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TV Guide
To Israel
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aT I O A
Sure, Detroit has
its first casino, but
Las Vegas still reigns.
Check out this royal
flush of magnificent
hotels and classy
entertainment in the
US. gambling
capital.
SUSAN R. POLLACK
Special to The Jewish News
D
on't get me wrong. Vegas being
Vegas, you'll still see acres of bad
toupees and cleavage-baring dresses
in questionable taste.
But with the recent opening of the much-
ballyhooed Bellagio and other lavish mega-
resorts, the mood in this neon-flashing fanta-
syland is decidedly upscale.
If you haven't visited the Strip lately, you'll
barely recognize the place. In fact, so much
construction is under way — and many
folks are flooding in — that Las Vegas changes
phone books every six months and guidebooks
are outdated before they hit the press.
"Every day they blow up another hotel here
— there's always something new," says the
only slightly exaggerating Rachel Cohen, assis-
tant manager of Bellagio, which opened last
October in all its opulent, $1.7-billion glory
on the site of the imploded Dunes Hotel.
Implosions also have given way to three
other posh new properties: Mandalay Bay,
with its innovative Four Seasons hotel-within-
a-hotel, open since March; the Venetian,
which premiered in May, complete with
canals, serenading gondoliers and all-luxury
suites; and the new, Arabian-themed Aladdin,
scheduled to open next April.
Replacing aging Las Vegas landmarks (the
Hacienda Hotel, the Sands and the old
IT'S YOUR DEAL on page 80
8/20
1999
Detroit Jewish News
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