• Hours of operation: Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight, although hours of restaurants, clubs and some stores may vary.
  
• Distance: Located at the Aladdin hotel-casino, where the Strip meets Harmon Avenue (between Flamingo and Tropicana).
  
• Travel options: Bus, cab, private vehicle.
  
• Valet parking: Yes, available through the parking garage.
  
• Restaurants and food inside the mall: Lombardi's, Blondie's Sports Bar and Grill, Cheeseburger at the Oasis, La Salsa Cantina, Oyster Bay Seafood & Wine, Commander's Palace, Todai Seafood & Sushi Buffet, Crustacean, Las Vegas, Ben & Jerry's and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. For more restaurants inside the Aladdin, click here.
  
• Floor plan: Complete map and list of the shops.
  
• Special features: Rainstorms in Merchant's Harbor every half-hour. The mall has customer service hosts on Segway scooters who assist customers in finding stores. Entertainment troupes perform hourly Thursday - Monday from 1:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. and there is music throughout the shopping center every half hour from 1:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Thursday - Sunday.
  

Operated by Urban Retail Properties, Desert Passage is not merely a shopping center, but a retail "story" that follows the ancient Mediterranean spice routes. And the flavor of the Mediterranean is captured in the ambience of the open-air market, and in the rich turquoise, copper and pink tones coloring the mall itself. Acrobats, belly dancers and other street performers are around every corner, and henna artists who have set up shop under the entrance to the Morocco Gate await visitors.

The journey begins with the long-needed Z Gallerie, which has a wonderful selection of artwork and home furnishings at very reasonable prices. Be sure to get on their mailing list. (Park on the third floor of the parking structure and you'll hit it straight on when you enter the mall.) Another Vegas first, Sur La Table, is a high-fashion housewares shop with beautiful dishes, towels and bric-a-brac. At the adorable Build-A-Bear Workshop, children young and old can design their own teddy bears, selecting bear type, stuffing and accessories.

The shops are divided into four distinct sections. The first of these is the Lost City, where dome-shaped buildings converge into a public market complete with a fountain and 85-foot-high tower. Activity bustles in the market, where shopkeepers offer beautiful handmade pottery, dishes and other tableware, and a variety of spices and other food items.

A Moorish arch announces your entrance into Morocco Gate, the mall portion of Desert Passage. Here you'll find, for example, Gap, Bath & Body Works and Origins. The bright and wide store-lined avenue also boasts the charming Build-A-Bear Workshop.

The next junction presents many an option. Shoppers may turn down India Gate and exit to the Strip (where you'll pass the Fabulous Commander's Palace); travel a bit further to the right and make their way into the casino; go left toward the Theatre for the Performing Arts; or venture forward to Merchant's Harbor, where a 155-foot-long ship is docked. This is a wonderful place to meet your party should you get lost. Don't stand too close to the water, however, or you'll get caught in the "storm" that brews every half hour.

Desert Passage also features the high-end Crustacean, Las Vegas restaurant.

The shopping center is built in the pattern of an "A," which makes it easy to navigate -- just be sure to explore all avenues. Plan for large crowds, grab your wallet, and have fun!

-- Staff Report