Recent photo coverage of the makeover of CityCenter‘s famous/notorious “pocket park” made it appear as though the Henry Moore sculpture (best thing in CityCenter, IMO) had gone missing. Was MGM Resorts International retreating from its commitment to public after a mere 14 months?
Not at all. According to the company’s PR department (and confirmed independently by Hunter Hillegas), “the Henry Moore has not gone anywhere. We are making a few changes to the landscaping to the area and to protect the sculpture we’ve put up a barrier during the work. The sculpture can still be viewed on the opposite side and the barrier will come down when the work is complete.” Considering the cavalier attitude CityCenter customers display toward the Moore, any additional protection is welcome and applauded.
As for the question of the absence of Viva Elvis name, logo or even the Cirque du Soleil name (and related trademarks) from the Aria west wall wrap, MGM’s not touching that with a barge pole …
Waiting for Macao. Applying for permits from the government of the former Portugese colony isn’t for the impatient. Just ask MGM CEO Jim Murren, recent guest of the White House, who’s entering the fourth year of sitting in wait for approval of his Cotai Strip™ land grant. Caesars Entertainment, owner of a $578 million golf course, applied a couple of years back for permission to connect those pricey links (which lie atop a former garbage dump) with Cotai. Caesars evidently got tired of waiting and went ahead on the sly. When City Hall got wind of what was happening, it put the kibosh on further excavation. Of course, this isn’t the first time the ex-Harrah’s Entertainment was been discovered making “improvements” it didn’t clear with the local authorities.
Welcome back (hopefully) to Frank Sinatra‘s old hangout, the Cal-Neva Resort, Spa & Casino, which aspires to reopen a modest gambling operation next month. The running of the casino side will be farmed out to Baldini’s Sports Casino, in nearby Sparks. Given the amount of history associated with Cal-Neva, it will nice to have it back among Nevada’s casino fold, even if former glories are beyond recapture. The notion of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Judy Garland playing a 350-seat auditorium (which they all did at the Cal-Neva) must seem exotic, if not unimaginable, in the present era of gargantuan showrooms.
Great to hear about the Cal Neva! It is one of my favorite casinos despise its old charm dumpiness. The history behind the place is amazing. Glad they hopefully will be getting the action going there again.