Last night (12-30) saw the opening of the Palazzo, the Venetian expansion casino to the north of the Venetian.

I had heard they were going to open the casino at 7:00 PM; I arrived at the entrance about ten minutes before that, where I encountered a small crowd. I was interviewed by a local TV station and had the opportunity to wish my wife a happy birthday (none of my remarks made the 11:00 news). Casino staff applauded the grand-opening visitors. I had the dubious honor of being the first to roll the dice there.

The Palazzo looks about the same as any newish Strip casino, think Bellagio or Wynn with fewer red colors in the decor. There is no theme as such, no pirates or Roman gladiators. The casino reminded me of an Atlantic City casino in that it is basically a football-field sized room with tables from one end to the other. The hotel and most restaurants appeared to be not open yet, with the exception of a Grand Lux Cafe (not another one!) off the casino floor. There is signage for the 'Jersey Boys Theater.' The casino is connected to the Venetian on the ground floor and on the second floor by tunnels (e.g. to the north of Emeril's Delmonico).

While the place was pleasant enough, there is no 'unique selling proposition' that I could see, and if you wind up staying at the Palazzo, it is probably because they were sold out at the Venetian. Maybe the hotel and shopping mall will prove noteworthy once they open.

Trivia: If you stand smack dab in the center of the casino, under the chandelier, and say something in a normal tone of voice, there is an echo. Echo!!