Castaways Hotel, Las Vegas

After spending two shuttered years living up to its name, the Castaways hotel and casino in Las Vegas went out with a bang. A series of planned explosions reduced the 19-story tower to a 20,000-ton heap of rubble and raised a huge cloud of dust about three miles from the Strip. A $4 billion hotel, retail and casino development called Echelon Resort Las Vegas will replace the site by early 2010.