Grand Canal Shoppes

The Grand Canal Shoppes felt like a second-rate Forum Shops when it opened in 1999. In places, that’s what it still resembles. The walkways are narrow and cramped, but the smaller space does at least give a reasonable impression of an intimate city streetscape – and it’s studded with cafés, such as the Grand Lux and a Venice-by-way-of-Brooklyn import, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. With its faux-alfresco feel, the outpost of Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio here is one of the most pleasant places in the city to dine; and Asian bistro Tao becomes one of the city’s hottest clubs at night. Let’s not overlook the novelty of browsing shops along one of Vegas’s wonders: a Venetian canal, paddled by singing gondoliers. Oh, then there are the shops, of course: Barneys New York, Coach, Jimmy Choo, Cartier, BCBG/Max Azria and Burberry are among the best of the generally high-end retailers. If it all becomes a bit too much, there’s an on-site oxygen bar called Breath. And the Grand Canal may be the only mall with its own branch of the Madame Tussauds wax museum.