Las Vegas Through My Eyes - Part VIII

As the baby boom continued in Las Vegas, it seemed there was nowhere left to go without having your heels nipped by strollers. Thankfully, during the late 1990's, it was Steve Wynn once again to the rescue with a new project he called, "Beau Rivage". The project was to be Las Vegas' first truly upscale hotel and the most expensive to construct to-date. The hotel was built to resemble a lakefront Italian village. Inside, there was an arboretum, an art gallery, and enough fine dining to please any foodie. Eventually, the project was renamed Bellagio. It opened on a windy night and its famous fountains drenched the tuxedo-wearing VIP's who attended its private opening (much to my delight).

It was a sea of tranquility amidst an ocean of chaos. Paul and I often wandered its casino during the quiet evening midweek hours. I can't remember ever playing any of their games, but I remember early breakfasts in the coffee shop overlooking the arboretum and live music performances in its lounges, all for the cost of an admittedly overpriced cocktail.

Sure the Bellagio had art and plants and mood lighting, but there was a lack of something here that was even more apparent to me than what it had. There were no children. In fact, the hotel would not allow any visitors under the age of eighteen to enter its doors unless they were registered guests. The only shrieking I ever heard inside Bellagio was that of a slot player hitting a jackpot, not the shrill scream of child who had just soiled themselves.

Other hotels quickly took notice and a new building boom was underway. The Four Seasons, The Ritz Carlton, and expansions of existing properties, and new undertakings like the Venetian with all-suite facilities and top notch spas began to open. This new trend of understated elegance eventually trickled all the way down to the locals casinos which were no longer considered to be complete without a centerpiece bar and at least one fine dining restaurant, if not three.

The money continued to flood into Las Vegas. It was no longer the exclusive playground of the the McGuire sisters and their aged friends. Celebrities that people have actually heard of began to move in. Swanky neighborhoods were constructed as quickly as possible. Construction companies began to use dynamite to carve the hillsides in an effort to give every buyer a view of the Strip in the valley below. We sometimes attended open houses in these neighborhoods to get interior decorating ideas and to marvel at the walls of sliding glass that separated their gigantic living areas from the roman spa-like swimming pools, their home theaters, and their private wine cellars.

Suddenly it was okay to tell strangers that we were from Las Vegas. We were no longer greeted with eye rolls and snickers. Instead we were more likely to get approving smiles and envious head bobs. Las Vegas had finally begun to grow up. But then something happened.

To be continued...