Las Vegas

By Larry Olmsted The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, aka The Cosmo, was never intended to be a typical Vegas casino hotel. That may be the best thing about it. The project originally had a lot of condos, and by the time that fell through, construction was too far along to

By Larry Olmsted When the Palms opened in 2001 it was a game changer for the Vegas resort landscape, off the Strip but still packed with A-list Hollywood, pro athlete and celebrity appeal. The casino hotel was invention of the Maloof family, who have owned two NBA teams, the Houston

By Larry Olmsted For tourists, Las Vegas is the best dining city in the United States, with an abundance of choices for every taste and budget, from stunning Michelin-starred fine dining to mind boggling buffets, and it boasts the greatest number of eateries by standout world-class chefs. As a result,

Story and photos by Neil Wolkodoff Years ago, walking the Las Vegas Strip was much easier, and cabs and shuttles were convenient forms of transportation. What appears to have changed is all the strip properties have maxed out shopping, dining, and attractions in their respective areas in the hunt for

By Larry Olmsted Las Vegas is full of mega-resorts, and over the years each has added flashy one of a kind signature elements to set itself apart: volcanoes, jousting, gondoliers, dancing fountains, etc. But when Caesars Entertainment redid its Quad hotel (formerly the Imperial Place) into the LINQ Casino Resort,

By Larry Olmsted When I stared in travel writing almost 25 years ago, the world seemed a much bigger place, and editors constantly turned down pitches by saying “that’s too exotic” or “no one will ever go there” – about places like Bali and Patagonia. Far off destinations like Australia

  By Larry Olmsted 30 years after their breakout blockbuster Appetite For Destruction became the bestselling debut album in history, the featured trio from Guns N’ Roses’ original lineup is back – after a two decade absence. Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan have reunited, and they are headed to

By Larry Olmsted Las Vegas now attracts more than 40 million annual visitors, and has already broken monthly tourism records thrice this year. Travelers just love the place, and for good reason – it is chock full of unrivaled options for entertainment, food, culture, nightlife, lodging and an array of

By Larry Olmsted A record 40,000,000+ people visited Las Vegas in 2014, and by most accounts Sin City is the third or fourth most popular tourist attraction in the world, dwarfing icons such as Walt Disney World and Niagara Falls. The city’s appeals are obvious, and while the vast majority

by Larry Olmsted “Boutique” is a word that’s thrown around a lot in the world of Las Vegas hotels, but in reality the concept barely exists. One General Manager told me – in all seriousness – that on the Strip a thousand rooms is a boutique property, and I guess