The View From Las Vegas' High Roller

The High Roller, Las Vegas' huge ferris wheel, is a tourist attraction to be sure, complete with bar cars. But it can be much more than that, revealing the beauty of the Las Vegas valley as seen from on high.

It's a wheel dotted with observation platforms, and from a distance, looks simple. But this is deceptive. The wheel itself is 520 feet in diameter, massive, imposing - a feat of modern engineering.

The view at the top is from 550 feet high, and with the High Roller situated smack in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, great views of the carnival below are afforded.

The Pods are surprisingly roomy - and some of them have their own bars.

As you traverse one rotation, over the course of an hour, the views of Las Vegas change rapidly, and dramatically.

The Park at Park MGM in Pictures

On a 109 degree afternoon in Las Vegas, I explored MGM's new district The Park. Although primarily a retail conduit to the arena, it is filled with sculpture and abstract expressions of shape and form that draw the visitor in.

A walkway designed to lead, comfort, and cool the visitor, full of natural textures and colors, and life-giving water.