Bathrooms & Butterflies: the Wynn

I went to the Wynn on its opening night a few years ago. It's a very sensual place--lots to look at and touch! Last night I met some friends at the Fashion Show Mall for dinner, and afterwards I decided to cross the street to try to catch the Palazzo fountain show again. However I accidentally wound up in the Wynn! The casinos like to trick you with all these walkways, and it worked. When I realized where I was, I said "screw the Palazzo, I'll check out the Wynn again!" It really hasn't changed since opening night.

Aesthetics
A: The Wynn is all about the aesthetics. The colors are beautiful (Mandarin orange, Plum purple, etc.). The motifs are lovely (parasols, butterflies, etc.). There’s plenty of sparkling (mostly in the shop windows) and a lot of flowers and plants (not sure if they’re real though). Walking down the corridor of shops I noticed that in addition to being on the floors and ceilings of the walkway, butterflies also abound in the shop windows. I asked one of the salesmen who was standing by his shop door if the Wynn makes them put butterflies in their store. He said yes. The Wynn has a design team that tells them what to do! Personally I think it works. I love butterflies, and I love having them everywhere. They bring everything together and make it feel less like a mall!
Touchy Feely
A: I was so caught up in the touching of everything (inviting drapes, tassels on lampshades, etc.) when I got back to my car in the Fashion Show Mall parking garage, I almost reached out to touch the stucco support columns!
Layout
B: It’s a bit confusing because it’s round (think “Look kids, there’s Big Ben!”). But it’s also nice because it’s round. In a round casino you don’t wind up feeling “oh I have to get way over to the other end of the casino!” Also in a round casino the games are usually all in the middle, with a walkway around the edge. That makes getting around a lot simpler and getting confused a lot less likely.
Bathroom
A-: The bathrooms are classy and they go the extra mile. Lots of marble, parasol lamps on the ceiling, lamps with tassel shades in the stalls. I like the sinks, they are different. The stalls have high doors and partitions, and the hook on the center of the door is a safe place to hang your purse! I gave them A- instead of A because they just didn’t blow me away. It needs to be more funky or over the top for a full A!











Games
B-: I sat down at Gold Fish, but realized (before I put any money in, whew!) it was 5 cents a line minimum. (At 30 lines, that’s $1.50 per button-press—out of my league.) They have penny Wizard of Oz, which I’m a sucker for, and Crystal Forest, etc. The game selection is decent but the denominations are higher than what I prefer.
Attractions
C: There aren’t really any. There are some waterfall gazing spots. Pretty, flowered walkways. High end shops. There are two circular escalators which are kinda cool.

Ancient Rome, Old Vegas and New Vegas: Caesars Palace

Aesthetics
B+: It’s still an old school Vegas version of the Roman Empire, but recently I think they’ve made it a little more open and light. It’s a fun theme.
Touchy Feely
C: Well, there IS the bare-breasted golden figurehead of Cleopatra’s Barge.
Layout
C: Convoluted. It feels like there are separate casinos.

Bathroom
A: If you think it’s weird I rate the bathrooms, you need to go to the downstairs bathroom at Caesar’s. The stalls have pictures of Roman statues on the outsides, pictures of the property’s topiaries on the insides. There are little shelves above the toilets, which aren’t necessarily safer for your purse than a hook, but it did allow me to take a picture of myself in my stall! The sinks are cool and the automated soap and water work well. There is also a nice primping room. The bathrooms on the main casino level (at least the one I checked out) are much plainer.

Games
B: Didn’t play much. Their games (video and live) are middle-high end.
Attractions
B-: There are the Forum Shops with their free fountain show. Roman figures wander the shops and casino, and pose for pictures. They have separate gift shops for Cher, Bette Midler, Elton John, and the Pussycat Dolls, which is weird/cool!
Comments
In 1987, around the time I first set foot in LV, my hero Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) did a Disney TV movie called You Ruined My Life. It took place in Caesars Palace, so this has always been one of my favorites. Back then it was the primo high-end spot on the Strip. It was also near the far South end of the action. Now it is no where near the South end, and there are many hipper and fancier casinos. However it has managed to stick around, adding the Forum Shops (the first of many casino “malls” to come) and building more towers. I love that they’ve adapted enough to stay in business but haven’t phased out that classic Roman Empire theme. Many casinos lately have been moving from the family-friendly Theme style of the ‘90s to a generic Luxury style. Caesars has gone very little in either direction and I respect that.

