Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 107

Section 4 Trav A pos7 playground for adults, a wagering wonderland Chicago Tribune. Sunday, June 13. 1976 fi.i lit. N. I i I i ust76 i' RllPT hJ vVk JOEL be I GREY For the Bicentennial, the travel section asked 13 prominent Americans to choose the 13 most significant sights in the U.S.

This is the 11th in a series compiled from their choices. By John Handley LAS VEGAS. Nev. Thii li a one-of-a-kind city. There's no place like it anywhere else in the world.

The motto of Las Vegas could be: 'Nothing in moderation." Everything seems to be the biggest or the best the gambling, the shows, the hotels. It's a place to be described in superlatives. Vegas is the No. 1 gambling center in the nation by a wide margin. Consider this fact: A grand total of more than $3.5 BILLION was wagered in the city last year! The odds are against leaving town a big winner, but some do.

You can even win an $18,000 airplane (at the Union Plaza Casino) by playing a 25-cent slot machine; five have been won in the last year. And there are the legendary tales of the high rollers, winning and losing fortunes on the roll of the dice, like the man who made 20 straight passes at the craps table on the night the Desert Inn opened. He might have broken the casino's bank if he had been betting heavily. LAS VEGAS CALLS Itself the "Entertainment Capital of the World," and the claim is hard to dispute. The huge neon signs in front of the luxurious hotels LOLA': FAUNA 6Wfm along the three-mile-long Strip read like a "Who's Who" of show business.

Performing may be such famous per Tribune Photos by John Handleymontage by Don Raden The dazzling display of neon signs on Las Vegas hotel-casinos is a spectacle in itself. What they said about Las Vegas Comments on Las Vegas from some of our 13 prominent Americans: "Many tourists And Las Vegas an exciting tourist area. It has to be placed on the list of manmade "wonders." In my judgment it has synthetic, artificial appeal that is like tinsel. Nevertheless, each year more and more people visit Las Vegas with all its attractions. Edward E.

Carlson, chairman, United Airlines. "An electrifying city with the ultimate in night life." Chris Evert, tennis professional. "An exciting place. You don't think ot it only as a gambling place. It's the entertainment capital of the world.

They always have 12 or 14 tremendous shows going. It's unbelievable, and it never stops building." Bob Hope, entertainer. "Reflects the pleasure-loving American character and the ability of U. S. finance and commerce to gratify it.

The nearby manmade Lake Mead, on the other hand, indicates the U. S. engineering resources and imagination which can turn a desert into a fertile valley and supply power and energy for hundreds of miles around." Beverly Sills, opera star. THEN FOR OTHER visitors the main attraction of Vegas is the gamboling, not the gambling. They come for the outstanding nightlife, golf, tennis, sunning and swimming under the hot desert sun, boating at nearby Lake Mead, sightseeing at Hoover Dam and the Valley of Fire.

Vegas is a playland for adults. It's a place to go to escape everyday cares, to indulge in uninhibited fun. However, to some visitors Vegas comes across as primarily gaudy, crass, decadent, frivilous, and superficial; they come once and don't return. Others love the aura of unreality in this plastic paradise. They find the fast-paced tempo exciting.

At home they may fall asleep during the 10 o'clock news, but here, with the adrenalin pumping, they stay up all night. And they go home and tell their friends about all the adventures. TODAY. VEGAS IS a boom town in the desert, but in the 1840s it was just a stop on the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. Two natural springs and green meadows made it a favorite camping place for covered wagon caravans.

(Las Vegas means "The Meadows" in Spanish.) In the 1850s, Mormons came and left By 1905 it was little more than a few ranches and tents along the tracks of the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad (later the Union Pacific). In 1909 it was reported that the town had 800 residents and 11 saloons. The future started to take shape for Las Vegas in 1931 that was the year that the Nevada legislature legalized gambling. But the big action didn't get rolling until after World War II. Mobster Bugsy Siegel started it all by opening his hot pink Flamingo in 1946.

