City Center: Walking the Walk
November 27, 2009
Just a couple of weeks remain until the Grand Opening of the largest project Las Vegas has ever seen, and today I was able to get a small photographic preview of the month to come from the newly-finished City Center Pedestrian Bridge.
Las Vegas City Center - Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center - Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center - Pedestrian Bridge Escalator
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center
View of The Las Vegas Strip from City Center Pedestrian Bridge
View of The Las Vegas Strip from City Center Pedestrian Bridge
If you are sick and tired of hearing about City Center, then you are about to get a whole lot sicker.
While City Center is a curiosity for most of the nation, it has a strange significance to me. It’s the culmination of a few years, and it almost chronicles my own tenure in Vegas.
While Las Vegas has been a second home to me for some time (to the tune of 10-20 yearly visits per year) … I didn’t start routinely getting mail here until late 2004.
As of today, City Center has been an auxiliary companion of mine for half of my Vegas residency – and it has yet to open.
It’s rare to have a bond with a place that is still nothing more than a possibility, but I have been with it every step of the way in one form or another.
I was there for the implosion of the Boardwalk. I was there when the first beam for the new property was erected. I was there over two years ago getting scolded by security for taking photos of the worksite. I was there getting scolded for taking photographs of mere models of the property. I was there when the road narrowed to one lane and caused massive gridlock. I was there decrying the multiple deaths of construction workers who seemed to be working under unsafe conditions.
For two years, my bedroom window, living room window, and balcony faced the growing monstrosity and it was a constant fixture in my line of sight.
The Las Vegas Strip - City Center Construction From Airplane
I can honestly say that I have never borne witness to anything this large from inception to completion. Unless you lived near the Brooklyn Bridge or Hoover Dam during construction eras, my guess is that few people have.
It’s almost like watching a child grow up. Especially if that child has a glass and steel exoskeleton.
That being said, the opening of City Center may very likely be slightly anti-climatic and ill-defined in that it does not officially open on a single day.
Although not open to the public, Vdara Hotel and Spa will open next week (December 1st)… followed by the Crystals Retail and Entertainment District and the Mandarin Oriental on the 3rd and 4th respectively. On December 16th, the actual casino portion of the project will open as part of the Aria Resort and Casino.
News-wise, December is going to be City Center overkill, and this is putting it mildly.
To get ahead of the crowds a bit, I decided to go over this morning and get some pre-opening shots from the new bridge vantage point.
As of right now, the bridge is comprised of two long pedestrian walkways, crossing both Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue on the same platform … without having to alight from one walkway and ascend another as is the case with the bridges at Tropicana, Flamingo, etc.
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge Stairs
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center Pedestrian Bridge
Las Vegas City Center
Las Vegas City Center
The western end of the bridge offers views of the property that were previously unobtainable, and as the photos clearly show, the project is huge, and it actually represents the look of a real city … albeit the cleanest and most modern city I have ever seen in my life.
As I stood on the overpass and stared up at the buildings, I did feel a tinge of excitement.
It’s almost here. The culmination of nearly 4 years of construction, speculation, inconvenience, and near-misses.
Now, if I have one complaint, it is that City Center is starting off on the wrong foot with the silly wraps. There is a large Elvis Show decal on the side of the Harmon Hotel, and it looks tacky, especially for a project that has not yet proven its worth.
Las Vegas City Center - Elvis Wrap
Las Vegas City Center - Elvis Wrap on Harmon Hotel
Las Vegas City Center - Gucci Wrap
I do think that it’s a bit early in the game to begin visually spamming, and I’ve no idea why they would cheapen the look just weeks before international media descend on the place. I wish they would have waited.
Aside from that, it almost looks as if City Center might actually live up to the hype. If not financially, at least from an “awe” perspective.
I still prefer themes, and I still don’t like the concept of office buildings masquerading as casinos … but standing on the edge of the new observation area and staring up at the towers, I couldn’t help but suppress my opinion, and admit the obvious.
Vegas 3.0 looks impressive.
Damn impressive.
Las Vegas City Center - The Harmon
Las Vegas City Center
Las Vegas City Center
Las Vegas City Center
Written by tully on November 27, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Nice shots, especially those toward the end of the set.
How far are they letting people come into the site? If Vdara opens Tuesday, perhaps most of the public walkways will be open by then?
As big as it looks from, say across the street, it actually seems to create the skyscraper canyon effect as you enter the site, it is that massive.
Just….wow.
Written by Rex on November 27, 2009 at 6:41 pm
How far are they letting people come into the site? If Vdara opens Tuesday, perhaps most of the public walkways will be open by then?
That’s a good question.
I’m scheduled to be there for the ribbon cutting and the media tour on Tuesday … and I will make it if possible. It’s going to be PACKED with press folks, and will probably be fairly chaotic. I’m supposed to be on the East Coast on the same day for something that is pretty urgent, but I am doing everything I can do put it off for a few days because I’m kind of psyched about City Center. My guess is that much of it will be open to the public soon thereafter, but it’s just a wild guess.
