Inside Las Vegas

Hakkasan Group announced Tuesday that three of its Las Vegas venues would reopen in March.

OMNIA at Caesars Palace and Wet Republic at MGM Grand will reopen on Friday, March 5, according to a news release. ARIA’s Liquid Pool Lounge will open on Friday 12 March.

OMNIA will resume operations of the terrace area of the venue as a lounge, which “provides sweeping views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip in a unique outdoor socially distant environment,” the release states. Wet Republic Ultra Pool and Liquid Pool Lounge will re-open as an extension of the resort pool to support customer demand during the summer season.

While there are four seasons, one might say that Sin City—or at least the world-famous Bellagio—celebrates a fifth. Or does the Strip simply celebrate two New Year’s?

Confused? Don’t be. The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden celebrates five seasons, including the Chinese New Year. In honor of the 2021 “Year of the Ox,” the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden presents what might be its most ambitious exhibit yet: “A Season of Love.”

This year’s presentation opened January 6 and runs until March 6. It also marks the start of the Bellagio’s yearly cycle of seasonal productions. A tradition that `goes all the way back to the 1998 opening of the property, it has become an anticipated event, drawing tourists and locals alike. As with previous Chinese New Year events, the Bellagio promises an explosion of colors and lights—and an endless array of decorative flowers, plants, and trees.

Entering from the lobby, two Chinese Foo Dog water fountains greet the guest. If they appear a bit comical at a distance, both have been sculpted with a respectful attention to detail, designed to ward off negative energy and to ring in a peaceful, prosperous New Year. They are complemented by two huge yellow roses symbolizing friendship and caring. An auspicious start.

Present at the installation’s center, one discovers the magnificent Jade Pavilion, bordered by a winding Bonsai tree as well as a striking willow tree. They frame the Pavilion, which is in turn set off by an elaborate bed of shrubbery and cattail plants. Should you not find yourself lost in the floral arrangements, look up and discover a white moon hovering in the sky, ornamented with an image of an Ox. Walk a little further, and you will find two majestic golden oxen facing each other atop a red and gold bridge. As many associate the Ox with prosperity, wellness and success—well, 2021 looks good for Vegas!

Depictions of happy children, a pagoda, and a large, colorful carp bounding out of a stream are all not to be missed— but as expected, it’s the sheer breadth of detail that entrances the visitor. Walk slowly and take in the installation a little at a time, and the care that has been lavished soon becomes clear. “A Season of Love” has been crafted from over 63,000 plants and flowers, maintained by 75 employees dedicated to the task. Spread across the Conservatory’s 17,000 square feet, this really feels like entering a world-within-a-world.

As in previous years, the Conservatory and Garden remains open 24 hours a day and is free to the public. There may be a short line at times, but generally one can walk in and stroll around at their leisure. Even as Vegas continues roaring back, the Bellagio Botanical Garden offers a reminder that Sin City still has it all—both fast-paced excitement alongside unexpectedly tranquil beauty.

Sin City has been hanging tough throughout 2020 remaining a top-flight destination throughout the year. Strip properties such as the Paris and the Westgate reopened by the middle of the year, joined by the Tropicana and others later in the year. In fact, the wave of reopening made for a newsworthy year. It seemed, at times, a little hard to keep up!

Therefore, do what the locals do—follow Las Vegas events on social media. Twitter, in particular, offers high quality information–sometimes direct from the town’s movers and shakers–if you know where to look. Las Vegas Twitter features occasional commercial-type posts from hotels and eateries, but there are also accounts that offer up-to-the minute information—sometimes gossipy, but oftentimes reliable as to day-to-day happenings on the ground in the world’s greatest travel destination. Here are some handles worth checking out.

Vital Vegas [@VitalVegas – www.VitalVegas.com] provides an array of local news and seems pretty well tuned into local scuttlebutt. Some tweets report on events that travelers need to know about, such as local closings and state-mandated health policies. Most tweets are more positive and speculate on which properties are set to reopen and when. Don’t miss the tweets that celebrate players hitting it big at the slots! You will feel like you are there. Vital also retweets locals, so you are getting the real scoop.

---

Another useful local account that covers some of the same ground as Vital Vegas is Las Vegas Locally [@LasVegasLocally]. Locally, as its name implies, has even more of an emphasis on the local. This handle is also at times snarky, prone to jokes and memes. Locally seems at times more of an aggregator of Vegas news than Vital Vegas, but following it will certainly give you a feel for what’s on the minds of Sin City’s locals.

---

Vegas is not just hotels; foodies should find Eater Vegas [@EaterVegas] a useful resource for Sin City culinary news. This is a well-presented and professional looking account, with posts featuring attractive photos of both venue interiors and dishes. Eater’s tweets also links to its blog, which features more information on eatery openings and hours. Restaurants featured range from fancy to casual, from spots around the Las Vegas Valley. Eater provides a great resource if you are looking to dine away from the sometimes-crowded eateries on the Strip.

---

Finally, as you might expect, Las Vegas operates many of the sort of municipal-type accounts expected of a major city, but its main promotional account should not be missed. Titled simply Vegas [@Vegas], “the official account of Las Vegas” reflects Sin City’s status as a major world travel mecca. It features trustworthy news you can use, and serves as a clearing-house for all major items related to tourism, including hotel properties, restaurants, gaming, sports, entertainment, and more. You might expect Vegas to be overly commercial in tone, but it’s not—probably because it does not need to be. After all, Vegas sells itself.

2021 will see Las Vegas roaring back. Go beyond the hashtag #LasVegas and check out these informative and entertaining Twitter accounts to keep abreast of events in what is bound to be a very big year for Sin City. And don’t forget our own account @sincityvip which includes the latest news of happenings on and around the Strip, as well as special travel packages that guarantee a never-to-be-forgotten visit. Remember our handle as well as our unique hashtag #dreamingofvegas