City Center is the newest mega-project in Vegas, with several high-end hotels, retail stores so snotty and expensive that they're basically just for show, and high-rise condos of the type any Vegas fan would love to live in. It's a huge complex, literally the size of a small city.
It has two problems. First, they inexplicably decided to reinforce the size of the place by making you walk outside to get from one building to another. I mean, come on: you don't even have to walk outside to get from Luxor to Mandalay Bay. This is Vegas – don't make people walk outside when it's 110°.
Second, there doesn't seem to be any way to get to the place by car, as a guest, without actually driving on the Strip. My goal in Vegas is to avoid driving on the Strip. But the entrance from Frank Sinatra Drive is only for employees; not good.
Aria is the main hotel. I haven't stayed here yet, but it's the kind of place where just walking into the lobby or the casino is breathtaking. I have a casino-rate offer available, so I'll stay here next time; normally I don't stay at a hotel that expects me to drive on the Strip, but this one is so nice I'll make an exception at least once.
In the lobby and casino at Aria, there is actually “something in the air” – some kind of fragrance pumped through the ventilation system to make it smell nice. It's subtle but relaxing.
This is not the place to stay if you don't like to walk. It's huge. In the first picture here, the two buildings on the right are the Veer condo towers, and Aria is the one in the back. I took this picture standing on the property, and Aria is that far away.
Walking around does present lots of photo opportunities, though. These are all Kodachromes.
Stunning pics. Your blog makes me yearn to be free :)
Can't wait until the day you've covered all the maps in the US.. Maybe then it'd be time to travel the world!
Posted by: thang | 06 August 2011 at 06:46 PM