The Harry Potter vibe

References to the story of the beloved boy wizard who captured the imagination of a generation can be found all over the city. J.K. Rowling lived and taught English in Porto for two years, and it was actually this city that inspired her to write her iconic novels.

Legend has it that the first passage of Harry Potter was written on a napkin from the famous Majestic Cafe, which Rowling frequently visited. That cafe still functions, though it’s normally full with locals and tourists trying to soak up the atmosphere of those distant days.

Another place Rowling often frequented during her Porto days was the bookshop Livraria Lello. Although often crowded, its Gothic atmosphere, beautiful wooden carvings, winding red stairs and stained glass ceiling evoke images of faraway, magical worlds. Here you can find some of the classics of Portuguese literature, which we encourage you to bring back home so you can get a better understanding of the country.

* There is an entrance fee to the bookstore (4 euro). The fee is, however, deducted from any purchase you might make.

The best Harry Potter references are the students of Porto themselves, or their academic uniforms, to be more exact. When you see them walking the streets wearing their long black robes (called traje académico), you might wonder whether they’ve just finished a class with Professor Snape. Of course, the tradition of wearing these robes is actually a lot older than Rowling’s novel and has been passed through the generations until this day.

The majestic staircase of Livraria Lello – amaianos/Flickr

The old town

The historic center of Porto – Ribeira – is listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Now, it won’t be a surprise for you to learn that medieval buildings and cobbled streets always make me happy – thank god Europe has so many beautiful old towns to explore. This one, however, felt a little different to all the others I’ve been to; more authentic and even somewhat abandoned, but in a good way. Its beautiful tall and narrow buildings are decorated with the colored tiles typical of Portuguese, and after spending some time wandering around there’s a good chance you’ll start asking yourself: “is it really okay to stop every few minutes to admire a beautiful door, or there is something very wrong with me?”

The colors of Porto – Juan Antonio Segal/flickr

The views

Porto is a city built on hills, which means you’re in for some exhausting climbing: up and down, and up and down, and again and again… But it also makes for some incredible views of the city and the river, which winds its way through Porto. Here are some of best viewpoints in the city:

• The Dom Luís I Bridge – with the picturesque Ribeira district on one side, the wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the other and the Douro River between them.
• Ribeira – this is the perfect place to enjoy a calm evening sitting by the river, admiring the stillness of the water and the lights of the bridge above it.
• Crystal Palace Gardens – this beautiful eight-hectare park also happens to be the perfect spot for watching the sunset over the river.
• Clerigos Tower – where you’ll be treated with a 360-degree view from the top of a more than 250-year-old tower.
• Farol Molhe do Douro – which offers views of the endless ocean and its crashing waves.

A breathtaking sunset over Porto, as seen from Crystal Palace Gardens – Nesi Zelenkova/ www.203challenges.com

The wine

Porto is famous for its sweet red Port wine, and you’ll be in heaven thanks to the wide variety of local producers to choose from. Cross one of the six bridges and you’ll end up in wine-lovers’ paradise: Vila Nova de Gaia, with its countless wine cellars, each one offering tours and tasting sessions. You can also take a cruise along the Douro River to admire the vine terraces from the water and see where your wine came from.

Barcos rabelos boats used for transporting wine from Gaia to Porto – Güldem Üstün/flickr

The food

One sentence is enough to explain just how good Porto food is: “The world needs nata!” This egg tart pastry can be found in every bakery (and there are a lot of those here), and makes for the perfect breakfast or dessert (and if you ask me, the perfect lunch, dinner or appetizer – basically a dish I’d be happy to live on for the rest of my days).

I wouldn’t mind if there were more Francesinha in the world, as well. Although bread, ham, sausage, steak, melted cheese, tomato and beer sauce, and french fries all together might sound a bit like cardiac arrest – or at least enough to render you immobile for an hour – it is one of the most delicious Portuguese meals. You should definitely try it while in Porto.