Love Them Sparkly Blobs: Planet Hollywood

Aesthetics
A: lots of funky light elements, I guess you could call the style Art Deco-ish.
Touchy Feely
A
Layout
B-: kinda weird circular flows.
Bathroom
C: nothing special.
Games
?
Attractions
C+: I noticed some Hollywood related memorabilia. The walkway out front is kinda different. There are the Miracle Mile shops and I think they still have wandering entertainers in that area. Not sure what else they have for "attractions."
Comments
If you park in the self parking you have to walk through the Miracle Mile shops (which is like a mile or something!) in order to get to the casino. (Which is strange for a casino. Usually they make you walk through the casino in order to get ANYWHERE!) So these seats are a welcome site--they are right before the entrance to the casino (pic above). And the blob is pleasant. It changes color.

The little round bed-like seat got my attention. At first I lay down with my knees bent at the edge (pic left). In that position you are flat on your back. It is a perfect fit for pretending to make snow couches. That is, you move your arms up and down on the seat and they basically make the shape of the couch/bed (if you're laying in the center). That's fun but you're looking up at the ceiling, not at the blob. So I knew it wasn't quite right.

I went into the casino, looked around, played a dollar, checked the bathroom (nothing special). On my way out I tried the couch again. Figured it out (pic right). If you set your head on the top of the back rest (which puts it at the perfect angle to see the fabulous blob) your body fits perfectly on the couch with your shoes right at the edge (no shoes on the furniture!). If you are way short or way tall you may need some adjusting, but for average types like me it's a perfect fit. I have tried to illustrate how not to sit and how TO sit on this funny couch. If you ever make it there, give it a try! I was just proud to have figured it out. I wonder if the designers really intended it to be used like that. Or am I going too far with an aesthetically pleasing piece of atmosphere? Anyone know?
I do admit I liked the aesthetics in the new new Aladdin. (The hotel was originally the Aladdin, it closed, was imploded, re-opened as the new Aladdin, and then changed names and themes to Planet Hollywood.) It has a new feel to it, not a typical casino feel. Lots of shiny sparkly things to captivate me. I think it's odd that there is no Planet Hollywood restaurant here. There is one across the street in Caesar's Palace's Forum Shops.

What's In A Name

Las Vegas is a Spanish for "The Meadows." Our oldest shopping mall is called The Meadows Mall. Back when the Valley got this name in the 1800s, there was wild grass growing and a water supply.

I think I speak for most Las Vegans when I say "it's Las Vegas, NOT Vegas!" A telltale sign that you're a tourist/outsider is if you say "I've been all over Vegas..." You might as well get in your out-of-state car and start shouting "Vegas Baby, Vegas!"

Saying the full name can be a drag, but I never resort to the crass shortened version. If you want to sound like a real native, say "the Valley" (i.e. the Las Vegas Valley). This refers to the whole Las Vegas metropolitan area (600 sq miles) which includes much of Clark County. The county contains: the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas (where I live), Henderson (the suburb to the South), and Boulder City (by Hoover Dam), as well as unincorporated communities and other surrounding areas (about 8000 sq miles.) "Southern Nevada" refers to Clark County and I think Nye County (home of the Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain, legal brothels, etc.) as well.

The famous Las Vegas Strip is actually not in the city of Las Vegas. It is in an unincorporated part of the county, which makes it officially just "Clark County." When I was a kid on vacation I struggled for hours with my mom and sis to understand this concept of a land without a town. They tried to explain that there are some places where people live that are part of a county but are not part of a city or town. What, like in the middle of the desert? It made no sense to me, being from a place where counties have no function other than as a way to divide a map. It's still a little confusing, but it doesn't boggle my mind the way it used to!

BTW, you can say "the Strip" or "Las Vegas Boulevard" (that's the official name), or if you really wanted to you could get away with "the Las Vegas strip" but I wouldn't encourage it. "The Strip" is the street most of the major hotel/casinos are on (MGM, Flamingo, Luxor, Bellagio, etc.) The Downtown area (officially part of the city of Las Vegas) is home to the Fremont Street Experience--the canopy of lights (like a fancy, giant Lite Brite) that covers a couple pedestrian-only blocks of Fremont Street. The hotel/casinos in this area are older and cheaper (Binion's, Four Queens, California, Fitzgerald's, etc.) Steps from the souvenir shops are other attractions like the County jail and courthouse, homeless shelters, pawn shops, and more seedy--I mean fabulous--sights!

