Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
after sunset until about midnight, times vary based on time of year)
would win
the prize as greatest spectacle in Vegas. A gargantuan light canopy 90-feet-high
and several blocks long, it carried a $70-million price tag when it was first con-
structed and still claims the title of biggest screen on the planet. In 2004, all of
the lights were replaced with even more potent LED lamps at an additional cost
of $70 million. Eight computers power the screen, the lights, smoke, and lasers
that create the hourly nighttime shows here, which along with periodic concerts,
monster truck exhibits, and other street fair-like events make up what is called in
aggregate the “Fremont Street Experience.” It certainly has livened up what had
been a dying stretch of Downtown, and now streets are jammed with buskers,
vendors, and partiers hopping from casino to casino most nights of the week.
So why only two stars? Because the light shows themselves are witless affairs,
with little artistry and waaay too much commercial content. I'll grant that it's an
impressive spectacle for the first few minutes (and the street scene on the ground
is fun and very different from the Strip), but after that, well, let me put it this way:
Even my bright-light-loving-3-year-old was bored (and I was, too). There are half-
a-dozen sound and light shows on as many themes, so some are livelier than others,
but the ones I've seen haven't come close, I felt, to utilizing the full potential of
all this amazing technology.
THRILL RIDES
If the threat of losing your life savings isn't enough of an adrenaline pumper for
you, Vegas has enough high speed coasters and other thrill rides to leave you more
thoroughly shaken than a pair of maracas. Here's the rundown on these herky
jerky delights.
On the South Strip, there's only one thrill ride of note, and that's the promi-
nent coaster that careens past the skyscrapers at
New York-New York Roller
Coaster
5
(in New York-New York;
$
13 first ride,
$
6 each additional,
$
25 all-day
pass; Sun-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am-midnight; you must be over 54 in.
tall to ride; AE, DISC, MC, V).
While it ain't the fastest or most jolting coaster in
town, it has the . . . er . . . benefit of height to keep it pretty scary, and I like the
witty touch of having the cars painted to look like New York City taxis. Hey, I'd
even say, this coaster is slightly scarier than zigzagging in one of those on Fifth
Avenue in the Big Apple. And if you can keep your eyes open long enough,
between screams, the view from the top of the coaster is spectacular, particularly
at night.
Stats:
The speed hits 67mph at its fastest, and it features a 100-foot drop
at a sharp 50-degree angle. Two inversions, including an unusual “heartline” twist,
keep it interesting. Time on the ride is 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
The northern end of the Strip is nausea central, thanks to rides at three casinos
at this end (there are no major thrill rides on the Center Strip). First up is
Speed
555
(in the Sahara;
$
10 per ride,
$
25 all-day pass; Sun-Thurs
10am-midnight, Fri-Sat 10am-1am; you must be over 54 in. to ride; AE, DISC,
MC, V).
True to its name, it's the speediest coaster in town at a heart-stopping
70mph. That's backwards and forwards because once it hits its peak hill at 224
feet, it does the whole thing in reverse. Prime thrills of the ride are its indoor to