You just need nata, don’t you? – Nesi Zelenkova/www.203challenges.com

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“From the dome of St. Peter’s one can see every notable object in Rome… He can see a panorama that is varied, extensive, beautiful to the eye, and more illustrious in history than any other in Europe.” – Mark Twain

“Rome is not like any other city. It’s a big museum, a living room that shall be crossed on one’s toes.” – Alberto Sordi.

“Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life… Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

”Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome.” – Robert De Niro

Read more: Rome – tips from a local

“Rome holds my psyche in balance. Whenever I’m there, it’s like a holiday.” – Giambattista Valli

“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.” – Francesco Petrarca 

“Rome – the city of visible history, where the past of a whole hemisphere seems moving in funeral procession with strange ancestral images and trophies gathered from afar.” – George Eliot

Read more: Why do we toss coins in the Trevi Fountain?

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The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa is probably the greatest Portuguese writer and poet of all time. Walking around Lisbon, one is sure to stumble upon at least one of his monuments or even his last residence – now a cultural space and bookshop. It’s only fair to get to know who this great man was and what he wrote.

The Book of Disquiet is his most famous work, which was actually unfinished and published around 50 years after his death. The book is hard to define – it is part autobiography, part personal diary, prose, poetry, and descriptive narrative. It is considered one of the greatest modernist works, not only in Portugal but in the whole world.

Fernando Pessoa is also known for developing the concept of literary heteronyms – imaginary characters created by the writer that write instead of him. Heteronyms are similar to pen names, with the difference being that they have their own writing styles and often their own imaginary biographies. Pessoa had around 70 heteronyms and the one that was closest to the real Fernando Pessoa, Bernardo Soares, was actually the name The Book of Disquiet was signed under.

Famous American literary critic George Steiner says about the book that it “gives to Lisbon the haunting spell of Joyce’s Dublin or Kafka’s Prague.”

Pessoa’s statue outside Lisbon’s famous coffeehouse: “A Brasileira”.

The year of the death of Ricardo Reis by José Saramago

Jose Saramago, one of the most acclaimed writers in the world today and the winner of the Noble Prize in Literature in 1998, also comes from Portugal.

The main character of the book, Ricardo Reis, who is actually one of the heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa, comes back to Lisbon after having lived for 16 years in Brazil. He spends the last year of his life there, staying in a hotel, spending his days wandering around the grey and melancholic Lisbon streets and having philosophical conversations with the ghost of Pessoa. All that happens while the dictatorship of Salazar is establishing its control over the country.

Discover 10 beautiful quotes on Portugal

Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal’s History and Culture by José Saramago

Saramago’s other famous work is the book he wrote to show his love for the history, culture, and beauty of his country. Narrating in the third person, referring to himself as ‘the traveler’, he takes the reader on a journey through Portugal beyond the tourist sites and travel guides. His writing brings to life every city, town and natural landmark he discovers during the itinerary.

Night train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier

This masterpiece by Swiss author Pascal Mercier is a lot more than travel inspiration – it is a philosophical novel that asks and answers questions about decisions, loneliness, love, and death. The story follows the investigation of Swiss teacher Raimund Gregorius: one day on his way to work he saves a young Portuguese woman from suicide. She disappears immediately afterward, leaving behind only a book by Amadeu de Prado. Spontaneously, Raimund decides to investigate the story of de Prado and takes the night train to Lisbon. His journey leads him through the mysterious streets of Lisbon and introduces him to live under the oppressive regime of Salazar when the wise doctor Amadeus de Prado lived.

In 2013, a movie based on the book was released, starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Laurent.

To learn more about the Salazar regime and the resistance covered in the book, you might want to visit the Museum of Aljube in Lisbon.

Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire by Roger Crowley

Roger Crowley is a New York Times bestselling writer and historian who tells the story of how the great Portuguese conquerors turned the poor kingdom of Portugal into one of the largest and longest-lived colonial empires in the world. Though highly informative, the book is nothing like a typically boring academic work. Instead, it captivates the reader by turning historical figures into living characters and remains fascinating from beginning to end.

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”If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” – Ernest Hemingway

”Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.” – Honoré de Balzac

”There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even – the French air clears up the brain and does good – a world of good.” ― Vincent van Gogh

”Paris is the city in which one loves to live. Sometimes I think this is because it is the only city in the world where you can step out of a railway station – the Gare D’Orsay – and see, simultaneously, the chief enchantments: the Seine with its bridges and bookstalls, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Tuileries Gardens, the Place de la Concorde, the beginning of the Champs Elysees – nearly everything except the Luxembourg Gardens and the Palais Royal. But what other city offers as much as you leave a train?” ― Margaret Anderson

”An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.” – Friedrich Nietzsce

”People wonder why so many writers come to live in Paris. I’ve been living ten years in Paris and the answer seems simple to me: because it’s the best place to pick ideas. Just like Italy, Spain… or Iran are the best places to pick saffron. If you want to pick opium poppies you go to Burma or South-East Asia. And if you want to pick novel ideas, you go to Paris.” – Roman Payne

”Paris… is a world meant for the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail.” – Edmund White

”Paris is a place in which we can forget ourselves, reinvent, expunge the dead weight of our past.” – Michael Simkins

“The whole of Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature and Music… it is worth anyone’s while to dally here for years. Paris is a seminar, a post-graduate course in everything.” – James Thurber

“That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me.” – quote from the movie “Midnight in Paris”

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No matter where you are, you can always find something unique and memorable to do or see for absolutely no money. This is particularly true when it comes to Berlin, where you don’t even have to search for fun and free activities – they come to you themselves. Anyway, here are a few ways to enjoy Berlin without spending a penny.

Visit Viktoriapark

Crowning the neighborhood of Kreuzberg, this hilltop park is great for a lunchtime picnic accompanied by a view over the city. As well as relaxing or playing sports amid the greenery, you can also enjoy some curious sculptures and an artificial waterfall in summer.

At the top of Viktoriapark – tian2992/Flickr

Visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Just south of the Brandenburg Gate are the 2,711 concrete slabs that make up the Holocaust Memorial, which – with its grey color and grid-like but undulating layout – brings a strange feeling of loneliness and disorientation. The haunting experience of walking through this quite abstract and unusual memorial leaves space for you to reflect on the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust. That’s why it’s one of the most important places to visit if you want to really understand Berlin.

The memorial at night – Wikipedia

Visit a flea market

Suggesting shopping as a ‘free thing to do’ is an absurdity, I know. That said, browsing is always free. The biggest appeal of Berlin’s flea markets is their atmosphere, with all kinds of arts and crafts that you can admire without buying. While you’re browsing, you’ll almost certainly see some weird and wacky things you never even knew existed. Some of the best places to do this include the flea market at Bode Museum (every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm), where you can find a great selection of antique books; Antikmarkt (Sunday – 8 am-4 pm), with lots of jewelry, art, and vinyl; and Mauerpark, where every Sunday you can also take part in the famous karaoke in the arena.

Discover the street art

If there is one city in the world where discovering the street art should be a priority, it’s Berlin. Eye-catching graffiti pops up everywhere; thought-provoking pieces by some of the world’s most famous street artists lurk around every corner, especially in the trendy neighborhood of Kreuzberg. And then, of course, there’s the East Side Gallery: the longest open-air gallery in the world, painted on remnants of the Berlin Wall.

“Pneumohumanoides” by Jens-Helge Dahmen on the East Side Gallery – Andy Hay/Flickr

Visit the dome of the Reichstag building

Book in advance and get a good view of the city from the rooftop terrace and the glass dome of the Bundestag. The building is open every day from 8 am until midnight, and groups of visitors are admitted every 15 minutes – the last session beginning at 9.45 pm. Your admission includes an audio guide, so you can enjoy some history to accompany the great views.

