Las Vegas Place Names
In keeping with the spirit of fantasy, many Las Vegas hotels are named for places in other parts of the world (or even out of this world). Other names may also seem confusing until you've been here a while. I will keep adding to this list as I think of, or become aware of other place names that could confuse a newly arrived resident. The Beltway: The highway that someday will completely encircle the city. Construction has been moving along nicely, but for some reason they build the road first, then come back and build the bridges, leaving several stop lights in the meantime. Big Shot: Not an important person, but a ride atop the Stratosphere Hotel. DI: An east-west road between Spring Mountain (the road, not the actual mountain) and Sahara (yep, the road, not the African desert). Its great advantage is that it crosses over and under many of the north-south streets, thus avoiding many traffic lights. Desert Inn Road, like many roads in Las Vegas, was named after a hotel (now the site of Wynn - see below), so people would know where to get off the highway. I once spent two weeks at Wilber Clark's Desert Inn back in the 50s (I was just a youngster). Glitter Gulch: A section of Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas, by the intersection of Casino Center. These days, the area is better known as the Freemont Street Experience. MLK Martin Luther King Boulevard. A north-south road that runs just west of 15. It becomes Camino Al Norte once you get north of Craig Road. Monte Carlo: Usually called The Monte Carlo, it is just north of Trop on The Strip. Nellis: The Air Force base located northeast of Las Vegas. New York, New York: A hotel, located just north of The Monte Carlo. You'll have to use context to determine if the speaker is referring to the hotel or the city. I'm not sure what it is with double place names like New York, New York and Circus Circus, but they were popular for a while. The Excalibur, which was owned by Circus Circus when built, was almost named Castle Castle. Paradise: Along with Enterprise, Winchester and several others, it is an unincorporated city that uses Las Vegas as a mailing address. If you fly into McCarran, take a cab to Paris, have dinner in New York, New York, go back to McCarran and fly home, you have not been in Las Vegas. You have been in Paradise. Got it? The famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, is actually welcoming you to Paradise. The city of Las Vegas is a few miles north. The city of Paradise, should not be confused with Paradise Road, that runs through the city of the same name, and ends up at the airport. Paris: Another European place name for a hotel bit farther north Than New York, New York, and across the street. Red Rock: A fairly new resort in the western suburbs Red Rock: A Federal park west of the city. Santa Fe and Texas: Part of the chain of Station Casinos, The full names are Santa Fe Station and Texas Station. Locals frequently drop the "Station" part. They are located in the northwest, with Texas actually being in North Las Vegas. As a side note, Main Street Station (a casino, not a place for trains) is located downtown, and is not part of the Stations chain. Spaghetti Bowl: Not a dish full of pasta, but the interchange between 95 and 15. Much better than it was, now that the construction is complete (late 2007), but still not the place to during rush hour. TI: Treasure Island. A hotel at the corner of Spring Mountain (the road) and The Strip. The Speedway: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in the northeast part of town. The Stratosphere: A hotel on The Strip, not part of the atmosphere. The Strip: Las Vegas Boulevard ... the part with the hotels. Located in Paradise (see above), not in Las Vegas. The Trop: Tropicana hotel at the corner of Trop and the Strip Trop: Tropicana Avenue. The east-west road, that, until recently, pretty much marked the south end of the strip. Wynn ... as opposed to Win: Either the developer, Steve, or his most recent hotel at the corner of Spring Mountain and The Strip. To complete the trifecta, Wynn Road crosses Spring Mountain a few blocks west. If you know of some place names that should be added to this list, be sure to send them via our
Suggestion Box.
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