Celebrations, just like houses, benefit from location!

 

It’s not all that often that Margo and I have an opportunity to combine time for work with time for celebration. However, on more than one occasion Margo and I have found the time to head to Paris when Valentine’s Day was around and in 2023, there was no disappointment over the venue. It may not be Paris, France, but somehow, Paris, Las Vegas, always rises to the challenge.

During the time spent in Southern California we found ways to escape to Las Vegas for just a couple of days but as we progress deeper into the year 2023, if there isn’t an associated business reason to hit the road, we tend to hesitate – taking time to just relax seems to be a tad like guilty pleasure. I have to admit, the post-COVID nostalgia just overwhelmed us – we have so missed the freedom of spontaneous decisions to go to the actual Paris or Rome and making reservations right then and there as we used to do. So, here comes Las Vegas and it is within driving distance from our Colorado home. At least, in our Jaguar F Pace SVR, that is!

This year it was a combination of when financial services met retail met hospitality. For anyone as steeped in IT as Margo and I happen to be, it seems that at any time there is a conference, event, symposium or round table happening somewhere in the US. So why not capitalize on such a circumstance when the venue turns out to be Las Vegas. The venue was not to be Paris this time but a Hilton, a little further up the strip. With 36,000 plus Uber and Lyft share rides in Las Vegas, separation proved no problem at all and with the weather drifting down the scale to be stuck firmly in the chilly sphere, the quick responses by those in the transportation business were truly welcomed. 

Of course, seeing radiators appearing as a backdrop further reinforced the image of cool nights in Vegas! And yet, seated in Italy at Bellagio looking across Lake Como at Paris and the lower portion of the Eiffel Tower seemed normal. Given that it was a belated Birthday combined with an actual Valentine’s Day and being seated right alongside the big attraction – the fountains at Bellagio – couldn’t detract in any way just how fortunate we were to be able to leave the Colorado winter snow far behind us. Joined by the Kennys of Simi Valley? Even better! Celebrations after all, just as it is with houses, benefit most from location! This evening, it was nigh on perfect.

Las Vegas has its detractors and rightfully so. There is so much that is superficial. Los Angeles earned the moniker of Tinseltown and in New York, there is no downtime for sleeping but Las Vegas wears many names. Entertainment Capital of the World, the Gambling Capital of the World, the Marriage Capital of the World, the Neon Capital of the World, the City of Second Chances, and now apparently a new one, the Bone Yard (for all the unfinished construction on display). But of late, to this growing list you can easily add event city as it is events that continue to see us driving to Las Vegas. 

From our hotel window we could readily identify with the unfinished construction on display. We were last in Las Vegas in June 2022 but we didn’t see any of this activity during that visit. As for the black ball on the horizon, it is yet one more entertainment venue apparently being marketed as a kind of super IMAX. However, closer to our hotel was the site of a lot of activity on the lot of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Wearing all the hallmarks of an abandoned construction, it stood for many years as a reminder that not all development dreams come to fruition.

However things apparently change and with change come a hive of activity. We watched, as palm trees were being lifted over the surrounding construction elements to be deposited poolside. Evidently, this hotel plans to open later this year. Behind this site lies another vacant lot that fronts the Las Vegas Convention Center but it’s almost a certainty that it wont’ continue as a car park for much longer.

Fish in Vegas? How about at Bobby Flay’s latest restaurant, Amalfi. Opened just recently within Caesars Palace it delivered an eating experience we hope to enjoy again next time we are in Las Vegas. Its presence in Las Vegas is further evidence of the changing nature of the town as the shift to events and entertainment in general is driving not only the construction business but life in general. For those residing in Las Vegas it is as if the world is now coming to them.

There is no hiding the excitement that is growing as the biggest event of the year for most Americans – yes, the Super Bowl – is coming to Vegas. And don’t forget too that for others, an even bigger event is planned as Formula One is on its way. Racing along the Strip? Legally? And with crowds going wild? Some might simply sigh and say, what’s new? Been racing up the strip for donkey’s years!

The label most recognizable given to Las Vegas – Sin City – appears to be on the way out. Too much business is involved these days so much so that anything shady has been pushed to the perimeter. And yet, Paris in Vegas or Bellagio by an artificial lake makes sense. Location may demand a premium but when it comes to Vegas, and to the times worthy of celebrations that continue to draw us to this town each year it is hard to ignore either its history or its demeanor. 

You may not roll snake eyes but then again, given the location, for fifty two weeks of the year it’s just as hard to ignore these bright lights or the fabulous make believe that is present either side of the strip. It’s enough to leave you scratching your head and wondering; what’s next for Vegas!