New Years in Vegas

Spending New Years Eve in Vegas is something everyone should do once.

Unless you do not like crowds.

New Years Eve is one of the most crowded days to be Las Vegas. It will be interesting to see whether the economy will impact the New Years Eve party in Vegas.

Want fireworks?

At midnight a spectacular fireworks show, coordinated with a musical soundtrack, will launch from eight ground locations along Las Vegas Blvd. from Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island/Mirage, Las Vegas Convention Center, Stratosphere and Fremont Street Experience.

Want stars?

Three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas) performs live at The Venetian and The Palazzo before heading to LAVO nightclub to take on duties as celebrity host. At the Playboy Club in the Palms, Kid Rock, will host and DJ the 2009 New Year's Eve celebration following his live performance at the Pearl Concert Theater while AKON rocks the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Pink will turn up the heat at Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The Kardashian Sisters will host a party at LAX inside Luxor, while Carmen Electra hosts the annual bash at Tao inside The Venetian. In addition to the street party outside, Las Vegas Blvd. morphs into a celebrity block party within Strip nightclubs. Usher celebrates all night at The Bank in Bellagio, while Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz party at PURE next door in Caesars Palace. Just on the other side of Caesars, JET at The Mirage rings in the New Year with New Kids on the Block, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood, while hit reality-stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt host festivities at Christian Audigier at TI. The newest nightclub to hit Las Vegas, XS at Encore, is sure to please New Year's crowds with 40,000 square feet of party space.

Getting around

With thousands of revelers descending upon The Strip for New Year's Eve, the Las Vegas Monorail will be the only form of public transportation available because Las Vegas Blvd. will be closed to traffic. The Monorail offers visitors a convenient option to and from the city's hottest spots safely, quickly and efficiently. On New Year's Eve, the system will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.

General tips
1. Eat early - You WILL be waiting in line for everything.
2. Bring a jacket - It snowed in Las Vegas for only the second time that I remember (because I was there both times). It's December and it can get cold.
3. Park and walk - It's probably the only day of the year that you have to pay for parking unless you are a hotel guest. So leave the car in your hotel parking lot or pay $10 to $20 bucks to park and walk to where you need to go. But once you park, leave it until you are ready to go home.
4. Stay the extra day - The airport will be in chaos. The hotel check out will be in chaos. If you stay on the Jan. 1, you can watch the bowl games and the town will go back to normal.
5. You can still get a room for NYE now if you move. Look on different hotel websites for the rates. If you are driving to Vegas, you can still get a room and have a blast.

Top free attractions

For those looking to make the most of their travel budget while visiting the "Entertainment Capital of the World," there are myriad options for the value-conscious visitor. Here are just a few:

Free attractions line the Las Vegas Strip and they're not hard to find. The Mirage's volcano erupts in a lagoon filled with waterfalls and palm trees every 15 minutes from dusk to midnight.

Next door, nightly passersby can catch the "Sirens of TI" at Treasure Island. The revamped version showcases the popular pyrotechnic war as male renegade pirates battle "sexy sirens" of Sirens' Cove. Performances run every 90 minutes beginning at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, the world-famous Fountains at Bellagio thrill visitors with more than 1,000 water-emitting devices choreographed to music by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Whitney Houston and Andrea Bocelli.

The Rio's "Masquerade Show in the Sky" features state-of-the-art floats that are suspended from the ceiling and parade above the casino floor in a one-of-a-kind Carnivale celebration.

Downtown's famous, casino-lined street is now the Fremont Street Experience, a 175,700-square-foot pedestrian area covered by a continuous canopy studded with more than 14 million lights. Each evening on the hour, this canopy comes alive with spectacular light-and-sound shows.

From Las Vegas Hilton to Luxor to JW Marriott, most major resorts offer free lounge entertainment that is available practically around the clock.

Low-priced attractions abound as well. "The Mac King Comedy Hour" at Harrah's Las Vegas is a great show value, with tickets priced at less than $20. The show contains quirky humor, visual gags and King's sleight-of-hand, all delivered in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

For lunchtime bargain-hunters, nothing beats the classic $0.99 shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, the oldest hotel in Las Vegas. For gourmet on a budget, many Las Vegas buffets now offer fare from around the world and at a reasonable price.

The Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino's Carnival World Buffet offers more 300 offerings and 70 dessert dishes from around the world - from pizza to omelets to teppan yaki to fresh pasta. Another example is Paris Las Vegas' Le Village Buffet which showcases five provinces of France. Each station is themed for a particular province and features a different facade designed to replicate the architecture of that region.