Las Vegas is a monument to human ingenuity and vice; capitalist performance art let loose in the outer reaches of the Mojave Desert; a neon-lit oasis existing solely to entertain us. Each year, up to 40 million people visit the city of just 635,000 residents that's home to the world's biggest tourist trap: the Strip. Many travellers might feel predisposed to dislike Sin City for its brashness, its lurid aesthetic, its populist appeal - but I find its unique brew of hedonism and heart intoxicating.
My first stop is the residential Arts District. In March 2020, when casinos on the Strip were closed for an record six weeks in response to the pandemic, the focus shifted to other neighbourhoods. Consequentially, here and in Downtown, local artists were hired to paint murals. Today, Frida Kahlo smiles down on me on a Main Street full of small businesses, including craft breweries and vintage clothes shops. Many Americans are now moving to Vegas; it's not just the sunshine, good salaries, and affordable housing that lure them, but the thriving culinary scene and community feel.
The Vegas that most visitors flock to is the Strip, a cartoonish theme park of a boulevard serving up a sensory overload. As a blonde American gondolier sings to me, beautifully, in Italian, as she paddles me around The Venetian Las Vegas hotel, it dawns on me: this place isn’t meant to be authentic; it’s a world of make-believe.
Denne historien er fra July/August 2022-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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Denne historien er fra July/August 2022-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
A VOYAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT IS BOTH A DREAM COME TRUE AND A CALL TO ARMS, TO PROTECT OUR ICY POLES AND, IN TURN, OUR PLANET
WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
Thermal baths and Regency heritage have put this Somerset city firmly on the travel map - and this year the spotlight will be on former resident and literary great Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth
GRANADA
In this Andalucian city, flamenco is an art form as well as a way of life not just for traditional dancers and singers but also for hip-hop stars, classical guitar legends and street artists
India's Golden Triangle
LINKING DELHI, THE TAJ MAHAL AND THE PINK CITY OF JAIPUR, WITH DETOURS FOR TEMPLES AND TIGERS, THIS IS THE PERFECT ROUTE FOR FIRST-TIMERS. WORDS: POOJA NAIK
FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE
