Wow, you've never been to Yellowstone or Zion or Yosemite? Then you have never experienced the United States.
Las Vegas is a nice city to start from if you want to explore Zion, Bryce Canyon, or Death Valley. The Grand Canyon is also not particularly far from there, though that's not what I would start with.
Yup, definitely agree. The west is much more scenic than the east and you won't even realize the abundance of natural beauty in America if you don't visit the west.
Also, Las Vegas is not a nice city.
