CityCenter - photos and observations

As a big part of my April 2010 Vegas trip, I did quite a bit of walking around on the second day to take some photos with my new camera. During my wanderings and meanderings, I finally made it over to the (somewhat) newly opened CityCenter. I wanted to see if I could truly appreciate the art and the area after the much-hyped and much-anticipated opening early in 2010.

I had been walking through Bellagio taking photographs when I found the signage for the tram to CityCenter located near the back of the Conservatory, so I decided I'd take that route instead of heading back out to the Strip and trying to find my way into CityCenter that way. When I got to the escalator for the tram, I discovered there was also a walkway directly from Bellagio to Vdara (the closest hotel in the CityCenter complex), and I would be able to see more of the area on foot and at my own pace than I would if I took the tram from Bellagio directly over to Aria. The walkway was not very long at all - a couple hundred yards at most, and very non-descript - and I found myself in Vdara shortly thereafter.

I took a couple of photos in the immediate vicinity before I headed out into the sunshine again. I was a bit afraid of getting lost in Vdara and didn’t want to chance it, so I didn't venture too far off the main pathway that led to the bright sunshine. There was a neat bar area near the Vdara exit that I just had to photograph, and I found the strange canoe sculpture everyone has talked about right outside the doors. It wasn’t quite as large as I thought it would be. Maybe it just looks bigger in photographs. Meh.

I followed the walkway to Aria and found that it is, indeed, extremely dark in that casino. It’s far darker than Caesars ever was before they renovated it. I continued my photo tour and marveled at the delicious-looking desserts in the Aria sweet shops, but I decided that all I really wanted to do was head over to Planet Hollywood because I was pretty much dead on my feet after several hours of almost non-stop walking and I had planned on eating there, anyway.

My plan was almost foiled when I got lost in Crystals – I encountered no fewer than five dead ends while I was trying to make my way to the Strip, and I had to re-trace my steps and attempt another route repeatedly. I could see the outside world, dang it! It was so close and yet so far. I finally gave up my attempts to get out via Crystals and headed back to Aria by retracing my steps and following along the outside of the building until I FINALLY reached the Strip. Joy!

I was later informed by my friend Claire that I could've picked up a map of Crystals at the Customer Service desk to help me navigate the shopping area. Not only would it have helped me find my way around and out of the building without getting lost (I'm still not certain of that; it is purely conjecture at this point), it would've also pointed out all the objets d'art that I had missed along the way. Apparently I was more concerned about getting OUT than admiring art.

Will I be back? Maybe I'll be back to Aria to see Viva Elvis, but other than that, I don't know. I really like my "old Vegas" stuff: the bright lights, noisy people, and the glitz and glamour that seem to be slowly disappearing. The beautiful and refined stuff is apparently way over my head, because I either A)just didn't get it, or B)really didn't like it, after all.

A City Within A City, Part 3: Vdara Hotel & Spa

This is the third and final installment from the San Antonio Express-News article that included some good reviews the City Center hotels currently open in Las Vegas.



"A City Within the City", by Greg Morago
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Vdara Hotel and Spa



This non-gaming hotel is the best-behaved student in a class of do-gooders. While City Center was built "green" and most of its properties have earned LEED Gold certification, Vdara takes it one step further: no smoking. At check-in they underscore the smoking ban and make you sign on the dotted line. If your idea of Vegas indulgence includes hearing the bells and whistles of slot machines and breathing in cigarette smoke, Vdara is definitely not your place. But if you're looking for a sedate, well-designed oasis of civility, this 57-story curved tower of glass designed by Rafael Vinoly might be up your alley.



Vdara's 1,495 suites ($149-$2,000) are unusual by Strip standards in that each has a kitchen, equipped with sink, microwave, stove and refrigerator separate from the minibar. There's even a coffee maker, another atypical Vegas hotel feature. The bedroom/living room features a dining table with two chairs, couch, flat-screen TV, a flat screen TV, a fantastically comfortable bed and a closet with two robes and two pairs of slippers. The desk is too small to be a good work station, and the lack of a chair with wheels or the ability to adjust is a big no-no for anyone having to do computer work. For a new room I was also bothered by at least six stains I saw on the carpet.

The bathroom is small by Vegas standards, with just a single sink and a magnifying mirror. But there's Aveda amenities and a separate closet - a thoughtful touch for someone who might want to get dressed in the bathroom. Another nicety: Most of the suites have washers and dryers. Odd but cool.



The three times I checked out the hotel's sole restaurant, Silk Road, it was almost completely empty of customers and without a single person at the bar. Not very inviting. Neither is the lobby's bar, which has no personality or energy. The tidy and compact spa doesn't seem very special and the pool was still under construction. Without a fun spa, a buzzy restaurant or a come-hither bar, what's there to do at Vdara? After all, you can't even gamble or smoke. I guess you could always go upstairs and do your laundry.



From my bed I could make out the top of the Flamingo hotel wrapped by an advertisement for Donny and Marie Osmond's show. All night I looked at Donny and Marie's Chiclet smiles and couldn't help but think that Vdara is neither a little country nor a little bit rock 'n' roll. And what it needs is a little of either - or both.

www.vdara.com