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This Las Vegas All-American Road Is the Ultimate US Road Trip – World Atlas

This Las Vegas All-American Road Is the Ultimate US Road Trip

Is there a more famous road on Earth than the Las Vegas Strip? Between its storied past and the immense number of world-class attractions that call it home today, this 4.5-mile byway not only ranks among America’s most beloved tourist destinations but has also featured in a plethora of popular media. From the newly released season of Fallout to the comedy classic The Hangover, the severely underrated Scorsese crime drama Casino, and many other movies, TV shows, video games, and books, we have likely all seen or heard about The Strip’s bright lights, whether you have visited in real life or not.

Its reputation, mixed with a number of other historic and cultural landmarks catering to travellers of all ages and interests, has deservedly made it a designated All-American Road. With that, let’s take a deeper dive into the Strip’s remarkable story, as well as what it has in store for modern-day roadtrippers journeying through Nevada.

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The Story of America’s Most Sinful Road

Welcome sign in Las Vegas, Nevada. Editorial credit: DimaSid / Shutterstock.com

The Strip began taking shape in the 1930s, when early resorts were built just outside Las Vegas city limits to avoid the increasingly strict regulations and taxes across the rest of the United States. El Rancho Vegas, which opened in 1941, is widely recognized as the first true resort on the Strip, setting the template for large-scale hotels paired with entertainment and gambling. The 1940s and 1950s then saw rapid expansion, with hotel-casinos such as the Flamingo, Desert Inn, Sahara, and Sands setting up shop, many backed by wealthy investors and, in some cases, infamous organized crime figures like the Italian mafia.

During the 1960s and 1970s, corporate ownership gradually replaced mob influence, bringing greater legitimacy and large capital investments. This resulted in mixed reviews, with some still lamenting the loss of “old Vegas” and its gritty charm to this day. Nonetheless, resorts relentlessly grew bigger, more polished, and more entertainment-focused, helping transform the Strip into a certified international destination and drawing in millions of tourists and high rollers from around the world each year.

Las Vegas, Nevada, circa 2010. (Credit: Ivan Marc via Shutterstock)

The opening of the Mirage in 1989 marked a distinct turning point, ushering in the era of the modern megaresort with themed design, luxury accommodations, and spectacle-driven attractions. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, properties such as the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Venetian, and Caesars Palace expanded the city’s global appeal into what we have today, a sparkling gem of a profit generator sitting in the middle of the otherwise harsh Mojave Desert.

Must-See Attractions on The Strip

It goes without saying that the strip has perhaps the best selection of casinos anywhere (although we will still make some recommendations later on), but there are a number of other types of attractions for those not too keen on gambling. From fascinating museums to theme parks, engineering marvels, and more, here are some must-visit draws that the whole family can often enjoy.

The Mob Museum

Interior view of the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Editorial credit: Kit Leong / Shutterstock.com

For those interested in Sin City’s Mafia roots, the Mob Museum offers a detailed look at the history of organized crime and law enforcement in the United States, with, of course, a strong focus on Las Vegas. Located in a former federal courthouse at the northern end of the Stip, this museum opened in 2012 and features dozens of well-curated exhibits spread across multiple floors.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: This Las Vegas All-American Road Is the Ultimate US Road Trip

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DrWeb Dec 5

The last great restaurant deal in Vegas is this $9.99 sit-down meal – SF Gate

FILE: An aerial view of Las Vegas, including the Paris and Ellis Island behind it. Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images

The last great restaurant deal in Las Vegas is this $9.99 sit-down meal

By Katie Dowd, Managing editorDec 3, 2025

Editor’s Note: There is an audio file at the main link at bottom. I could not embed for you. And more images on main link, sorry. –DrWeb

LAS VEGAS — I got a little lost on my way to finding Las Vegas’ off-menu $9.99 steak dinner. It was the week Formula 1 was in town, and the streets around the Strip were a maze of dead ends and closures. After walking over a rickety temporary pedestrian bridge, my friend and I wandered onto Koval Lane. I kept staring down at my phone, partly because Google Maps showed I was practically standing where Tupac Shakur had been fatally shot. I must have looked confused.

“You ladies headed to Ellis Island?” asked an event staffer watching the street corner. When we nodded, she waved us through with a cheery, “Have fun!”

I wasn’t sure how much fun one could have at Ellis Island, but I was ready to try.

Ellis Island has to be the least glamorous name of any hotel in Las Vegas. While Caesars Palace conjures up images of excess and opulence, Ellis Island evokes austerity and cholera. The threat of a one-way steamer passage back to Ireland lurks behind every slot machine.

The name makes slightly more sense when you learn a bit of its lore. A fellow named Frank Ellis opened the Village Pub restaurant in the 1960s; it’s off the Strip but just barely, tucked behind the Horseshoe and the Paris. Like many businesses in Las Vegas, the Village Pub eventually added a casino, changing its name to Ellis Island. It’s as budget as budget can be. Rooms tend to go for $50 or less a night, and if you’re wondering what the vibe is, much of the hotel used to be a Super 8.

After the well wishes for our voyage to a casino named after America’s most famous immigration station, we arrived at the restaurant. Village Pub’s ambience is nothing to write home about — beige walls, low ceilings, televisions playing sports — but no one’s here for the atmosphere. Within moments of being seated, I watched a security guard approach a nearby table to warn them about being too drunk. This, at least, felt like an authentic Ellis Island experience. Any moment now, I was going to be asked by an immigration official to anglicize my last name.

Although the steak isn’t on the menu, it’s hardly a secret. Ask a server for the $9.99 steak meal — $14.99 if you don’t have a player’s card — and they’ll know what you’re talking about. It’s impressively cheap, even for your hometown strip mall diner. It comes with a top sirloin, potatoes (mashed, baked or fries), a soup or salad, and green beans. Assuming I didn’t get food poisoning, just about any meal slopped down in front of me was going to be worth that price.

The salad came first, drowning in Wishbone-esque Italian dressing and accented by a few cherry tomatoes and croutons. Next time I’d ask for dressing on the side, but it was a perfectly serviceable starter. I was fully expecting a tiny steak and shriveled up baked potato, but when my plate arrived, I couldn’t believe how much food was on it. The sirloin was thick, the potato was huge, and the serving of beans generous.

The steak was cooked to a perfect pink medium, and the exterior was crusted with salt and a bit of something spicy. Was it the best steak of my life? Absolutely not. Was it the best $9.99 steak I’ve ever had? Without a doubt. The baked potato, dressed up with a little salt, pepper and butter, was hot and filling, and the green beans were soggy but garlicky.

With every bite, I marveled at what a bargain it was, especially just steps off the Vegas Strip, home of the $1,000 steak. Las Vegas used to be a cheap getaway, but with each passing year, it stretches further out of the reach of middle-class tourists. (My nearly $400-a-night room at Caesars came with a Keurig but no pods; a “coffee kit” cost $12 extra.) At some point, inflation will surely catch up to Village Pub steak too, but even at $20, it would feel like a steal — on the same trip, I paid $35 for an Evian and a sandwich at a walk-up counter in the Venetian. The Village Pub steak may be the last great restaurant deal in town.

When our ancestors came ashore at Ellis Island, tired, huddled, yearning to breathe free, could they have imagined a future like this? Stepping out into the cool desert night, stomach full of cheap meat, I wondered if this was the American dream after all.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: The last great restaurant deal in Vegas is this $9.99 sit-down meal

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