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HOT LIST
Downtown Las Vegas has a new bar for patrons who like their craft cocktails with a shot of whimsy. Sisters Pamela and Christina Dylag created Velveteen Rabbit, a little-known gem of a parlor in the arts district. The Victorian-style space features conversation-starting nooks adorned with mismatched period furniture in purple and yellow hues.

RESORTS
Imagine going to Vegas and leaving feeling refreshed. That’s the concept behind MGM Grand’s 44 Stay Well rooms, which come outfitted with hightech lighting to beat jetlag, while vitamin C-infused showers keep skin and hair healthy. Other perks include water- and air-purification systems, hypoallergenic bedding and a video greeting from Deepak Chopra.

RESORTS
Try stand-up paddle boarding on the lake. Take a tranquil scenic bike ride. Or hit the greens on Nevada’s only private Jack Nicklaus course. And whether you up your pulse with fitness training, unwind around one of the pools, chill in a beach cabana, or strike a pose in yoga class, be sure to make time for pampering at the world-class Spa Moulay.

RESTAURANTS
Sometimes, if you’re Michael Mina — he of the Michelin stars and über-fine dining venues — you just want to have fun. Mina’s new burger joint (or, shall we say, gastropub) is nothing if not fun, taking American backyard fare and raising it a few hundred notches.

NIGHTLIFE
Always wanted to party in Paree? Well now you can (sort of): Ascend the spiral staircase straight from the Strip to the fabulously elegant entrance of this oh-so-French nightclub, and voilà! Inside, it’s Versailles gone mod, with a lavish décor bursting with mirrors, ornate chandeliers and handmade globe-like light fixtures.

SHOPPING
Emerald green is the color of money, envy, blackjack tables, Oz and a little bauble that Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor.

Nights at ARIA
Located on the resort’s 25th through 59th floors, the Forbes Five-Star Award-winning ARIA Sky Suites provide, literally and figuratively, an elevated level of luxury.

The Shops at Crystals
Living — and spending — large seem to come standard in Las Vegas. The Shops at Crystals, adjacent to ARIA, boasts the world’s biggest collection of designer brands for those seeking Strip-side retail therapy — or the little black Dior dress that recently walked the red carpet.

COVER STORY
Bocelli, whose 80 million albums sold worldwide make him the best-selling classical music solo artist of all time, begins a much-anticipated U.S. tour with a concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7..

OFFBEAT
Hey, big spender! If you’re feeling overburdened by the unwieldy size of your wallet these days, you’ve come to the right place. No town does over-the-top like Las Vegas. If you thought Sin City was expensive before, just wait until you read about these completely insane, totally outrageous ways to part with your hard-earned money.

Thrills & Chills
Speaking of screams, Fright Dome returns to the Adventuredome at Circus Circus for its 11th year from Oct. 3 to Oct. 31. Featuring more than 250,000 scare feet including — for the first time ever — six haunted houses, this year promises to be Fright Dome’s most terrifying yet.

Feeling Festive?
Yes, Vegas is all about glitz, glamour and gambling — but it’s also home to a wealth of world-class festivals. Check out these fabulous fall events, from culinary extravaganzas to hip cultural get-togethers..

Entertainment at new heights
“PIN UP” follows their recent success with Frankie Moreno, who earned the title of “Best Strip Headliner” from Las Vegas Weekly for his prodigious piano performances at the Stratosphere. With his 10-piece band, Moreno takes center stage, where he interprets classic covers and his own hits with youthful sparkle and old-Vegas verve.

SHOWS
Blue Man Group’s Las Vegas production has leapt across the great digital divide with some hilarious results. This totally revamped show finds the Twinkie-loving trio in a tech-obsessed land inhabited by a GiPad (a ginormous iPad), robots and more mind-blowing wackiness.

Soul2Soul
Backed by a full band, they perform their No. 1 hits and the occasional searing duet thrown in for good measure –.

Million Dollar Quartet
The smash-hit musical is a fly-on-the-wall true account of what transpired on Dec. 4, 1956, when an extraordinary twist of fate brought Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash together for an impromptu jam at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio in Memphis.

Legends in Concert
The tribute show that brings brilliant pop recreations to Las Vegas audiences is celebrating 30 years in Sin City. “Legends in Concert,” now at a new home at the Flamingo, keeps it fresh with a lineup that changes regularly and a live band that rocks the house.

Rock of Ages
This hilarious, feel-good story follows fresh-faced Sherrie and wannabe-rocker Drew on the bumpy road to true love. Plot twists unfold to a double LP’s worth of classic hair-band hits — “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Sister Christian,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and more will unleash your inner air-guitarist.

DOWNTOWN
Already a touring hit across North America and Australia, “Spank!” will play the Golden Nugget’s intimate Showroom Oct. 18 to Nov. 9, bringing all the risqué joys of the sensational best-selling book to life, embellished with mirthful musical interludes featuring original lyrics set to classic show tunes.

Discovery Children’s Museum
The Discovery Children’s Museum recently opened in its new downtown digs with 58,000 square feet of interactive exhibits to spark kids’ interests in science, art and culture.

Container Park
Come fall, Container Park will add up to 30 new businesses to downtown Las Vegas. The open-air shopping concept is built from repurposed shipping containers, which allow for trendy, stackable storefronts. The park will offer a mix of cafes, boutiques and bars wrapped around an interactive play area for kids.

Pop Music Mecca
The event’s lineup of superstars — which this year includes Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, J. Cole, Elton John and a rare performance from Queen with Adam Lambert — is even bigger for 2013 with the addition of the iHeartRadio Music Festival Village...

A Very Cowboy Christmas
The West gets a little bit wilder Dec. 5 to 14 when the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo gallops into the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. This is the 28th year that the world’s richest and most prestigious rodeo brings its unique energy to Sin City..

Bill Maher Rules the Palms
Whether he’s tearing Republicans a new one or calling out religious fanatics (often at the same time), Maher reigns as the top left-of-center standup comedian, an award-winning talk show host, a best-selling author and an acclaimed filmmaker, whose “Religulous” is the eighth-highest-grossing documentary of all time.