Viva Las Vegas

Home , Adventuredome, Alessandro Stratta, Clark County Museum, Desert Inn, Fremont Street, Hacienda (resort)

DAVID S. VOGELS III

he devastation visited by Hurricane Katrina Tforced the AAO to relocate its 2006 annual session, originally scheduled for New Orleans. With 17 of the 20 largest hotels in the world, Las Vegas was uniquely equipped to take over the hosting duties on short notice. The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the adjoining Sands Expo and Convention Center will be the center of activities May 5-9. Gambling is, of course, the major industry in Sin City. JCO’s annual AAO convention preview will leave the gaming tips to others—many of the casinos even offer free classes—and focus on restaurants, shows, shopping, and recreational Las Vegas at night (photos: Las Vegas News Bureau). activities.

Travel Information rails operate on the west side of the Strip—one running a loop to the Excalibur, Luxor, and Days should be warm and sunny in early Mandalay Bay hotels, the other between Treasure May, with average highs in the 80s. It’s a good idea Island and the Mirage. to pack sweaters and jackets, however, because Las Vegas has a curfew for young people nights can be cool in the high desert. under age 18, who must be accompanied by McCarran International Airport is modern adults on the Strip after 9 p.m. Remember that and user-friendly; a light-rail line connects the only adults age 21 and over are allowed in the main terminal to the outer concourses, as in casinos and nightclubs, and that no-smoking Denver and Orlando. The airport is so close to the areas are scarce. city that taxis cost only about $10 to the Strip and $18 to downtown, each way (note that credit cards are not accepted). Rental car counters are in Dining the middle of baggage claim, with the companies Over the past decade, the explosion of luxury operating their own shuttles to reach the lots. megahotels in Las Vegas has suddenly made the Cabs, shuttles, and limousines pick up outside the city a Mecca for celebrity chefs. Steve Wynn baggage claim area, but some hotels have com- started the trend in the late 1990s by luring top plimentary vans that pick up below baggage names to front the restaurants in his Mirage and claim, at “level zero”. Bellagio hotels. At his new Wynn Las Vegas Although taxis are readily available in the city, cab lines can be long at the hotels. A public bus, operated by Citizens Area Transit (information: 228-7433), runs around the clock on the Strip for Boldface names in this article are listed in the $2 one way, and costs somewhat less in other parts Directory on pp. 183-184 with their telephone of town. The four-mile Las Vegas Monorail numbers and street addresses. For a website (699Ð8299), traveling from the Sahara Hotel to the link, call up the article in the JCO Online MGM Grand Hotel all day except early mornings, Archive at www.jco-online.com, and click on is another option on the east side of the Strip; a the boldface name within the text. The article single ride is $5, and discount ticket books and can be accessed at no charge by clicking on its multiple-day passes are available. Two free mono- title on the JCO Online home page.

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resort, however, he has turned to rising stars who and Seablue (two more Michael Mina imports), and actually do the cooking. The exceptions are at Pearl (Chinese fusion). Alex, where Alessandro Stratta has brought his Another exalted French chef, Alain Mediterranean cuisine from the Mirage, and Ducasse, has created a buzz with Mix, at the top Daniel Boulud Brasserie, a low-key outpost of the of THEhotel in the Mandalay Bay Resort New York chef. Wynn’s highly regarded new and Casino. Still, San Francisco’s Hubert Keller restaurants include Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare and his Fleur de Lys are more highly rated. Charlie (Italian seafood), Okada (Japanese), SW (steak- Palmer’s Aureole is probably better known for its house), Tableau (new American), and Wing Lei skyscraping glass wine tower than for its New (Chinese). York cuisine. The China Grill and Shanghai Lilly The Bellagio Hotel is still home to Julian are Asian alternatives, and Giorgio Caffé & Serrano’s top-rated Picasso, where an inventive Ristorante is a top-notch trattoria. French menu shines in a spectacular setting. Also Bradley Ogden is the hot name at Caesars at the Bellagio are Todd English’s recently re- Palace, with his new American cuisine, and Puck modeled Olives; Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque, is also on hand with the Hollywood favorites imported from New York; Michael Mina, run by the Chinois and Spago. Also notable are the frenetic, San Francisco seafood impresario; and Jean- Benihana-style Hyakumi, the Italian-style Il Mulino Georges Vongerichten’s Prime Steakhouse. New York, and the Miami-style Joe’s Seafood, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino has Prime Steak & Stone Crab. brought Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame to If you want to venture off the Strip, try recreate his bistro-style Bouchon from Napa, Rosemary’s, a new-American star on the west Emeril Lagasse of “Bam!” fame to recreate his side; Nobu Matsuhisa’s Hard Rock Hotel outlet, Delmonico Steakhouse from New Orleans, Nobu; the Second Street Grill, at the downtown Wolfgang Puck to recreate his Postrio from Los Fremont Hotel; the San Francisco-inspired Triple Angeles, and Piero Selvaggio to recreate his George Grill; or long-time French favorites Alizé, Valentino from Santa Monica, California. Of Pamplemousse, or André’s (with the downtown course, the entire property is a recreation of location favored over the Monte Carlo Hotel and Venice—certainly nothing that would raise an Casino branch). eyebrow in Las Vegas. What does set these restaurants apart from many others on the Strip is their comprehensive wine lists. Emeril has also lent his name to the New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand Hotel. But the big news at this granddaddy of the megahotels is the arrival of three-star chef Joël Robuchon with his Parisian restaurants, Joël Robuchon at the Mansion and L’Atelier. The former features a pricey 16-course tasting menu; the latter is more informal and innovative. Other MGM favorites are Craftsteak, Fiamma Trattoria (Italian), Nobhill

