Las Vegas, Nevada - Shopping

You ever wonder why many people won't think of shopping when they think of Vegas?

Duh! No real surprise there, huh?

After all, everybody knows that Las Vegas is really associated with the exotic...such as bright lights, scantily clad women and...oh yeah...gambling.

However, those who make a living off of Vegas know that not by gambling alone doth a city survive. So, they started offering food...both expensive and cheap. Dining in Las Vegas became an industry second only to the gambling.

They also made sure there were plenty of shows to attract people to the casinos to, well, gamble.

The evolutionary process was inevitable. Fine restaurants, glitzy, glamorous shows, and last, but not least, shopping for the sake of shopping has come to Vegas....and it is some truly great shopping, indeed!

Today, the non-gambling visitor to Las Vegas, often having sworn off after losing a bundle in the casinos, will find plenty of wares to tempt them to flash that plastic just one more time! The shops of Las Vegas offer everything from ordinary, everyday clothing to fine chocolate to exotic cars, all done Vegas-style, of course.

While it's often not quite the same as the experience found at famous international shops, such as Harrod's in London, there are still some pretty exciting sales going on in Vegas.  Many can be found at the following venues, but this is only a short list offtered to whet your appetite.

The Forum Shops and Appian Way Shops at Caesars Palace

Not to lose groound in the competition for whatever money is left over after a rousing game of poker, several of the hotel/casinos have become shopping meccas as well. One of the largest of these is the 175,000 square foot, tri-level complex at Caesars. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace can be found at 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd (aka 'The Strip') and provide over 100 shops to choose from.

Versace, the famed clothing designer, sells clothing, as you would expect, but has also added a Home Collection shop full of rugs, dishware and other items for your own royal abode. The equally famed jewelry design company, Harry Winston, has a shop at The Forums, as well. Between the pair, your plastic is sure to get dented, but save a few denarii for something decadent from The Cheesecake Factory. After all, the appropriate dessert in the desert, especially after shopping all day, is....er...dessert!.

At the Forum Shops, you can also find:

•Burberry
•Christian Dior
•Dolce & Gabbana
•Fendi
•Gucci
•Hublot
•Louis Vuitton
•Salvatore Ferragamo
•Tiffany & Co.
•Valentino

The Shoppes at Mandalay Place

The 100,000 square foot shopping area at Mandalay Place may not be the town's largest, but it is second to none when it comes to providing you an opportunity to make sure some of your money "...stays in Vegas:! It's easy to do serious damage to the ole' bank account as there are over 40 shops that offer everything the Vegas visitor with money left could hanker after.

After you've done some major shopiing, cool your tootsies at the Minus5 Ice Lounge. The bistro with the strange appelation was named for its constant frosty temperature of minus five degrees Celsius (23-degrees Fahrenheit) and was created in New Zealand.

If you are into art or photography, or not, drop by the Peter Lik Gallery. Photographer Peter Lik has only one goal...to create the perfect picture of the perfect landscape at the perfect time.  He's not there yet, but the quest has produced some unbelievably beautiful photos.

Located at Mandalay Bay, 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd, be sure to stop into the Sea Breeze Ice Cream and Juices, and indulge yourself. Then slip over to Rí Rá Irish Pub, for a true Irish pub experience in the Nevada desert. If that does not prove that life is uncertain, I don't know what does! What?  You want to do it the other way round?  Well, you can if you want to, but I like to eat dessert first.

The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian

The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, open from 10 AM every day and closing at 11 PM Sunday through Thursday and Midnight on Friday and Saturday, is another themed shopping area with a wide variety of choices for someone who wants to put their money on a sure thing.

On the Grand Canal, you can scarf up the latest in fashions from Ann Taylor, or pick up some neat, and unusual, "guy" stuff at The Art of Shaving.

As street performers entertain you, stroll along the canal and listen the gentle sloshing of the Venetian gondolas transporting visitors along their half-mile journey. Hey! Live a little!  Why not take a ride in a gondola yourself, then do some window shopping when you get back on dry land?

Enjoy the simulated St. Mark's Square (without all the pigeons) while you take in the unique gifts and grown up toys at Brookstone. Step next door to Il Prato, makers and sellers of authentic, handmade Venetian products, carnival masks and costumes, and pick out a delightful costume mask for your next royal ball or to display in your foyer. Select some fine stationary to make out the invitations and get your own personalized wax seal so the guests will know immediately from whom it came.

Speaking of wax, be sure to check out Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas while you're there. It's every bit as good ast Madame Tussauds in London.  By the way, please don't correct the grammar as they dropped the "apostrophe" from Madame Tussaud's quite some time ago.

Desert Passage at Aladdin, Now the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood

For sheer size and number of stores, try the defunct Desert Passage complex at the equally defunct Aladdin resurrected as the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. With 475,000 square feet of retail space, and over 130 stores, you're bound to find something to tickle your fancy...and lighten you wallet

But, hey!  Isn't that part of the fun of visiting Las Vegas?

These are only a few samples of the shopping Las Vegas has to offer.  There are a dozen other shopping centers and hundreds of independent shops scattered over and around Fremont Street alone.  The Strip and other parts of Vegas provide much more in the way of shopping venues. You'll have to come several times just to pick your favorites. Take that afternoon plane and zoom in for a fun weekend where the shopping is no gamble.

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