Although Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza offers Orange County locally unparalleled luxury shopping, The Shops at Crystals in Las Vegas is arguably one step higher on the retail ladder, in part because it doesn’t even attempt to host classically affordable retailers or restaurants. Originally built next to the Aria hotel, with the Cosmopolitan now on another side, Crystals focuses on around 50 premium American and European brands including Tiffany, Dior, Hermès, and Versace, then adds some memorable public art, and high-end dining options including Bazaar Mar and Bar Centro by José Andrés, Mastro’s Ocean Club, and Toca Madera.
Visitors can enjoy one James Turrell light installation next to the monorail station – a second, currently closed, is inside Louis Vuitton – as well as peacock-laden gardens, and moving waterspout tornadoes. A collection of constantly melting and reforming ice sculptures has sadly disappeared, but a private Elena Bulatova art gallery is open with numerous contemporary pop pieces.
