#FlyWashington Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 51

El Diable Swizzle at Ghost Donkey Credit: Alan Weiner BY SARAH FELDBERG Las Vegas has a long history of blowing up the past to make way for the future, rigging aging resorts with explosives and fireworks and relinquishing them to our memories with a bubbly toast, a mighty boom, and a cloud of smoke. But the latest developments on the chameleonic Strip aren’t thanks to implosions. Rather, they’re riding a wave of makeovers and renovations that has revived older properties and brought grand restaurants modeled after Portuguese libraries, ziplines that send riders flying, and ever lusher poolside dayclubs, where DJs spin records under a headless, 65-foot-tall Damien Hirst demon. If you think you know Vegas, it’s time for another look. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE SUMMER 2019 49 FLYWASHINGTON.COM