City Center in Vegas

Last weekend I golfed in Vegas with a good friend of mine who moved there to play cards professionally. He actually did alright, but had to switch back to something more stable after meeting his now wife. Since he worked as a plumber back in Savage, Minnesota, he acquainted himself with a local plumbing company in Vegas and found himself gainfully employed.

His current project is MGM MIRAGE's City Center. City Center is a $8.4 billion dollar hotel casino built right between Bellagio and Monte Carlo. You can get an idea of what this adult Disney Land looks like here.

From what I remember him telling me, the City Center is the largest project in the world right now. By dollar amount I assume. There are 10,000 people working on the job site, meaning that hours have to be staggered. He said it would be a nightmare having all 10,000 show up at 8AM, so his group starts at 4AM. The next groups show up in half-hour increments, or something like that.

What amazes me is that, given the economic downturn we're experiencing, Vegas continues to spend. Then again, I think he said the City Center was a four or five year project. So by the time this massive structure gets built, we should be rebounced and on our way to the next recession. And by that time, City Center 2 will begin construction and I can be amazed again as I'm sure that price tag will be even larger.