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Nevada

Nevada is defined by contrasts and contradictions, juxtaposing arid plains with skyward, snowcapped mountains, while stilettos demand equal suitcase space with ski boots. Many visitors come only for the main event: Las Vegas. Nevada's twinkling desert jewel is a mecca for pleasure-seekers, and where privilege and poverty collide and three-quarters of the state's population resides.

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  • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 28: An exterior view shows the marquee at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino left of the Leo the Lion statue on the Las Vegas Strip amid the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) on August 28, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MGM Resorts International will lay off 18,000 furloughed employees in the United States on Monday as the resort industry struggles to recover from the pandemic. The move was necessary since federal law requires companies to lay off furloughed workers after six months. Before hotel-casinos shut down in March, the company had 68,000 employees nationwide, including 52,000 in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts said laid-off employees could be brought back as business demand returns. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    MGM Grand

    Las Vegas

    Owned by the eponymous Hollywood studio, the MGM Grand casino and hotel liberally borrows Tinsel Town's themes. Flashing LED screens and computerized…

  • LAS VEGAS, USA AUGUST 14; Enormous Mandalay Bay Hotel Resort and Casino with beautifully landscaped entrance to modern architectural gold glass facade of building August 14, 2008, Las Vegas, USA

    Mandalay Bay

    Las Vegas

    Angular and glittering gold, massive Mandalay Bay flanks the far south end of the Strip. It's the first resort many visitors lay eyes on as they roll into…

  • LAS VEGAS - MARCH 15 : The Linq, a dining and shopping district and High Roller at the center of the Las Vegas Strip on March 15 2014 , The High Roller is the world's largest observation wheel

    LINQ Promenade

    Las Vegas

    Running between The LINQ Hotel & Casino and the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, the LINQ Promenade is a partially-covered outdoor pedestrian walkway…

  • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21: Jupiter (L) and Saturn appear about one-tenth of a degree apart during an astronomical event known as a Great Conjunction to the left of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod on December 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The planets, which remain about 450 million miles apart in space, have not appeared this close together from Earth's vantage point since 1623, and it's been nearly 800 years since the alignment occurred at night. The conjunction, which occurs on the night of the winter solstice by coincidence, has become known popularly as the "Christmas Star." The gas giants will not appear this close together again until 2080. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod

    Las Vegas

    Vegas has many buildings more than 20 storeys tall, but only Stratosphere (now officially The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod, but still 'the Strat' to…

  • Mob Museum

    Mob Museum

    Las Vegas

    The myth and mystique of mobsters from Bugsy Siegel to Al Capone get the museum treatment inside a hulking Downtown courthouse where real gangsters sat…

  • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 7: World famous Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada as seen at night on May 7, 2012. Stretching 4.2 miles, the Strip is home to the largest hotels and casinos in the world

    Eiffel Tower Experience

    Las Vegas

    The Eiffel Tower Experience is the signature attraction at Paris Las Vegas, a mini version of the French capital that includes the Hotel de Ville, facades…

  • City Center Complex on Las Vegas Strip, Nevada

    Cosmopolitan

    Las Vegas

    Hipsters who thought they were too cool for Vegas finally have a place to go where they don't need irony to endure – or enjoy – the aesthetics of the…

  • New York-New York hotel casino and replica of the Statue of Liberty located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas, USA - May 28, 2017: New York-New York hotel casino and replica of the Statue of Liberty located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. 914442300 las, strip, evening, rush, landmark, york, skyline, nv

    New York–New York

    Las Vegas

    Opened in 1997, the mini-megalopolis of New York–New York remains a perennial hit with spring breakers. Tables in the casino's 'Party Pit' are set against…

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