Another out-of-stater give away is mispronouncing Nevada. Before I moved here I was convinced it was Nev-AH-da, like the dentist tells you to say AH! It sounds very proper and Bostonian. My mom, who was from Ohio, went for the midwestern, flat Nev-AAA-da. Like....Ben AAAAfleck or that duck from AAAAflack. She was right. If you say NevAHda, you definitely don't live here. Wikipedia says that residents "resent" hearing it pronounced wrong. I just think it makes you look like a fool. At least a non-native fool.

Nevada is Spanish for snow-covered (like the Sierra Nevada mountains). It was the 36th state admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864. Therefore October 31 (or the last Friday of October) is a state holiday--Nevada Day. Halloween being a real holiday always seemed appropriate for Nevada to me!

Oh, one more pronunciation tip.... There is a long standing major casino on the Las Vegas Strip called the Sahara. It is located on the corner of Sahara Ave, a street that runs the width (E-W) of the valley--about 15 miles. It is a large, centrally located boulevard, so even if you don't set foot in a casino, you should know how to pronounce the name of the street. It's Sa-HAIR-a, not Sa-HARRR-a. Again, a flat American "A" sound. My bff from Massachusetts lived with me here for a few months and every time she said Saharrrra she sounded like a snooty Bostonian. The pseudo-DJ on 100.5 JackFM calls out "coming to you from the love shack on Sahara and Rainbow." By saying "Saharrra" he gives it away that he is probably some New Yorker who is actually the voice of ALL the JackFMs of the nation!

Venetian

Aesthetics
B-: open, airy, muted colors
Touchy Feely
D: not much, some water
Layout
B: flows pretty well, doesn't feel too big
Bathroom
C: plain
Games
B: didn't play much but found a couple machines right away, pennies available, Gold Fish
Attractions
B-: front of property (outside) is nice, gondolas, etc.

Not just another talking fountain: The Palazzo

Aesthetics
B-: open, airy, muted colors
Touchy Feely
D: not much, some water
Layout
B: flows pretty well, doesn't feel too big
Bathroom
?
Games
?
Attractions
B: Living Garden Show is free and very nice. Also shops, gondolas
Comments
Today I went to the Venetian for breakfast with a cousin who is in town for the weekend. After we parted ways, I decided to explore a little. Fergie is going to be playing there on New Years Eve, so I wanted to check out the venue (as if I can afford to go!). I wandered around a little (played a dollar on Gold Fish) and found myself in the Palazzo. The Palazzo is a casino that was a bit of a mystery to me. I don't remember hearing about it opening, and I was a little confused about its connection to the Venetian. Turns out there is actually a physical connection. Just like the Grand Canal Shops turn into the Venetian casino, the Venetian casino turns into the Shoppes at the Palazzo which turn into the Palazzo casino! So I wandered through the whole spectrum, which was actually a pretty short wander. When I got to the Shoppes I noticed a lot of people sitting around a little mall fountain/courtyard area. Saw a sign for the Living Garden Show, and realized I must be just in time for some cheesy Las Vegas "the shops are alive" experience.
I decided to check out the show and was prepared to be underwhelmed. These kind of mall shows tend to be pretty simple, and after a while in Vegas you get the attitude "you seen one talking fountain, you seen 'em all!"
Since I hadn't staked out a spot to watch from, I wound up just taking the escalators up and down four or five times. This turned out to give me a great view and none of the crowds. At first it just looked like three "statues" had come to life in the fountain and were doing a Luau type dance to some pretty, piped-in opera music. On my second trip up the escalator I realized: there's water shooting out of their fingers and heads! It was a very cool effect. The music, the water, the statuesque dance...I could feel the beautiful sorrow of these ladies eternally encased in stone, overflowing with water.... Very nice.
Then, when the last song (they did 2) was coming to its close the crowd started exclaiming "Look at the trees!" There on the second floor (where I had just been four times already!) were two vines/trees growing on some columns/doing a tree dance! I scurried back up the escalator (now there were more people going up) and got a close look at the tree people. They finished their dance and the security folk that were with them told us to back up. They started walking out through the mall, stopping to pose for the cameras and do some fancy tree moves. How cool. They were slowly making their exit when I headed back down the escalator. The fountain ladies were down there and they were out of the fountain, walking through the crowd--a couple of people with mops following right behind! They slowly made their exit through the mall. The whole thing was oddly touching and really cool. Definitely a free attraction worth catching!!!