Wynn declares $5.2 billion Desert Inn makeover ‘finally done’
For a moment, I almost thought Steve Wynn had called to accept my recent offer to help him pack for Macau.
Instead, the casino man reminded me what day it was. It was, in fact, almost 10 years to the day since he took over the Desert Inn.
"It's finally done," Wynn said Monday while strolling the perimeter of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. "It's gorgeous. And it's all done in good taste."
On Thursday, Wynn added, "That gave me such a feeling of pride. I was feeling so happy because for the first time that whole Desert Inn property on the Strip was presented.
"I felt so damn good I even called you."
In other news, hell froze over Thursday.
For those of you who labored under the impression that Wynn Las Vegas (grand opening, April 28, 2005) and Encore (grand opening, Dec. 22, 2008) were already finished, an explanation is in order. Your idea of complete and Wynn's idea may be two different things.
When Wynn says "done," he means done precisely to his liking. The final brush stroke didn't come until this week, when the last leaf of the lush landscaping was in place. Not to mention the pedestrian walkway, 15-foot-wide sidewalk and Encore Beach Club.
He also reminded me there's 2,180 feet of groomed frontage that, if he does say so himself, puts the tawdry competition to shame.
He added, almost as an afterthought I'm sure, that his $5.2 billion investment isn't highly leveraged and employs 13,000 Southern Nevadans.
On Thursday, I checked out Wynn's property. He was right. It's finished now.
But the detour also reminded me that parts of the Boulevard look more like bombed-out Beirut than the Entertainment Capital of the World.
The Echelon and Fontainebleau sites are nightmares.
For Wynn, the abandoned construction projects, including the unfinished condos owned by Las Vegas Sands, are a sore subject.
"I am ashamed of what has happened to the town," Wynn said. With some notable exceptions, "the rest of the Strip is a goddamn carnival midway. It's pathetic, and it's deteriorating before your eyes."
LIVELIEST CATCH: Cancer patient Dee Dee Mullenix received a real treat this week when she was invited to the Palazzo to meet a couple of the stars of the popular TV show "The Deadliest Catch."
Mullenix even had an opportunity to hang out with Captain of the Northwestern Sig Hansen.
'OUTSIDE' SCOOP: First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Nevada on Tuesday to launch her Let's Move Outside initiative. It turns out the program promotes children's physical fitness. The fact that it also describes the current home mortgage crisis for many American families is a coincidence.
She is set to appear at 2:45 p.m. at the Red Rock National Conservation Area Visitors Center.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Inside Metro, veteran cops continue to buzz about the ongoing investigations of Capt. Charles Hank (following a domestic dispute) and Lt. Steve Menger (for possible drug possession.) Question: Did the search of Menger's home turn up thousands of painkillers? Speaking of painkillers, Clark County bureaucrats will need some now that adult nightclub owner David Cooper has filed his lawsuit after being shut down.
BOULEVARD II: The addition of Las Vegas High graduate Herculez Gomez to the U.S. World Cup team is a big story. Too bad soccer is a back-page sport in America.
BOULEVARD III: William Tomany reminds me Art Linkletter, who died Wednesday at 97, had a Nevada link. He once held ownership of the Lida Ranch off State Route 266 in Esmeralda County.
Linkletter attended the opening of the Flamingo as Benjamin Siegel's guest.
"They always looked up to entertainers," Linkletter once recalled. "Bugsy Siegel wanted to be an entertainer, an actor someday."
Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.
