home is where...?

I know that I've really been pretty quiet here lately. It probably hasn't actually been that long, but it feels like it. I've been avoiding just about every subject. It seems that these days, all of my interesting stories belong to someone else. So, I'll share one of those.

A place I formerly called home (because it's where I lived, not because my heart belonged there) is currently working on this massive, weird, surreal project: CityCenter. The idea makes me uncomfortable. It makes me think of a domed city, a lone bastion after the nuclear fallout, or something. (When we drive into Vegas at night, we can always see the orangey-pink glow and I always think of it as some kind of radioactive glow. I suppose Vegas is what I think of when I think of the end of the world. Ah, Vegas, how I don't miss you. I apologize to those who live there...unless you enjoy it and then I just don't understand...and the feeling's probably mutual.)

Don't get me wrong (she sang), it isn't a domed city. It is a city within a city. It is a play to 'live, work, and play.' The website goes on to praise:

Across the country and throughout the world, people are rediscovering the excitement of the city. The city is where the people are, where the action is, and where all that’s thrilling and new comes together—whoever you are. Las Vegas will soon have its own urban core— a 76-acre city-within-a-city that’s destined to redefine the skyline. It will be an urban setting unlike any other in the United States. Or, really, anywhere. CityCenter.

Then, there're a couple of paragraphs singing the praises of MGM MIRAGE, the developer.

Some of the plans actually sound interesting -- at least according to the incredibly limited reading I've done on CC (how long until the name is something scary like AcmeWorld?) at the site above. They are striving for sustainability with lower water usage (Ha! says everyone sharing the Colorado) and somehow employing/housing 'Minority, Woman-owned and Disadvantaged Businesses (MWDBEs).' The website states a desire for diversity, but this is the only instance I see cited (at this time, perhaps there'll be more later) and I imagine that while the laborers within this Center might represent diverse parts of the world, I'm not so sure about the residents.

I'm waffling here, I know. I'm not sure exactly what to think of this, but I want to be skeptical. However, this project is providing jobs, for now. If it's finished, it'll provide more in the future. I've heard some enthusiasm about this project. I'd just like to reserve making a judgment call, perhaps for all time. I just can't help but wonder if that money could have been used elsewhere in Vegas, that already has urban areas that, last time I saw downtown and other non suburby-places, could use some help. And, yes, I know, I'm one to talk. I could be spending my very own money better, using it to help others more. So, I should probably stop here before some power-that-is kicks me for being so unjustly judgy.