We published a photographic overview of the CityCenter complex on the cover of the January, 2010 issue of the Las Vegas Advisor complete with labels of the six elements of the metaresort: Aria, Vdara, Veer, Mandarin Oriental, Crystals, and the Harmon (click the thumbnail below for an enlarged version of the cover). We’re covering the CityCenter access points (walking, driving, parking, and the tram) in the upcoming February issue, which will be available online to members next week.
As yet, there aren’t any public events per se at CityCenter. Meetings and trade shows at the Convention Center and the Cirque du Soleil show Viva Elvis are the extent of the "events" taking place there so far.
As far as attractions go, again, there aren't any major free spectacles like the ones you allude to in your question. Five water/ice displays are on view, all designed and installed by WET, the company responsible for the Fountains at Bellagio and the Mirage Volcano, but on a much smaller scale than those creations.
The coolest is in the center of Casino Circle at Aria's south-valet entrance. "Lumia" features a sort of water ballet above a large reflective pool, in which arcs of twisting water-ribbons collide in midair, generating giant firework-like sparks. Inside the south valet entrance is a 270-foot-long curved water wall of slate tiles down which the water cascades. "Latisse" is in the atrium of the north entrance: four separate water walls rising 40 feet, from the lower-level north valet to the balcony on the lobby’s upper level. Two smaller displays -- one of vortices of swirling water and one of ice -- are found in Crystals, the CityCenter mall. The latter is currently having an accompanying "tonal poem" written by Grammy-Award winner Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, as he did already for the redesigned Mirage Volcano.
Another cool thing to see is the Mandarin Bar on the 23rd-floor lobby level of the Mandarin Oriental. Though the drinks are expensive (beers start at $10, fancy cocktails $19), the views are quite nice, especially from the south-facing windows when Cloud Nine, the big tethered balloon across from Mandalay Bay, is aloft. (No, it's not the moon, which you might think at first glance.)
Otherwise, the thing to do at CityCenter is stroll around to view the $40 million worth of fine artwork. Lots of abstract art, big pieces and mostly tasteful, hang on the walls, and a number of interior-design elements grace various spaces (such as the rows of small cacti in beds of white pebbles reflected by triangular mirrors in low white-marble pyramidal boxes), but the featured artwork is identifiable by little brown plaques with the name, medium, and size of the pieces, along with a brief description and bio of the artist. If you're not sure whether something you're looking at is art or interior decor, look for the brown plaque.
The best piece, in our humble opinion, is "Silver River," created by Maya Lin (famous for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.). This 84-foot long sculpture, cast from recycled silver, adorns the panoramic glass wall behind the front desk of Aria. Depicting the Colorado, its twists and turns are actually reminiscent of the mighty river, especially where it jams up in the Grand Canyon.
There are dozens of other pieces on display in various locations around the metaresort, but since we’ve received questions about the artwork specifically, we’ll cover those in an upcoming QoD.
