Go to the vodka bar inside Mandalay bay. I forget the name of it but there is a bar top that is made of ice. Impressive.

check out the arts district near the old casinos, in the real downtown vegas, and if you can find it make sure you go to the sign graveyard, it is where they store all of the old unused casino signs, its a very awesome sight.

it's all architecture! soak it up!

...get really loaded...
...stop into any one of the wedding chapels with whomever you happen to meet along the strip...
...wake up to find out your assumptions regarding the sex of your new 'spouse' were wrong...

Oh, no, that was my nightmare...

Enjoy the weekend, and drink responsibly.

The Liberace Museum is very popular....

If you can get out to Hoover Dam, it's worth the trip.

Mandalay Bay has the most interesting contemporary design - several restaurants, including Red Square and I think one by Morphosis?

I havn't been there myself, but Green Valley Ranch Resort - a little ways off the strip, I guess - has the Whiskey Sky Bar, by Michael Czysz/Architropolis.

Mostly it's all about the constant feeling of dislocation as you wander from one casino to the next at all hours with a drink constantly in hand, seeing everything at odd scales: the biggest gold lion sculpture you'll ever see next to a 1/3 scale version of the Statue of Liberty. Wacky. I love Vegas.

Dont go to Vegas to see architecture.

arch in vegas is a tough one..........
there are a few small things to see, most have been mentioned.

There is no reason to go to green valley ranch, if you are on the strip you will spend 35 minutes, if not more, getting there for a bar?

Hoover dam is sweet however, are they still doing tours? I thought they had stopped due to terror concerns?

The 'D' wing at the airport is nice.

Old vegas, i.e "downtown" if you can actually call it this, is for me much much better than the disney-like newer areas of the strip. it still has the feel and dirt of the 70's and some of the original homes are still there.

I would think going there for fun is a better objective. Unless you want to study the hotels and an extreme take on "urban" design. oh and suburbanism gone horribly horribly wrong.

and aeaa's mom is a prostitute at one of the ranches. tell her i said hello

there is an nicely designed restaurant in mandalay bay. i forget the name of it however and it is quite expensive, but you can sneak a peak inside at anytime. they have an interesting core that holds all their wine. it's near the buffet there.

go to rumjungle at mandalay bay

monkeyboy, she is a stripper! how do you forget? and the "ranches" aren't in Las Vegas. Prostitution is not leagal in clark county. you have to drive to pahrump, a small town outside of vegas, for the goods. well, legal goods you are pathetic enough to pay for.

thank you all very much.

31 August 2004

So come on curtclay, let's hear about your trip!

Mandalay Bay was the shit. Areole, the wine tower bar with the repelling women who grab the wine bottles was very cool... also in mandalay bay was a russian themed vodka bar with a strip of ice along the bar for you to put your drink on to keep it cold. (didn't work to well with a martini glass though). There was a store called 55 degrees that happened to be closed, but looked very interesting. And the hotel lobby for the mandalay bay was also pretty damn hot. simple, but hot.

The Palms was were the pretty people were, and with no VIP access, no ghost bar so didn't get to see it.

there were many interesting retail build-outs throughout the shopping areas in each casino. There is an interesting gehry-esque face on a bar at treasure island that was interesting... on the inside of the casino the facade was made of orange fabric that had been laid out at all these interesting angles... an idea executed very well.

... more will come to me later...

Anything to add to this? I will be vegas this weekend, my second time there so I've seen some of it.

"red square" is the name of the ice topped bar.

you can rent automatic weapons at the gun store

coupon here

i did my thesis project on "old vegas." if you take fremont street south of fourth street and the neonopolis you get into a pretty shady part of town. it's loaded with 1950s and 1960s era motels. most have been turned into flophouses or monthly rentals. seeing the old vegas architecture is pretty sweet, a reminder of the rougher vegas of mobsters and movie stars. do be a little careful though.

I like to gamble, but you can do that almost anywhere now. I can't waste precious vegas minutes at the poker or blackjack table.

Old town sounds interesting. Is it walking distance from the strip?

How about renting some ATV's to ride around the desert on? Anyone been there done that?

walking distance to downtown? depends where you're staying. if you're out near mandalay or luxor take a taxi. if you're near the stratosphere, you could walk it. it's probably a mile or two. i actually really enjoy walking vegas.

walk? it's gonna be 108F tomorrow...
ATV? It's gonna be 108F tomorrow...

my favorite way to see Vegas at night

go see the wine angels at Aureole

wtd, good point. i've only visited in the winter. i was in phoenix a couple weeks ago when it was 110 degrees. dry heat, my ass.

check out the Wynn...if you haven't seen it yet, there are some spectacular(ly tacky) details there.

and if you go to the diamond lounge...tell darlene she still owes me twelve hundred bucks.

while you're in the Mandalay Bay - check out RM:Seafood, one of the better modern looking restaurants in town. really nice work by Cass Calder Smith from SF...just a bit cheeky, which i like, but really nicely done, considering it's basically in a mall.

two important things to remember about vegas:

you can drink while you walk.

2 days in vegas is just right, 3 days is too long.

I recall Will Bruder doing a building there....just can't remember what it was...but I think it was a Library.

Oh ya stay out of the Strip Clubs or you will be broke in less than two Hours.....I heard all about it from some contractors I had dinner with....they alway head out the for the Construction Equipment bi-annual show...

Check out the progress on Project City Center. She's right next to the Monte Carlo. Can't miss it.

I'm interested to see if they can get LEED certification on a casino. From what I've seen, the current crop of vegas casino/hotels are the farthest things from LEED possible.

I can walk 4 miles in 100 degrees easy. Not worried.

108 degrees though? I guess we'll see!