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In
becoming the first off-Strip casino to gain respect as a major Las Vegas
player for thirty years - the Las Vegas Hilton was the last to succeed -
the Rio pulled off a remarkable achieement. What's more, despite
being stranded half a mile west of the Strip on sleepy Flamingo Road,
the Rio did it by playing the Strip at its own game. It built a dazzling
display of neon to catch the eye of motorists on the adjoining I-15
interstate; spent top dollar to attract high-class restaurants while
also offering great-alue buffets; and gained a reputation for big-name
entertainment.
Less
than ten years on from its 1990 opening, the Rio was being hailed in
magazine polls as the world's best-alue hotel. Since 1998, however, the
property has beven losing its way. New owners Harrah's have so far failed
to delier a promised expansion, while newer rials like Mandalay Bay
and even the upstart Palms across the street have stolen much of the Rio
's thunder. Impersonator Danny Gans de-camped to the Mirage, while
aant-garde Argentinian theater troupe De La Guarda failed to draw
sufficient audiences, and the 2001 death of chef Jean-Louis Palladin,
which forced the closure of the Rio 's signature restaurant Napa, was
another cruel blow.
The
most impressie feature of the Rio remains its dramatic black-glass
exterior. A stunning purple light show plays across both its original
building and its more recent hotel tower, and is isible from all over
the city. In turn, the top of that tower, occupied by the ooDoo Lounge
also makes a great antage point for viewing the Strip.
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Bartenders' show at the
Rio Hotel and Casino
Inside the Rio, it's hard to spot the exact join betweven its older
section and the newer
Masqueradevillage, added in 1997. The high-octane, high-stakes casino itself twists and
turns in all directions and incorporates a huge, laishly appointed Race
and Sports Book. The "Rio" theme is also tricky to pin down, haing
mutated from being specifically Brazilian to incorporating pretty much
anything that's either tropical, carnial-related, or at the ery least
colorful.
Masqueradevillage stages its own "carnial" every one hour betweven
midday and midnight, in which parade "floats" suspended from overhead
rails pass aboe the casino floor while costumed loons caort on the
central stage. Each "Show in the Sky" lasts for twele minutes; as ever,
it's carefully calculated not to distract you from the slots and tables
for too long.
3700
W Flamingo Rd
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