LAS VEGAS —

There’s always something new to see or do in America’s entertainment capital — but this year, the city has outdone itself.

The Las Vegas High Roller, the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, takes visitors on the famed Las Vegas Strip to revolutionary heights. From an altitude of 550 feet, about that of a 43rd-story hotel room, there’s a lot to see.

To the north, there’s the Venetian and its gondoliers, the luxurious Wynn and Encore towers, the Stratosphere with its death-defying roller coaster and, beyond, the lights of downtown Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience. To the south, you might see the colorful musical fountains of the Bellagio opposite the Eiffel Tower replica of Paris Las Vegas; the skyline of New York-New York and the mysterious Egyptian pyramid of the Luxor; and a nonstop medley of planes arriving at and departing from McCarran International Airport.

In daylight, you will easily see the stunning geological formations of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area to the west. And you might imagine the Hoover Dam at the outlet to Lake Mead, just beyond the hills on the eastern horizon.

{%TravVegas-p01 020115%} The revolving observation wheel, 520 feet in diameter, anchors the new Promenade at The LINQ, an off-Strip pedestrian corridor that separates the also new LINQ Hotel & Casino — formerly the Imperial Palace and The Quad — from the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

It’s an attraction by day, but even more so after the sun goes down. That’s when the High Roller’s 28 egg-shaped pods — party-perfect for up to 40 passengers, but equally comfortable when shared by tourists who like to socialize — are lit up with multicolored LED lights in shades of green and purple, orange and blue. The half-hour circuit is just enough time to enjoy a cocktail, which you can buy before you board.

With tickets priced at $24.95 by day, $34.95 at night, the High Roller opened on March 31, 2014, after more than two years of construction. It remains a novelty in this city of novelties, especially on the Promenade, which locals are still discovering for its bars, restaurants, shops and theaters.

Hot new hotels

Promenade visitors have immediate access to The LINQ Hotel & Casino, one of at least five hotels to open in Las Vegas since the start of 2014.

{%TravVegas-p02 020115%} Owned by Caesars Entertainment, the $223 million LINQ opened in November with 2,256 rooms, all of them featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and views of either the Strip or the High Roller. It’s high-tech: From their TV remote or their personal smartphones, guests are able to order room service directly from restaurants such as Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen + Bar, on the ground floor. Guests also enjoy a new-look spa and pool area.

Longtime Vegas visitors are pleased that the $25 million collection of more than 250 classic cars — the only reason that many people ever entered the Imperial Palace — has been preserved on the fifth floor of the LINQ’s garage. Most vehicles are for sale, at prices ranging from $30,000 to several million dollars. They include a 1939 Chrysler Royal Sedan formerly owned by Johnny Carson and a 1955 Lincoln Capri convertible that belonged to Marilyn Monroe.

{%TravVegas-p03 020115%} Nearby is another new Caesars property, The Cromwell, which opened Feb. 21, 2014. This boutique hotel has 188 rooms, including 19 suites, and is home to Giada, the first restaurant of Food Network host Giada De Laurentiis. Featuring an open kitchen and light Italian-style cuisine, it overlooks the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, where the Barbary Coast Hotel once stood. The Cromwell also has a casino and a distinctive lobby bar, Bound.

The all-suite Delano Las Vegas opened Sept. 2. A part of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino complex, it brings a touch of the desert to the south end of the Strip at its Bathhouse Spa, open to all guests of the MGM Resorts International group. The spa menu features the use of cacti, wildflowers and raw bee pollen from the nearby Mojave region. Della’s Kitchen has its own greenhouse to supply ingredients for a healthy breakfast and lunch menu. Franklin, the lobby lounge, offers premium liquors, small bites and live DJ entertainment.

Little more than a week before the Delano, the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino opened Aug. 23 at the opposite end of the Strip, just south of the Stratosphere and across Las Vegas Boulevard. The tritowered extravaganza has more than 1,600 guest rooms, a plethora of restaurants, three nightclubs and retail establishments. I found Katsuya to be a fine sushi palace and Cleo to offer better-than-average Mediterranean plates. {%TravVegas-p04 020115%}

Nearby, the old Las Vegas Hilton has been acquired by Westgate Resorts and renamed the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. At one time the world’s largest hotel with about 3,000 rooms, it hosted Elvis Presley and Liberace during Vegas’s golden age. The Westgate is one long block off the Strip beside the Las Vegas Convention Center and Monorail station.

