MGM relocated the 40-foot Bliss Dance sculpture from Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay to Las Vegas, where millions more can appreciate its tribute to women and human dignity.
The streets of Las Vegas are not paved with gold, but one could be excused for thinking MGM Resorts International has done exactly that to the former Rue de Monte Carlo, now named The Park
What once was little more than an alleyway mostly used by cab drivers and delivery trucks heading to the New York-New York, Monte Carlo and Aria casinos, now is community gathering place and possibly the coolest spot on the Las Vegas Strip in the most literal sense.
“All great cities have places and parks where people can gather and congregate. I wanted The Park to be that place in Las Vegas,” MGM CEO Jim Murren said during a formal opening Monday.
He said The Park gives people a reason to come back to Las Vegas to see the see what’s new and exciting and “show the people of the world how beautiful our desert can be.”
The Park is MGM Resorts International’s companion project to the new T-Mobile Arena, and herald’s a significant shift in its future development plans, which are focused more on events-driven revenue.
“This is one of those ‘wow’ moments for the city and state,” Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said, shortly before presenting Murren with a gubernatorial certificate of achievement that recognizes MGM’s efforts to improve the local and state economies.
Sandoval said open space and a place for supporting art and culture have been among the greatest needs on the Las Vegas Strip, and MGM delivered with The Park.
“A year ago, this was a stretch of road, an empty piece of land,” Sandoval said. Now, he says it’s a community gathering place and “another example of the change of focus in the gaming industry.”
That change in focus is away from large-scale casino gaming into a more vibrant and inclusive events-based economy, as evidenced by MGM’s The Park and T-Mobile Arena developments.
MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren addresses media, while Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (far right) looks on during the unveiling of The Park to international media.
T-Mobile Arena opens Thursday, MGM is adding a 5,000-seat theater to the Monte Carlo, the New York-New York hosts Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity show, and the MGM Grand Garden Arena is directly across the street on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip.
With more than 45,000 venue seats located within a block of The Park, its many eateries and pubs should enjoy a robust business, while visitors can enjoy relaxing in a shaded microclimate that literally is the coolest outdoor place on the Las Vegas Strip, short of diving into a pool.
Entering The Park from the Strip, visitors can pass between two long water sculptures, which provide natural cooling, and enter The Park’s tree-lined, open-air community space, which occupies three acres.
Water is a significant part of The Park’s design, and MGM worked closely with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Water FX Aquatic Design & Construction, and experts from the Netherlands, to create a sustainable microclimate in which every single drop of water is reclaimed and reused, resulting in zero net water loss.
MGM captures and stores water in large underground tanks, to prevent evaporation and water loss, and drip irrigation directly applies water exactly where and when it is needed. Automated system also shuts down when the wind picks up enough that the evaporation rate would result in water loss.
Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger said The Park represents the resort industry’s outstanding efforts toward sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Nevada’s resort industry employs more than 20 percent of the state’s workforce, but it accounts for less than 1 percent of total water usage statewide, Entsminger said. That makes the resort industry likely the most water-friendly and among the most environmentally conscious industries.
Phat Strad performs beneath artificial shade structures built by a Holland shipbuilding company for The Park.
By contrast, Entsminger says the vast majority of water loss in Southern Nevada is caused by single-family homes, which account for about two-thirds of all water used.
Because of MGM’s commitment to water conservation, Entsminger presented Murren with a Water Hero Award.
Touring The Park can bring on a strong thirst and hunger, before or after a big event at T-Mobile Arena, MGM Grand Garden Arena, and other nearby venues.
Food and drinks are available from the Shake Shack, Beerhaus, Sake Rok, Bruxie, and California Pizza Kitchen restaurants, with patio dining and open-air eateries making it possible to enjoy a the desert breeze on a warm summer evening or a cool spring day. Those with tickets to events and T-Mobile Arena, and possibly other venues, can get up to half off on the price of their food.
The restaurants are located along the south side of The Park, while its east side is lined with trees and shade sculptures, before opening up at The Park’s south end, where the 40-foot tall Bliss Dance sculpture provides a focal point for visitors.
Artist Marco Cochrane first displayed Bliss Dance during the 2010 Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, and the sculpture afterward resided on Treasure Island in the Bay Area near San Francisco.
Murren said the sculpture represents the respect and dignity with which all humanity and women in particular must be treated.
It also helps to promote the cultural and artistic nature of The Park and the many events that most certainly will draw visitors to it.
