Friday, January 30, 2009

Vegas part two

[If you haven't read part 1 - do that first]

The last time I was in Vegas, the planned megalopolis known as City Centre was just a massive series of holes in the ground. This visit, things were moving along nicely. Pictured is the model of the finished project, which will occupy 67 acres. It will include the Aria resort, the Vdara and Mandarin Oriental luxury hotels, the Harmon boutique hotel, Crystals entertainment and shopping complex, residences, and much more.

If you're looking for a way to get around on the cheap, may I recommend The Deuce. These double-decker buses run from downtown to the far south end of Las Vegas Blvd. and are the fastest and easiest way to get from resort to resort on the strip. One way fare is $3, but $7 will get you a 24 hour pass and $15 will buy you a 3 day pass. The passes are good for the other Vegas transit bus routes too. This bus will save your feet - trust me. There was one driver in particular that was a real comedian. He could hear and see everything happening on the bus and always chimed in with comments to loud conversations.

If you're in the mood to shop in Vegas, you have 3 major choices outside of the offerings at the major resorts. Starting from the North, you have the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, an outdoor mall of 150 factory outlet stores. It's not on the strip, but the 108 bus will get you there. Near the Wynn and Treasure Island is the Fashion Show Mall, with 250+ stores and a fashion show stage and catwalk that rises out of the floor. Even the UFO style roof at the front is impressive. At the far south end of the strip, past Mandalay Bay is the new Town Square. This is another outdoor shopping area modelled after a quaint little historical neighbourhood, with many different styles of facades on each side of each street.

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