Well, a year later nothing has happened except that now Harrah's is saying they really are going to build the thing. No, they swear.

The company has re-announced plans to turn the alley into a pedestrian mall featuring more than three dozen restaurants, bars, and retail outlets. It will funnel people to the 550-foot tall Ferris wheel at the back of The Flamingo near the monorail station.

Harrah's is hoping that new attractions like this one will start luring people back to Vegas to fill up all those empty hotel rooms. If that's the case, it's going to be awhile. Construction on the project is not expected to begin until 2011 with an opening date TBD but most likely late next year.

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The Liberace Museum is one of those Vegas must-sees that many people don't-see because it isn't located right on The Strip. But it is definitely worth the cab ride especially since you get an additional $2 off if you show your receipt.

Read more about the Liberace Museum.

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Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur
A monorail runs between these three properties meaning your time outside is limited to the portion where you have to walk to the station. But the platforms are covered and the trains themselves are air conditioned so that's a bonus. Note that there are also indoor walkways between Mandalay Bay and Luxor (the Mandalay Place mall) and between Luxor and Excalibur so you could go to all three hotels without ever stepping foot outdoors.

CityCenter, Monte Carlo, and Bellagio
CityCenter has a monorail that connects it to two sister properties, Monte Carlo and Bellagio. The Bellagio station is at the far south end of the property, past the Spa Tower. A walkway connects Bellagio to Vdara at CityCenter but hop on the monorail and you can go to The Crystals shopping mall or on to Monte Carlo, where the station is located at the end of the Street of Dreams retail promenade. Note also that there is an enclosed walkway between Monte Carlo and Aria.

Bally's to Paris
There is an indoor walkway with stores and restaurants between these two hotels. Access it from Bally's near the main casino cage and from Paris at the back of the shopping area just before you go up the escalators to the parking garage.

Wynn to Encore
There is an indoor walkway with stores and a big nightclub from Wynn Las Vegas to Encore. Access it from Wynn Las Vegas near the showrooms and from Encore on the opposite side of the casino from the reception area.

The Venetian to Palazzo
There is an indoor walkway with restaurants and stores between these two hotels. Access it from The Venetian at the end of "Restaurant Row" and from Palazzo off the main casino toward the Palazzo Shoppes.

Mirage to Treasure Island
Adjacent to the main entrance of The Mirage you'll find a tram that will deliver you to the rear of Treasure Island. Even though the hotels are right next to each other, this will probably save you time. The tram is free and runs about every five minutes during the day and evening.

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The hotel was announced in the first half of this decade with a target opening date for 2008. After construction began in 2005, financial troubles beset the project and various deals to save it were rumored and then fell apart. At one point the hotel portion of the property was going to be managed by Hyatt and there was gossip at other points that it would be a Conrad Hilton or even a W Hotel.

The entire thing sank into bankruptcy in 2008 but construction continued, pushed forward by the bank that owns the place now.

So after all that drama, the Cosmo is finally preparing for its big debut. Hopefully it will continue to generate headlines but of a more positive variety.

The Cosmopolitan is wedged onto a remarkably tiny piece of land for its size; in between CityCenter and Bellagio, encircling three sides of The Jockey Club time shares.

The hotel will eventually feature 2,995 rooms although only about a third of that will come online in December. The rest will be brought into the inventory as demand warrants. They are located in two towers, one a boxy cube like structure right up along The Strip and the other a longer curvy building set back a bit. Both are more CityCenter glass and steel modern than classic Vegas.

The rooms are bigger than average, starting at 620 square feet. That makes them on par with the standard rooms at The Venetian and among the biggest on The Strip. Each unit in the two 50-story towers will feature the latest in guest room technology including touch-screen control panels for various operations, plasma screen TVs, wireless Internet, and more. Bathrooms will have Japanese soaking tubs and "rain" showers, aiming for a tranquil retreat.

Because they were originally designed to be condo-hotel units, each features a kitchenette with a small refrigerator, microwave, and sink.

One interesting feature of the rooms is that all will come with their own private balcony or terrace. That's very rare in Las Vegas.

Downstairs there will be a 100,000 square-foot casino with floor-to-ceiling glass walls looking out at The Strip. In addition to all of the latest and greatest slots and table games, the casino will feature what they call Casino Cabanas, which will work like pool cabanas only replacing the pool with gambling.

There will be a diverse array of restaurants including Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Comme Ça by acclaimed Los Angeles chef David Myers; New York City’s Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis; Spanish tapas restaurant Jaleo and China Poblano, an entirely new Chinese and Mexican concept by celebrated chef José Andrés; Scarpetta and casual new winebar D.O.C.G. by award-winning chef Scott Conant; and STK, the popular steakhouse from The One Group.

Other amenities include a nightclub from the same people who do the insanely popular Tao at The Venetian, ultralounge, and bars; a 50,000 square-foot spa, salon, and fitness center; three pools including one that overlooks The Strip, a second that is more secluded, and a party style pool club/nightclub; a retail promenade; and 150,000 square feet of convention and meeting space.

They are currently taking reservations starting for December 15, 2010 and prices are all over the map. Weekdays are ranging between about $150 and $250, while weekends are starting at around $200 and going well north of $300 on many dates. Those seem like fairly lofty price points in this economy so I would expect that they will drop down after reality sets in.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
3700 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
877-551-7778
website

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A) A standard-variety mall, pretty much like any other you'll find in suburban Your Town, USA.
B) A dramatic, almost avant garde structure with high-end luxury stores offering goods that 99% of the public can't afford.

If you chose B, you're smarter than you look.

The building itself is surprising in a lot of ways. Evoking the shape of its namesake, the jutting angles and soaring rooflines create a sense of drama on the outside but once you get inside it is a much more pedestrian affair. Perhaps it's the overuse of plain white walls, but with the exception of the colorful storefronts and a few eye-catching details it is a pretty bland affair. The big wooden "treehouse" in the center contains a restaurant and certainly is worth appreciating and the beautiful wood and stained glass staircase is lovely, but other than that it's a sea of white.

The angles of the structure also create some strange traffic patterns as well, where walkways seem to end for no good reason and getting from point a to point b requires some trial and error. Wait... how did I get here?

The stores are a mix of expensive and really, really expensive: rare and limited edition books at Assouline, high-end leather goods at Bottega Veneta, pricey jewelry and watches at de Grisogno and H. Stern, and such brand names at Louis Vuitton, Porsche Design, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Van Cleef and Arpels, Versace, Hermes Paris, Cartier, and Bulgari to name a few. They are all notable in their own way but perhaps especially notable is the first freestanding Tom Ford on the West Coast and the massive 10,000 square-foot Tiffany & Company.

Restaurants include Beso, a Spanish steakhouse from "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker and chef Todd English, the latter of whom also has his own Todd English P.U.B. (one of my favorites in Vegas). Mastro's Ocean Club serves up the steak and seafood, while Wolfgang Puck has two outlets - his first French restaurant in three decades called Brasserie Puck and a casual grab and go cafe called The Pods. The much beloved Social House that used to be at Treasure Island also makes a comeback here.

Also of note are the two water features done by the same company that built the Bellagio Fountains. You can read more about those here.

Crystals is worth seeing if for no other reason than its architecture is completely original and interesting. Whether you do any actual shopping there - other than the window variety - is a whole other question best left to you and your bank account.

Crystals
3720 Las Vegas Blvd. South (at CityCenter)
702-590-9299
website
Hours: