Las Vegas, the ever-evolving city
«[…] Already, in this ever-evolving city, the geographic replica-themed hotels, such as the revamped Greco-Roman Caesars Palace with its array of faux-marble spuming statues of gods, are starting to seem passe. The art deco reconstruction of the buildings and sewers of the Big Apple known as the New York New York Hotel and Casino is losing steam. The Arc de Triomphe of Paris Las Vegas (two-thirds the size of the original) lacks je ne sais quoi and there’s something strange about watching couples with fixed smiles being led by singing gondoliers along a chlorine-filled channel winding through the shopping arcade of the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.
These days the wonders of the world on the strip are being superseded with gleaming concave beacons such as Steve Wynn’s twins, Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Encore, and the modern architecture of the massive CityCenter complex, which houses the Aria Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel.
And poolside is where it’s all happening. The latest trend is daytime private pool clubs that pair bikini-clad bodies with yet another opportunity to gamble. Dice are rolled while waist-deep in water, with cocktail in hand. The pool party trend started at Rehab, a hedonistic Sunday pool party at the Hard Rock Hotel, which spawned a reality television show. […]»