This week three Las Vegas restaurants have announced that they are closing or have already closed. There were other changes in Las Vegas this past week. There are also timeline photos of major construction projects listed below. This weeks feature is “Big Elvis” at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino.
These are all developing stories. Check back on VegasChanges.com for updates.
Book Las Vegas Show Tickets Here
Book Las Vegas Hotel Rooms Here
Mandalay Bay restaurant Red Square closing its doors
One of the most iconic restaurants at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip is closing its doors: Red Square Restaurant & Vodka Lounge. The popular Russian-themed restaurant will be open until November 17. MGM Resorts International says they don’t have any details on the future of the space just yet. Red Square opened in 1999 and is famous for the headless replica of Vladimir Lenin at the entrance.
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino address: 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
Carnegie Deli to close at the Mirage Hotel & Casino
MGM Resorts International announced that Carnegie Deli at the Mirage Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip will close in February. It will be replaced by a “new fast casual restaurant concept” in the spring.
The original Carnegie Deli opened on Seventh Avenue in New York in 1937. The Mirage location opened in 2005, and survived the 2016 shuttering of the original location. There remains one location at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Mirage Hotel & Casino is owned by MGM Resorts International.
Mirage Hotel & Casino address: 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
Naked City Pizza at the El Cortez Closed
Naked City Pizza at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas has closed.
Owner Christopher Palmeri wrote on Facebook: “My brother and I would like to inform everyone that we have closed our El Cortez location this weekend. This is a decision we have thought about for over a long time and we did not take it lightly. The El Cortez, the owners of the hotel and it’s staff were amazing to work with and we appreciate everything they did with us and the opportunity to be in this classic Vegas casino. We mainly made this decision because it was taking a large toll on my brother and I. We were very ambitious over the past five years and we’ve enjoyed every location we have had but in the end we needed to make a decision that was best for us and our families. We want to thank every customer that ever ordered a slice from us, we truly appreciate your patronage. Our other 4 locations are remaining open and we are excited to see what the future holds for those locations.We again thank our loyal regulars and all of our guests.” [Facebook]
“Viva Vision” Renovation Finished on Fremont Street
The Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas has finished the $32 million renovation of Viva Vision, which is the world’s largest single video screen. The Viva Vision light show is an LED display on the “canopy” that runs along the Fremont Street Experience from Main Street to Fourth Street.
It features different shows at the top of each hour, starting at dusk. The upgraded Viva Vision canopy will illuminate the pedestrian mall with 16,433,152 pixels and 5,000 Nits, making it seven-times brighter than the existing canopy with four-times the resolution.
STRAT Moves Hotel Check-In to 2nd floor
The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod in Downtown Las Vegas has temporarily moved their hotel check-in to the second floor. It is located in the Poker Room, that is currently closed. It will remain in this location while they remodel the first floor reception, concierge, car rental and VIP Lounge. The STRAT is owned by Golden Entertainment.
STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod address: 2000 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
Grand Canal Shoppes Replacing Flooring
The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip are updating their interior with new marble flooring. This is a major project that will take many months to complete. The Venetian is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the Grand Canal Shoppes are owned by the Brookfield Properties Retail Group .
Grand Canal Shoppes address: 3377 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
New Pedestrian Bridge over Las Vegas Strip Update
Construction continues on the new pedestrian bridge over the Las Vegas Strip from Park MGM to the Hard Rock Cafe. This bridge is needed because of the added foot traffic from T-Mobile Arena, Park Theater and nearby casinos.
The bridge is now expected to open by mid-November because of utility conflicts tied to the escalators. This project has been delayed again. Construction began in November 2018 and originally was expected to finish in July. The next pedestrian bridge is slated to to connect the area in front of Bellagio to the area leading to Planet Hollywood Resort.
Additional plans call for bridges to stretch across Las Vegas Boulevard between Caesars Palace and the Linq, and at Resorts World Las Vegas, but those projects don’t have timelines. In 2020, they plan construction on four more pedestrian bridges crossing Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, on the far north end of the Strip.
Road Construction Updates and Closures
The Linq and Harrah’s on the Las Vegas Strip continue to have parking issues at this time due to the construction of the Caesars Forum (Convention Center) being built near the High Roller. The Harrah’s/Linq Monorail Station that has been closed for several weeks reopened on Friday November 8th.
Marathon to force road closures along Strip, downtown next weekend
Saturday road closures
Road closures Saturday November 16 will last from about 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. near the Strip and will include both directions of West Resorts World Drive, northbound on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive and eastbound on Bridge Lane. Different sections of the roads will reopen to drivers earlier in the night.
Sunday Strip road closures
Drivers should expect Las Vegas Boulevard to be shut down from downtown to Sunset Road throughout the day Sunday November 17. The longest road closure will be from 9 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday on Las Vegas Boulevard southbound from Spring Mountain Road to Flamingo Road. The northbound section will be closed from 2:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Both directions of Las Vegas Boulevard from Sunset to Harmon Avenue will be closed from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., though closure of the northbound lanes will start an hour earlier.
Sunday downtown road closures
Las Vegas Boulevard going north into downtown will be closed from Spring Mountain Road to Ogden Street from 2:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m., with St. Louis Avenue to Ogden remaining closed until 9:30 p.m.
Entire sections in both directions of Carson Avenue, Seventh Street, Fremont Street, Main Street, Oakey Boulevard, Casino Center, Utah Avenue, Third Street, Colorado Avenue, Fourth Street, Bridger Avenue, Clark Avenue and Bonneville Avenue will be closed at different times from about 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Timeline Photos of Major Las Vegas Projects
Resorts World Las Vegas Construction
Link to Resorts World Las Vegas Timeline Construction Photos
Circa Hotel & Casino Construction
Link to Circa Hotel & Casino Timeline Construction Photos
Downtown Grand New Tower Construction
Link to Downtown Grand New Tower Timeline Construction Photos
This Weeks FEATURE: Big Elvis at Harrah’s
