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When my brother told me that he and his fiancée were getting married in Las Vegas, I was skeptical. Visions of Elvis-impersonating lounge lizards in white pleather, gaudy showgirls, and past-their-prime minor celebrities wearing badly fitting toupées went through my mind. All of this also occurred to my friend Shonda, but she found it intriguing. Not wanting to seem lacking in the spirit of adventure, I agreed to go.

Jonathan and Lorraine were going to be married at the Paris, one of Las Vegas's newest and grandest hotels. Located in the middle of the Strip, it boasts nearly 3000 rooms, seven restaurants, an enormous casino, exclusive shopping, two wedding chapels, and an exclusive spa. Oh, and the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, too. Sure sounded cheesy and overdone—typical Vegas, I decided.

What a pleasant surprise, then, to look out my airplane window and see...normalcy. Vegas has houses, and grocery stores, and shopping malls! Sure, the Great Pyramid looms in the distance, but that's a minor distraction. McCarran Airport is nicely appointed, with upscale shops throughout. The first thing I saw when I left the entrance ramp was a bank of slot machines, which set the tone for the rest of the visit.

We arrived at the Paris, which is absolutely beautiful. The Eiffel Tower, fully half the size of the original, dominates the property. The main entrance is a grand affair, with the Arc de Triomphe and an elaborate fountain predominating there. We checked into our rooms, then set out to explore.

Although the casino is the most obvious part of the enormous downstairs area, there is plenty else to do within the hotel. Around the perimeter is the Boulevard, a cobblestoned "street" lined with authentic-looking replicas of Parisian buildings. Great attention has obviously been paid to detail, and many of the shops carry on the French theme. (My favorite: the sunny Lenôtre Patisserie, which features what have to be the most gorgeous pastries ever created.) The ceilling is painted to resemble an afternoon sky, which is charming, but which makes it difficult to keep track of the time.

Checking our map (yes, we needed one!), we saw that most of the restaurants wouldn't open until 5:30 or 6 PM. It was barely 2 PM, and we were hungry, so we headed to the 24-hour Café Ile Saint-Louis. The line moved quickly, and we were seated in the pleasant "outdoor" section. The café boasts a diverse menu, and serves surprisingly good food. (We had breakfast there the next morning, and I was thrilled with the Fruit Plate, which was made up of at least a dozen types of fresh fruit, topped with a scoop of blackberry sherbet.)

After lunch, we walked outside to take a look around. There was so much to see, and so little time! We wandered through the Bellagio, the sumptuous hotel across the street from the Paris, and marveled at the "Fiori di Como," a sculpture made up of 2000 glass flowers that made up the ceiling in the reception area. The Bellagio is also known for its botanical gardens. It grows most of its own plants, and decorates extensively with them to complement each season. The hotel is also noted for its water shows, held approximately every half hour in the enormous pool in front of the hotel. The fountains rise nearly 250 feet, and are choreographed to music. Among the selections are Vegas-appropriate songs, such as "Hey, Big Spender" and "Luck Be a Lady."

Caesar's Palace is enormous, even by Vegas standards. We entered through the galleria, and made our way through the largest casino we'd seen. More than once, my usually reliable sense of direction failed me, and we had to search for a map to get us back on track. I had to laugh when I saw that the hotel is building an addition, to be completed in 2003. It's a replica of the Colosseum—of course!

New York New York is another marvelous hotel. Built along the lines of the Paris, it features highlights of the City, including Greenwich Village, Central Park, and Wall Street (with its own "Slot Exchange"). Clever touches abound, such as steam rising from the manhole covers that dot the casino floor. (I especially liked the Statue of Liberty with her skirts up à la Marilyn Monroe that revolved on several of the slot machines.) Restaurants feature such staples of New York cuisine as hot dogs, bagels, and pizza. The hotel is even more impressive outside, with a skyline that features the Empire State Building, a (normal-looking) Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, a Coney Island-style roller coaster, and other landmarks.

My brother's wedding took place on our second night. It was held in the Paris's Chapelle du Paradis, an elegant room of cream and gold. The staff was well-organized, the ceremony surprisingly moving, and the wedding went off without any problems. The only "Vegas" note came after the ceremony, when the wedding planner asked non-family members to "congregate at the fountain in the middle of the casino" while pictures of the wedding party were taken. Afterward, we had a splendid dinner in a private room at Les Artistes, the hotel's elegant steakhouse. It was a night to remember, and not at all what I expected.

Superlatives come naturally when writing about Las Vegas. It is, after all, the quintessence of excess, the embodiment of the American belief that "bigger is better." There is a definite spirit of competitiveness on the Strip. If the Luxor builds the Sphinx and Great Pyramid, then Caesar's Palace must have its Colosseum; if the Paris has a Boulevard, then the Venetian has to have canals. The Oceania-themed Mandalay Bay hotel has a beach, and gives surfing lessons there. It also contains an elaborate coral reef, complete with sharks, crocodiles, and incandescent jellyfish. The Mirage, home of Siegfried and Roy, has an "active" volcano. Excalibur has medieval-style jousts. The "bay" in front of Treasure Island contains two full-sized 17th-century ships, which are used in nightly pirate battles. After awhile, it makes a strange sort of sense. As a result, one becomes jaded very quickly in Vegas — "Oh, the volcano is erupting again?" It becomes difficult to maintain one's sense of perspective at times.

We finally did see Elvis. He was walking down the Boulevard in the Paris, head down, dressed in black. But that was the only trace of him. Elvis, the Rat Pack, and the others seem to have become a part of Vegas's past. Its present is no less interesting, but it is very different. Overall, the new Las Vegas is glamorous, upscale, and nearly kitsch-free.

For all the walking and looking, we didn't even begin to scratch the surface during our two days. Las Vegas has a plethora of shows, museums, clubs, shops, and restaurants, many of which are off the Strip. I was charmed by this singular city, and I plan to return soon. You see, I seem to have caught "Vegas Fever."  Check out special clubs and events by following LightGroup to get the best deals.

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Photographs ©2001 by Cynthia Ward Cooper

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