Las Vegas Diary 2011
Introduction:
We first went to Las Vegas in 2003, and we were blown away by how great it was. So we decided to go back in 2005 and stay for 16 days to really dig into the Las Vegas culture. We kept a detailed diary of that 2005 trip. There have now been some significant changes since our original Las Vegas Vacation Diary from 2005. We went to Vegas again in 2008, but the changes were minor, before the major impacts of the GFC (global financial crisis).
On our most recent trip in 2011, we only spent five days there, but there was an obvious down-turn in the Las Vegas economy. There are just not as many tourist on the street during the weekdays. Tourist foot traffic is down by two-thirds I would guess. Huge shopping malls can be almost empty. The influx of weekend tourists pumps the city back up, but It's not enough.
Other things we noticed: The beautiful fountain in front of the Paris Hotel is gone, The Luxor Hotel is no longer an Egyptian "theme" hotel; just a bland nightclub spot. The Aladdin Hotel is now Planet Hollywood. The charming little Boardwalk Hotel has been replaced by the ginormous CityCenter. There was talk of the Sahara Hotel closing, and now that has happened in April 2011. Several Large developments on the Strip have stalled, and have bleak future prospects. The troubled Fontainebleau Las Vegas construction looks like a nuclear power plant in the distance - it's original glorious internal fixtures have be sold off.
Probably the one good outcome of the GFC is that Harrahs decided not to demolish their little cash cow - The Imperial Palace Hotel. At least for the time being. We love the Imperial Palace and always stay there when in Vegas.
And we still love Las Vegas for the food, the shows, and the ambiance. We will take any opportunity to go there.
DIARY MENU
Day One - Arrival
Day Two - CityCenter (Our primary purpose on this trip was to explore CityCenter, the most expensive privately funded constructed project in USA history - 9 BILLION DOLLARS!)
Day Three - Venetian Hotel, Palazzo Hotel, Walgreens, Fashion Show Mall
Day Four - Auto Show, Imperial Palace Hotel, Harrahs Hotel, Matzuri, Bellagio Fountain
Day Five - CityCenter, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, M&M Store
