Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

FACTORY OUTLETS 235
Sunday from noon until 6pm. 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (at the corner of Spring Mountain
Rd.). & 702/369-0704. www.thefashionshow.com.
The Galleria at Sunset This is a 1-million-square-foot Southwestern-themed
shopping center, 9 miles southeast of downtown Las Vegas. Anchored by four
department stores (Dillard’s, JCPenney, Mervyn’s California, and Robinsons-
May), the Galleria’s 110 emporia include branches of The Disney Store, Gap/Gap
Kids/Baby Gap, The Limited Too, Eddie Bauer, Ann Taylor, bebe, Caché, Lane
Bryant, Lerner New York, Victoria’s Secret, The Body Shop, B. Dalton, and Sam
Goody. In addition to shoes and clothing for the entire family, you’ll find electronics,
eyewear, gifts, books, home furnishings, jewelry, and luggage here. Dining
facilities include an extensive food court and two restaurants. Open Monday
through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. In nearby
Henderson, 1300 W. Sunset Rd. (at Stephanie St., just off I-515). & 702/434-0202. www.galleria
atsunset.com.
The Meadows Another immense mall, The Meadows is made up of more
than 140 shops, services, and eateries, anchored by four department stores:
Macy’s, Dillard’s, Sears, and JCPenney. In addition, there are 15 shoe stores, a full
array of apparel for the entire family (including maternity wear, petites, and large
sizes), an extensive food court, and shops purveying toys, books, CDs and tapes,
luggage, gifts, jewelry, home furnishings (The Bombay Company, among others),
accessories, and so on. Fountains and trees enhance The Meadows’s ultramodern,
high-ceilinged interior, and there are a few comfortable seating areas for resting
your feet a moment. The Meadows Mall is open Monday through Saturday from
10am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. 4300 Meadows Lane (at the intersection
of Valley View and U.S. 95). & 702/878-3331. www.themeadowsmall.com.
Showcase Mall Less traditional mall than an entertainment center, it has
plenty of both shopping and fun—we rarely miss a chance to drop by M&M
World, to say nothing of Sephora. Other occupants include GameWorks, the
World of Coca Cola store, Grand Canyon Experience, and the United Artist
Cinemas—the only regular movie theater complex on the Strip. Hours vary by
store. 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd (right next to the MGM Grand). & 702/597-3122.
2 Factory Outlets
Las Vegas has a big factory-outlet center just a few miles past the southern end
of the Strip (see below). If you don’t have a car, you can take a no. 301 CAT bus
from anywhere on the Strip and change at Vacation Village to a no. 303. You
can see from the review below that it doesn’t do much for us, which is why we
usually head to Primm to drop more money than we do at the tables (Williams-
Sonoma outlet, how we love you). That’s why we anxiously await the opening of
the $80 million, 435,000 square-foot “high-end” Las Vegas Premium Outlets
Center near Downtown. It will have 100 stores, a food court, and other stuff.
Announced stores include Armani Exchange, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Guess,
Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Polo/Ralph Lauren, St. John, Tahari, and Theory. It’s
due to open in August of 2003 right where the 15 and 93 come together behind
the Plaza hotel.
Belz Factory Outlet World Belz houses more than 150 air-conditioned outlets,
including a few dozen clothing stores and shoe stores. It offers a range of merchandise,
but even given our understanding of the hit-and-miss nature of outlets, we’ve
never bought a thing here and feel nothing but apathy for the center. Among other