text: So I finally got around to checking out Crystals and I left feeling like I had just bought a luxury car only to discover a scratch on the way home That is not to say I could actually afford to buy anything at Crystals beyond a chai latte But that is for another reviewnnCrystals is the marquee shopping experience at CityCenter You can spot the spiky architecture from a mile away Inside is just as weird Lots of abstract art Even the stairs ooze expensive probably built from the rarest trees this side of the Amazon But do you think anyone who would shop here actually cares about the consequence of gratuitous excess That is the whole point of CrystalsnnWhat struck me the most is how empty the place feels This is probably what the Fashion Show mall should have been before it was packed to the gills with Hot Topic The Gap and Cinnabon Crystals is the opposite of that and any other mall in Las Vegas There are maybe stores If you even want to classify this as a mall It is essentially the same ultrahigh end retailers you would find at other casino minimalls selling everything from couture to diamonds to watches Some places I have heard of like Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton but there are quite a few I had never heard of before I guess they just want to remind the middle class tourists that they can look but cannot touch At this point nearly half of the stores are not even open yetnnFrom what I could gather there are three levels at Crystals But level three seems to be just a way to get to the tram What earns this place three stars instead of two is the attimes stunning design and visuals Some of the sightlines are downright funnnUltimately I do not know who actually shops here Maybe the celebs who roll into town and want to be seen It is almost as though this is the retail equivalent of plastic surgery addiction Sooner or later you hit the point of diminishing returns and what was once beautiful becomes sad and depressing