Vegas’s Next Act

From top left: Fremont East; Nobu Hotel lobby; Commonwealth; Marquee Nightclub; New Year's Eve at Freemont Street; Kinky Boots cocktail at Commonwealth

Just about every city these days has discovered the art of reinventing itself. None can equal Las Vegas, an act of improbable invention from the start, whipped up like a louche playboy's mirage in the middle of a desert wasteland. Lately, though, the scrappy showgirl's plumes have wilted, the gaming-table revenues have plummeted, and the city's high-stakes investors have realized that it's time they tapped into a fresher, 21st-century brand of decadence. So like the die-hard gambler it has always been, Vegas is launching new versions of its feckless, anything-goes self, updating its sinner's playbook to lure the hangover boys, the Kardashian girls, the flush Brazilians, and even a few chic hipsters. How does the reimagined Vegas roll? We consider three new-fangled alter-egos:

The Hedonist's Vegas

The Gastronome's Vegas

The Hipsterati's Vegas