If you want to spot celebrities, there’s really only two places to go. But if you don’t want to waste your time in LA or NY, then why not try Las Vegas? After all, you’ve got your basic celebrities singing and telling jokes on stage, your basic celebrities coming to town to gamble, and your basic celebrities coming to make movies and television shows.
And then there’s always Paris Hilton checking up on her family’s ownings.
When it comes to spotting hot celebs, you can take a chance on hanging out at casinos and waiting for them to drop a bundle at the poker table, or you can do something where you’ll actually get a chance to see someone famous.
The Palms on Flamingo Road features two clubs well known for attracting the beautiful people. Paris herself prefers the Palms to her namesake hotel and Britney Spears makes it her prerogative to hang out there, too. At the N9NE steakhouse, musicians as varied as Paul Anka and Vince Neil have sung the praises of their porterhouses.
The best place in town to spot celebs, however, is probably the Fix at the Bellagio. Those who’ve peered through its large windows have been lucky enough to spot Spiderman himself, Tobey Maguire, as well as the king of the world, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Chances are probably not good for spotting famous people at Vegas’ top landmarks. For one thing, the rich and famous usually make special arrangements to go to public places. And for another, Vegas’ top landmark is so high that if you look down even the biggest celebrities look like ants. Great big honking fireants, maybe, but ants nonetheless. The Stratosphere tower is not only the tallest structure in Las Vegas, it’s the tallest building west of the mighty Mississippi River. Much like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you pretty much can’t go anywhere without looking at it. Well, there is one place you can go. Did you know that Balzac—or was it Victor Hugo—hated the Eiffel Tower so much that he used to go there to do his writing because it was the only place in Paris he could find outdoors where he didn’t have to look at it. Fortunately, if you don’t appreciate the Stratosphere from afar and find yourself forced to go atop it, you’ll find plenty to occupy your time, including a thrilling roller coaster ride.
The Stratosphere is also a great place to get a view of America’s own fabulous city of lights. The 360 degree view of all that Vegas has to offer really can’t be beat, especially at night. However, if you are the athletic type and want to get a view that most other tourists won’t get, then try the Calico Tanks Trail. This 2.5 mile hike starts out at the Sandstone Quarry pullout on the Red Rock loop. Upon reaching the far point of the trail, pull out your camera and get ready for a view of Las Vegas that even those up on the Stratosphere tower won’t get.