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Editor's Note: This story is reprinted by permission of the author Dick Arendt who writes the Anthem Opinions blog, Sun City Anthem, Henderson, NV (http://anthemopinions.blogspot.com/). The article appeared in the Vegas Voice Newspaper (www.thevegasvoice.net). The city of Las Vegas went through a terrible recession several years ago and many projects were canceled or stopped. Arendt does a good job summarizing how Vegas has made a big turnaround, with many projects already completed and several in the works. If you visit Vegas (or plan to), I believe you will enjoy reading the new attractions and casinos that have recently opened in Las Vegas (or soon to be opened) with their accompanying photos.

As the years pass, no one could have expected a town to change its face as much as ours has in the past decade.

Having been here almost nine years, I've seen the prosperity of the early and mid-2000s go from feast to famine as that decade ended and the "teens" began. 

I've witnessed tourism drop like a rock and property values quickly plunge.only to see the vitality of this great city "rebuild" itself as the years marched on.

But now....could our city be resurrecting itself once again, this time from the ashes of recession to optimism for a future even brighter than we experienced a decade ago?

I believe Las Vegas will soar to heights none of us every thought possible, because we have one element so few areas of the country can GUARANTEE each and every resident or tourist who pays us a visit ....

...FUN...not just on a one mile street, but FUN in so many locations across the city as it grows...and grows...and grows ! 

What make me so optimistic about our future?

The belief in American capitalism, seeing corporations invest vast sums to "get into the action" of this, the "Entertainment Capital of the World".

And what better proof?

...watching the face of Las Vegas landscape "reinvent" itself as these investors pour their millions (and billions) into our economy. 

And it may have started with the commitment of a former mayor, Oscar Goodman, who, along with his amusing and smiling photos with a martini in one hand and a showgirl in the other, brought a sense of "It's gonna to be OK "...

...if you remember that the one aspect of life no one ever gets tired of....is HAVING FUN !

We capitalized on our past with the opening of the Mob Museum in the downtown area !

(and if you haven't visited it yet...you've missed a wonderful and fascinating day looking at this city in the desert through the dreams of those who built it !)

Mob Museum

What followed?

CULTURAL ENLIGHTMENT through the vision of further downtown redevelopment in the tantalizing....

Smith Center for the Performing Arts

Reynolds Hall

(in the Smith Center)

Cabaret Jazz

(also a part of the Smith Center)

Need further proof?  Just examine the massive changes in our hotels and casino properties !

..and in doing so, we've combined...

... looking at the future while respecting the past.

We built City Center which included the new Cosmopolitan and Aria Hotels in 2010....

The Cosmopolitan Hotel

The Aria Hotel

Yet...though certain landmarks of the past were preserved as well.....

The "Cromwell", at Flamingo on the Strip....

The Cromwell

 used to be...

Bill's Gambling Hall

The Barbary Coast

And...in Downtown...

The "D Las Vegas Casino Hotel"....

D Las Vegas Casino Hotel

used to be...

Fitzgerald's

The "Downtown Grand"....

Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino

used to be...

The Lady Luck

In late June, 2014,  the LVH Hotel and Casino was acquired by Westgate Resorts, and already the LVH sign has been dismantled and renamed....

The Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino

LVH Hotel and Casino

Las Vegas Hilton Hotel and Casino

International Hotel and Casino

At the end of August, 2014....there's the SLS...

SLS Hotel and Casino

Sahara Hotel

On October 30, 2014....there will be the Linq Hotel...

The Linq

which used to be....

The Quad

...next to our newest and exciting Las Vegas attraction, The Linq Project, a new shopping and dining area...including...

The Imperial Palace

In May, 2014 the first shovel broke ground for the...

MGM/AEG Arena....a 20,000 seat $375 million complex...expected to open in 2016....

MGM / AEG Arena

Yes...the face of Las Vegas is changing.

And all of us are so fortunate to be an exciting part of watching all of this develop....day in and day out !

Dick Arendt