Slightly off-topic: I visit the Strip

In the past few weeks, I have visited some of the Caesars Entertainment properties on and near the Strip. Caesars is one of the two big companies that own most of the big Strip properties, the other being MGM Resorts International. Caesars properties in Las Vegas are Caesars Palace, Harrah's, Bally's, the Flamingo, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, the Rio, the Cromwell and the Linq. All but the Rio are on the Strip.

If you follow business news at all, and particularly the gaming industry, you know that Caesars recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. It is in about $18 billion in debt, much of that as a result of a totally economically nonproductive taking of the company private before the recession hit. The debt incurred for that bit of financial manipulation became unsustainable in the new economic environment.

But some of the money Caesars has spent more recently has gone to good use. The Linq is both the name of the renovated hotel that used to be the Imperial Palace, the worst of the Caesars properties in Las Vegas. The casino won't knock your socks off; it has a slightly institutional feel, like an airport. I stayed one night in the hotel, in a room that was hiply decorated but as narrow as any I had experienced.

The Linq is also the name of the pedestrian mall that runs between the Linq hotel and the Flamingo. Lined by shops, bars and restaurants, it has kind of a Disneyesque feel. The main attractions are the Brooklyn Bowl, a concert venue and bowling alley, and the High Roller, a 599-plus-feet tall observation wheel at the east end of the walkway.

I got an opportunity to ride the wheel as part of my birthday celebration, thanks to a comp received by my spouse. The ride, which took a half hour, was pleasant but not spectacular. Better views of the city can be obtained from the top of the Stratosphere's tower and the Palms Casino Resort. The view consisted of just parts of the Strip; downtown was fully blocked. The height revealed a shocking amount of vacant land near the Strip being used only for parking. We did enjoy watching Ellis Island emerge from behind the Westin as the wheel turned us toward its top.

The ride takes a half hour, which struck me as just about the right amount of time. The pods hold about 20 people each, and a few of them have bars inside (there's also a bar in the the building you go through to get on the wheel, and a gift shop you have to exit through). There are TVs in the pods that show a recorded program that some might find entertaining, including a trivia quiz.

From a distance, it's hard to tell that the wheel is turning, but it just about always is, even as people get on and off. That's about like stepping onto an escalator, but I was interested to see a safety net below the boarding area. I wonder if anyone has fallen into it.

The price of a ride at night is $35 per person, which strikes me as $10 to $15 too much. During the day it's $25. Coupons for $5 off seem to be available in the freebie magazines for tourists.

Also in the area of the Linq are is the Cromwell, the boutique hotel at the northeast corner of Flamingo and the Strip. This was Bill's Gambling Hall for a few years and before that the Barbary Coast. This property has been nicely upgraded with a Victorian-influenced decor, including red lamps much like those in the Encore. I was surprised by the high number of table games in the casino (tourists generally prefer to play slots), but unfortunately almost all the blackjack games were 6-to-5 eight deck shoes. Nothing to play there.

The Cromwell has a nightclub and beach club but of most interest to me is the restaurant Giada on the second floor. I took the escalator up for a peek at the eatery and the menu, which looked both highly tempting a pricey. The reviews of this restaurant have been very good, and reservations must be made well in advance.

With the Cromwell and the Linq, both the hotel renovation and the walkway, Caesars has taken some praiseworthy steps to upgrade and add interest to the part of the Strip the company controls. But with some of the Strips oldest and ugliest properties in its portfolio, Caesars still has a lot of work left.