LAS VEGAS | Boom Project Rundown! 2.0

[VegasMatt]

Originally Posted by VEGA$MAN

And for the 'avergae joes', please look for the arcades in your local towns. There's no room for such here!

Although I agree, the Strip is probably not the best place for kids, I think you're missing what makes Vegas Great. What make's this town incredible is that there is something here for everyone, despite income levels. If you’re looking a purely high brow casino experience, you should try Monte Carlo (the one in Monaco). I think most of us like the nice mix.

[VegasMatt]

Here’s an article on the updates in Planet Hollywood.

http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/artic...q_13827274.txt

I found it interesting that the television show “Extra” will have a studio near the front of the Casino.

Don't miss the video interview at the end.

http://lvbusinesspress.com/media/2007/planet_hollywood/

[The_Analyst]

I was thinking that instead of a narrow tower on Barbary Coast (or Bill's whatchamacallit) perhaps Harrah's ought to consider a casino spanning Flamingo Road similar to the LV Convention Center. You widen Flamingo where BC is by adding a couple extra right-turn lanes Westbound onto LV Blvd as well as left turns. Also, add right turns off of LV Blvd northbound. In return for better traffic flow at that intersection, the county approves a casino over Flamingo. Harrah's could use the existing empty entry space in front of Bally's on ground level for traffic pick up/drop off. The pedestrian bridges crossing the Strip would empty right into the elevated casino. A new tower could rise above this. Harrah's would have a large central casino with connections directly to Bally's/Paris and Flamingo with only the BC needing demolition.

[DMaldon762]

Does anyone think that there are 5,000 people (figure 2 per room) in the world that want to stay at the Trop at the same time? I like your proposal much better than the rendering they put out but I just don't see the Trop going to 10,000 rooms.

[jazfingr]

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

ewwww....who proposed that? horrible.

That is a very old proposal form when Boyd owned the property.

[mdiederi]

Today the Drudge Report, of all places, has a headline saying "VEGAS CASINO BOOM CONTINUES; INTENSIFIES... DEVELOPING...", but no link. Wonder if he's getting a scoop on something new or just gonna link to a story about the latest developments?

[hotdog]

On Monday, Goldman Sachs paid $1.3 billion for the four Nevada casinos owned by Carl C. Icahn’s American Real Estate Partners, including the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, but also a precious 17 acres of undeveloped land on the strip.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/bu...l?ref=business

[mdiederi]

Ah, that's probably the scoop.

So the Strat has been sold, interesting.

I wonder which "17 acres of undeveloped land on the strip" they are talking about?

Edit: in this article, they say that the 17 acres is just the land around the Strat, which to my understanding isn't technically on THE Strip proper, it's actually in an area referred to as "the naked city".

[justdefended]

Originally Posted by hotdog

On Monday, Goldman Sachs paid $1.3 billion for the four Nevada casinos owned by Carl C. Icahn’s American Real Estate Partners, including the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, but also a precious 17 acres of undeveloped land on the strip.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/bu...l?ref=business

So Stratosphere, to blow up or not to blow up? I wouldn't mind seeing something else there.

[drobar]

Some salient points.....
The Strip would do well to become as upscale as possible. This city is known worldwide for it's shopping, gambling, concerts, fights, ect... It shouldn't be known for the thoughtless parents who drag their kids out at the wee hours of the morning. Things like Circus Circus, Excalibur, ect... only serve to entice that kind of crowd.
That doesn't mean Vegas can't cater to families. Take Las Vegas Wet for example. That will be a major money maker if it ever gets built. Someone should step in and put a major amusement park on the South Side as well. It would redefine that area.

Originally Posted by VEGA$MAN

And Thank God Almighty for these companies to weed out the last remaining elements of this and make the town strictly for upscale adults!

Sorry, but your post conjured up the image of Randy Quaid's brilliant and frighteningly realistic portrayal of the white trash trailer-park redneck in the flick Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase.

Are you joking about the Venetian? The Venetian? Do you think Sheldon Adelson somehow wanted the name of his masterpiece homage to one of Europe's grandest resort cities to imply the possibility of such suburban trashiness? That's like going to Neiman Marcus and asking for $50 suits. Hello???

The Disneyfication of Vegas in the 80s failed miserably because it was a violation of what Vegas was meant to be. Vegas is no longer an average joe hangout for blue collar types anymore, wanting to slime by with cheap hotel rates and cheap buffet meals after gambling on penny slots! So, blow the living hell outta of Circus Circus and Excalibur puleese! AND LEAVE THE $%^&*(@ KIDS AT HOME! There's nothing more detracting than fanny-pack wearing couples from Arkansas pushing around a baby buggy at 3am in a casino! You people don't belong here, let alone your kids! Vegas was invented for adults of means as a chic getaway and needs to go back to its roots and keep developing in that direction as it has only recently started doing. Hopefully, as the pricing on entertainment, restaurants, and hotel rates keeps going up, it will eventually keep the punks, lowlifes, and other assorted trash at bay.

