Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Because Las Vegas is a young city, it doesn't have too many of the twisty,
unusual roads of older towns, at least when it comes to major thoroughfares (get
into one of the larger gated communities and you may need a compass). As I said
in the subtitle, the city's layout is mostly a grid, which makes it not too, too dif-
ficult to navigate when you're driving off the Strip.
AVOIDING TRAFFIC JAMS
How do you escape traffic gridlock when you drive on these major roads? Locals
tend to avoid driving on the Strip when they can, especially at the intersection of
Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard South, which turns into a noisy parking lot
between roughly 5pm and 9pm most days. But really, you can spend a lot of time
stuck in your car anywhere between Spring Mountain Road and Tropicana
Avenue at those times—there are just too many cars for too little Boulevard.
Savvy drivers detour to the service roads and back roads that often run paral-
lel to the Strip and serve as back entrances to a number of casinos. Please see the
list below for a rundown of these secret streets and which hotels they access:
Harmon Avenue:
Planet Hollywood; Bally's (via Audrie Lane, off Harmon);
Paris (via Audrie Lane, off Harmon)
Koval Lane:
Flamingo (you'll ultimately turn onto Audrie St.); Harrah's
(you'll ultimately turn onto Audrie St.); Imperial Palace (you'll ultimately
turn onto Audrie St.); Tropicana (for Trop, turn right from Koval onto Reno
Ave.); Venetian
Convention Center Drive:
Wynn Las Vegas
Flamingo Road:
Bellagio
Frank Sinatra Drive:
Caesars Palace; Excalibur; Luxor; Mandalay Bay; New
Yo r k - Ne w Yo r k
Industrial Road:
Circus Circus
Spring Mountain Road:
Mirage; TI
Paradise Road:
Sahara; Riviera (you'll turn onto Riviera Blvd. from
Paradise)
As for the vehicles, modes, and facilities for moving about, you have several
options. Which is the cheapest or most time efficient will really depend on the
location of your hotel and the amount of gadding about you plan to do. Consider
the following:
RENTING A CAR
Despite Strip traffic, I think renting a car is a great strategy. It gives you the free-
dom to explore beyond the Strip and may allow you to save in food costs what
you pay for rental and gasoline, by eating where the locals do. In contrast to vis-
iting other cities, you won't have the added expense of parking; except for some
areas of Downtown: Vegas parking garages are free, as is valet parking (though
you'll have to tip, of course).
Finding a good rental-car rate is part art and part luck. Like hotel rates, they
shift by the day and if you have the misfortune to visit when one of those
100,000-plus conventions is in town, you could easily pay triple what you would
