But It's a Dry Heat

The Strip caters to families. There's plenty for the kids. Remember they won't be allowed in casinos so let them enjoy the white tigers at the Mirage and while the Excalibar is showing it's age it is family friendly. Miss the Luxor.

Downtown is really for adults but don't miss the Freemont Experience.

Summerlin is an outskirts of Las Vegas and we were truly impressed with the new Suncoast Casino and truly disappointed with the Sante Fe.

When you've finished donating your share to "Lost Wages" you may want to venture out into the desert. You won't be disappointed and may even skip the gambling to go to local sites like Red Rock Canyon. A different world.

Quick Tips:

Surf the web before you go to Las Vegas. One of my favorite sites is the cabbie Hacker's Recommendations. A good source.

No matter where you stay be sure to join the Player's Clubs. If you are lucky you will earn some "comps" if you aren't you will probably still end up with a tee shirt. Be sure to check out all the little coupon books. On one trip a friend and I just used these to tour the town and had lots of fun seeing what kind of bargains we'd find.

Remember children are not allowed in casinos. One of the most depressing sights I've ever seen in Las Vegas was at Christmas. Lots of little children left alone while their parents made their contribution to the Las Vegas economy ho-ho-ho.

I make a point of never taking more than I'm willing to lose and the free drinks are there for a reason. Enjoy the experience but don't lose your head (or your shirt).

Best Way To Get Around:

Happily the Strip has finally added safety by blocking off pedestrians from crossings. Driving is an adventure on the Strip and people are impatient. People movers and walkways between hotels are a real positive.

When you venture out into the Badlands remember to wear comfortable shoes if not hiking boots and take water. As the glamour of the casinos fade there is so much to do in the area.

We should have gotten a head''s up when the fire alarm went off within a half hour of our arrival althought he promised room with a view of the mountains was accurate- if you didn''t mind looking at it over a roof which included uninhibited construction workers.

Although the desk staff was often limited to one person and a line the general staff were very attentive. I particularly commend one Keno girl who watched me for a half hour after I''d won at the slots and finally left her post to find someone to do the pay off. No- the gambling was not good- in fact surprisingly bad.

Although the rooms were touted as newly renovated I guess they hadn''t reached our''s yet and the housekeeping was truly sloppy.

A plus for the Sante Fe. On our second day we overheard someone ask about the breakfast special and they were told it was posted (it wasn't). Ask about it- and by the way it's served all day in case you're a night owl (and how do you really know time in the casinos?) We ordered. After paying almost $20.00 the day before we tried to eat an enormous breakfastwith more and under $5.00. An aside- do not order orange juice- the odds are it will be watery and cost a lot.

Once again kudos to the serving staff, attentive and we watched them juggle a family reunion with lots of babies with good service and good humor. Credit where credit is due.

Casino buffet food is cheap, plentiful and adequate. We are lucky enough to have friends who are always comped and take us out and we guiltily skulk by all those other people waiting in line. There are two lines.

Even with this benefit the best thing I can say is that it's okay. If you are an enormous eater you could probably do better there than in gambling but you get what you pay for.

The Rio always seems to come across with high ratings but as far as I'm concerned you've eaten at one you've eaten at them all. The locals have a hand at this- they know which buffet is serving specialty food any given night and they take advantage of it. Good for them. Try to find out and remember to ask your hotel for help.

It's basically your upscale high school cafeteria.

The Hoover Dam is located about 30 miles outside of Las Vegas. It was a long miserable bumper to bumper trip. Although certainly enormous I just can't recommend it unless you are a really big hydro-electric power plant buff.

I had really looked forward to being impressed and maybe my expectations were just too high and I was surprised by the tacky gift/snack shop.

The scenery was fine but just not worth it for me.

A long day trip but worth every minute to an isolated desert canyon park. The drive to the park is through the desert so once again, take water along. There are very few places to stop along the way. Stunning.

We spent the entire day hiking the canyon and crawling rock formations. Wear sturdy shoes and remember the desert wildlife includes snakes so when you go off the trail pay close attention.

A definite "must" for the more adventurous. Most of the day we were alone as we scrambled over the rocks and, as sunset drew near, it was a little eerie.

Don't miss the Freemont Experience. Las Vegas did a great job of cleaning up what had become a pretty seedy area by covering over Freemont Street and making it into a pedestrian mall. The big attraction though is at night when the overhead roof, which runs the length of the street, is transformed into a free laser light show complete with music. About every half hour the show repeats and you can watch everything from showgirls dancing to jets streaking overhead. Quite a show and a treat for the kids. Definetely worth taking an evening trip to the downtown area and public transportation shuttles visitors from the Strip.

When the casinos have lost their attraction, it's time to head out and see some of the local sites. Red Rock Canyon is a few miles north taking Highway 95. It's a perfect day trip during your visit. Remember this is true desert. Take along some bottled water as the signs at the entry suggest. The road through the canyon is circular and takes you from lowland into the mountains for wonderful vistas in muted blues and reds. Restful after the garish neon of the casinos. Stop at the ranger station for an orientation about the canyon and it's flora and fauna then off you go. If you are lucky you can stop to watch rock climbers scaling the sheer walls.

I was impressed with this new casino and hotel and frankly I'm going to make a point of staying there during our next visit. This may be the new route of outlying casinos. Although of course they are out to make their points right now- they certainly did so during our visit.

There were plenty of activities for non-gamblers which kept part of our company pleased while the gamblers had enough of a good night to come back the next.

The Suncoast has obviously taken the chance to put an upscale hotel and casino in this area and I'm looking forward to more of the same.