Thereafter the pleasure places cropped up one after another on the Strip. and downtown, making Vegas a gambling oasis in the desert. THE COMPETITION for your gambling dollar is fierce. The casinos use all types of gimmicks to entice you into their wagering wonderlands. Here are a few of the come-ons.

One ploy is the coupon, available at many places around town and at the Traveler's Welcome Center, 6205 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Coupons also appear in the free visitor-oriented newspapers. Here are what a few of the many coupons offer: A free Las Vegas souvenir and free beverage, $10 of free casino play, free bingo, $12 in nickels and chips and a free photo of yourself, a free mystery gift, fre'e champagne, free miniature slot machine, and a free three-minute phone call to anywhere in the continental United States. Other types of lures in casinos include topless dancers, a display of a million dollars in $10,000 bills, and circus acts and sideshow games.

The Mint takes a more subtle approach, offering free behind-the-scenes casino tours (12:20 to 5:40 p.m. daily), including the currency and coin counting room, slot machine repair room, and view through the Eye-in-the-Sky which looks down over the gambling hall. LAS VEGAS ALSO could be called Slot Machine City. Big money may be won and lost at the green felt tables, but the slots get the most play. Gamblers standing in front of the silver, one-arm machines seem to be in a trance as they feed in coins, pull the lever, and watch 1111 1 1 11111 111 1 1 1 1 11 SSI JA tCi sonalities as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Buddy Hackett, Shirley MacLaine, Phyllis Dil-ler, Liberace, and the Vegas favorite, Wayne Newton, just to name a few.

Included in the more than 15 big shows playing at the same time are four lavish productions with their glamorous and scantily clad chorus lines. Add to this the less expensive lounge shows and you bave an awesome entertainment lineup. More entertainers and musicians play before live audiences in Las Vegas than any other city in the world. AND THERE ARE other characteristics that make Vegas unique. For instance, it's a city that never sleeps.

Action is available around the clock though you'll never see a clock in the gambling balls. The casinos never close their doors in fact, many don't even have doors. You can gamble, get a meal, or even get married as easily at 5 a.m. as 5 p.m. Night has been turned into day along the brilliantly lit neon canyon of Fremont Street in the downtown Casino Center.

It's the neon capital of the world. The electric bill for the sips has been estimated at $100,000 a month. Eating out can range all the way from a free breakfast of steak and eggs (midnight to 4 a.m.) at Mr. Sy's Casino of Fun to a costly Roman-style banquet with "slave girls" pouring wine from giant carafes at Caesars Palace. Vegas also has its romantic side.

If your gambling luck is bad, you can take a chance on matrimony. Interspersed between the casinos on the Strip are marriage chapels that also stay open 24 bours and compete with the casinos for attention with bright signs: "Immediate Wedding Services Here." THIS TOWN WITH its anything-goes image also has a first in the field of religion: With 150 churches for a population of 350,000, it is the highest ranked metropolitan area in the country on a churches-per-capita basis. There are also "Strip churches" for gamblers: a chaplain holds informal 30-to 45-minute services three times each Sunday at hotels on the Strip. Do they pray for good luck? Of the almost 9 million people who visited Las Vegas last year, including many conventioneers, the majority went away as losers. The casinos in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, reported gross gambling income of almost three-quarters of a billion dollars in 1975! If so many are losing so much, why do they come, why do others return again and again, why is Vegas more popular than ever? First and foremost is the lure of the BIG WIN.

And the casinos do all they can to promote that dream. There's the promise of big winnings in such casino signs as "Giant $2,500 Jackpot," "Bingo Win $5,000 Cash," and "Keno $25,000." But for some just hitting a $10 jackpot on the nickel slots can be the highlight of the trip. hotels also are for the budget-minded. A listing of accommodations is avail-able from the Las Vegas ConventionVisitors Authority (the address is in the "Where to write" box on this page). PART OF the popularity of Vegas was built on the abundance of inexpensive entertainment and food.

