The Strip's New Monkey Business - David G. Schwartz/Vegas Seven

With its quirky design elements and tribal mentality, SLS Las Vegas surely won’t appeal to everyone. And that’s a good thing. Illustration by Cierra Pedro The Sahara’s closing on May 16, 2011, was significant in more ways than one: It was not only the demise of one of the Strip’s few remaining classic casinos, but it essentially marked the depth of the Great Recession.