Las Vegas: A Cultural Mecca?

Ah, Las Vegas:  the gambling, the excess, the debauchery.  And now, the foie gras, the Monet, the Bocelli?  It’s true Vegas still holds the cards when it comes to the simple indulgences.  But in recent years Vegas has caught the attention of those who appreciate more sophisticated delights too, like world-class restaurants and their celebrity chefs, state-of-the-art museums boasting big-time artists, and once-in-a-lifetime concerts by talented top-tier singers.  Vegas does nothing meekly, so when it decided to appeal to a more discerning audience craving something more than 99 cent shrimp cocktail, it set out to do so in grand style.

Restaurants up and down the strip wow hungry foodies with dishes prepared by famous chefs like Daniel Boulud, Joel Robuchon, and Michael Mina.  Emeril Lagasse’s spartan decor at Delmonico in The Venetian hotel/casino allows guests to focus on the uniquely spiced steaks.  Wine angels wearing black cat suits distract diners at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in the Mandalay Bay hotel/casino by rappelling up and down glassed-in towers to retrieve bottles of wine.  Original works by Picasso rival the food for oohs and aahs at Picasso restaurant at the Bellagio hotel/casino. More approachable restaurants are plentiful too.  Mesa Grill by Chef Bobby Flay serves a wild mushroom quesadilla with white bean hummus and white truffle oil for a mere $14. Tao’s Asian menu includes wallet-friendly sushi as well as more serious dishes like Peking duck and Kobe beef in a clubby, celebrity-spotting fun spot.

And it’s not just the food.  Appetites have been whetted for serious art too.  Bellagio started it all with the introduction of a fine art museum hosting exhibitions of work by Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Claude Monet, and Andy Warhol.  Soon the Venetian trumped the Bellagio by opening a branch of the Guggenheim with equally impressive exhibitions.  Last year, however, this museum closed due to the recession.  In February another cultural casualty was the Las Vegas Art Museum, a stand-alone entity that became too cash-strapped to continue.  Despite these challenges, art continues to thrive in this desert oasis where beauty, in all its mediums, rules.  The newly opening City Center, a much-anticipated  development on the Strip, will feature works of well-known contemporary artists like Claes Oldenburg’s “Typewriter Eraser” and Maya Lin’s “Colorado River.”

Even though Las Vegas has been particularly hard-hit by the sluggish economy, the good news is that deeply discounted air and hotel rates abound as the industry attempts to fill empty hotel rooms.  It’s a great time to take advantage of these rates, especially with direct flights from Duluth to Las Vegas.  An easy three hour flight transports you from the daily grind to palm trees and the feeling that the world is your oyster...or at least 99 cent shrimp cocktail.