Las Vegas Nv Celebrations

The Las Vegas Strip, lined with casinos, was closed by police for a short time early Tuesday as more than 2,000 celebrated Nevada Las Vegas' 103-73 victory over Duke for its first NCAA basketball title. Motorists swamped the six-lane Strip, honking horns and shouting. Shirtless youths danced atop moving city buses and trucks. Some shredded newspapers for confetti. "We did not want to interrupt the celebration too much," said Police Lt. Randy Oaks.

Odds are, this New Year's Eve celebration will be the best of the century in this party town. That won't be hard, given how last year's over-hyped Millennium Bang busted. "People around the world look to Las Vegas for entertainment, and perhaps it was noticeable last year when we did nothing," said Kirk Hendrix, president of Las Vegas Events, a nonprofit organization that will stage this year's activities.

This town of excess--never one to shrink from a good party--celebrated New Year's Eve twice this time, congratulating itself as the wildest place west of Times Square to ring in a new year, but still deferring to the East Coast on the timing of its year-end blast. Never mind that there was no ball to drop. They found an old hotel on the south end of the Strip to blow up instead.

The only constant in Las Vegas these days seems to be the construction cranes. Buildings are going up, down and out faster than you can say, "Let it ride." In an effort to attract more people--and their expendable incomes--Las Vegas hotel-casinos are putting their money on a slew of new shops and attractions. Perhaps the most-hyped summer opening is Las Vegas Hilton's "Star Trek: The Experience," coming in August.

The only constant in Las Vegas these days seems to be the construction cranes. Buildings are going up, down and out faster than you can say, "Let it ride." In an effort to attract more people--and their expendable incomes--Las Vegas hotel-casinos are putting their money on a slew of new shops and attractions. Perhaps the most-hyped summer opening is Las Vegas Hilton's "Star Trek: The Experience," coming in August.

Odds are, this New Year's Eve celebration will be the best of the century in this party town. That won't be hard, given how last year's over-hyped Millennium Bang busted. "People around the world look to Las Vegas for entertainment, and perhaps it was noticeable last year when we did nothing," said Kirk Hendrix, president of Las Vegas Events, a nonprofit organization that will stage this year's activities.

This town of excess--never one to shrink from a good party--celebrated New Year's Eve twice this time, congratulating itself as the wildest place west of Times Square to ring in a new year, but still deferring to the East Coast on the timing of its year-end blast. Never mind that there was no ball to drop. They found an old hotel on the south end of the Strip to blow up instead.

The Las Vegas Strip, lined with casinos, was closed by police for a short time early Tuesday as more than 2,000 celebrated Nevada Las Vegas' 103-73 victory over Duke for its first NCAA basketball title. Motorists swamped the six-lane Strip, honking horns and shouting. Shirtless youths danced atop moving city buses and trucks. Some shredded newspapers for confetti. "We did not want to interrupt the celebration too much," said Police Lt. Randy Oaks.