Of course, Aria opens on the 16th and also marks the “Grand Opening” of the project, so I would expect that to be the D-Day with regards to massive crowds and full public access.
I’m already expecting it to be a human mosh pit.
It will be the largest opening I’ve every been to. Hell, it will probably be the largest opening anybody has been to.
With the exception of Madonna’s last husband.
After attending many openings, I’ve personally found that it’s not possible to get the feel of a place until about a month after it opens and it settles into a groove. The first week everyone packs in and relays the same redundant reports of statistics, costs, and color schemes, and everyone strokes their beards and makes their official thumbs up or thumbs down pronouncements … then they go home and forget about it.
Trust nothing you hear for the first several weeks. Every report coming out of the place will be stuffed with a litany of hyperbole, “me firsts”, and “me too”’s.
In my experience, the REAL flavor of a joint cannot be derived until all of that dies down, and you just walk in as a regular civilian, sit down at a table, and play for a couple of hours. Or just take the afternoon to walk around.
The honeymoon period is a bad time to pin the place down, and they people who have rooms booked for January or February are probably going to experience more of the REAL City Center than the people who will be crowd surfing on Day 1-15.
Written by Hawaiianmark on November 27, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Nice shots, Rex.
I enjoy the excitement you feel towards the whole thing; from start to finish. It really shows the open outlook you have to your city. Agreed to, is the feel of place not obtainable till later in the properties life.
Nicely done.*
*…’specially the sweetie in the jeans…….
Written by wrxrob on November 27, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Thanks for the writeup rex. Love the leaning tower shot with the Harley leaning into it.
Looking forward to crowd surfing this mess around December 8 or so. And I haven’t been to south strip in at least a couple of years (Fremont regular though)
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on November 28, 2009 at 7:03 am
I’m definitely not gonna be drivin’ around anywhere near there when grand opening happens. You probably already thought of it, Rex, but if I were you, park over at the Hilton or the Sahara and take the monorail over there. Even though it only gets you to Bally’s/Paris Station, you can hoof it from there. Avoid the traffic and the only thing you gotta do is fight pedestrian traffic.
I read in the papers that this Viva Elvis show at City Center by Cirque du Soleil is already under fire. The owner watched it and hated it and they are doing fast changes to it. Also, I saw they fired a “young” Elvis already. So, it looks like Cirque du Soleil is trying to fashion a lemon orchard into a bouquet of roses. And they are trying to do it quickly before the grand opening. I guess he wants it to succeed quickly and make lots of money so he can go back into outer space again or something.
As a side note of what is happening across the street from City Center is Harrah’s trying to think ahead and buy a long string of existing casino/hotels. It’s interesting how Harrah’s is scrambling right now and trying to take over the portion of the Strip across the street from City Center as a form of competition. They are trying to extend their line of hotels in a row and trying to continue it by taking over the insolvent Planet Hollywood.
Whatever can be said about City Center, it is definitely making an impact on other decisions as well as providing jobs.
Written by BigRedDogATl on November 28, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I was in Vegas two weeks ago and it looks like it is going to be a massive push just to get Harmon road open in time for the Vdara opening. They have Las Vegas Blvd. narrowed down to just one or two lanes in front of Cosmo and City Center and Harmon is being realigned on the PHO side of LVB to align with Harmon between Cosmo and the Harmon Hotel bldg.
As I said, the whole street situation is a giant mess and it will be tough for the county and the construction companies to get everything done in time for the openings.
Written by atdleft on November 29, 2009 at 9:46 am
BigRed-
Yeah, Las Vegas Blvd. will be a nasty hot mess for some time. They still have plenty of work to do in fixing the street for City Center.
Rex-
Yeah, one gets a better idea of the casino once it’s been open for a month, then three months, then six months. I know there were some initial complaints about uneven service when Encore first opened, but when I stayed there for my birthday in March (also when I was in the middle of buying my condo) I was treated like royalty, as it seems they shook off their service issues. When The M opened in March the place was manically overcrowded, but when I stayed there in May (right after I signed the papers to transfer the deed) I had no problems grabbing reservations at Marinelli’s along with a seat at my fave penny slot.
And I know “City Center bashing” is the new big hobby in town, but I am looking forward to its grand opening starting this week. In many ways, City Center is an extended metaphor of Las Vegas in all its glory AND all its despair. Sure, it’s had its financial woes and it’s stirred up controversy over its design… But hasn’t everyone else in Vegas? I just can’t wait to actually walk inside and see the start of “New New Vegas” take off.
Written by LizzieGirl on December 1, 2009 at 10:39 am
Thanks, Rex! Great article and great pictures. I was there four weeks ago and the visual progress in just those four weeks is enormous. I look forward to your comments and pictures from the inside, as I will be unable to return until late January. Nice work, as always.
Written by Vegas Super on December 9, 2009 at 10:20 am
I was the Project Superintendent on the ped bridge project, and I can tell you it was quite a feat to accomplish. From installing the massive bridge girders to keeping the constant flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic moving during the construction of the bridge. It is now a piece of The Las Vegas Strip hardscape for decades to come. I am proud to have taken a part in this endeavour.. Come check it out.