Tens of thousands attend a rally in support of Israel and to call for the release of hostages in its war with Hamas. Construction workers build a grandstand in front of the fountains at Bellagio hotel-casino along the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix auto race Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/John Locher) The famous fountains at the Bellagio won't be very visible this week amid the roar of Formula One racing on the Las Vegas Strip, and gondoliers won't be serenading tourists at the Venetian resort. “Fountains have been shut off, canals drained, streets closed or harder to navigate,” Michael Green, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor, said after six months of road work and temporary grandstand construction for some of the most monied spectators in sports. “What are they calling it? Stripmageddon? It is clearly causing a lot of uproar.” “But this is a different kind of big event,” said Green, who remembers two Grand Prix races held 42 years ago at Caesars Palace. “We’re talking about billionaires from around the worl