No, it won’t open until 2016 and you can be certain that MGM Resorts International won’t be shy with the news when its latest experiment with changing the character of the Strip debuts next year. As MGM CEO and "new urbanism" advocate Jim Murren states, "Beautiful public places are highlights of many of the world’s finest cities, and Las Vegas shouldn’t be the exception."
The timing of the opening is intended to coincide with that of the MGM/AEG arena, as The Park is envisioned as a link between the Strip and the arena. Its six acres will include "a vibrant patio culture" on the currently dormant north side of New York-New York. Park Avenue, which connects the Strip with Frank Sinatra Drive is being reshaped, using recycled asphalt, into "a gently curving, tree-lined parkway: a grand approach to the new arena." For pedestrians, there will be new cobblestoned pathways to the arena from both Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Water-guzzling real grass (or the heat-retentive faux variety) is being eschewed in favor of mosaic tile, although there will be some gardens featuring desert plants, ranging from Mormon fir to blue agave, to compensate.
The Park is being seeded with mature trees and what are being described as tulip-inspired (the artist's renderings seem more reminiscent of giant lilies) sculptures standing 50 feet tall, both of which are intended to provide shady respite from the unforgiving Las Vegas sunshine, as will seating alcoves "tucked into large planters," which sounds like fun. The 'tulips' will double as nighttime sources of LED illumination. Other flora will include native and desert-tolerant plants. The entrances will be flanked by "water walls," 100 feet in length. MGM also promises other dynamic aquatic displays, plus "spontaneous live entertainment" in the form of buskers ranging from acoustic guitarists to street entertainers, although it’s unclear how spontaneity will be guaranteed without unleashing the chaos found on the Strip or currently prevailing on Fremont Street -- we presume these performers will be of the on-the-payroll variety, or at least will somehow be officially scheduled (in their 'spontaneity') and chosen for their talent.
Locovores should be pleased with the promised beer garden and its menu of farm-to-table foods. If you want to bowl a game of bocce or play some darts, the beer garden will also be the place to go. Sake Rok is intended to provide an interactive Japanese dining experience, with servers who will be "spontaneously breaking into dance and lip-sync serenades." (The millennials may dig it.) Waffle house Bruxie and burger stand Shake Shack complete the dining repertory.
It all sounds very intriguing and something that literally will be a breath of fresh air on the Strip, while judging by the pace at which the AEG arena is coming together, we shouldn’t have to wait too far into next year to experience it.
