One of the reasons that Vegas has captured the public’s imagination over the years is that it was unique. It was a spectacular place that seemed like an alternate reality. In Vegas you could do things you couldn’t do back home, and at hours that you normally wouldn’t be awake. You could go from Egypt to Paris and see Camelot along the way. You could also see rare animals, a pirate battle, and a laser show at zero cost. And while some of these things remain, many do not.
Let’s start with the unique things you could once only do in Vegas. As most states have now embraced gambling, this unique aspect of Vegas is limited. Sports betting is the only purely unique form of gambling left in Vegas. There may be a few other niche games only in Vegas, but even the new variations can now be found all around the country. And for some games, like video poker, the odds in Vegas are just about the worst you can find.
As for being a 24hour town, that too is on the decline. With the closure of most 24hr coffee shops and the near disappearance of late night specials, it seems Vegas is now just open later than most cities. But not all.
When Steve Wynn opened the Wynn in 2005 he declared the themed hotel to be dead. And when the Steve speaks, Vegas listens. It was seen as tacky or childish to want to stay in a hotel that looked like a castle or a pyramid. But where would that leave the strip if everything looked like the Wynn or the places that have come since? All sleek and shiny and new? Sure. But also, very boring. And have you ever heard anyone say they really like place “X” better now that it’s been de-themed? The Vegas strip is starting to look less like an alternate reality, and more like anytown USA. A four mile strip mall.
It seems every year another free attraction bites the dust. From the Tigers at the Mirage, to the lions at MGM, to the fish tank at Mandalay Bay, to the laser/statue show at Caesars. These things do not directly make money, and Vegas has taken its large visitor base for granted as locked in. So if it doesn’t make money, it’s being phased out.
If it melds completely into the rest of the landscape of America, then it will suffer. Vegas has always been a place that stood out, that didn’t do everything in a conventional way. It needs to return these roots and reverse its course of blandness and penny pinching. Because if Vegas is no different from anywhere else, why not just go anywhere else?
The point of this rant is not to hate Vegas, or to yearn for the “good old days”, I’m only in my 30’s. However, to be more spectacular, Vegas needs to be more of a spectacle.
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Originally Posted by Sanlmar