Bargains in food still exist, but entertainment is no longer a low-cost item. For instance, it will cost you $15 to see Dean Martin and other top name stars (some are even more). The tab for the lavish production shows is about the same: $15 for "Hallelujah! Hollywood," $15 for "Lido de Paris," $13.50 for the "Folies Bergere," and $12.75 for the "Casino de Paris." (The above prices are for the early show.) How do you arrange for a show? First, find out what you want to see by examining one of the readily available show guides. They are printed on leaflets and in such free newspapers as Las Vegas Fun Times, Las Vegas Visitor, and Las Vegas Panorama. (These publications also coritain ads for low-cost motel rooms, rental cars, and other useful informa; tion.) Now that you've made your show choice, call the appropriate hotel for reservations.

There are no tickets; the price you pay includes the show and either dinner or cocktails. UPI Photo A Las Vegas casino's roulette table gets a lot of action here. Roulette used to be a game played mainly by the wealthy and high rollers, but more middle income people are betting now. or and end up in the red. casinos also have gambling guides they will explain the games to you.

1 rM Arrive at the hotel an hour or so early to wait in line for a good table. Most For those addicted to playing machines there are electronic blackjack, poker, keno, and horse racing games. You also can bet on real horse races at tracks across the country and on sporting events. The largest of the sports' and horse wagering lounges will open this summer at the Stardust. It will feature a 48-foot-square color television screen and a huge board announcing entries for races at five tracks.

Jai alai has become popular with pari-mutue! bettors at the MGM Grand Hotel, the most opulent hotel in town. The biggest problem for Vegas gamblers is not where to go but rather when to stop. One sure way to leave town ahead of the game is to hit a lucky streak just before your scheduled departure. Most people, though, tend to stick around too long trying to maximize their profits shows have a dinner performance start' ing at 8 p.m., with meal service begin the spinning oranges, lemons, cherries, and bells. Perhaps the slots are so popular because they are so simple.

Some of the other games of chance craps, blackjack (21), baccarat are more complicated and may scare off the novice. To get a gambling education you can read one of the many books on how to play (and win!) that are available at Las Vegas newsstands. The Frontier Hotel offers a free "Gaming Guide," and the Mint has a gambling school. Other Las Vegas News Bureau Fhoto Vegas is famous for its beautiful show, girls who perform in lavish Where to write For more information on Las Vegaa, write to Walter Shull, Las Vegas ConventionVisitors Authority, Dept. C.T., Convention Center, Las Vegas, New 89114.

Strip hotels and casinos 1. Hacienda Hotel 2. Dunes Hotel 3. Caesars Palace 4. The Castaways 5.

Frontier Hotel 6. Silver Slipper 7. Stardust Hotel 8. Circus Circus 9. Tropicana Hotel 10.

Aladdin Hotel 11. MGM Grand Hotel 12. Flamingo Hotel 13. Sands Hotel 14. Desert Inn Hotel 15.

Riviera Hotel 16. Landmark Hotel THERE'S A VAST difference between the Strip casinos and those downtown. At the Strip hotel-casinos you're struck by the lavish decor, the thick carpeting, the chandeliers glittering with points of light in the semi-darkened room, the bright spotlights on the green tables, the wide aisles, the sporty but well-dressed tourists. Downtown is a different scene. The rows of slots are packed in tightly, the discarded wrappings from rolls of coins litter the floor, there's a loud, raucus atmosphere.

At one casino every big jackpot is announced by the wail of a siren, a revolving red police light, and an announcement over the public address system all this in addition to the almost constant ring of smaller slot machine winnings. But at downtown casinos the odds are rumored to be better, the minimum bet is lower, and the casino workers seem to be friendlier. As far as the over-all treatment of tourists in Vegas, this reporter was aware of two strong but conflicting impressions. On the one hand, you get the feeling you are being hustled for every penny you have, and on the other that there's a mood of relaxed, western friendliness here. Some dealers even smile.

ONE OF THE MAJOR decisions in planning a Vegas vacation is where to stay. Finding a room is no problem. You should make reservations in advance for the major hotels; many of them are listed in Chicago's Yellow Pages under "Hotels-Out-of-Town." They have Chicago or toll-free numbers. Or, you can make reservations through a travel agent. One good buy are the four-day package tours that start at about $169 per person, which includes round-trip air fare from Chicago, hotel accommodations, airport transfers, baggage handling, some meals, and a few dollars of free slot machine play.

