Middle of the Road

Once you clear the Venetian, the sidewalk starts to get very interesting and crowded. If you want to avoid the worst of the congestion, you can cross over to the Mirage and enjoy a more scenic and arguably more pleasant walk. But I wouldn’t go that way. Despite the noise and the jostling and the delays, the next half a mile or so are what you came to Vegas to see. It feels a little bit like Downtown. The casinos are much closer together and it is easy to walk in and out if you are so inclined. If you stay outside, you will have to navigate around the perimeter of Harrah’s and through the construction going on at the Linq Promendade. (They are building another zip line.) You could make the walk longer but even more enjoyable if you walked down to the High Roller and just soaked up the atmosphere. There are also outdoor bars at both Harrah’s and the Flamingo if you want to stop and people watch for a bit. Past the Flamingo is the small Cromwell casino and then you have reached Flamingo Road. Your trip is at the halfway point and now the scenery changes. Tomorrow we navigate down to City Center.

Mirage

Believe it or not, the Mirage is about to turn 30. There are now dozens of resorts touting luxury accommodations, upscale dining and spectacular pools. But before the Mirage, no one had ever thought to build a hotel in Las Vegas where the casino was merely part of the attraction, not the only one. It was a game changer and helped launch a building boom that would last nearly two decades. It has aged pretty well, despite a rather cramped, dark casino floor and standard rooms that are now a bit too small to be described as anything more than slightly above average. But there is still a volcano out front that “erupts” every night, a stunning tropical-themed atrium and a massive aquarium behind the registration desk. There’s good entertainment, including a Beatles Cirque show and a terrific rotation of headlining musicians and comedians. In other words, while the Mirage may now have a few lines and wrinkles, she is still breathtaking.