This video shows you some of the features of the Paris Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

One can't help but be impressed with this property which really has captured that old time European flavor in the middle of the mojave desert.

As a resident of Las Vegas I enjoy just hanging out, that is on the outside, at the casinos with location themes such as The Paris and New York New York, during the cooler weather. For a little while I can be transported to another world, and I think that's the reason these places appeal so much to visitors, as opposed to the casinos that are just, well, fancy casinos.

It's terribly disappointing though, to see those gaudy advertising banners draped over the very things that make these places so distinctive, such as the "Arch de Triomphe.

I realize that it's necessary to get the word out about a property's offerings, but there has to be a better way. This low brow, in-your-face, plastering of cheap, plastic billboard-type advertisements over carefully crafted architectural features really cheapens a place.

Anyway, despite that, The Paris offers a whole lot more, both inside and out, than what appears in this video, so check out its website.