Downtown Summerlin: [Finally] Visited & Reviewed
Where normal people see an empty, lifeless plot of land, others see nothing but the site of the next shopping plaza to be built. Thus, Downtown Summerlin, another high-end retail plaza sprung from a pile of dust.
Back in the ye old days when Red Rock Casino was still brand new, and the mall was just a rumor, I heard that it was going to the retail haven Summerlin folk craved, saving them from a trip down to the godforsaken, tourist-infested Fashion Show Mall.
And that's just what happened.
But the funny part is after 38 years of life (much of which has been in Las Vegas witnessing this city's growth and outward expansion), I've done the whole high school thing and then the college thing and the working two jobs thing and…..well in summary: I've had my fair share of people in general, including crowds, and the result is I'm now an introverted, anti-social, and often rude schmuck with a "stay away from me" vibe.
Don't hate me.
I don't want to go check to the mall because that means putting pants on, dealing with people, and being polite when I really need to go lay down because I just inhaled an entire pizza at California Pizza Kitchen.
So I don't know what kind of hair got up my ass, but I finally decided to stop being a grump (don't worry, it was only temporary) and go check out Downtown Summerlin to see what all the fuss was about. Not only that, but I immediately thought of the perfect poor soul to accompany me in this supposed retail & restaurant heaven: my mother.
So here's what we discovered on my maiden voyage into Downtown Summerlin. First, and probably most important list: the shops are glorious. We discovered that Downtown Summerlin has the following highlights:
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Apple [yes, an Apple Store]
- Banana Republic
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Express [praise Jesus!!!]
- Dillards
- H & M
- Hollister
- Lucky Brand
- Sephora
- Victoria's Secret
If you're like me and take your shopping (and subsequent abuse of your finances) deadly seriously, all that retail action results in working up an appetite. Time to switch from shopping our feelings away to the good ol' fashioned practice of eating every emotion. Chow down, friends:
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Capriotti's (if you don't know what a Bobbi is yet, go and find out for yourself immediately. You're welcome)
- Dave & Busters
- Grape Street Cafe & Wine Bar
- La Neta Cocina & Lounge
- Maggiano's Little Italy
- Sushi Loca (fun fact: the owner of Sushi Loca purchased the house she lives in from my mother, who, in another lifetime, was a top-producing real estate agent).
- Shake Shack
Along with just exploring and learning the lay of the land during my recon mission to Downtown Summerlin, I took some field notes:
The entrance to Downtown Summerlin is within walking distance from Red Rock Hotel and Casino.
Apparently, and thank you to my mother for informing me of this one, Downtown Summerlin hosts a Farmer's Market every Saturday featuring only small local businesses (thanks, Mom!)
Parking capacity is [in my mother's words] "outstanding." There's TONS of parking, defeating that epic battle of the ages that occurs in places like the North Premium Outlets when you can question your life parking garage.
The mall's layout is designed so that it's friendly to both those on foot and those behind the wheel.
The Concierge at the Help Desk was pleasant and very friendly but absolutely clueless. We ended up just thanking her and politely walking away with the knowledge that we were on our own to figure out where the heck to go.
VERY little help from any staff, security guards, or other guides to point us in the right direction, no matter where we were trying to go. We finally just spread out the map of the whole place while waiting for our lunch to arrive at California Pizza Kitchen and had to get our bearings as best we could.
Overall, Downtown Summerlin has the thumbs up from me. I understand its appeal and why it was a genius idea to put a high-end retail project on top of the gigantic space of nothingness and dirt behind Red Rock.
Downtown Summerlin is the answer to the locals looking for high-end, high-priced retail therapy. And, of course, places to feed yourself after an afternoon of remembering your daily spending limit. Both my mother and I approved of all that is Downtown Summerlin.
Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself.
Till next time folks.
Mikey