Centennial Celebration
Favorite Desert Town Dramatically Improved During Last 100 Years
The Signal - Business Section, May, 2005
Here’s one birthday I’ll bet you weren’t aware of. On May 15, the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, turns 100 years old. Imagine that, the dusty Wild West casino town is all grown up.
Going well beyond the daily excitement and buzz of activity along the famous desert strip, Las Vegas will enjoy a year-long centennial celebration. As if there wasn’t already enough to see and do around the clock at this popular destination, now it’s a birthday party too.
Las Vegas, with the current tagline “We Did It Our Way!,” has come a long distance from the glitzy, gambling, guzzling town for celebrities that put the Nevada hot spot on the map. Everyone from television cowboys to rock stars and pop idols would head to the desert strip for sinful fun and excitement. But over the years, things have changed.
Polishing its image to attract leading luxury hotels, high-end boutiques and gourmet restaurants, Las Vegas was reaching out to the upscale traveler. As the re-engineering of downtown Las Vegas continued, new properties laid stake in the growth and a new wave of tourism crested. Now operating at near capacity just about all year long, Las Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination ideal for major conventions, weekend getaways, honeymoons and more.
Boasting some of the most famous shows, superstars and chefs of today, Las Vegas really does offer something for visitors of all ages. Entertainment, nightlife, lights, dancing fountains, food, shows and shopping, oh, and gambling too. That’s just it, gambling is no longer the headline attraction to the desert metropolis. Casinos are still everywhere, but it’s not the only game in town.
Just a short cab ride from the airport, the map of downtown Las Vegas is one of convenience and walking. The major attractions are all located along the strip, which is best seen by foot. From the dancing musical fountains at the Bellagio to the gondolas at the Venetian, the roller coaster ride at New York, New York to the pirate shows at Treasure Island, the hotels alone are significant. Add to that the top-notch restaurants and shops located inside these properties, the exciting performers and shows, golf courses, galleries and swimming pools, the new Las Vegas is a desert Disneyland for adults.
And it continues to change. The most recent addition of the upscale Wynn Las Vegas adds more than 2,700 hotel rooms to the bustling strip, 19 new restaurants, yards of convention and showroom space, and an 111,000-square-foot casino. The Wynn resort was created by its namesake, Stephen Wynn, who continues to play a pivotal role in the renewal of the desert playground. He developed Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island, The Golden Nugget, and now, Wynn, his biggest project to date which recently opened for business in April.
Even in the scorching triple-digit heat of summer, Las Vegas is a sell-out. Forget the $5.99 all-you-can-eat steak buffets to get you in the door to gamble, Las Vegas offers so much more. As the “it” place to be for the upscale traveler, weekend partier and conventioneer, major hotels, restaurants, shops and shows are lined up trying to get a piece of the action. In just one year, change in Las Vegas is easily noticeable.
Happy birthday to you, Las Vegas, you did it your way. We look forward to the next 100 years!
Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..
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