For subscription service and information on our Online Archive, visit the JCO booth (No. 259) at the AAO meeting. For information before the meeting, call us at (303) 443-1720. Dining al fresco amid the megahotels on the Strip.

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By happy coincidence, wine lovers have an opportunity to experience one of two 2006 Grand Tours sponsored by Wine Spectator. Some 200 of the world’s top wineries, including Caymus, Dominus, Haut-Brion, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, and Ornellaia, will each pour one of their best wines on the evening of May 6 at the Venetian. Advance tickets are available for $200 at www.winespectator.com.

Shows New York has begun sending Las Vegas not only its chefs, but its Broadway shows. Avenue Q, the R-rated Sesame Street takeoff, is playing at Wynn Las Vegas. Hairspray, a bubbly ’60s retro- fest, has opened at the Luxor Hotel and Casino. The best of the jukebox musicals, Mamma Mia! is at the Mandalay Bay Resort, and Menopause: The Musical, is at the Las Vegas Hilton. An off- Roller coaster at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. Broadway production, Tony ’n’ Tina’s Wedding, plays at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, and another jukebox revue, Forever Plaid, at the Gold Sweat & Tears at the Cannery Casino-Hotel (May Coast Hotel and Casino. 13); or Tony Orlando (May 5-7) and Frankie Avalon If you’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil (May 12-14) at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. spectacular, you should take in one of the many Celine Dion has taken up long-term residence at offerings on the Strip. The original Cirque show, Caesars Palace, and Danny Gans at the Mirage Las the watery O, is still at the Bellagio, and the Vegas. Reba McEntire will appear at the Hilton athletic Mystère is at Treasure Island Las Vegas. May 3-7, and Ann-Margret at the Orleans Hotel The new KA plays at the MGM Grand, and the and Casino May 11-14. erotic Zumanity at New York-New York Hotel If you want to see a serious illusionist, look and Casino. for Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo; for magic Other musical-acrobatic shows include Blue with comedy, see Penn & Teller at the Rio, the Man Group at the Venetian; Le Rêve at Wynn Las Amazing Johnathan at the Sahara, Dr. Scott Lewis Vegas; Sirens of TI at Treasure Island; Splash at the at the Riviera, or Mac King at Harrah’s Las Riviera Hotel Casino; and V: The Ultimate Variety Vegas Hotel and Casino; for magic with animals, Show at the Aladdin Resort and Casino. Among Dirk Arthur at the Tropicana or Rick Thomas at the more traditional showgirl revues are Jubilee at the Stardust. Bally’s Las Vegas; Erocktica at the Rio; Fantasy Stand-up comedy shows include Rita Rudner at the Luxor; Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana at New York-New York, the Second City troupe and Resort and Casino; and X at the Aladdin. George Wallace at the Flamingo, and various You can find “tributes” to everyone from improv clubs. Jay Leno will headline at the Mirage Elvis to Liberace around town, but if you’re nos- on May 12 and 13. talgic for the real thing, try the Temptations and Saying that nightlife abounds in Las Vegas is Four Tops at the Stardust Resort and Casino like saying there is ice in the Arctic Ocean. Every (May 11-13 only); the Platters, Coasters, and large hotel has a nightclub, with a theme such as Drifters at the Sahara Hotel and Casino; Blood, Cleopatra’s Barge or the VooDoo Lounge.

