With all due respect to the Mob, the Rat Pack and Elvis, now may be the most interesting time in Las Vegas’s illustrious history. This is a period marked by a spectacular collision of past, present and future and, while reinvention is nothing new along the Strip, being in the middle of it has never before been this action-packed or this much fun.
The luxe Vegas era that began a decade ago is still in full swing, with entertainment, shopping, dining, pampering and clubbing continuing to give gaming a run for its money (in fact, most of the Strip’s revenue now comes from non-gaming offerings). The main difference today is affordability. Las Vegas has been fighting the recession with reduced room deals and a variety of packages designed to stir people from hibernation into escapism.
The city also has a shiny, bright future up its sleeve – £16.5 billion worth of projects are planned or under way, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and things kick off this autumn with the unveiling of so-called ‘urban metropolis’ CityCenter and a new era of metropolitan sophistication.
As you’ll see from this guide, the sum of today’s Las Vegas is hard to define. From the venerable Sahara Hotel to the opulent Encore, and from medieval-style Excalibur to the soon-to-open, ultra-contemporary Fontainebleau, the world’s most popular tourist destination has taken on multiple personalities. And with Cirque du Soleil’s Elvis and the Las Vegas Museum of Law Enforcement and Organized Crime (aka the Mob Museum) on the way, you might say it has become uncharacteristically nostalgic. Then again, perhaps the single adjective that debuted with the Las Vegas welcome sign 50 summers ago still works best: fabulous.
SHOPPING/ATTRACTIONS
More than half of Vegas’s 37 million visitors go shopping. The allure starts with the fact that Las Vegas malls are attractions in themselves. The Forum Shops at Caesars and the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, for example, offer themed ambience, entertainment and rides (indoor gondola cruise, anyone?) along with hundreds of upmarket retailers. And there are plenty of places to choose from, with 14 malls of various sizes, styles and price levels on the Strip. From the bargain-hunter’s favourite, Las Vegas Outlet Center (7400 Las Vegas Boulevard South), to the ultra-luxurious finds in the 11 boutiques at Encore’s Esplanade, Las Vegas has it all. Hot destinations of late include the 170-store Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood and the urban-style Town Square (6605 Las Vegas Boulevard South), an outdoor mall south of the Strip.
If you already have an Hermès purse and a Rolex watch, you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of other attractions along the Strip. Some are even free, such as the new and improved volcano at the Mirage, the seductive Sirens of TI music and dance show at Treasure Island, the wondrous conservatory and botanical gardens at Bellagio, and the carnival-inspired Show in the Sky at the Rio. For a few dollars more, you can ride one of the half-dozen roller coasters along the Strip, visit a variety of exhibits (Madame Tussaud’s, the Titanic) or see exotic creatures (Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, and Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay).
