The Final Days of the Mirage Las Vegas

After 34 years in operation, the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada closed its doors this week. The former home of Siegfried and Roy, Beatles Love, and the iconic erupting volcano is now set to become another "remember when" on the Vegas Strip as Hard Rock completely transforms the property through 2027.

Over the last few years, following the sale and eventual closure announcement, I've made a point of coming back here a handful of times to explore. It really was a unique place. Even through the cigarette smoke, the Polynesian theme made the Mirage one of the best smelling casinos.

The construction of the Mirage in 1989 would forever change Las Vegas and inspire a lot of future construction through the 1990s. It was touted as the first mega-resort on the Strip and was the brainchild of Steve Wynn. It kicked off an era of spectacular free street shows - which themselves have been largely disappearing.

For me, the Mirage was cemented in my brain because of all the Vegas Vacation reruns on TBS back in the day. What a time to grow up! At least I've now got a lot of embarrassing pictures of myself here as an adult to remember it all. Farewell to the Mirage.

 

Venetian Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

A few visuals from the Venetian Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

A few visuals from the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 at the Wynn

Leading up to the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023, the influences of Formula 1 around the Las Vegas Strip have been difficult to ignore. With the city essentially bending over backwards to accommodate all of the construction, one of the most prominent promotions of the event we came across was inside of the Wynn Las Vegas.

Featuring several F1 racecars on display and a map of the circuit, the Wynn was one of the few places (pre-event) with something to actually see - a relatively big deal when you consider that much of the F1 controversy in Las Vegas has been about all of the views that the organizers have blocked from every vantage point on the Strip. 

There's a lot riding on the success of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, so it will be interesting to see the public response as things officially get underway this week. Any inaugural event is sure to have a lot of wrinkles to iron out, but I do want to give credit to the Wynn for their displays and being one of the only properties to actually live up to the hype (in terms of the promotion and exhibition of Formula 1) leading up to the main event.

Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

Opened in 1971, the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada was originally called the Union Plaza after being built on the site of the former train station. At the time of its opening it was promoted as the largest hotel casino in the world, and became an immediate icon with its dominant position at the end of Fremont Street (and now the Fremont Street Experience).

Over the year's the Plaza Hotel & Casino has featured prominently in pop culture, from Biff's casino in Back to the Future: Part II to a memorable scene in the domed restaurant between Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone in Martin Scorsese's Casino - as well as in music videos from The Killers, The Weeknd, and U2. The Plaza remains an icon of Las Vegas, Fremont Street, and of the old school cool that makes vintage Vegas so much fun to revisit time and time again.