When the MGM Grand opened on December 18, 1993, it was the Emerald City of Oz.  The MGM Grand was extensively refurbished in 1996, and in 2000, and during this time, all of the Oz decor was removed;  the MGM has an art deco look from 1930s Hollywood but still displays emerald green as its primary color.  The Marina Hotel (which originally stood at this location) is the front portion of the building (next to the MGM sign); the Marina closed November 30, 1991 as construction of the rest of the giant edifice began; for a time, the hotel was the MGM-Marina Hotel.

Here is the MGM icon located in the lobby.  There is no doubt about it--"Grand" means HUGE.   The distance from the front doors of the MGM Grand on the Strip to the pool on the other side of the monorail is quite a walk!

A wider-view of the lion in the lobby.  The top two floors of the MGM Grand are the Skylofts which are ultra-luxury penthouses.  The Skylofts are independent from the rest of the hotel and received their own five-diamond award.  The Hotel32 at the Monte Carlo has the same function.

This bronze version of Leo the Lion (at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana) is the second lion motif to exist at this location:  This 50-ton, 45-foot tall statue was installed in 1998.  Originally, the main entrance on the corner was a giant lion head with an open mouth, but this was removed because Asian guests felt it was bad luck to walk into a lion's mouth.

A popular exhibit at the MGM Grand is the Lion Habitat.  Up to six lions are on display daily; they are owned by Keith Evans, an exotic animals trainer, and live at his ranch about twelve-miles outside of Vegas.  Here, the lions are sleeping on the glass tunnel that provides close-up viewing for guests.  Viewing the habitat is free.

Getting a close-up look of sleeping lions while in the glass tunnel of the Lion Habitat. 

Looking out from the second floor near the front of the casino:  straight across is the Studio 54 nightclub, and below is the roof of the Centrifuge lounge. 

The top of the Centrifuge near the entrance of the MGM Grand. 

The entrance to the Centrifuge lounge not far from the front doors of the casino. 

The Rouge lounge. 

Another view of the Rouge--looking to the right from the last picture. 

The Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill.

A fun and no-cost thing to to do is screen a new television pilot at CBS Television City (near the end of the Studio Walk).  Visitors watch one or two shows and then fill out a computerized questionnaire on what they did and didn't like about the program.   Usually participants are rewarded with fast food and merchant coupons good on the Studio Walk. 

CBS Television City hostess Patricia explains to the would-be critics a little about the program they are to watch and what they must do to register their reactions to various things they like or dislike during the show. 

The Las Vegas Monorail station at the MGM Grand.  This is the southern end of the monorail system; the northern end is at the Sahara. 

The view from a room window at night on the 26th-floor at the MGM Grand; lighted billboards line Tropicana Rd. 

To the left, the three 475-foot tall (38 story) buildings are the Signature at MGM (a condo-hotel project).  The Signature now stands where the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park used to be; the park did poorly financially while it existed and did not open for the 2001 season. To the right is the Grand Pool (about a 1/4 mile walk from the hotel room to the pool).  The monorail track can be seen slithering through the property in the lower half of the picture.  In the background is Sunrise Mountain.  The Conference Center is to the right.

A small section of the casino located near the front of the MGM Grand. 

The MGM Grand hotel lobby. 

His Majesty getting some shut-eye at the Lion Habitat.