California

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4) Las Vegas

Although Las Vegas doesn't belong to California (it is actually located in Nevada), you can easily pay a visit to the 'Gambling Capital Of The World' without losing too much time. Since gambling was legalized in 1931, Las Vegas became the biggest city in Nevada with its 465.000 inhabitants. Yearly, around 12 million people come and try their luck on the slots, the so called 'one-armed bandits'. The casinos claim that the slots pay back 98 % of your money, and that they can survive with the 2 %, because of the enormous sales. When you arrive in Las Vegas by car and you stop in a little town about 10 miles (16 km) before the city, you can see even slots in the supermarkets !

A huge slot Gambling is legalized, but only for adults, this means you must be at least 21 years old. If you 're younger, you can walk fast through the casino, but you are not allowed to hang around, nor sit on the chairs and gamble. It's not the casinos fault (because they would love to increase their returns), but they risk a fine of more than $ 5000 if an inspector sees a minor gambling ! Everything is directed at the gambling, and you'll find bars and restaurants (mostly fastfood) in the casinos, so you don't have to leave the casino to eat. You can even keep gambling when you are at the bar, 'cause some bars have built-in videoscreens ! And if you want a quick marriage: just go to one of the dozens of weddingchapels and leave there as husband and wife.

Most of the casino-hotels in Las Vegas are situated on 'the Strip', the Las Vegas Bld. You can just walk in and out the hotels and casinos; everybody does. It 's best to visit them indoors by day, because it 's too hot to stay outside then (in summer). When you see the Strip when all the neonlights are turned on, you really know what Las Vegas by night means: just incredibly cool ! Some hotels on the Strip you certainly have to visit:

New York-New York - New York - New York: This hotel-casino is absuolutely fabulous outside; it exists out of copies of different buildings, including the Empire State Building, joined together and with the statue of liberty placed in front of that all. Inside, you 'll get the impression of being in the streets of NY !

- MGM: The huge fake-golden lion before this hotel is the most particular thing on the outside of this hotel. Many shows of famous people (Backstreet Boys, Alanis Morissette, ...) were and are still going on in the dome of the MGM.

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- Treasury Island: Everything inside makes you think you are on an island. From the outside, it 's not that special, but you just must see the pirate show, performed practically on the street. You experience a fight between 2 ships, and they manage even to let one sink !

- Paris: You 've seen it right: they even made a copy of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc Of Triomph for this hotel. Once inside, you 'll think yourself outside in France, with nice terraces. This effect is caused by painting realistic blue air with clouds on the ceiling.

- Luxor: This hotel is very impressive, because all of the rooms are located in a pyramid, with a giant sphinx in front of it. Especially when you go inside and look up to the top of the pyramid (there are no floors in the middle of it), the view is mighty !

And these are not the only ones ! Also take a look at: Cesar's Palace, Mirage, Bellagio, Circus Circus, ... . For those who thought they could: you cannot do Las Vegas in 1 day !

5) Grand Canyon + Hoover Dam

According to some people, you haven't been to West-America if you haven't been to the Grand Canyon. If you stay in Las Vegas, you can take the airplane from Las Vegas airport and make a one day excursion to the Grand Canyon. After your airplane with about 50 passengers has taken off, you 'll fly over the Hoover Dam, an enormous dam of 738 feet (225 m) high. It supplies the power of all the lights in the nearby...Las Vegas ! Then you make a tour over the Grand Canyon and after a flight of 1 hour, you touch ground at the edge of the Grand C. There you take a bus that takes you to the beginning of a trail with magnificent views at the Grand C. You can make your choice there, whether you walk or whether you take the little tourist busses that transport you from view to view. After that, you take the bus and the plane again and you 'll arrive back in Vegas around late noon.

However this is not the best way to get a good look at the Canyon and the Hoover Dam. If you 've got a few spare days, you should drive to them. That way, you 'll see much more of it, 'cause the plane flies far too high to have a really good look. After your visit to the Dam, you can stay at the edge of the Grand Canyon and make the descend to the Colorado River on a donkey (reserve a year in advance !) or fly (almost) in the canyon with a chopper.

Anyhow, if you 're at the edge of the Grand Canyon, you can only have admiration for the work that the Colorado River has done over millions of years.

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