A couple of miles north, in downtown Las Vegas, the Oasis at Gold Spike has opened as a 38-room boutique hotel, a few steps from always bustling Fremont Street. And at the Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Picnic has opened as a 35,000-square-foot rooftop pool club, where visitors can picnic on the grass beside an infinity pool, sip cocktails, play blackjack and enjoy live entertainment and film screenings. Indeed, daytime pool lounges have become common themes at hotels throughout Las Vegas.

As for me, I stay at the modestly priced Riviera Hotel & Casino, a Las Vegas Strip classic that shelters plenty of two-generations-old memories but very little new. That allows me to save my hard-earned money for great dining experiences.

Hip dining

Try though I may, I can’t dine at every great Las Vegas restaurant during my visits. But on my visit last month, I was newly impressed by no fewer than four.

{%TravVegas-p05 020115%} Hakkasan, in the MGM Grand, takes the concept of fine Cantonese dining to a new level. The fifth restaurant that the London-based Hakkasan Group has opened in the United States, it was launched in May 2013 with a brilliant architectural design that couples classical Chinese elements with contemporary creativity.

I began dinner with a cocktail dubbed the Buddha’s Palm and followed with a steamed dim sum platter, a crispy duck salad with pomegranate and pine nuts, and a black-pepper rib-eye stir-fried in merlot. Service was impeccable. {%TravVegas-p06 020115%} But I chose not to continue my evening at the Hakkasan nightclub, which has replaced the old Studio 54. Three stories high and featuring internationally famed DJs, it’s not a place for those with light billfolds: Typical weekend cover charges are $125 for men, $75 for women.

Rose.Rabbit.Lie. — a year-old supper club in the Cosmopolitan — is rumored to have taken its name from a private joke that not even the staff profess to know. More than a place for dinner, RRL offers a quirky and improvisational dining experience. Its hidden doors lead from a Sinatra-themed library to a spacious dining room, then into a large ballroom with a concert stage. But I was patient, and the entertainment came to me.

I enjoyed a caviar taco and plates of rabbit fricassee and shrimp-and-squash agnolotti, all for less than $50. (There was no need to spend $1,200 for a giant Alaskan king crab with two preparations of lobster and a foie gras sauce.) In a corner of the room, an evening-gowned singer conjured memories of Ella Fitzgerald as her band played light jazz; on breaks, a teen-aged break dancer and a deft juggler wandered among the tables.

Since chef Michael LaPlaca opened Portofino, an elegant Italian restaurant in the Mirage, last February, he hasn’t missed a step. A savory meatball appetizer, handmade borrata aglionotti pasta and unpounded veal saltimbocca with au gratin potato cake made a splendid meal, accompanied by premier Italian wine selected by a knowledgeable sommelier.

{%TravVegas-p07 020115%} A few miles off the strip in Las Vegas’ small Chinatown area, Raku’s robata-style Japanese grill is the best I’ve found this side of Tokyo. The agedashi tofu appetizer could convert anyone to soybean curd, the shishito peppers are wonderful, and the skewered pork cheek melts in your mouth. The restaurant has twice been nominated for James Beard Foundation awards.

Hardly new, but still wonderful, is the House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch at the Mandalay Bay. Even if you don’t like religion with your bacon and eggs, an hour of “Amazing Grace” and “Can I Get a Witness?” makes chicken and waffles taste good. {%TravVegas-p08 020115%}

I’m excited to try two restaurants scheduled to open in March — Lago, at the Bellagio, a foray into Italian food by remarkable chef Julian Serrano (of Picasso); and Searsucker, at Caesars Palace, with innovative American comfort food by chef Brian Malarkey of San Diego (and formerly of Central Oregon). Michael Mina’s new French restaurant at the Aria, called Bardot Brasserie, is already attracting attention.

A more casual approach will be offered at Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, a takeaway-style British restaurant to open at the Promenade at The LINQ in spring, and at the Shake Shack, at the New York-New York, a fast-food palace that has a cultlike following in the Big Apple.

Show time

Perhaps the most talked about new Vegas show, at the start of 2015, is “Steve Wynn’s ShowStoppers,” which made its debut Dec. 16 at the Wynn Las Vegas. The 90-minute production features 34 singers and dancers, backed by an on-stage 30-piece orchestra, performing music from Cole Porter to Stephen Sondheim.

Elsewhere: In “Raiding the Rock Vault,” at the Tropicana, veteran members of Heart, Survivor, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and other bands recycle rock’s greatest hits of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. “Island Heat LuWow,” at the Treasure Island, couples a “Blue Hawaii” tribute to Elvis Presley with a Tahitian dance performance to the music of the Black Eyed Peas. At the Riviera, “Dirk Arthur’s Wild Illusions!” recalls the past productions of Siegfried and Roy with tigers, comedy and magical effects. A comic spoof, “50 Shades! The Parody,” will be at Bally’s.

