The Strip, Las Vegas
The central part of the Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs over 2.5 miles from the northeast to the southwest is called The Strip. It is packed with some of the biggest entertainment venues, luxury hotels, casinos and restaurants. The sight of The Strip at night is particularly impressive when a million neon signs light up and create an enchanting atmosphere bordering on the surreal. Tourists love to take a walk along The Strip at night and absorb the sights and sounds. The Strip of Las Vegas runs from the Mandalay Bay Hotel till the Treasure Island Hotel. Most of the hotels in this area offer free street side entertainment and walking down the Las Vegas Strip would take you through some of the coolest shopping attractions, golf courses, nightclubs, theaters, casinos and entertainment venues.
Over time, a lot of Indian restaurants have opened up on and near the strip. These eating places range from a nice sit down restaurant to a place for a quick bite. The food selection varies from chaats, variety of dosas to fancy Indian dishes.
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is one of the most well known among all the Las Vegas resorts. It comprises of a massive structure on the Strip. Within the hotel premises visitors of all ages can find every imaginable options of entertainment. Caesars Palace is also known for its massive concert venue called ‘The Colosseum’. Some of the top artists like Celine Dion and Elton John have performed here for long periods and usually the concerts are booked out in advance. So anybody interested in watching a performance needs to buy the tickets well in advance. Apart from that one can also enjoy free shows like the Festival Fountain and the Fall of Atlantis.
Venetian Hotel
The Venetian Hotel is one of the largest hotels located on The Strip. It is one of the finest resorts of the city which draws in lots of tourists. One can take a stroll through the themed shopping malls which resembles the city of Venice. The second largest hotel of the world comes with Venetian landmarks like the Lion of Venice, the Palazzo Ducale, the Piazza San Marco, the Piazetta di San Marco and of course the Rialto Bridge. Make sure to visit all these important replicas and take a picture. While replicating the monuments of Venice, the Venetian hotel also offers Gondola rides.These are an amusing way to see the entire complex and makes you feel like you are in gliding down the Grand Canal in Venice.
Bellagio Hotel
Inspired by the town of Lake Como in Italy, The Bellagio comes with an 8 acre lake and a huge dancing water fountain. Some of the other attractions of this enormous hotel complex are an art gallery, the Botanical Gardens, Spa and Salon along with some of the finest dining places on the planet. The showroom area exhibits ever changing themes ranging from spring botanical displays to interesting art shows. However the reason why the Bellagio draws thousands of tourists, everyday is because of its dancing fountains which perform with musical accompaniment. One of the best free attractions of Las Vegas this is not to be missed at all costs.
Paris Hotel
Located right on The Strip, The Paris Hotel is truly one of the most easily recognizable resorts of this city. In the front one can see a scale model of the Eiffel Tower and a few steps from there would take the visitors to a superb re-creation of the Paris Opera House. The ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower is amazing, especially at night. The view from high above is amazing and worth the ticket price.
Just like Paris, this hotel hosts a lot of fashion brands and nice restaurants. There are also quite a few nice coffee shops inside and a stage where you can enjoy the live band. On the top of this property there is a fake hot balloon illuminated with colorful lights.
Mount Madonna Hanuman Temple, Watsonville
Located in the Santa Cruz hills, there is a beautiful private retreat and conference center called Mount Madonna Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. Within the grounds of this retreat center there is Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. The temple was established in 1978 and the scenery is breathtaking. Over the years, this temple has expanded to accommodate the ever increasing number of visiting devotees. Aarti is performed ever day at 6:30am and 6pm. If you are in the area, plan on visiting for Saturday Aarti and you will be amazed at the number of devotees present. And don’t forget to register before you go. More information can be found here.
Shiva Vishnu Temple, Livermore
Livermore Shiva Vishnu Temple is located about an hour drive to the east from San Francisco. It is a beautiful temple and also Hindu Community and Cultural Center. The temple is very clean and the pujaris are very nice and knowledgable. Not to mention the yummy prasadam that you can buy inside the temple. There are a lot of cultural and language classes offered to the community. For more information about the temple can be found here.
Livermore temple hours of operation:
Monday-Thursday
9 AM to 12 Noon
6 PM to 8 PM
Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Holidays
9 AM to 8 PM
Sikh Gurudwara, San Jose
Sikh Gurudwara, San Jose is perched atop hills in Evergreen area of San Jose. It’s one of the largest Gurudwaras in US with huge Darbar and Langar halls.
There are fountains in the front that are lit up in the evening. You get a view of all of San Jose and on clear days you can see as far as San Francisco. It’s very peaceful place to visit, not to mention the delicious langa that is served daily.
More details can be found at http://www.sanjosegurdwara.org/
Akshardham Temple, New Jersey
Akshardham temple in New Jersey is dedicated to Swaminarayan. When completed, it will be the biggest Hindu temple in the world. Anyone familiar with the Akshardham temples knows how they are built with intricate carvings. The will span 162 aces with multiple buildings. The temple opened to public in 2014 and the construction will complete in 2017. More information about the temple can be found on their website.
Paris Hotel
Located right on The Strip, The Paris Hotel is truly one of the most easily recognizable resorts of this city. In the front one can see a scale model of the Eiffel Tower and a few steps from there would take the visitors to a superb re-creation of the Paris Opera House. The ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower is amazing, especially at night. The view from high above is amazing and worth the ticket price.
Just like Paris, this hotel hosts a lot of fashion brands and nice restaurants. There are also quite a few nice coffee shops inside and a stage where you can enjoy the live band. On the top of this property there is a fake hot balloon illuminated with colorful lights.
Leave a Reply