[kimba01]

I agree with a lot of the posts here. I do think Aria was dark, maybe too dark. I did think some of the architecture was cool. I was there the day after opening and it was very crowded. We sat in the City Bar and it was the server's first day. She looked very nervous and young. We also notice the majority of the staff was Asian, not that it's a bad thing at all, just an observation. I don't know why. Better employees? Minorities? Didn't look like the minority. Very minimalist, but I love that style so it appealed to me.

I am sure they will have kinks to work out, that is to be expected, I suppose. We were looking for a restaurant that we could smell, a BBQ smell, and noone we asked could tell us what restaurants were there, even the security.

Unfortunately, with the economy and the fact that so many cities are building casinos, CC will have to compete or lose. As far as the other casinos being more busy, I believe there are people who like the casinos they like and will venture to those. It will take time to see what happens. Could be trouble for CC.

I also agree with jfk, "their future is in their past". Even casinos that people frown upon as being old and outdated tend to be busier...they are a bit cheaper, cheesier and better payouts. When you go to the IP and the dealers do their bit, it is JAMMED there...and it is cheesy! That is what people are looking for.

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

I can tell you what I think he means. Back in the day, Vegas was built on value. We were known for cheap hotel rooms, food, and entertainment. Then something changed. Just like the housing bubble, Vegas got greedy and raised all the prices to ridiculous proportions. To JFK, if I am incorrect, feel free to correct me if this is not what you meant.

LVD...you are spot on. Thanks for explaining.

Las Vegas was built on a solid formula, and they moved far away from that. The result is today's Las Vegas...with City Center being a prime example. Something tells me that the old formula would have weathered this current storm just fine.

[tijlover]

In the past, I believe, most of our casino's were designed by local architects.

With City Center, internationally esteemed architects from thousands of miles away were chosen to design each building rather than the entire complex.

I love the multi-colored glass Harmon Hotel tower designed by Foster & Partners of England. I would have liked to have seen the entire complex designed by this firm, rather than individual architects.

I believe the new World Trade Center complex in NYC has taken the same route, different architects for different buildings.

The question is: would the snubbed local architects have done a better job of designing it?

[jfkIII]

Or...a better question might be...why did Las Vegas all of a sudden decide to become this hot bed of modern architectural design? Do the masses really want (or expect) that out of the Las Vegas experience? Or do they want (and expect) the fake Eiffel Towers, Statues of Liberties and Venice canal ways (and of course, slot machines)?

[Soundman123]

I visited City Center. It is a very modern and cold architectural layout.

The parking sucks. It is hard to find. To get to self parking you need to use the south entryway.

There were no directions or signs to get to this supposed mega mall I keep hearing about. The signs just pointed to the local Aria shops upstairs (which there were very few) I even asked an usher where all the shops were but they didn’t know! I guess I have to check out Crystal to see this huge shopping center. Why don’t they put signs up for this!!

The place is like a very modern airport. It’s nice from an architectural standpoint but there is no flow between the hotels. Nothing to tie the separate buildings together, just a bunch of tall aluminum hallways going into dark uninviting crevices.

You don’t want to venture past the main casino area, which I agree, is very dark and gloomy. It is nice looking, but it just doesn’t feel as lively as the Bellagio & Wynn/Encore casinos. Very drab.

This place has been scaled back to the point of being a glorified office building.

[jfkIII]

So, how long before a major design change...or bankruptcy?

[jpk]

Originally Posted by Soundman123

I visited City Center. It is a very modern and cold architectural layout.

The parking sucks. It is hard to find. To get to self parking you need to use the south entryway.

There were no directions or signs to get to this supposed mega mall I keep hearing about. The signs just pointed to the local Aria shops upstairs (which there were very few) I even asked an usher where all the shops were but they didn’t know! I guess I have to check out Crystal to see this huge shopping center. Why don’t they put signs up for this!!

The place is like a very modern airport. It’s nice from an architectural standpoint but there is no flow between the hotels. Nothing to tie the separate buildings together, just a bunch of tall aluminum hallways going into dark uninviting crevices.

You don’t want to venture past the main casino area, which I agree, is very dark and gloomy. It is nice looking, but it just doesn’t feel as lively as the Bellagio & Wynn/Encore casinos. Very drab.

This place has been scaled back to the point of being a glorified office building.

Precisely! It's a collection of office buildings with bad downtown parking. Just like downtown Seattle. My wife made the same observation this weekend as we were viewing the generic outdoor corporate looking art. It's the type of art you see in office buildings because it is unoffensive (and uninspiring). Most odd was the sculpture made out of canoes, which would just be lame corporate art in Seattle but here just seems terribly out of place.

City Center seems designed for a customer I fear does not exist: the green, enviro-conscious, billionaire that craves the feeling of the office cafeteria back home over anything Las Vegas. Even if that person did exist, by definition they loathe Las Vegas, so why are they staying on the Strip?

[airics]

In my opinion, they could have built an excalibur, a pyramid, and noah's ark for less and I would have enjoyed them more

[nemspy]

I have to say that I completely agree with the sentiments being expressed here about Citycenter.

I couldn't believe how much Fox 5 Vegas was hyping the place up on their "special edition" of their News - It was one big advertisement for the place.

Anyway, my wife and I checked out Crystals which surely cannot have consisted of more than a dozen different shops, all of which are the sorts of places that have about a dozen actual products for sale for more money than any sane person should care to fork out and LOTS of empty space - both inside the stores and out of them. The whole place was so insufferably trendy I just wished someone would plonk down a big, fat Rainforet Cafe or something right next to the place selling $800 handbags to stifle the god-awful smugness emanating from the place.

I agree too - absolutely nothing inviting at all about Aria. We were very excited about the prospect of a new casino but the place was so dark, cramped and uninviting we felt no desire to linger.

Ate at the buffet - the place looked like a trendy re-imagining of a hospital cafeteria from the 70s - the food quality was appalling for such a new, expensive property - The omelette station produced what must be the most disgusting omelette ever served in Vegas. Check out the picture - how appetizing does that look? - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/...03b6892e_b.jpg

Looked around the rest of the place - like a cross between an Airport and a modern art Museum with LOTS of empty space in the light areas and everything crammed together in the dark ones.

MGM has been doing nasty things to properties for years - I am not sure what they plan to do when dark, black and chrome and ultralounges and nightclubs with edgy monosyllabic names go out of fashion. "Young, rich and stupid LA Trendy" can't live forever surely.

And as everyone says - the place looks pretty deserted, the staff disinterested - all very depressing/ Even when emergency alarms started blaring at the end of our buffet meal no one seemed very interested. Everyone just sat around. Apparently it was "just a test", but it's a mystery to me how people were supposed to know this, since no announcement of any sort had been made. I guess they just relied on apathy to stop a full scale evacuation as prompted by the loudspeaker voice during the alarm.

MGM should look at what M are doing if they want customers. Sure, MGM doesn't plan to lure the local, but every time I visit M the place is packed full of locals and tourists alike. The casino is large, sensibly laid out and inviting (complete with some of that natural light that apparently they must not have since CC claims to have the first of it), great food and super friendly staff.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by nemspy

The omelette station produced what must be the most disgusting omelette ever served in Vegas. Check out the picture - how appetizing does that look?

Looks like you ordered the Alpo and peppers omelette. Where did they get their chef, a prison? I've regurgitated more appetizing food than that.