And for the 'avergae joes', please look for the arcades in your local towns. There's no room for such here!

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by justdefended

So Stratosphere, to blow up or not to blow up? I wouldn't mind seeing something else there.

Nah, I think that the Strat will be there forever. At least the tower will. My idea was that they knock down the hotel, and just leave the tower as an attraction, similar to the purpose of the Space Needle in Seattle.

It'd be a psycho task to knock down that tower anyway.

[ScottG]

thats a dumb question - the strat is not goin anywhere.

[mdiederi]

Yeah, the view looking south from the top of the Strat at night is pretty good and worth keeping, even if you wouldn't want to stay at the place. but a company like Goldman Sacks and all their resources and subsidiaries and strategic partners could buy the entire naked city district and turn it into anything they want. Hell, they just raised a $20 billion dollar private equity fund and their market cap is over $90 billion. These guys have to have something in mind if they want to turn a profit on this purchase. Obviously the land that the strat is on by itself is not worth the billion dollars they just paid, so they're keeping the tower in my guesstimation.

[justdefended]

From today's Bloomberg article regarding Goldman Sach's acquisition:

"Goldman is making a decent long-term investment in where the Strip is heading,'' said Robert LaFleur, a gaming analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in Stamford, Connecticut. "The Stratosphere and the land could be more valuable imploded and built up with something else.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...X7I&refer=news

I don't think its a question of whether its a great viewing point for the city, but whether that tower is generating enough revenue to exist. With the North Strip transforming toward higher end properties, the tower could obstruct a grander development for Goldman in the future.

[CHAPINM1]

Originally Posted by justdefended

From today's Bloomberg article regarding Goldman Sach's acquisition:

"Goldman is making a decent long-term investment in where the Strip is heading,'' said Robert LaFleur, a gaming analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in Stamford, Connecticut. "The Stratosphere and the land could be more valuable imploded and built up with something else.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...X7I&refer=news

I don't think its a question of whether its a great viewing point for the city, but whether that tower is generating enough revenue to exist. With the North Strip transforming toward higher end properties, the tower could obstruct a grander development for Goldman in the future.

I cannot believe what I am even hearing! The Stratosphere is basically now a landmark for Vegas, the highest point in the city for observation, dining, weddings, banquets, among other things. That's horseshit to begin with that someone would even consider emploding the Stratosphere!!! However, if they put in observatory and resturant in the Las Vegas Tower I'd feel a little better... Still, I don't even know how this even came into fruitation.

[Superfish]

The naked city I thought would have been a nice place to build, especially with the heights allowed in the area of the Strat. I'm not a fan of the Strat's design but it like the views and it is an icon. They better give us a new tower if they even think about imploding it.

But how on earth do you implode something that tall anyway without big dangerous chunks of tower smashing into buildings within a mile radius of it?

They should keep it, maybe add that 1800 foot antenna extension on it too that it was denied all those years ago. It's a lot easier.

[mdiederi]

Originally Posted by justdefended

From today's Bloomberg article regarding Goldman Sach's acquisition:

"Goldman is making a decent long-term investment in where the Strip is heading,'' said Robert LaFleur, a gaming analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in Stamford, Connecticut. "The Stratosphere and the land could be more valuable imploded and built up with something else.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...X7I&refer=news

I don't think its a question of whether its a great viewing point for the city, but whether that tower is generating enough revenue to exist. With the North Strip transforming toward higher end properties, the tower could obstruct a grander development for Goldman in the future.

Well, that's a fine analysis and all, but GS probably could have gotten a better positioned chunk of land on the real strip for about half a billion dollars less if they had made a bid for the Riviera. The tower itself doesn't have a very big foot print at all. They'll probably build around it and keep the tower as a landmark.

But if they do take it down, the only thing similar I can think of are some super tall industrial chimneys that have been demolished, but aren't those usually toppled over, or is there a way to deconstruct thick concrete like that on such a thin tower without killing people below? It doesn't seem like the right type of structure to collapse straight down if you implode it, it would tip over, and I have had nightmares about that.

[CHAPINM1]

I'd have to think that they would keep the Stratosphere since it is an icon. Also, it really does take up a small footprint. About the Las Vegas Tower, sure the design isn't the greatest, however it will be a landmark and over time people will get used to it and possibly grow to love it...

[lfc4life]

Implode the Stratosphere surely not. But this is Vegas, nothing is sacred.

If they did implode the Strat I wouldn't be too hopeful that anything would be built in its place: Landmark any one.

For those that say it couldn't be done, keep this in mind; there is nothing within half a mile north, south, east or west of the Strat (at least nothing of importance anyway)

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by lfc4life

Implode the Stratosphere surely not. But this is Vegas, nothing is sacred.

If they did implode the Strat I wouldn't be too hopeful that anything would be built in its place: Landmark any one.

For those that say it couldn't be done, keep this in mind; there is nothing within half a mile north, south, east or west of the Strat (at least nothing of importance anyway)

I believe the new Allure residential condo tower is within a half mile of the Stratosphere.