It’s Time to Stroll the Length and Girth of the New Linq Las Vegas Outdoor Mall
The Linq, a new outdoor dining, shopping and entertainment district between Flamingo Las Vegas and The Quad has entered its next phase, and we’re pleased to say the place is turning into a destination worthy of the hype surrounding it.
We thought it was high time we meandered from one one end of this shiny new promenade to the other to see what’s open, what’s cool and what’s to come. So, let’s have at it, already.
Here’s a quick video overview in case you’re suffering from Short Attention Span Disorder.
We should say this right off the bat: For sheer “wow” factor, there’s simply nothing that compares, in Las Vegas or the world, to the 550-foot High Roller Ferris wheel that rises above The Linq. The challenge for Caesars Entertainment (the company that built The Linq) was, “How do we get people to come down what is essentially an alley?” Well, the High Roller is the answer, and it exceeds all expectations.
There’s a chance we took a photo or two during the construction of the High Roller, so check them out.
Yes, the High Roller is technically at the “back” of The Linq (on the east side, farthest from The Strip), but it demands your attention. We’ll probably return to it, too.
As you enter The Linq from Las Vegas Boulevard, the first thing you see is a new construction wall! The Linq is a work-in-progress.
This construction wall juts out of The Quad. We’re always sad to see construction walls, because we’re then forced to breach security to show you what’s behind them. Did we say sad? We meant gleeful.
More bar action at The Linq is something this blog condones, of course. We tried to see the indoor portion of this new bar, but sadly, there was a door between us and it. Gleefully. We always get those two mixed up. Gleefully, doors open!
Look we could dwell upon the fact we get you exclusive photos of Vegas newness, but there’s an ass-ton of Linq to cover, so let’s get moving.
Across from the new bar at The Quad, there are some handy ticket kiosks for the High Roller. There are more kiosks at the foot of the High Roller, too.
Next up, a couple of stores open for some time now, Haute Doggery (a hot dog place), Starbuck’s (an up-and-coming, overpriced coffee place) and Purple Zebra (a slushy drink place). See our coverage of early-openers at The Linq.
Ambling farther, there’s Chayo Mexican restaurant, with lovely indoor and outdoor seating. As well as a mechanical bull. Spring is currently kicking winter in the nads in Vegas at the moment, and spots like this will be even more popular moving into late spring and early summer.
Just past Chayo is the outdoor bar for what is arguably the most successful venue at The Linq to-date, O’Sheas. O’Sheas has packed since the day it re-opened, and rumors of an expansion are rampant.
A few feet away is a Goorin Bros. hat store. Because fedora-wearing dipshits need a reason to visit The Linq, too.
Next to that is the yet-to-open Polaroid Fotobar & Museum. Don’t get excited. It’s not that kind of bar.
Polaroid Fotobar sounds like a place where you can make prints from images on your smartphone. Although that can’t be right because that would be lame. And no lameness is allowed at The Linq. Other than the hat store, of course.
Across the way is a papered-over storefront. We thought the art was mildly racist at first, but then learned this is the future location of a store called 12:00 AM RUN, co-owned by Nas (short for Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones), an African-American rapper. So, it’s now probably not racist, then, thankfully.
Moving on!
But first, let’s turn around and see how much progress we’ve made.
Our next enticement is the Tilted Kilt. Not open yet, but a solid entry in terms of the potential for flirtatious waitresses and plentiful hooch.
Next to Tilted Kilt is the much-anticipated Flour & Barley, an Italian joint. We know it’s much-anticipated because we’re very much anticipating it. It’s Italian! Food the way nature intended it. Flour & Barley is expected to open just after St. Paddy’s Day.
Across from Flour and Barley is Bella Scarpa, a footwear and clothing store. You know, standard mall stuff.
In this area, there’s a lovely fountain, and another great view of the High Roller, virtually screaming to have you pay attention to it again. Be patient, oh giant Ferris wheel, be patient.
Next up is the freshly-uncorked Blvd. Cocktail Company, a bar so nice they put “cocktail” in the middle of its name. We’ll be back, despite the “Piano” part. Just as long as they’re not dueling, we’re cool.
Ruby Blue looks intriguing with ample lingerie in its window. If you’re into that kind of thing. Which we’re pretty sure we are. We’re a Las Vegas blog. It’s the law.
What’s not to love about cupcakes? Sprinkles opens March 21, and we’ll be there with the goal of acquiring type 2 diabetes during the course of our visit.
If you don’t manage to get your sugar fix at Sprinkles, walk across the promenade to Ghirardelli Chocolate, where the chocolate is so good, people often forget to pronounce that second “r.”
Perhaps the biggest draw to The Linq, aside from the High Roller, is Brooklyn Bowl. The recently-opened venue is part bowling alley, part restaurant and bar, and part concert venue.
It’s also larger than many sports arenas.
Tons of high-profile acts have been booked at Brooklyn Bowl, so expect it to take the Vegas entertainment scene by storm. No, really, this time.
One of our favorite discoveries at The Linq was the concierge office. Yes, The Linq has its own concierge service. And it’s not those salespeople pretending to be concierges we loathe so much. These are actual concierges managed by Caruso Affiliated, the Linq’s leasing agent and builder of dreams. (They also did The Grove in Los Angeles.)
The concierge team is friendly and helpful, and they say guests can use them to seek out reservations in busy restaurants, and to perform other services to make their visit to The Linq unforgettable. They deliver, because their level of professionalism was the most memorable part of our visit.
We’re on the final leg of our walking tour of The Linq, but we can’t finish without a stop at Yard House, another bar and restaurant familiar to many.
Chilli Beans is a watch and eyewear store. Look, not every store can have liquor. It’s just the way life is.
Here, at the end of our stroll is the entrance to, wait for it, the High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel.
The High Roller is slated to open mid-April. While it was rumored the First Family would be the first riders, it now appears Britney Spears and her children will be the first official passengers. (Many will ride before her as part of a soft opening, of course.)
Check our photo gallery for more pics of the High Roller entrance, lobby and “Waiting in Line Experience.” We kid! Each of the High Roller’s passenger pods holds 40 people each, and there are 28, so these lines are going to move relatively quickly.
The designers of the High Roller have brilliantly designed the attraction so riders exit through a High Roller gift shop.
Outside the gift shop is The Linq’s slick new porte-cochère. The design matches that of the porte-cochère of The Quad. It’s all coming together, baby.
This is the part where we finally get close enough to the High Roller we feel like we could touch it. Please don’t actually touch it. You’ll get smudges all over it.
Visitors are stunned to silence as they look up at the wheel from its base. There was so much neck-craning, The Linq’s concierge office had better hire a couple of massage therapists for their team.
Even though it’s not open yet, the High Roller is poised to become one of most popular tourist attractions in the world.
So, there are clearly a lot of new things to see and do in Las Vegas, and many of them are at The Linq. Pace yourself. Have fun. Buy something.
We can’t wait to see what’s next.
The Linq Las Vegas
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