Inside the dome – Susanne Nilsson/Flickr

Get active at Tempelhof

What was once an iconic pre-war airport is now one of the biggest urban parks in Berlin; a historic site where you can go biking, walking, skateboarding or practice any other type of sport. Alternatively, if you feel like just lazying around, find a spot on the grass and enjoy some German beer and bratwurst. It’s not uncommon, especially in the summer, for Templehof to host an array of concurrent events. Regardless of what’s on, you owe it to yourself to visit this unusual park. After all, it’s not often you get the chance to walk down an airport runway, is it?

Nothing beats the sight of an abandoned airport – K.H.Reichert/Flickr

Visit the Museum of Unheard of Things

The oddest objects – and the even odder stories behind them – turn this tiny museum into an hour-long escape from reality, where you’ll be immersed in a world of wild imagination conceived by its creator: artist Roland Albrecht. All of these objects – small or large, everyday or special – have their own personality and make this museum a one-of-a-kind experience. Opening hours, tickets and other information about the Museum of Unheard Things here.

Pinning this post doesn’t cost a penny either, so you might as well just do it now. Who knows when you’ll find yourself in the center of Berlin with no money? 

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Instead of trying to make your life perfect, give yourself the freedom to make it an adventure, and go ever upward. – Drew Houston

Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. – Jaime Lyn

Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be. – Steve Pavlina

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”. – Hunter S. Thompson

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. – Eleanor Roosevelt

There is much more to life than following others’ prescribed path. There is so much more to life than what you experience right now. You need to decide who you are for yourself. Become a whole being. Adventure. – Roy T. Bennett

I have found adventure in flying, in world travel, in business, and even close at hand… Adventure is a state of mind – and spirit. – Jacqueline Cochran

To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one’s self… And to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one’s self. – Soren Kierkegaard

The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. – Jon Krakauer

Until you step into the unknown, you don’t know what you’re made of. – Roy T.Bennett

Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles in life. – John Amatt

First you jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down. – Ray Bradbury

Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience. – Jon Krakauer

One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. – Andre Gide

So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. – Edward Abbey

Anytime I feel lost, I pull out a map and stare. I stare until I have reminded myself that life is a giant adventure, so much to do, to see. – Angelina Jolie

My parents taught me honesty, truth, compassion, kindness and how to care for people. Also, they encouraged me to take risks, to boldly go. They taught me that the greatest danger in life is not taking the adventure. – Brian Blessed

Life experience is what defines our character, even if it means getting your heart broken or being lied to. You know, you need the downs to appreciate the ups. Going on the adventure or taking that risk is important. – Nev Schulman

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Spend a day playing in the snow

The first snowflakes hit the ground so slowly and peacefully that somehow, amid all those thoughts of the traffic chaos the snow may cause or how wet your feet are going to get on your way home, you remember the old days when none of it mattered. When temperatures were just random numbers you overheard on the TV during the brief 15 minutes when you were actually at home on a snow day – just to slightly unfreeze your hands, change out of your wet clothes, grab a snack and listen to your parents’ lectures before heading outside again to fulfill your mission: to make the best of the day and fully enjoy the snow. And who said the mission is over?

This winter we challenge you to spend a whole day playing out in the snow. And if living in the moment without a ‘to-do’ list feels too unstructured, here are some suggestions:

• Recreate your favorite movie scene with snowmen.
• Start a snowball fight.
• Find things to use as an alternative to a sleigh – a pool float, an old jacket or a plastic bottle. Or perhaps even a friend?

