It’s Las Vegas versus New York in a battle for the tourists
Las Vegas is the second most popular tourist destination in the United States, according to Forbes. So what does the Big Apple have that keeps edging us out? After all, we have a New York skyline, too. And ours has a roller coaster!
FOOD?
New York: The finest eateries anywhere in the world pair with the best bagel shops, pizza places, delis, diners and pushcart hot dogs and pretzels. And Manhattan's Chinatown bows only to San Francisco's (and China itself).
Las Vegas: Considering that 4.6 times more people reside in the five boroughs than in the valley, we blow them away in stellar restaurants per capita. However, Einstein's Bagels, Broadway Pizza and our "China block" can't hold a candle.
Winner: New York
OUTDOORS/NATURE?
New York: Though beautiful, its beaches are too cold to enjoy most of the year. And Central Park is only a crowded, man-made re-creation of what 200 years of urban sprawl ran ramshod over.
Las Vegas: Red Rock, Mount Charleston and the Mojave desert are wide-open, nature-made havens for hikers, bikers and skiers. Our weather is better -- at least during the nine months that it doesn't melt your skin off. And, although it's rare, you even stand a chance of getting eaten by a wild animal you would have to pay $16 to see at the Bronx Zoo.
Winner: Las Vegas
SHOPPING?
New York: All over Manhattan, the highest-end stores in the world compete alongside dollar convenience joints and mom-and-pop specialty outlets to satisfy everyone's every need and whim.
Las Vegas: We have many of the same high-end and probably all of the same low-end stores, and our parking is free and (usually) plentiful. But we don't have the mom and pops, or the variety -- unless you need pasties, because we've got way more stripper supplies stores.
Winner: New York
24 HOUR THINGS TO DO?
New York: Every other Manhattan street corner boasts a 24-hour diner. However, true club vampires in "the city that never sleeps" have nowhere to go but home -- or hard-to-find and illegal after-hours clubs -- once the clock strikes 4 a.m.
Las Vegas: Every major casino boasts a 24/7 eatery, and bars, lounges and clubs set their own closing times -- which usually don't fall until the venue is empty and you wouldn't want to hang there anyway. And did someone mention strippers?
Winner: Las Vegas
MUSEUMS?
New York: Sure, they have the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Cooper-Hewitt, the Museum of the City of New York, the Museum of Television and Radio, the Brooklyn Museum, the Frick Collection and the Museum of Natural History -- if you like that sort of stuff.
Las Vegas: We have the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, the Erotic Heritage Museum and the Liberace Museum. (Oops, scratch that last one come October.) Anyone for the Burlesque Hall of Fame? OK, let's not embarrass ourselves further by dwelling.
Winner: New York
ROLLER COASTERS?
New York: Despite how essential roller coasters are to the cultural pulse of a city, New York can claim only one single example in all its five boroughs: the Coney Island Cyclone. It's old and doesn't even have a loop.
Las Vegas: We have the Manhattan Express at New York-New York, the Canyon Blaster at Circus-Circus and Speed the Ride at the Sahara. All have loops. So there.
Winner: Las Vegas
THEATER?
New York: Their 40 theaters represent such an inarguable pinnacle of American stage production, the street on which most are located has become a genre of theater -- with its own nationally televised awards show.
Las Vegas: Yeah, so what. New York doesn't have "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular." Or a single Cirque anymore, since "Banana Shpeel" closed after a dismal six-week run this summer. We get some of the same New York shows, too -- a small fraction of which ("Mamma Mia," "The Lion King" and "Jersey Boys," for example) even please crowds enough not to immediately close. Oh, and naked people frequently frolic on stage at the Onyx -- sometimes even during shows.
Winner: OK, fine. New York again.
LIVE MUSIC?
New York: They have the most thriving classical music and jazz scenes in America, plus Madison Square Garden, where every touring rock god has rolled since it was built in 1968.
Las Vegas: We get most of the national rock tours. Plus, you won't see Cher, Elton John and Celine Dion anywhere else. (Oh wait, you will, never mind.) OK, well, there's Wayne Newton and Donny and Marie. And that cover band that's always playing too loud at Harrah's Carnival Court.
Winner: New York
WELCOME SIGN?
New York: Who even knows what the "Welcome to New York City" sign looks like? Who cares?
Las Vegas: The "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, erected in 1959 although moved several times, has adorned billions of dollars of souvenirs and is such a movie star, it has its own parking lot for admirers.
Winner: Las Vegas
SAND?
New York: They've only got it on their little beaches that require you to drive long distances, pay for parking and try, usually unsuccessfully, to find blanket space not neighbored by screaming 2-year-olds or ghetto blasters.
Las Vegas: We've got it everywhere -- on our roads, under our houses, in our lungs. Hell, we have whole mountain ranges made of it. Are we simply throwing in arbitrary categories at this point to stack the deck in Vegas' favor? Who can say for sure?
Winner: Las Vegas
GAMBLING?
New York: Gambling here is limited to a Lotto ticket, church bingo and buying a week-old buttered roll from a street corner bodega.
Las Vegas: This one puts us over the top, Forbes, proving you wrong. We're No. 1, not No. 2. Start spreading THAT news.
Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0456.
