Purchase Tickets

The Strip Awaits

Guided: Las Vegas

By Ron Donoho
The Strip Awaits

LAS VEGAS NEVER SLEEPS, and neither does its construction business. After a series of new towers shot up all over town this decade, there came a bit of a lull (by Vegas standards, anyway). The mega-omni City Center project looms in the offing——though now it’s still steel and girders. A rooftop fire at Monte Carlo made the news, but now that’s been cleaned up. Meanwhile, we keep rolling the dice.

Where to Stay

When its first tower opened, Las Vegas cabbies had trouble finding The Signature at MGM Grand. That 576-suite tower opened in June 2006, a second in December 2006, and the third, and last, is now open for business. By now taxi drivers are familiar with the off-Strip entrance. The Signature is gaming- free, doesn’t allow smoking and has its own pool——sep - arate from the complex of MGM Grand pools. It’s actually quiet (again, by Vegas standards) but is connected by a snaking, enclosed walkway to the shops, restaurants, table games and vast hoopla of the MGM Grand. (877-612-2121, signaturemgmgrand.com.)

Where to Eat

Safely tucked behind a chi-chi garden just off the opulent Bellagio lobby is Michael Mina. The namesake restaurant is kept company in Vegas by Mina’s Nobhill and Seablue in MGM Grand and Stripsteak in Mandalay Bay. In Michael Mina—— where the amiable wait staff is meticulously precise——start your dining experience with the signature caviar parfait (American osetra, alderwood-smoked salmon, crème fraîche and potato shallot cake). If you go for one of the tasting menus, ready yourself for a generous portion of tartare of ahi tuna and a crock of Maine lobster pot pie. (702-693-7223, michaelmina.net.)

What to See

Give in and check out Zumanity at New York–New York. It’s a topless version of all the Cirque du Soleil shows that line the Strip——kind of a Cirque du Soleil Gone Wild! It’s acrobatic (watch two sea sprites——sans bikini tops——navigate around each other in a 6-foot-wide mega-martini glass). And it’s funny. The cross-dressing host(ess) is a hoot(er), and a husband- and-wife comedy duo (his name is Dick; get it?) keep the audience laughing. Note: If you’re shy about participating in something like this, don’t sit in the front row. (866-606- 7111, zumanity.com.)