Vegas’ Bright New Toy
Photo Courtesy of Al Powers
Las Vegas’ freshly minted T-Mobile Arena, a $375-million, 20,000-seat concert and sports venue, which glows magenta thanks to its naming sponsor, has quickly become the city’s epicenter of entertainment. Inside you’ll find draught cocktails, a poke bar and a nightclub-style lounge with a birds-eye view of the “bowl” helmed by hospitality company SBE.
A partnership between MGM Resorts International and event presenter AEG brought this long-anticipated entertainment venue to life. But even when the place isn’t rockin’, there’s plenty of reason to come knockin’ thanks to the innovative Park at its threshold. Spend a day or night at TMA and its surrounding amenities and you will never grow bored or go hungry.
Bliss Dance, Photo Courtesy of Barry Toranto
The Park
Although it might not be a park in the traditional sense — there is no grass, kite flying or spontaneous picnics here — The Park situated between New York-New York and Monte Carlo is a convivial gathering spot without pretense in one of the Strip’s most high-traffic areas.
Social sushi bar Sake Rok, gourmet waffle shop Bruxie and revamped classic California Pizza Kitchen are only small parts of the attraction. After grabbing a bite, pose for a snap with the alluring 40-foot tall installation Bliss Dance by artist Marco Cochrane, depicting a free-spirited wire woman, which came from the Burning Man festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
The Park is a celebration of desert landscape, and a great way for pedestrians to bask in the beauty of what lies out there while discovering a social space within the city. Two 100-foot-long water walls mark the entry but unlike what occurs in nature, the water is on a closed-loop system that captures, filters and reuses. Seventy five mature trees dot the expanse, as well as 16 towering shade structures that rise more than 50 feet from the ground. At night, they emit LED sequences — this is Vegas, of course.
Take over a table in the patio-style seating area or tuck into an alcove in one of the large planters and eat a burger and fries from Park-side restaurant Shake Shack. Either way, enjoy live entertainment from acoustic guitarists, dancers and sand artists while you nibble.
The Atomic Fizz, Photo Courtesy of T-Mobile Arena
The food and beverage program
Inside TMA, modern mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim created an exciting beverage program that ensures the experience starts well before the show does. At all the bars, find the signature magenta-hued cocktail, The Atomic Fizz, on an advanced draught system — ensuring consistency in a rapid-fire environment — that’s also home to Abou-Ganim’s Scratch margarita.
At the Goose Island Lounge, you’ll find an artisanal ice program and professional “Ice Breakers” hand-carving spheres, cubes, diamonds and blocks. On the Suite Level, order a drink from a roving Mojito cart or indulge in punch service, TMA’s alternative to the standard bottle presentation.
Levy Restaurants helms the culinary delights, which range from the exotic — the ahi poke bar features fish flown in daily from Hawaii and makes for a stunning pair with the aforementioned Atomic Fizz — to the celebratory (the Lucky Dog promotion calls for every 50th Angus beef hot dog sold to be wrapped in gold foil and given away free). “No other arenas in the country are doing food like this,” says Levy Restaurants chef Garry DeLucia. “We are one of a kind.”
The party at Hyde Lounge
At 18,000 square feet, Hyde Lounge is a supersize version of Hyde Nightclub at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Bellagio. The lounge is open to all those attending an event at TMA until it reaches the 700-plus person capacity — after that, first preference goes to patrons who want to purchase table service with a food and beverage minimum.
The action unfolds following the main event, as Hyde Lounge keeps the party going well after curtain call. Select from the Hyde cocktail menu, featuring a hit parade of the most popular drinks from their locations in Miami and L.A., and enjoy a curated selection of food from the arena’s kitchen.
Inside the Excitement, Photo Courtesy of Al Powers
The sports
While a potential NHL expansion team — which would bring Las Vegas its first pro squad — has yet to be confirmed for the 2017-2018 season, there are still plenty of other sporting events to enjoy at TMA, including mixed martial arts (UFC 200, July 9), men’s basketball (USA vs. Argentina, July 22) and professional bull riding (PBR World Finals, November 2 to 6).
The music
Giving TMA a hometown welcome, The Killers, Wayne Newton and the pride of North Las Vegas, singer Shamir, rocked the crowd on opening night April 6. The following weekend, most of the original members of Guns N’ Roses performed back-to-back sold-out shows for the first time in more than 20 years.
Country fans will rejoice at an upcoming roster that includes Garth Brooks (June 24 to 25, July 2 to 4), Dixie Chicks (July 16), George Strait (September 9 to 10), Keith Urban (October 21) and Carrie Underwood (November 26).
On the pop side, TMA is just getting started with Gwen Stefani (August 19), Coldplay (September 1) and Drake (September 11).
