The explosive growth of Las Vegas makes it a fascinating Earthviewer subject. This thread is the past, present, and future of Las Vegas (in no particular order) as seen through
hi-resolution aerial photo overlays and favorite multimedia links.

You will enjoy these 360 degree ground views along the way, lots of old pictures, historical casino reference guide, and a Las Vegas timeline.

Remember you can always click "Show Me" then "Lodging" to identify the hotels and casinos as they exist in Earthviewer's March 2002 view.

A notable feature of this overlay is the site where the Dunes Hotel was imploded and cleared (Oct 1993), and the Bellagio is to be built. The South tower of the dunes remains, to be imploded later in 1994.

Here are streaming videos of the Bellagio fountains, and hotel implosions galore, to make room for new mega-resorts.

You'll also find the video (broadband) (dial-up) of the Robbie Knievel building-to-building death jump between the two towers of the Jockey Club here. A must see! (Turn off the overlay.)

The Caesar's Palace fountain jump video is also available. Notice (using the overlay) how the fountain has been changed from four sections to three!

Timeline

• 1995 � Construction begins on Steve Wynn's $1.7 billion Bellagio Hotel
  
• 1996 - Desert Inn tunnel under the Las Vegas Strip completed
  
• Caesars Magical Empire opens
  
• Sands Tower Imploded Nov 26 (site of current Venetian)
  
• 1997 - $1.8 Venetian Hotel Begun
  
• Expansion of Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
  
• Nov 25, Aladdin Hotel Casino Closes
  
• December, New Cesars Palace Tower
  
• 1998 - April 27, Aladdin Hotel Implodes
  
• Oct 15, Belagio Opens
  
• 1999 - May 3, Venetian opens
  
• Sep 1, Paris Las Vegas Opens
  

Timeline

• 1994 � Plans for New York-New York Hotel Casino announced.
  
• Four skywalks built over Tropicana & Las Vegas Blvd
  
• 1996 - Monte Carlo opens June 21
  
• Hacienda Hotel imploded December 31
  
• 1997 - January 3, New York, New York Hotel, Casino opens
  
• World of Coca Cola opens (100 ft tall Coke bottle - can you find it?)
  
• 1999 - Mandalay Bay, March 2
  
• Four Seasons Hotel, March 2
  

Timeline

• 1995 � Landmark Hotel imploded November 7. (Now it's a parking lot with a race track - center-west part of overlay!)
• LV Hilton "Star Trek: The Experience" groundbreaking
• 1998 - Star Trek opens Jan 4
  
• 1998 - Convention Center Expands to 1.9 Million Sq feet
  

Timeline

• 1994 - Fremont Street closed to automobile traffic on September 7. Work begins on Fremont Street Experience.
  
• 1995 - December 13 opening of the $70 million Fremont Street Experience.
  

The Tropicana is in the Foreground. Across the street is the
Marina Hotel, where now stands the MGM Grand.

In the distance, you can see the former MGM Grand (now Ballys), and Dunes Hotel (and its Sign) at the current location of the Bellagio.

A nostalgic walk.

Every now and then, Earthviewer shows us something remarkable, and, for me, this is one of those Earthviewer moments.

Turn off your overlay for a moment, and zoom in on this ETA. What you see is an outline in the dirt, complete with a "bridge" across the west corner. This outline, 5 months before groundbreaking, is to become the "lake" part of a $2.4 billion megaresort which will open in March of 2005.

It will have an eight story high mountain, a 4 1/2 acre lake, 2,701 rooms and suites, 18 dining rooms, six restaurants, a new 18-hole championship golf course, high-end boutiques, and full-service Ferrari and Maserati car dealership. It will also display Steve Wynn's impressive collection of art, including Le Reve ("The Dream") by Picasso, for which the megaresort was originally named.

"Wynn Las Vegas" is expected, once again, to redefine Las Vegas. And with Earthviewer, you see it when it was just a dream!

Early plans.

Recent pictures.

About Steve Wynn

Just to let you know.....Steve Wynn's dream (a present given to his wife on her birthday) is now open. I know because I am an employee of this magnificent property located on the Las Vegas Strip. Check it out if you can't see it here at www.wynnlv.com
It's awesome!
Maggie