, Mystère and “O”, to Zumanity, KÀ,
The Beatles LOVE, and CRISS ANGEL: Believe.
The Strip turns into a pedestrian-only
area for New Year’s celebrations, and only Las
Vegas can control the elements enough for
you to celebrate the Winter in Venice event at
The Venetian-Palazzo, with a skating rink, hot
chocolate and more.
In downtown Las Vegas, the Smith Center
for the Performing Arts opened its doors in
2012, offering performances by resident companies such as the Las Vegas Philharmonic
and the Nevada Ballet, as well as first-run
touring attractions. Not far from the Smith
Center is the Fremont Street Experience,
housing several blocks of original Las Vegas
Strip casinos, all under an LED canopy (the
world’s largest, naturally) that offers stunning
nighttime visual entertainment. Fun museums include the new Mob Museum and the
Neon Museum Las Vegas.
Outside the city, visitors will be awed by
Hoover Dam, and the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat
Tillman Memorial Bridge—the longest (of
course) suspension bridge in North America.
Other activities include horseback riding, golf,
hiking, biking, ziplining, waterskiing, race-car
driving and skiing (Mt. Charleston, just 30 minutes from Las Vegas, received, yes, más snow
than ski areas in neighboring states last year).
Whatever your tastes in food and entertainment, Las Vegas is there. C
LAS VEGAS: The Venezia Tower at
the Venetian Buyer’s Choice Package
with Airfare
FOR PRICES, CLICK TRAVEL AT COSTCO.COM Valid for travel through 8/31/13. COSTCO MEMBER BENEFITS
ELEGANT
SUITES
TWO-NIGHT PACKAGE:
OTHER GLITTERING HOTELS:
• Bally’s Las Vegas
• Caesars Palace Las Vegas
• Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
• Palace Station Hotel & Casino
• The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino
• Paris Las Vegas
• Planet Holly wood Resort & Casino
• Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
®
Entertainment
The Las Vegas entertainment scene still
has plenty of its classic glitz and glamour, but
it has evolved to include much more:
Broadway-caliber productions, world-renowned concert headliners and unique-to-Vegas productions.
Event centers and arenas feature myriad
The Costco Connection
Costco Travel offers terrific value in every Las
Vegas package. To learn more, click “Travel” at
Costco.com or call 1-877-849-2730. For more
dining and entertainment information, visit
www.lvcva.com or
www.visitlasvegas.com.
FOR PACKAGE PRICES, CLICK TRAVEL AT COS TCO. COM. All offers and
inclusions are subject to availability, may change or be terminated without notice,
are valid for new bookings only and are available to Costco members residing in the
United States. Seasonal surcharges, availability, blackout dates and restrictions
may apply. Due to airfare ;uctuation, price is subject to change. Fees for checked
baggage may apply and vary by airline. For complete information, please visit
the airline’s website. Any unused portion(s) of inclusions are nontransferable,
nonrefundable and not redeemable for cash. Cancellation and change fees might
apply. Travel purchases are not included in the Executive Membership annual
2% Reward program. Costco Travel disclaims liability for any inaccuracies or
typographical errors. Costco Travel is registered as a seller of travel
in each of the states listed: California registration number:
CS T 2054248-50 • Florida registration number: ST 32555 •
Hawaii registration number: TAR 5595 • Iowa registration
number: TA 620 • Nevada Seller of Travel registration
number: 2007-0060 • Washington registration number: WS T
602042600. Registration as a California Seller of Travel does
not constitute approval by the state. 13TR0201 10/12