Standing on the corner of the Strip and Tropicana like the biggest, emerald green Mayan pyramid you've ever seen is the MGM Grand. Over the many years I've been coming to Vegas, I've stayed at said MGM Grand and have watched it evolve from the family-friendly amusement park/casino and kitschy \"museum\" of all things MGM to the hipper but still comparatively un-hip MGM Grand of today. This time, I was just here to eat, drink, and gamble...in that order. \n\nThe MGM Grand isn't a bad place. There are tons of great attributes to the place. From the eponymously named Jo\u00ebl Robuchon to Robuchon's L'Atelier to Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak to Michael Mina's Nobhill Tavern and Seablue, and offerings from Wolfgang Puck and Emeril, the MGM's collection of fine-dining restaurants is second to none in Vegas. The MGM has a stellar Cirque du Soleil show, K\u00c0, and the MGM Grand Garden Arena for concerts and fights. I don't play poker but the poker room looks to be high quality. Heck, the pool isn't bad either, although I'm not much for Spring Break-like parties. The MGM is just lacking that quality that ties all of its good things together and makes the whole greater than the sum of its individual parts. \n\nSo what makes the MGM fall short of its potential? The MGM Grand likes to tout its Maximum Vegas experience. Sometime bigger isn't always better. The gambling area is sprawling, but very vanilla, and lacking any energy or excitement. The sheer size of the gaming area disperses players and the seemingly desirable energetic din of the crowd of gamblers is lost in the rafters high above the casino floor. Basically, the place is too big for its own good. \n\nI haven't figured out if the MGM is trying to be a quiet, relaxing resort experience with spectacular restaurants and world-class entertainment or does it want to be party central with the hip, happening b-list celeb-laden pool party attracting a younger crowd into its casino. Regardless, the MGM Grand's seemingly perpetual identity crisis results in it being a great place to eat and be entertained, just an average place play, but not a place I'd choose to stay.
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