Greater Las Vegas has surged into the spotlight as the third-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, expanding by nearly 44 percent since 2000. While new hotels, attractions and casinos draw headlines, a thriving city grows alongside the glitz—supporting a diverse, everyday population with ordinary lives and routines.
Planning a trip to Sin City, I called a friend who has lived here for 20 years and teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. When I asked about the hottest new celebrity-chef restaurant, he laughed and said, “Don’t know. We can’t afford those places—even if you can get a table.” When I asked about tickets to a new magic show at the MGM, he admitted he hadn’t seen it and didn’t know how to get tickets. Even the best buffet eluded him: “The whole family is in training for the marathon.”
Most local residents live relatively normal lives despite the 44 million annual visitors who flood The Strip. While visitor numbers have rebounded, gaming growth has not kept pace. Today’s guests increasingly seek non-gaming experiences—everything from the new High Roller Observation Wheel to rock climbing at Red Rock and NASCAR racing with Petty’s franchise. Others come for business: Las Vegas boasts what may be the nation’s best convention facilities, with 10.6 million square feet of meeting space and roughly 150,000 hotel rooms. Remarkably, Las Vegas hosts almost 22,000 individual meetings each year.
The High Roller Observation Wheel © Las Vegas News Bureau
Heidi Hayes, public relations manager for business and public affairs at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, highlights six major projects among the roughly $9 billion in investment reshaping the city—many with little to do with gaming or golf. One key initiative is the Las Vegas Global Business District, launched in early 2013. “Las Vegas is known for defining moments that change the hospitality industry, and this project will be the next,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “This is more than a project; this is a vision that will launch Las Vegas ahead of the competition for decades to come.”
The Global Business District will roll out in three phases. The first phase focuses on expanding and renovating the 54-year-old Las Vegas Convention Center—adding rooms and meeting space, expanding food service, and creating a new lobby and concourse. Phase two builds on the World Trade Center designation secured in 2010 through an agreement between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the Consumer Electronics Association, broadening marketing efforts to position Las Vegas as a global meetings and conventions destination. The third phase centers on a centralized transportation hub designed to improve the experience for the millions of convention delegates expected over the next decade.
The LINQ, a 300,000-square-foot open-air retail, dining and entertainment district, will be surrounded by approximately 10,000 hotel rooms. Positioned between the former Quad Resort and Casino and Flamingo Las Vegas and facing Caesars Palace, this pedestrian-friendly corridor will see more than 20 million visitors pass by each year. Aimed at Generation X and Y (roughly ages 21 to 46), The LINQ will comprise about 70 percent restaurants and 30 percent retail, creating a lively mix of dining and shopping.
The centerpiece of The LINQ is the High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel, rising 550 feet above Las Vegas. Visitors will walk past many dining and retail options en route to the wheel, which features 28 glass-enclosed cabins and can accommodate up to 1,120 passengers at a time—offering panoramic views without entering a casino.
SLS Las Vegas, sbe Hotel Group’s first Las Vegas property, will occupy the former Sahara Hotel and Casino, with a redesigned property scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. SLS will offer 1,622 guest rooms designed under the direction of Philippe Starck and Sam Nazarian, restaurants by José Andrés, retail areas curated by Fred Segal, and a 45,000-square-foot conference center—bringing an acclaimed boutique approach from other cities to the Strip.
Genting Group plans a massive transformation of the old Echelon site with Resorts World Las Vegas. Phase One will span roughly 8 million square feet and include 3,500 guest rooms, 175,000 square feet of gaming space, and 210,000 square feet of dining. The billion-dollar development will also feature extensive retail, a 4,000-seat theater, 500,000 square feet of convention space, and an expansive pool and water complex.
Downtown is evolving too. The recently opened Downtown Grand on Third Street added 634 rooms and a prominent rooftop club and pool. Its open-gaming design and indoor-outdoor bars and restaurants create an urban-cool vibe that departs from the traditional closed-casino model.
SCENIC DRIVES
About 32 miles southeast on U.S. 93, Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel that supplies water to roughly 20 million people across the Southwest. The dam creates Lake Mead, a reservoir with some 550 miles of shoreline amid the Great American Desert. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, scuba diving, swimming beaches and marinas, and scenic floats down the Colorado River below the dam provide dramatic views.
Less than 100 miles south on U.S. 95 lies Laughlin, a smaller, more relaxed gambling town that evokes an earlier era of Nevada gaming. Casinos, shows and buffets operate on a more modest scale with lower limits, and the nearby Colorado River offers boat excursions and natural cooling in the desert heat. For a quirky stop, the Loser’s Lounge at the Riverside Resort pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to notorious figures from history and pop culture.
Head west on Highway 159 about 20 miles from downtown Las Vegas to reach the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, nestled in the Spring Mountains. Red Rock offers rock climbing, wildlife viewing—mule deer, coyotes, mountain lions and bighorn sheep—and scenic trails carved from landscapes formed some 65 million years ago. On the drive back, consider stopping at Bonnie Springs Ranch Old Nevada for a staged gunfight, horseback riding or a taste of old Western charm.