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Attractions minutes from 6 p.m. to midnight. Among the other outdoor and animal Classical performances can actually be found experiences are Siegfried and Roy’s White Tiger in Sin City, centered at the new Performing Arts Habitat and the Secret Garden and Dolphin Center of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Habitat at the Mirage; the Lion Habitat at the The Nevada Conservatory Theatre presents MGM Grand; Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay; Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark May 4-7, the the Fantasy Faire Midway at the Excalibur Hotel Las Vegas Philharmonic plays Gustav Mahler’s and Casino; the Adventuredome Theme Park at monumental Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) Circus Circus Hotel, Casino and Theme Park; May 6 and 7, and the Nevada Ballet Theatre Buffalo Bill’s Thrill Rides at Buffalo Bill’s dances Scheherazade May 12-14. Resort and Casino, south of the city in Primm; Several of the megahotels have established the Manhattan Express roller coaster at New their own art galleries, including the Guggenheim York-New York; the Speed World roller coaster Hermitage Museum, with a show on “Rubens and and cyber-racetrack at the Sahara; the Richard His Age: Masterpieces from the Hermitage Petty Driving Experience at the Las Vegas Motor Museum”, at the Venetian; the Wynn Collection, Speedway; and the vertical wind tunnel at Fly- specializing in Picasso, at the Wynn Las Vegas; and away Indoor Skydiving. It may not qualify as an the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. You will see a few adventure, but Star Trek: The Experience, billed great pieces of art at each of these showcases, but as “the world’s only totally dedicated Star Trek don’t expect the depth of the world’s best museums. themed facility”, is at the Hilton. Fine-art lovers may also want to visit the Las If you’d like to get away from the bright Vegas Art Museum or the Donna Beam Fine Art lights and explore the magnificent surrounding Gallery at UNLV. desert, the mandatory trip is to Hoover Dam near More specialized collections include the Boulder City (open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.). On the Atomic Testing Museum; the Auto Collections and way, you can visit the Ethel M Chocolates Collectibles at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Factory and Cactus Gardens and the Boulder Casino; the Howard W. Cannon Aviation City/Hoover Dam Museum. Also nearby are the Museum at the airport; the Casino Legends Hall Lost City Museum of Archaeology and Valley of of Fame and the Las Vegas Historic Museum at the Fire State Park in Overton. West of Las Vegas, the Tropicana; the Clark County Museum of historic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is homes; the Houdini Museum and Madame renowned for its cycling, hiking, and climbing Tussauds at the Venetian; the Las Vegas Natural History Museum; the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum; the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History at UNLV; the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society; the Nevada State Railroad Museum; Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park; Pharaoh’s Pavilion at the Luxor; and, last but certainly not least, the Elvis- a-Rama Museum and the Liberace Museum. With the closing of the roller coaster atop the Stratosphere Tower, the best climb on the Strip may be the half-scale Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas. The Bellagio’s majestic fountains, shooting up as high as 245 feet, are accompanied by music and lighting every afternoon and evening. Not to be outdone, the Mirage’s volcano erupts every 15 Desert scenery at Red Rock Canyon.

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Nightly extravaganza at Fremont Street Experience. Golf near the Strip at Bali Hai Golf Club. opportunities. Its Bonnie Springs and Old downtown area. There’s a street party every Nevada is a replica of an 1880s mining town, with night from 7-11 p.m., featuring a light-and- stables and a petting zoo. Of course, if you’d like sound show after dark. Neonopolis, Fremont to do more traveling, the Grand Canyon and the Street’s “entertainment and retail destination”, natural monuments of Utah are a relatively short features three miles of neon and an antique neon distance away. sign collection.

Shopping Golf Staying at a megahotel means never really Nevada’s recent population boom and mild having to leave the premises, and that includes climate have generated a profusion of excellent golf shopping. Most of the properties have thematic courses within driving distance—although many are arcades, including Desert Passage at the Aladdin, at least 45 minutes away from downtown. Topping the Forum Shops and Appian Way Shops at Caesars the list in both course architecture and greens fees Palace, the Rue de la Paix at Paris Las Vegas, is the Mirage’s Shadow Creek, designed by Tom Masquerade Village at the Rio, the Grand Canal Fazio and Steve Wynn, in North Las Vegas. Also Shops at the Venetian (complete with a convincing highly rated is Jack Nicklaus’s Reflection Bay at painted sky and gondola rides), and the Wynn the Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson. Boutique Collection at Wynn Las Vegas. For Other good public layouts near the city upscale shopping, however, the Via Bellagio gets include Bali Hai, the only course on the Strip; Rio the nod from seasoned veterans. Secco at the Rio in Henderson; the Royal Links, Another field of competition among the hotels a British open tribute; Bear’s Best, a Nicklaus is in spas, fitness centers, and salons. Every major tribute to his own courses; and the TPC at the property has a spa; some are open to the public, Canyons in Summerlin, co-host to the Las Vegas some only to resort guests. Invitational tour event. Also on the Strip, the Fashion Show Mall Farther away, the best bets open to the is home to Dillard’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, public are Wolf Creek at the Paradise Canyon Nordstrom, Robinsons-May, and Saks Fifth Resort in Mesquite; Primm Valley, with its Avenue. The Fremont Street Experience is a two Fazio courses, in Primm; and Cascata in pedestrian mall designed to bring visitors into the Boulder City.

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