My New Favorite Street

So, here I was staying at the Rio on my last visit, and after picking up my car from the valet and exiting the parking lot, instead of turning left or right on Flamingo decided to go straight and see where Hotel Rio Drive took me. Turns out it takes you straight to Dean Martin Drive/Industrial Drive (the street fades from one name to the other at about this point). And it's my new favorite way to travel from one end of the Strip to the other, bypassing  the frequently jammed Las Vegas Boulevard entirely. Head South on Dean Martin and you'll get all the way to the South end of the Strip, home of South Pointe and the glorious Silverton. Turn North on Industrial and after passing what seems like most of the strip clubs in Vegas (not to mention the Erotic Heritage Museum), you'll get as far as Wyoming; turning left will take you to Little Darlings, while turning right will get you to Las Vegas Boulevard across the street from the OG. It's a nifty shortcut towards Downtown (to the North) or the Stratosphere and points South without having to deal with the hassle that is frequently the Strip itself. Even I-15 traffic can sometimes get crazy, with a line of cars backed up waiting at the on-ramp; ain't no waiting to get onto Industrial. And many of the streets that intersect the Strip will continue on to Industrial. There's easy access to parking for many of the Strip casinos, especially Circus Circus, and other Strip locales like Fashion Show Mall. As a bonus, the views of the Strip casinos can be just as spectacular from the back side (twilight falling over City Center and the Cosmopolitan was a sight to behold).

Vegas regulars are no doubt familiar with the similar function streets like Koval and Paradise serve on the West side of Las Vegas Boulevard, but I found Industrial especially zippy. Staying at the Rio as I was, Hotel Rio Drive not only gave me direct access  to Industrial but led me directly back to the Hotel on my return.