The Las Vegas Monorail has endured years of almost comical setbacks, technical problems, and budget overruns, but it's finally up and running. Many visitors don't even know it's there unless they glimpse it out of a hotel window or pass under the elevated tracks, but since the monorail runs behind the massive hotels on the east side of the Strip, it's still easy to miss. And it doesn't help that the monorail only serves the Strip itself, rather than extending to the airport (yet). However, all that said, there is nothing more immobile and frustrating than traffic gridlock on the Strip, and several years of complicated road construction have done little to alleviate the problem.

If you're in Vegas during high season, the monorail is a pretty attractive option -- especially if you have to get from one end of the Strip to the other. Seven monorail stations from Tropicana Avenue (at the MGM Grand) in the south to the Sahara Avenue (and the Sahara hotel) in the north. That Tropicana/MGM Grand station is closest to the Aladdin, soon to be he Planet Hollywood; the Flamingo/Caesars Palace station is nearest the Westin Casuarina. Tickets are $5 a ride, or $15 for an all-day pass; other bulk-ride discounts are available. Note that some of the monorail stations are a fair hike to get to from the Strip proper.