The Linq/High Roller

Combining an open-air shopping mall with a live-music mecca and a supersize Ferris wheel with dazzling views, the Linq is one of the latest additions to the Strip. Sandwiched between the Quad Resort & Casino and the Flamingo, the outdoor playground is a bit narrow, which can make for crowded passage, but it stretches the length of three football fields with a zigzag in the middle that makes it impossible to see from one end to the other. The site is anchored in back by the High Roller. Billed as the world’s largest observation wheel, the 550-foot-high attraction became an unmistakable part of the Vegas skyline when its lights were switched in early 2014. Less an amusement-park ride than a way to admire the city from multiple vantage points, the High Roller has 28 cabins, each accommodating up to 40 people—fewer if you want to roll liquor service inside with you; you can buy an individual ticket or rent an entire cabin. The ride’s full revolution takes 30 minutes, and it moves so slowly that it never stops for passengers to board or disembark. Though it operates from noon to 2am, the High Roller is best experienced after dark when the panorama is at its most dramatic. During the day, check out the many eateries, shops and bars that line the mall, including rapper Nas’s überhip sneaker store 12 A.M. Run, Goorin Bros. Hat Shop, and Flour & Barley pizzeria. Midway between front and back of the Linq is Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, the third location of the bowling alley-cum-music venue born in the NYC borough.