In early December 2025, the Qatar Airways flight from Doha landed in Los Angeles, California, on a late afternoon. It was just on the verge of winter, yet the sun was still out, and the skies were blue. Having flown halfway across the world nonstop for 16 hours, the brief stretch before taking the one-hour hop to Las Vegas was welcome.
I had been to Las Vegas before but never truly explored the city, known globally for its casinos and abundant nightlife. Perhaps it is the only place in the world where a guest walks through a maze of gambling machines before even finding the elevators to their room.
The vending machines are not there by accident. Accentuated by bright lights that blur the distinction between day and night, they are designed to grab the attention of a would-be gambler before he can even reach his room.
It was a slow evening as I joined Arthur, Brendon, Matthew, and Sonwabise, a happy and outgoing bunch from South Africa, for a quick drink at Sushisamba, located at The Venetian, one of Vegas’s most recognisable resorts. The drink gave way to an early dinner of Japanese cuisine before we retired for the night.
I woke up late the next morning. Being a Sunday, the streets below were quiet. My mind wandered to what makes this city tick. Did the founders know it would one day gain global acclaim as a top entertainment capital? What would they think of the city if they rose from the dead?
Las Vegas lies in a basin, surrounded by the Mojave Desert, a fact that becomes clear from the 63rd floor of the Encore Hotel. As early as 1829, small bands of traders from New Mexico, heading to Los Angeles, found freshwater springs in the desert. This became an important restocking point. Las Vegas, after all, means “meadows” in Spanish.
Fascinating, I thought. Nairobi, too, was a restocking outpost for Uganda Railway workers before they tackled the Rift Valley. Freshwater springs gave Nairobi its name, and like Las Vegas, the railway shaped the region’s growth.
In 1905, U.S. Senator William Clark bought 2,000 acres for US$55,000, subdividing the land and selling plots between $150 and $750. His goal was to build a city between San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. Other entrepreneurs followed, buying and subdividing land along Clark’s transport corridor.
However, it was the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931 that brought an influx of male workers to Las Vegas. With few entertainment options, casinos began to emerge to keep them engaged. The dam also supplied power that enabled the development of hotels along what would become The Strip.
Las Vegas’s reputation was once marred by organised crime. Mob figures such as Bugsy Siegel dominated in the 1940s and 1950s, turning the Flamingo Hotel into a modern casino resort designed to lure visitors into indulgence.
Mob money laid the foundation for the city’s relentless entertainment scene, hosting icons like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and later, Celine Dion and Elton John. More recently, stars such as Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Adele have made Las Vegas their performance base.
Today, Las Vegas bears little resemblance to the small railway outpost Clark started in 1905 and shows few visible scars from the mob era. Known as the “fun capital” of the United States, the city thrives on spectacle, indulgence, and endless possibilities, living by the mantra: no risk, no reward. No single lifestyle defines Vegas.
Vegas is many things to many people: a theatre district, a culinary hub, a nightlife empire, and a global sports arena, including the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Everything in Vegas is built to outdo the last, creating ever greater grandeur. Modern resorts such as The Venetian, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, and Treasure Island compete for dominance, blending Roman-style architecture with Hollywood extravagance.
Immersive experiences continue to shape the city, and it does not take long before a visitor becomes a participant. One landmark, the Sphere, is a high-tech, globe-shaped arena that merges entertainment with cutting-edge technology. The virtual world of interactive exhibitions blurs reality and fantasy. On my visit, I was literally on the edge of my seat during Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth, a multisensory show where you could see and hear water crashing and planets seemingly falling from the sky.
No visit to Vegas is complete without experiencing its vibrant food scene. Global eateries compete for the attention and stomachs of visitors. My friends chose Zaytinya, located by Caesars Forum along The Strip, which presents a culinary journey of classical Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese flavours curated by José Andrés.
The lamb and beef kebabs with rice, served by our affable waiter Giannis, were unforgettable. A shot of The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve rounded off the evening perfectly.
For the undisputed entertainment capital of the United States, what began as a small railway outpost has morphed into a global phenomenon where entertainment is not just experienced, it is lived.