The LINQ has introduced a new concept to Las Vegas with FAME (“Food, Art, Music, Entertainment”). It’s a high-energy Chinatown food market with authentic street fare and live entertainment, including lion dances, Taiko drum performances and Gangnam-style beats.

The Blue Man Group, at the Monte Carlo, now offers a 90-minute backstage tour for $299 per person, including prime tickets to the ensuing show. Hosted by cast and crew members, the tour encourages fans to get up close and personal with props and musical instruments.

{%TravVegas-p09 020115%} Other attractions

Shoppers might be pleased to know that Fashion Show, the largest retail mall on the Strip, has broken ground on an extensive redevelopment and expansion of its exterior plaza along Las Vegas Boulevard. The open plaza beneath its floating flying saucerlike roof will be transformed into a walking pathway, framed by dining terraces, free-standing shops and seating areas. The project is scheduled for completion next winter.

The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is showing “Fabergé Revealed,” showcasing 238 rare artifacts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries — the largest such exhibit outside of Russia. The Tropicana is presenting an exhibit on President John F. Kennedy, including a Boeing 707 Air Force One fuselage outfitted as it was when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 22, 1963. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, in the Venetian, has made “The Hangover” its newest themed room, complete with images of actors Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis.

Sports lovers might check out the new $26 million Cowabunga Bay Waterpark on 23 acres in Henderson, Las Vegas’ southeastern suburb. With a ’60s surf theme, the water park offers such attractions as Zooma Zooma (which drops guests 73 feet), Point Panic (an enclosed pitch-dark water slide) and the Cowabunga Kids Cove for young swimmers.

The South Point Hotel, two miles south of the central strip, has unveiled a 60-lane, state-of-the-art bowling alley: Designed for tournament play, it cost $35 million. {%TravVegas-p10 020115%} At the Pinball Museum on Vegas’ east side, there’s got to be a twist: Nearly 300 vintage machines are kept in constant use for the sake of gamers on trips down memory lane.

Just off the strip, two new sports venues have broken ground. The $375 million indoor Las Vegas Arena is set to open in spring 2016, west of the Strip between New York-New York and the Monte Carlo. The 20,000-seat arena will host boxing, UFC and other sporting events, along with headline entertainment and awards shows — more than 100 annually, promoters speculate. And the $1.4 billion All Net Resort & Arena, scheduled for an early 2017 opening next to the SLS Las Vegas, will include an arena with a retractable roof and a 44-story boutique spa hotel with 500 specialty suites.

Fremont Street

There’s a lot going on in downtown Las Vegas as well, thanks especially to the efforts of the Downtown Project.

{%TravVegas-p11 020115%} This 3-year-old venture by a group of local entrepreneurs endeavors to elevate the Fremont Street area from a once-seedy district to a classy local neighborhood. And the revitalization is showing great signs of success.

Most visible is the Downtown Container Park on East Fremont Street, a collection of 38 shops, restaurants and bars housed in repurposed freight containers from ships and trucks. Opened in early December 2013, the makeshift “mall” surrounds an open-air “Treehouse” play area for children and a stage for live performances. On my twilight visit, I was greeted by a drum circle that played its rhythms beneath the head of a giant, illuminated praying mantis. {%TravVegas-p12 020115%}

In the same neighborhood is a new urban food market, downtown’s first. Just opened is The Window, a glassed-in space used by day for study and meetings; by night for community enrichment events, from public readings to discussion of social issues; and once a month for Downtown Project tours, regularly attended by more than 400 guests. This month, The Venue Las Vegas will launch its two-story special-event space, including a rooftop patio, an entertainment stage and an upscale bar and lounge, Virtue & Vice.

The Mob Museum (National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement) continues to add exhibits, many of them relating to how and when notorious criminals were “iced.”

Around the corner, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino’s Museum of Gaming History is honoring its late owner, Jackie Gaughan — who died last March at age 93 — with an exhibit on historic downtown Las Vegas as seen through gambling memorabilia.

The El Cortez isn’t ignored on the two-hour “Brothels, Booze & Burlesque” tour, launched Nov. 12 by A&R Tours.

Guides teach about the history of brothels and burlesque dancing in Las Vegas while indulging in craft cocktails typical of the pre-World War II era on Fremont Street.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com