These must be booked at least 15 days in advance. Another bargain are the three-day packages offered by most Strip and downtown hotels. Usually included are room, one show, some meals, cocktails, tips, and other extras all for a price less than the regular room rate. Plus you can get a lower air fare when buying a package at the same time. If you drive to Vegas or fly out and rent a car, you'll be able to check out the various motels that offer much lower rates than the luxury hotels on the Strip.

Motels start at $8 a night double, and some of them are right on the Strip. Rooms in the downtown Casino Center Casino Center twjf SyS Jx El Cortez Hotel Western Hotel it Vw I Udy Luck Casino Four Queens Hotel J'PVS. til I Fremont Hotel li aSSs Golden Nugget Casino r2S(y jyf Horseshoe Hotel I yCaslnoTSSv Nevada Hotel rr c- -S Golden Gate Casino ll, yy 'T Las'veg'asOub rSJ 'y California Hotel rvSVTiiS Vv' Union Plaza Hotel ning at 6:30 or 7 p.m. The midnight show is cocktails only. Some hotels have a late-late show on Saturday night.

Dinner shows are better values than the midnight cocktail shows, because you get a meal, instead of just a couple of cocktails, for about the same price. All of the entertainment isn't in the "big rooms," though. Most hotels, both on the Strip and downtown, also have lounge-theaters where reservations are not required and the cost is lower. Lounge acts range from popular entertainers to country and western bands to topless revues. EATING OUT can still be a bargain in Vegas depending on where you go.

Many of the smaller casinos offer free or inexpensive food to lure customers. Here are a few examples: A New York steak dinner for $1.98, hot dog and champagne for 25 cents, free coffee and donuts, fried chicken dinner for 69 cents, and a free beef stew dinner. At the other end of the spectrum are the gourmet restaurants in the luxury hotels. Topping this list in price is the $100 a couple tab at Caesars Palace's new Palace Court. But between the el cheapo food and haute cuisine there's a lot to choose from.

A popular Vegas tradition is the chuck-wagon buffet all you can eat for a price usually in the $2 to $4 range. THE CASINO-HOTELS that sparkled with beauty under the lights of night appear drab and washed out during the day. It may be time to get out of town and see some of the surrounding attractions. Hoover Dam, which is the highest concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere at 726 feet, has attracted nearly 17 million tourists since its completion in 1935. Guided tours are given daily.

The dam is 25 miles from Las Vegas as is Lake Mead, which was created by the dam. Lake Mead provides year-round water recreation on its 255-square-mile surface for boaters, water skiers, swimmers, and fishermen. There are marinas and campgrounds along the shore. The Valley of the Fire State Park, 17. Thunderbird Hotel 18.

Sahara Hotel 19. Las Vegas Hilton 20. Showboat Hotel 21. Royal Inn 22. Royal Las Vegas 23.

Holiday Inn 24. Paradise Hotel about an hour's drive northeast of town, is a land of weird, wind-sculpted sandstone formations and ancient Indian petroglyphs. Mt. Charleston, the nearly peak of the Spring Range to the west of the city, is a cool summer haven for visitors and has skiing in winter. The Grand Canyon is 300 miles distant if you drive, but Scenic Airlines offers daily 4-hour, 7'i-hour, and overnight flights to the canyon.

WHAT'S THE future for Vegas? Expansion for one thing. The number of guest rooms continues to climb. The latest addition is a 20-story tower on the existing Aladdin. This brings the local room count to about 35,000 (when the 200 top motels are included). The Dunes is planning to build two towers with 500 rooms each.

The Flamingo Hilton plans to add a 500-room tower. Also on the drawing board is the Xanadu, a pyramid-shaped hotel to be built across from the Tropicana. Yes, the future of Vegas is bright you can bet on that. Next week: New Orleans. LakeZ McCarran S.

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