I must admit I was a bit surprised. I was not expecting the luxury, the opulence, the glitz, the newness that greeted me as I entered the MGM Grand in Detroit for it's opening party. I was fortunate to be among those previewing the casino and hotel complex at a black-tie invitation only event, just a few hours before the public was invited in.



Stunning! Everything seemed so.. so? Las Vegas? No! I had just returned from there ? where the crowds were so huge and distances so great to get anywhere, not to mention airports to maneuver, that taking a drive in my own home town and ending up somewhere so spectacular was BETTER than Vegas!

MGM, you really outdid yourself!

The first stop on my tour was a lively bar ? blaring music, chic chic people dancing ? champagne everywhere. The MGM Detroit website http://www.mgmgranddetroit.com described that nightspot named V as follows:

?As the sun sets, the heat rises at V. Give in to temptation as a vivid light show of sensual images dance around you. Escape the boundaries of everyday life, where stunning servers present a kaleidoscope of cocktails and create the vibes for an exhilarating night out. Get ready to stir your desires, and supercharge your senses at V?

Nearby the poker room was set to open in a few hours. Checking out the bathrooms was amazing in and of itself ? gleaming white huge squared off vessel sinks each of which resembled a water fall.

But no time to linger ? we moved on through the edge of the casino to the next lively nightclub. This time I was greeted with a small, delicious shrimp cocktail. Altogether there were five bars/nightclubs. The no expense spared interior design paid off. One of them had huge oversized sofas each larger than a double bed! Talk about chilling out. The expanses of glass lit by changing colors was just one of the finishing touches.

But I haven't even mentioned the restaurants. Two famous chefs ? Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina are running incredible establishments. Wolfgang Puck was preparing and serving the most FABULOUS pizza. I'm not sure, but it may have had wasabi seasoning on it. The restaurant Wolfgang Puck Grille was just devine. But, with no time to waste, we moved on. Michael Mina has two restaurants. One steak house and one sea food establishment. They are named Bourbon Steak and Salt Water respectively.

But just in case you don't want to spend the time (after all, you came to the casino, right?), there is a buffet ? oh.. oops.. sorry, a ?dining studio? as it is properly called. The desserts were enough to make me weep. Needless to say I had my chocolate fix. And yet, I still was not done. An even less formal ?food court? was serving up delicious hamburgers and a variety of other goodies.

Did I mention Starbucks? There are two full Starbucks operating inside this resort (yes, I think it should be referred to as a resort).

I haven't even yet mentioned the hotel. It's amazing. I went into the spa which is full service. I was checking out the fitness equipment. There were some machines I had never seen before. I resembled a cross country skiing machine ? I'll have to go back to try it out. The fitness gym had large glass windows overlooking a beautiful indoor pool. With no time to spare, we went up to see some of the hotel rooms. Honestly, I just wanted to stay right there. Each room is beautifully appointed ? with a TV right in the mirror of the bathroom (in case you don't want to miss a minute of your favorite show). Elegant, comfortable, every modern amenity: these rooms are for me!!

All that, and I haven't even mentioned the casino itself. MGM's website describes it as follows:

?Step inside a whole new world of dynamic gaming at MGM Grand Detroit. Experience a new level of luxuries with spacious walkways and plush chairs in our clean, cool casino. Feel the excitement of over 90 table games and pull in all the excitement with over 4,500 of the latest slots and video poker. Then go all-in with a full house of non-stop action in Detroit's premier poker room. Ignite your senses at MGM Grand Detroit.?

So welcome to Detroit, MGM! *This could be the start of something Grand!*