Lose your heart to the snow | Brigitte Tohm/Unsplash

Master the art of making mulled wine

After spending the day as your inner child, what better way to switch back to adulthood than enjoying a glass of hot mulled wine? And trust us, it tastes even better if you make it yourself. Here’s how:

Do something small for someone else

December is the month of coziness and hygge, which makes you just want to do good and be kind. And of course, the best acts of kindness are the small, spontaneous, everyday ones. Let this be a month of small acts of kindness:

• Buy a homeless person a meal.
• Cook a treat for your colleagues.
• Compliment a stranger on the subway.
• Give a small DIY gift to a not-so-close friend, just because.

… but don’t forget that the best gift is you: your time, your kindness and your presence. Make sure you spend enough quality time with your loved ones this December.

The best gift is you: your time, your kindness, your presence. | Dakota Corbin/ Unsplash

Celebrate Christmas in an unusual place

I’m not saying that staying home and watching Home Alone for the hundredth time is a bad idea, but why not use Christmas to do something unusual that you’ve never done before? Have you, for example, ever had a snow picnic or built an igloo? Check here for more unusual ideas about how to spend Christmas.

Have you spent Christmas in a forest cabin before? | Ian Keefe/ Unsplash

Combine at least 5 New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world for your party

The 31st of December is a chance to take stock of what has happened in the past year and make wishes for the new one to be better. Some nations, however, don’t only wish for it – they do everything possible to ensure that their luck changes on the first day of the year, which often leads to some fun traditions. These traditions might or might not work, but incorporating them into your New Year’s celebrations will surely result in a memorable party. Here are a few ideas:

• Russia: when the countdown starts, quickly write your wishes on a small piece of paper, then burn it and drink the ashes with your drink before midnight.
• Colombia: bring an empty suitcase with you and walk around the block with it at midnight. It is believed that this inexplicable tradition will bring you plenty of great adventures in the new year.
• Switzerland: drop ice cream on the floor for luck in the new year.
• Denmark: climb onto a chair or sofa and literally jump into the new year at midnight.
• Philippines: wear polka dots, eat only round food and toss coins for prosperity.

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People don’t live in Los Angeles because we are tied to the same old, same old. We live in Los Angeles because of the intoxicating energy of new beginnings that permeate our city. – Marianne Williamson

I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days. – Billy Connolly

It’s mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they’ll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them aren’t even young and beautiful now. – Christopher Hitchens

In Los Angeles, you can have the city life and feel like you’re on holiday at the same time. – Isabel Marant

Los Angeles has no seasons, so it’s kind of hard to keep track of time here. The lines between spring, summer, fall, and winter all blur like my vision. I get stuck on repeat for different measures of eternity. – Kris Kidd

You can have a laugh in Los Angeles, or you can weep in Los Angeles, depending on your attitude towards it. – Miranda Richardson

When I came to Los Angeles, it was the first time that I ever felt like I belong somewhere. Not because it was wacky, but because people here understood what I felt like to perform, and there were other kids my age who wanted to do it. I didn’t get looked at as God, you freak. – Jennifer Love Hewitt

Los Angeles is like a beauty parlor at the end of the universe. – Emily Mortimer

So I live in Los Angeles, and it’s kind of a goofy place. They have an airport named after John Wayne. That ought to explain it. It has a charming kind of superstitious innocence. – George Carlin

I’m attracted to creative people and train wrecks, and there’s no shortage of that in Los Angeles. – Pete Wentz

I love Los Angeles, and I love Hollywood. They’re beautiful. Everybody’s plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic. – Andy Warhol

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1. The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic. It has been the official name of the country since the abolition of the monarchy in 1973. Greeks refer to themselves as Hellenes and to their country as Hellas. The name Greece is of Roman origin because, according to the theory, when the Romans conquered Greece the first people they met were the western Greek tribe of Graeci.

2. The contemporary idea of Santa Claus developed from the 4^th-century Greek Saint Nicholas who was a bishop of Myra (nowadays Demre, Turkey) famous for his secret gift-giving.

