Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Oddly enough, a third of the ground floor is now devoted to NASCAR, with the
Strip's fastest coaster, a NASCAR simulator ride, and a NASCAR-themed bar/cafe.
If you want to get high, you go to the
Stratosphere,
which is the tallest tower
in the West. The view from the top and the thrill rides up here are pretty much
the only reason to venture this far down the Strip.
TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL ATTRACTIONS
Beyond the wandering you'll do up and down the Strip, there are 10 other attrac-
tions—some on the Strip, some not—that offer as many pleasures, both visceral
and/or intellectual, as the spectacle of the Strip itself.
First up are three small but extraordinarily well-funded art museums that,
through the power of their purses, regularly manage to corral exhibits of the
world's greatest western artists. Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Warhol—whatever
flavor of art you prefer you'll find it, astoundingly, just a short stroll from whirring
swarms of slot machines (though to be fair, the casino owners have had the good
taste to set their museums far enough from the casino floor that you're able to
admire brushstrokes without the ding and swoosh of slots ringing in your ears).
Best of the bunch, simply because of the vast store of riches it's able to tap, is the
Guggenheim Hermitage Museum
555
(in The Venetian;
%
702/441-2440;
www.guggenheimlasvegas.org;
$
20 adults,
$
17 seniors,
$
13 students,
$
9.50 chil-
dren 6-12; daily 9:30am-8:30pm; AE, DISC, MC, V).
It's the kid brother (younger,
tinier, still wet behind the ears) in a quintet of international Guggenheim mu-
seums also located in New York, Venice, Bilbao, and Berlin. Founded by Solomon
R. Guggenheim in 1937, the original plan was for these museums to showcase the
work of the abstract, non-representational artists so popular in the early to mid-
20th century. That's been scrapped and today the Guggenheim trades in block-
buster retrospectives on topics that combine art with history, and in some cases
sociology—shows on Aztec culture, motorcycles, and Russian art, to mention just
a few, have created headlines in the past few years. Yes, they're populist, but I've
found them to be among the most absorbing, multifaceted art shows I've ever
seen, and I personally like the new direction they've taken (so there, I say to the
purists!). Segments of these shows often pop up here, as do treasures from Russia's
famed Hermitage Museum, which formed its first partnership ever with this lit-
tle museum.
Just like its siblings, the Guggenheim Hermitage is on the cutting edge of
modern architecture, a sleek, contemporary space that's a witty contrast with the
rococo traditionalism of the Venetian resort that houses it. Architect Rem
Koolhaas designed it as an oblique tribute to the Hermitage: Notice how the
treated steel walls have the same velvety texture and color as that more traditional
museum. To create that effect, Koolhass used Cor-ten steel, which has the unique
ability to rust only on the outside; after it was allowed to oxidize and then waxed,
it attained the rich, leathery look and feel it now has. One whiz bang feature to
look out for: Because of those metal walls, this is one of the only major museums
in the world that uses industrial magnets to hang its work (once, nearby electrical
work caused an entire wall to de-magnetize and priceless works of art had to be
grabbed by guards and guests as they slid down the walls).
There's no permanent collection here, but the traveling shows it houses are
always worth a gander. Do your best to stop by at a tour time (noon, 2, 5, or 7pm
