Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/739845
FALL/ WINTER 2016 DREAMSCAPES 17 PLACES TO CONGREGATE As for The Park, it sits between the MGM- owned Monte Carlo and New York-New York resort-casinos, just steps from the Strip. At the opening, MGM chairman Jim Murren called it "a place to congregate with family and friends." It's a welcome change from the concrete and neon that so domi- nate the city, an "oasis," as another bigwig aptly put it. It fuses foliage with fun and fine dining, namely Beerhaus, Sake Rok, California Pizza Kitchen, Bruxie and Shake Shack. The entrance takes you through a double cooling water wall, where approachable on- site artists are engaged in their work. A mammoth sculpture of a swirling dancer, called Bliss Dance, can't help but move you. It has quite a history already, as it debuted at the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert north of Reno back in 2010. The Park runs smack dab into the T- Mobile Arena, which the city sorely needed for those blockbuster shows and sporting events it may have missed out on before, prompting a local politico to dub it a "game changer." It will be hopping at least 100 nights annually, more when hockey arrives, with music makers of all bents slated to perform. Local favourites The Killers shared the bill with legend Wayne Newton on opening night, with Guns N' Roses and Billy Joel following shortly after- ward. October brought The Rolling Stones, Keith Urban and Kanye West. For those who like to mix it up, there's UFC aplenty on offer, not to mention the rough-and-tumble Pro Bull Riders World Finals. Hockey lovers had a sniff of what was to come in early October, when the two- time Stanley Cup champion L.A. Kings hosted the Dallas Stars and Colorado Ava- lanche at T-Mobile. NBA and college basketball are also on the sked. Adjacent to The Park, the 5,300-seat Park Theatre is opening in December 2016, fea- turing special engagements from celebrated performers such as Stevie Nicks. ALL-STAR HOTELS MGM is the town's biggest player, with a couple of handfuls of properties on the Strip (in alphabetical order, the Aria, Bel- lagio, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, Monte Carlo and New York-New York). Harrah's, with its flagship Caesars Palace, is another big player, as are Trump and Wynn. OPPOSITE TOP: The music of the Beatles lives on at the Mirage where LOVE, a theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil, traces the band's brief history. Cirque du Soleil LEFT: Take in a spectacular water, music and light show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts International TOP RIGHT: The 3,400-kilogram sculpture, Bliss Dance, created by artist Marco Cochrane, celebrates beauty, humanity and power. Barry Toranto THE BEATLES AND CIRQUE AT THE MIRAGE It's been nearly 50 years since the Beatles last performed on the rooftop of their London offices and two of the four are long gone. But they live on at the Mirage in Vegas, where LOVE, a theatrical produc- tion by Cirque du Soleil, traces the band's all-too-brief history and has thrilled audi- ences for a decade at two nightly shows from Thursday through Monday. There's more for Beatles' buffs at a fab gift shop next to the specially built theatre. AND SOON THERE WILL BE NHL HOCKEY Team owner Bill Foley has high hopes for hockey in "Sin City," telling the world, "Las Vegas is hockey ready. I'm convinced we're going to be full every night." He's promising a "fast-skating" and "tough" team. As for the team's prospects, one player who has made the rounds went so far as to suggest that it will be especially tough to be beat at home, with visitors falling prey to Vegas's many distractions. Early odds of it winning the Cup in its inaugural season are 100 to 1. Don't bet on that happening, though. PAWN STARS Fans of the History Channel's hugely pop- ular program Pawn Stars will want to visit the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, otherwise known as Rick Harrison's place, where the show is filmed. It's at 713 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, it can get quite busy, so arrive early. MORE TO DO IN VEGAS