Caesars Entertainment better get a move on with that Ferris wheel it wants to build out back of O’Shea’s. A rival project, slated for problematic (and fairly blighted) land opposite Mandalay Bay received approval from Clark County. Then again, getting a project past the Clark County Commission is like spotting Holly Madison at a media event: a very routine occurrence. Also, the Las Vegas Strip is not exactly the Santa Monica Pier, in terms of the quality of the view from the top. The “Harrah’s Wheel,” if it opened today — for instance — would have for its western prospect the backside of several hotels and, to the east, a mix of slums and empty lots. To the south, Bally’s and to the north … the butt end of Venelazzo. The Stratosphere observation deck it ain’t. Given the dearth of promising locations, casino owners’ unquenchable Ferris wheel fetish (Phil Satre, Phil Ruffin and several others have toyed with the idea) is truly remarkable.
Continued problems with China‘s high-speed rail lines are making the failing Las Vegas Monorail look like an engineering triumph and a sound investment by comparison. (In other words, it’s really bad.)
One man’s “noise ghetto” is another man’s — mine, specifically — neighborhood. I’ll confess to being less than thrilled with the notion being propounded by authors Greg Lindsay and John D. Kasarda; namely, that solid middle-class citizens like myself be bulldozed aside to make room for “aerotropolis” cities like … Dubai. Then again, Las Vegas has already “done” Dubai and we’ll have a hangover for the next decade or more.
Also, McCarran International Airport encroaches so closely upon the Strip that Vegas really has no choice but to grow around it. Although Silverton owner Ed Roski’s idea of building a college football stadium right underneath a McCarran glide path looks like sheer whimsy. Those incoming jet planes practically comb your hair as it is. It’d pretty hair-raising to have one buzz a Runnin’ Rebels game, to say nothing of the noisy, er, distraction it would create. Roski’s proposed rerouting of Swenson Street (a major traffic artery) appears to necessitate the demolition of the Hilton Caesars Fountain, a campus landmark of UNLV and beloved anachronism for those who appreciate local corporate history. And that’d be a damned shame.
The Vegas Strip Amusement Park across from Mandalay Bay needs this in my opinion: a 21 hole miniature golf course with the holes designed as some of the casinos on the Strip. Here are the 21 hotel-casinos I would choose:
1. Mandalay Bay
2. Luxor
3. Excalibur
4. Tropicana
5. New York New York
6. City Center
7. Cosmopolitan
8. Planet Hollywood
9. Bellagio
10. Caesars Palace
11. Mirage
12. Treasure Island
13. Flamingo (Bugsy)
14. Wynn
15. Riviera
16. Circus Circus
17. Sahara
18. Stratosphere
19. Klondike
20. Glass Pool Inn
I know this is not a hotel or a casino but it is my list
21. Vegas World
Obviously some Strip casinos did not make the cut but there was only room for 20 casinos and the Glass Pool Inn. Actually I think this would be a very good idea but I would think the owners of some of these hotel-casinos would not want their hotel-casinos associated with a miniature golf course.
Ahh David, I don’t know where to start… so I will say S&G brings up some interesting and provocative issues… LOL Thanks for the Santa Monica shout-out! I have lived here for years, yes, the pier has a better view than the Koval Corridor. Plus I don’t want anyone messing with my Strip-avoiding shortcuts, even if children get happy. Terrible link to a highly-biased against any infrastructure website like National Review! They don’t advocate anything positive for the country at large, only one term for Obama. The article emited a limberger odor, and it’s a real stretch to compare HSR to the 5mph Monorail. HSR won’t be built to cover 3 miles like the Monorail and stop every 3 seconds. Myself, an avid golfer, look at Bali High Golf Course in amazement. How can anyone spend multiple Benjamins to play golf under the runway at McCarran! That would kill the tropical theme for me. Swenson is one of my shortcut streets too, sheesh, they are trying to rock my world…
Last week I took the HSR from Shanghai to Nanjing. It took about 2 hours before, now cut back to one hour. A train leaves every 15 minutes. Comfortable, clean cars. Food being served.
Yes, there are some troubles overall (bribes, graft), but once those are overcome, it will be a showcase for China.
It can happen, just look at NY’s Shea stadium. It was great seeing the passengers faces during a ball game.
Great idea Kelly! My family loves mini golf. We always hit the indoor King Tut one in Henderson. A Vegas themed course would be a hoot…