As we reported in January's LVA, the answer is: not many; in fact, perhaps only one. 2007 promises to be a year of construction rather than openings, and that construction is mainly involving accommodation, be it hotel-casino resorts (Aliante Station, Venetian's Palazzo, Wynn's Encore etc.) or condo towers (Cosmopolitan, Trump Tower, Project CityCenter, and so on). The Aladdin is finally expected to fully embrace its new Planet Hollywood identity, and we figure they'll have some kind of new attraction there, but for now the in-limbo resort remains extremely tight-lipped about everything.
The one new attraction that's fairly sure to open this year -- March 23 has been given as the official debut date -- is the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West. A 4,000-foot-high U-shaped glass-walled and floored obervation deck that stretches out 70 feet over the Grand Canyon, affording birds-eye views of the Colorado River below. Granted, it's not in Las Vegas (actually, it's about two hour's drive from the Hoover Dam), but it's sure to be on the "Vegas attractions" list for anyone wanting to explore beyond the city limits, assuming you're not afraid of heights. Click here for a video about the construction of this extraordinary edifice.
The other two significant attractions we know of remain firmly on the drawing board as we write. The first is Las Vegas Wet, a highly ambitious $1.1 billion water park and resort, with multiple pools, rides, and even an indoor ski slope, that's planned for a piece of land off the Strip, close to the 215. If the developers succeed in raising all the money they need, they hope to break ground this year for a late 2009/early 2010 opening.
The real old chestnut on the development slab is the plan for a Las Vegas observation wheel, similar, but way more ambitious, than the London Eye. Voyager Entertainment, the principal company (there have been others) that's been touting this idea around town for some years, has so far failed to get the project built in five different locations. The current plan involves the Echelon Place site (former home of the Stardust), but should this location also fall through, they claim to still have a couple of other options up their sleeve.
There's also a new design, called the "V2," which replaces much of the original concrete structure with steel. More than just an observation wheel, the project features sumptuous cabins seating 16-20, plus a nightclub, restaurant, and swimming pools. Check out the artist's renditions below for a flavor of the scope of this project, or visit vegastodayandtomorrow.com/voyager for the whole history. Although we're kind of tired of hearing about this one, the renderings do look really cool, so we hope they manage to get it together sometime in our lifetime.
A similar parallel plan, which was mooted for the new Montreux property that's due to unfold on the site of the Old Frontier, has also gone mysteriously quiet.
Another big project already underway is the renovation, championed by our dear Mayor, of downtown Las Vegas. This includes the creation of the new "Fremont East" arts and entertainment district that's already very much underway -- check out some of the cool new bars down there, like The Griffin and the downtown cocktail room [sic.] -- and which will include the pedestrianization and "streetscaping" of what was formerly a pretty rundown area.
From what we can ascertain from the artist's renditions we've seen, it appears that whoever had the bright idea that the swingin'est town on earth would be best represented by a collection of giant tortoise sculptures, seems to have been out-voted by the "how about some cool vintage-style neon?" lobby. Good. And if there's any doubt a
