Whilst in Las Vegas, it is well worth taking advantage of the various helicopter companies that give rides during the day and night. We decided to take a night ride, which, as the name suggests, takes you on a tour of Las Vegas at night when all the lights of the city are at their best.
We took off from the Las Vegas airport at the north end of the Strip--opposite the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Other than the pilot, there were four people per copter-three in the back and one up front. You have to wear ear defenders because the ride is very noisy.
We went over the downtown area of Vegas, including Fremont Street, and then basically went up the Strip. The view from above is amazing and we are very glad we took the night flight, as we saw Vegas how it should be seen--dazzling lights, laser shows, etc.
When you walk around Vegas, you realize that the tourist part consists of basically one street--the Strip--and downtown--Fremont Street. From the air, you see that Vegas is much more than that. The actual city seems to go on for miles, and there are thousands and thousands of houses, etc.--for some reason you don’t equate Vegas with people actually living there. Also, it is very flat. You cannot appreciate these facts from the ground.
If you can afford it, you must take a helicopter ride. There are quite a few companies offering this service and costs do vary, so shop around. We actually booked through Virgin before we left for the States, which turned out to be the best thing to do as it guaranteed us a ride and the cost turned out to be competitive.