Reference points: Las Vegas Wallpaper City Guide

By Chicago Tribune

July 13, 2008

Phaidon Press, $8.95

These chic "anti-guides" for "anti-tourists" are slim and stylish enough to consult on the run while concealing the fact that you are just an out-of-it out-of-towner. Created by the editors of Wallpaper magazine, which is devoted to international design and lifestyle, these discreet directories employ classy photographs lightly seasoned with savvy suggestions. The Las Vegas version opens with a fold-out shot of the Strip and a photo gallery of Vegas landmarks, followed by a tour of top hotels, a sampler of top restaurants, and a whirlwind, 24-hour itinerary (breakfast at Wynn Buffet, gawking at Graceland Wedding Chapel, slots at Bellagio, drinks at Onda and burlesque at Forty Deuce). Photos dominate every twist and turn of this rapid-fire, 100-page, blow-by-blow evocation of what's hippest in Sin City.