3. Retirement homes are not common in Greece since grandparents normally live with their children.

4. Only about 170 out of the more than 2,000 Greek islands are inhabited.

Donousa Island in the Cyclades, Greece, has a population of only 167 people (2011)

5. Name days are big celebrations in Greece, sometimes even bigger than birthdays. A name day is the day dedicated to the saint one is named after. Since the Greek Orthodox Church has dedicated every day of the year to the memory of one (or sometimes more) saint, almost every day in Greece is cause for celebration.

6. Greek is the oldest written language that is still in existence.

7. The first nude scene in European cinema history was in the Greek movie Daphnis and Chloe in 1931. The movie is based on the work of the Greek novelist Longus, who lived in the 2^nd century AD.

8. There are olive trees in Greece that date back to the 13^th century and are still producing olives. Greece is the third most prolific olive exporter in the world, and olive trees are an inseparable part of its culture – from the symbolism they had in ancient Greece (winners at the Olympic games were crowned with olive branches) to their big role in Greek cuisine.

9. Tourists in Greece (more than 20 million yearly) outnumber the country’s population (approximately 11 million) by almost double. Tourism plays a big part in the Greek economy and contributes about 20% of its GDP.

10. There are more than 10,000 traditional Greek dances coming from the different regions of Greece.

11. Greece is one of the sunniest countries in the world. There are normally more than 250 sunny days in the year.

12. Greece is the country with the most archaeological museums in the world – over 100. Some of the ‘must-visits’ are the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Archaeological Museum of  Delphi.

National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece

13. The Greeks revolutionized the art of sculpture. Greek artists were the first to begin creating statues that showed movement and emotions.

14. The turquoise blue of many Greek roofs, doors, and church domes – especially on the Cyclades Islands – is believed to keep evil spirits away.

15. According to Greeks, if you sneeze it means that someone is talking about you. You can actually work out who it is by asking someone to tell you a three-digit number. Add each one together and count down the alphabet. The letter on which that number falls is the initial of that person’s first name. By whispering skordo (which means ‘garlic’) you can ensure that they only say good things.

16. The saying “taking the bull by its horns” comes from the Greek mythical figure of Hercules, who saved Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.

17. In Greece, it is considered an offense to wave your hand with the palm facing out.

I would add something from me – a nice place for your summer vacancy – Keramoti beach.

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Read more: 13 quotes about Greece that explain why everyone loves it.

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Las Vegas looks the way you would imagine heaven must look at night. – Chuck Palahniuk

If you know how to live in Vegas you can have the best time. – Tony Curtis

Everything and anything you want to do – you can do it in Las Vegas. – Drew Carey

While I was busy hating Vegas and hiding from Vegas, a funny thing happened. I grew to love Vegas. – J. R. Moehringer

Las Vegas, Nevada: a city where oddities don’t make you lame, but instead bring you riches and fortune and fame. – Walter Wykes

Vegas is the most extreme and allegorical of American settlements, bizarre and beautiful in its venality and in its devotion to immediate gratification. – Joan Didion

Las Vegas is a city built on hopes, dreams, and a little bit of crazy. – Michael Mcdonald

If you aim to leave Las Vegas with a small fortune, go there with a large one. – Unknown author

Contemporary Las Vegas is astonishing. At night, it is a brilliant cluster of jewels of all shapes, sizes, and colors, glowing in the middle of a vast, black velvet canopy. By day, it is also an amazing sight, almost like a mirage. There is nothing but desert and rugged mountains all around, and then- in the middle of it all – one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the United States… truly an enigma. – Thomas  Taj  Ainlay

Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks – it says Goodbye. – Frank Sinatra

Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. – Hunter S. Thompson

Las Vegas is sort of like how God would do it if he had money. – Steve Wynn

Las Vegas is the boiling pot of entertainment. – Don Rickles

Vegas means comedy, tragedy, happiness, and sadness all at the same time. – Artie Lange

No one thinks Las Vegas is real; it is illusion, but visitors willingly suspend disbelief and pretend. – Hal Rothman

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