Where in the United States can you go and see the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian pyramids, and a pirate ship with exploding cannons? Where can you ride roller coasters, watch an IMAX movie, go to a concert, enjoy a circus, stroll through a museum, lounge by a pool, get a spa treatment, eat until you can't take another bite, win a million dollars at a casino, and get married, all on the same day? If it's fun you're after, Las Vegas is willing and able to oblige. Vegas is loud, brash, and unashamedly showy. Located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas is characterized by typical desert conditions of very hot, dry summers and mild winters. The consistent sunshine and little rainfall draw visitors 12 months a year; and its warts-and-all approach to tourism make it beloved by many who visit there year after year in search of a good time. Las Vegas, which means "the meadows" in Spanish, was given this name because areas of the valley nearby the city used to contain lush, green areas, which provided relief to travelers in the desert heat. After the area was conceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848, Mormons moved into the area to attempt to convert the region's Paiute Indians. Their settlement was unsuccessful and was abandoned after only a few years. Who knows what Vegas would be like today if they'd stayed? In 1931, gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada, and casino hotels, for which Vegas is now famous, began to spring up everywhere like mushrooms. During the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, people flocked to the city to see the nuclear bomb tests that were being conducted in the desert nearby, and developers (along with a fair number of gangsters) poured money into the city's casino resorts, which light up the city like a Christmas tree every night of the year. Thus, over time, Vegas grew to become the undisputed Entertainment Capital of the World. Visitors to Vegas should remember just one thing: when you visit, don't be shy. Jump straight in at the deep end, and Vegas will guarantee you a spectacular vacation you'll never forget. 在美國何處,能讓你飽覽艾菲爾鐵塔、埃及金字塔,以及砲聲隆隆的海盜船呢?哪裡能讓你在同一天乘坐雲霄飛車、觀賞IMAX 電影、參加演唱會、欣賞馬戲團、漫步於博物館、在泳池畔悠閒休憩、享受美容SPA、大啖美食、在賭場贏得百萬獎金,還有舉行婚禮?如果你追求的是娛樂行程,拉斯維加斯絕對是你的不二選擇。 拉斯維加斯喧囂、五光十色,金碧輝煌的程度完全不假修飾。位於莫哈維沙漠的拉斯維加斯,屬於典型的沙漠氣候,夏季炎熱乾燥,冬季氣溫微涼。一年四季幾乎陽光普照且降雨量稀少,不斷吸引遊客湧入。大張旗鼓主打觀光的風格,讓希望擁有美好度假時光的眾多觀光客每年不斷回籠。 拉斯維加斯在西班牙文裡意指「綠蔭之地」,此命名由來是因為拉斯維加斯附近的河谷地帶曾經碧草如茵,讓沙漠中酷熱的旅人有個歇腳之處。墨西哥於1848 年承認該地屬於美國領地之後,摩門教徒遷移至此處,試圖將其轉化為派尤特印地安區。不過短短幾年後,摩門教的殖民政策失敗,殖民地亦遭到遺棄。有誰想得到,假使當年摩門教徒成功落地生根,現在的拉斯維加斯會變成什麼模樣? 1931 年,內華達州合法開放博弈事業,而拉斯維加斯聞名遐邇的賭場飯店則如雨後春筍般蓬勃發展。1940 年代、1950 年代與1960 年代期間,群眾紛紛湧入拉斯維加斯遠觀鄰近沙漠所進行的核子彈試爆,而開發商(以及不少黑幫)大力投資拉斯維加斯的賭場度假村,讓拉斯維加斯彷彿一顆耀眼聖誕樹,每天都像是一座不夜城。因此,長時間下來,拉斯維加斯逐漸成為了大家公認的世界娛樂首都。 拉斯維加斯的觀光客只需謹記一件事:觀光此地時無需矜持,豁出去就對了,拉斯維加斯保證你度過難以忘懷的愉快假期! |
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