There are far too many fine Las Vegas hotel casinos to mention in one article. I've listed the casinos in the order below as you stroll from south to north on the strip. These are the ones I've visited. You will find your own pleasure palaces.

Mandalay Bay Hotel Casino

It's quite new and close to the airport. Like most things in Vegas, it's larger than life, containing a large tropical bay, complete with sandy beach. With 3,700 rooms, many restaurants, and two wedding chapels, and its own House of Blues, it's a world of its own.

Luxor Hotel Casino

Right next door is this black-glass pyramid, guarded by a huge sphinx. It has 4,400 rooms, not counting restaurants, spa, shops, and the replica of King Tut's tomb in the basement.

Excalibur Hotel Casino

For a change of pace, step along to the Excalibur Hotel Casino.

There are 4008 rooms in this huge white castle, which encompasses a complete medieval village. You want dragons, jesters and jousting? You want to take your sweetheart to the Excalibur chapel, become Henry VIII and marry your queen? You can do it here, and the marriage will be legal.

New York, New York

Let's walk past the Tropicana and the MGM Grand, and take a look at New York, New York.

Tourists from the Big Apple will feel quite at home - maybe - with the Statue of Liberty, the skyscrapers, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and Coney Island. You can eat New York food and watch Broadway shows in this small, exclusive (only 2035 rooms!) Hotel Casino.

Monte Carlo

Moving on, past the Aladdin, we reach the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino. If you haven't visited the original, this will do nicely. You can visit restaurants, a spa, tennis courts. You can take the River Ride. And, of course, there's the ubiquitous wedding chapel.

Paris

See the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe. Almost 3000 rooms, and quite European. Much of the staff was ferried over from France when the place opened; I don't know how many are left. Don't try to drop a quarter into the more expensive slot machines. Those are $25 slugs being fed in by that (ex)-millionaire.

Bellagio

Pass beneath Bally's moving walkways and enter the Bellagio, a Florentine palace with thousands of fountains and a unique display of dancing waterspouts. Wander the gardens and gaze at the Italian villas. This impressive cathedral of a casino contains a host of restaurants, an art gallery, botanical gardens and two wedding chapels. Take in the shopping mall, the spa, and the aquatic show.

Caesar's Palace Hotel Casino

Caesar's Palace, with its ornate statues and unique design, opened in 1966. It is still one of the most spectacular sights in Las Vegas. It conjures up the grandeur of Imperial Rome, with 2,440 rooms, spa, shops, restaurants, a wedding palace and a circus. Caesar's has been a top attraction in Vegas for three generations of vacationers.

Treasure Island Hotel and Casino

Continue past the Imperial Palace, the Mirage, with its erupting volcano, past Harrah's, and you will arrive at Treasure Island. Watch the naval battle, where the British and American navy battle to destruction. Guess which navy wins. There are restaurants and shows, and two wedding chapels, plus a full-sized replica of HMS Britannica, where weddings also take place.

Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

Like to visit Venice and ride the canals on a gondola? You can do all that, amongst ornate palaces. Visit the shopping mall and the health spa, and enjoy the wax museum. The hotel has 3,000 rooms, and there are plans for building a 1,200 seat event center.

Circus Circus Hotel and Casino

Past the New Frontier, the venerable Stardust, past the Hilton, you arrive at Circus, Circus, the first major casino to cater to families. This place is a circus, a theme park carnival, a casino, and a giant hotel in one exciting package.

We're almost at the end of the strip, now. We walk past the Riviera, the venerable Sahara, built in 1952, and the Palace Station Hotel and casino. What's left?

The Stratosphere

For the grand finale, we might as well soar. The Stratosphere Hotel and Casino anchors the strip, and, at 1081 feet, is the tallest building in Las Vegas. Here, you can dine at the top of the world, and look out at the strip, the downtown lights, and the desert beyond this glittering oasis. This stop is a fitting end to our tour of the sights of Las Vegas.

The overcast sky threatened us during the drive and upon our arrival it sent down some raindrops to warn us that the day was not for outdoor fun. However, the light rain did not deter us from the beach. We strode over the boardwalk, sparsely populated by older men taking their morning walks, and went down onto the deserted sand. Nova bounded and jumped against his leash, flipping around in the air and smiling. He kicked up sand and at one point even tried to eat it.

At the water's edge I let him off the leash and he ran. He ran back and forth and then back again. He sent sand flying as his tongue waggled in the air, and then he turned to the ocean and leapt into it. I thought for a moment that he had left us, that he would go and live with the mermaids. But he turned around and bounding over the waves, he fought his way back to shore. He was soaked to the bone and I had never seen him happier as he shook himself. My friend, Jesse, dubbed him Beach Boy, as he dashed around us we called this out to him and I think he understood and I think he revelled in it.

As Nova triumphed, the sky grew darker and the rain began to fall more steadily. So we put him back on the leash and lead him to the car, we all climbed in just as the rain let loose. We had planned to walk around but with the sky's insistence we decided to drive.

The first stop was Nathan's, the best hot dogs in the world are served at this place along with some damn fine lemonade. In the summer Nathan’s has no walls, they are pulled up so that the entire place feels like it is outside and most people choose to get their hot dogs and stroll through the fair grounds. There is often a line that curls around the block.

On this wintery day the walls were down so we thought it was closed but a large “Come in, We're Open” sign hung in the door. It was 10:30 in the morning so I was surprised to find three other hot dog enthusiasts inside. The place looked sad with just the five us. Only one register was open instead of the usual seven and a single grill held the hot dogs for the day. We ordered two hot dogs, one to split and then one for the Beach Boy.

Jesse and I ate ours inside and then brought the second dog to Nova. When I placed it on the seat next to him he cocked his head and looked at me for direction . Jesse pointed out that the bun and hot dog should be separated since Nova looked confused. I took the hot dog out and laid it on the seat putting the bun by its side. Nova consumed the hot dog in two bites and followed it up with the bun which took three. Then he looked at me as if to question his chances of another hot dog. Receiving none, Nova resumed his place by the window, waiting for us to get going again so that he could have the wind in his face.

We drove along the main street which runs under the subway, passing signs in Russian. If you ignored the beach and the towering amusement park attractions, Coney Island would be like any other immigrant neighborhood in New York. People live here and work here, seemingly indifferent to the ocean and rides. I was surprised by how normal the neighborhood seemed. The people we passed looked like any other people and the stores like any other stores. We decided we had quite enough of normalcy and returned to the park.

The rides, closed and on this winter day and dripping with rain, looked sad, as if they had been deserted and they knew it. As we drove up and down the streets lined with amusements we were overcome by a feeling of strangeness. At one point Jesse spotted a shark through a fence covered in dead vine. A plastic shark, mouth wide, ready to attack. The shark was lying on its side exposing the hole in its stomach which obviously was supposed to attached to something mechanical. The shark looked forgotten, viewed through a dilapidated fence and surrounded by trash.

When we came to the Cyclone, the biggest roller coaster in the park, Jesse jumped out of the car to take photos. He noticed a shot that was perfect and he tried to get through the fence to snap it, but just as he was slipping through, a guard ran up and told him he had to go. Jesse protested that the perfect shot was only a few feet away. The guard said that for insurance reasons he couldn’t come in. Jesse gave up. As he walked away, defeated, the guard yelled “You almost had it, though” Jesse turned, laughed, and shook his fist in the air.

We decided we had seen enough for one day, passing over the bridge, as we left Coney island, I glanced back and marveled at a community which managed to ignore Ferris Wheels, Roller Coasters, and hot dogs to live their lives like any other life in New York City.