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All Good Things
June 28, 2010
Being a writer in Las Vegas is not always easy. It probably goes without saying, but Vegas-based publications are highly dependent upon local casino ad revenue. This is a one-industry town, and unless you want to hemorrhage cash year-after-year-after-year, you have two choices: Kiss the beanbag Write for someone who doesn't depend on local casino advertising dollars For the last couple of years, I have mostly done the second. It's not that I can't "write mainstream". I can and I have. I've penned "mainstream" articles in a variety of places, both online and in print, for close to 20 years. VegasRex is an (obvious) pseudonym which allows me to write milquetoast bullshit elsewhere without anyone making the connection, but I don't really enjoy doing so. Corporate media can be extremely frustrating. You can write a 2,000 word masterpiece, only to have it stricken because it is too ... Read the full blog post...
Fare Play
June 27, 2010
One of the nice things about living in Washington DC prior to 2008 was our zone system for cabs. For those who never used the DC taxi system, this was the way it used to work: Each part of the city was in a "zone", and the amount of cab fare you paid depended on how many zones you travelled through. A cab ride that crossed X amount of zones was $X, and a ride within a zone cost $X ... each and every trip. There were surcharges for rush hour trips, radio dispatches, etc ... but for the most part, if you knew where you were going, you also knew exactly what the fare would be. While the fare system worked for everyone who lived and worked within Zone 1, it could be unfair for those who lived on the edge of a zone. For instance, at one ... Read the full blog post...
Farewell Moulin Rouge
June 26, 2010
Yesterday, I drove over to the northwest part of Downtown to get some parting shots of the Moulin Rouge Casino. Literally. Earlier this week, approval was given to destroy what is left of the somewhat mysterious property, and the lot on which it sits is expected to be cleared shortly. As much as I would love to regale you with anecdotes about my experiences at this property, I've obviously never been inside of the place. Hell, even though I am surrounded by old-timers in this neighborhood, not a single one of them has a tale about visiting the Moulin Rouge. The only thing I know about the place is what I have read online, and even that is not a whole hell of a lot. There is so little known about the casino that it's kind of spooky. Last year, a fire raged through the property, and I was one of the ... Read the full blog post...
Happy iDay Part 2
June 25, 2010
Anyway, since he got such a weird reaction from the crowd, I stood in place as he walked in my direction so that I could give him some affirmation. He was a Hispanic guy, maybe mid-30's, with the iPhone in one hand and two kids flanking him. The kids were clamoring for a peek at the device and he was grinning from ear-to-ear. When he got about 10 feet away from me, I said "Congratulations!" and I threw my hands in the air signaling a touchdown. He smiled widely and flashed the phone at me. I was genuinely happy for the douchebag. Contrary to popular belief, I'm really not a dick. I'm actually pretty nice, and this goes double if you are sort of an outcast. Now, this entire time, I noticed that a security guard had been ... Read the full blog post...
Happy iDay Part 1
Unless you've been living under a rock, you are no doubt cognizant of the fact that yesterday was the official launch of the iPhone 4.0. Of course, yours truly went over to Fashion Show Mall specifically to get pictures of the event. Why? Because I needed stock photos of an iPhone launch. As any regular reader is well-aware, I have an obsessive policy of only using photos that belong to me, and after looking through my stash, I realized that I didn't have any iLaunch pictures. As someone who ridicules Apple on a frequent basis, this could not stand. At some point, I'm going to need to photoshop a crowd of Heaven's Gate cult members standing in front of an Apple Store, and I need some kind of photographic footage to start with. Yesterday was my opportunity to get that footage. I arrived at Fashion Show around 9:30am, ... Read the full blog post...
The More Things Stay The Same
June 24, 2010
I'm not sure what to make of this: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jun/22/12-billion-fontainebleau-construction-permits-pull/ Some $1.2 billion in construction permits were pulled for the idled Fontainebleau casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip this month — but no one is saying if that means construction will actually resume anytime soon. Clark County Development Services, the county office that tracks the issuance of building permits, reported last week that a company that acquired the Fontainebleau property on the Strip pulled 47 permits for projects at the development’s 2777 Las Vegas Blvd. South address. But county officials said today this may be just a procedural effort ... (snip) ... All the permits were issued June 10 and the total value of all 47 permits exceeds $1.2 billion. Representatives of Icahn Enterprises and Taylor International did not return calls clarifying whether there are any plans to resume construction at Fontainebleau ... (click the article link to read more) As we are all aware, Carl "Yes" ... Read the full blog post...
A Night at Gilley’s
June 23, 2010
Last night, I decided to make my second trip to Gilley's since it opened two months ago at Treasure Island. I had to meet someone at the Mirage later in the night, and I figured the country bar would be a good place to kill some time since I was running about an hour ahead of schedule. I had my ride drop me off in front of the Mirage, and I then headed north and tried to enter Gilley's from the outside. I soon realized the error of my ways. To call the pedestrian situation in front of TI a "logistical nightmare" would be kind. Calling it a clusterf**k would denigrate the beautiful act of making love to clusters. Frankly, I don't know what to call the situation other than a "complete and unadulterated mess". If you try to reach Gilley's by walking north from the most populated portion ... Read the full blog post...
Saying Something
June 22, 2010
Gee, what could possibly go wrong with this ... From http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12686429 (not the Review-Journal): Las Vegas law enforcement agencies are launching a new effort aimed at encouraging regular citizens to watch out for suspicious activity. The program is called "See Something, Say Something". The program is designed to make average citizens the eyes and ears of law enforcement when officers aren't around. Authorities say a prime example of how well that can work is the attempted attack on Times Square in New York City. Faisal Shahzad is accused of trying to rig a car bomb in the crowded New York City plaza. A street vendor, however, spotted smoke coming from the vehicle and reported it to authorities. Shahzad on Monday pleaded guilty to 10 terrorism and weapons counts. To summarize -- emboldened by one man's reporting of a smoking vehicle, Las Vegas law enforcement is beginning a program which will encourage other people to report ... Read the full blog post...
Sunday at the Trop
June 21, 2010
When I learned that the Tropicana was getting rid of its Island Buffet, I was disappointed. I used to enjoy the buffet, and I used to schedule visits around the Bird Man shows. Since the Trop has been without an all-you-can eat venue for awhile, I was somewhat heartened to learn last week that their new Italian restaurant, Bacio, was instituting a new weekend "brunch" buffet. Of course, I had to try it, and yesterday I did exactly that. The new Bacio buffet is somewhat interesting from a logistical perspective. You are seated inside, but in order to get your food, you have to go back out of the front entrance to the exterior of the restaurant . Of course, this is the reverse of how most buffets operate. It reminded me a little bit of wearing one's clothes backward, like Kriss-Kross circa 1993. Don't even act like ... Read the full blog post...
Bad Mojo
"Do you have a cigarette?" "Can you spare any change?" "Hey man, help me get a sandwich." This was not how I wanted my Saturday night to begin. I've been having such a decent time on Fremont Street the past few weeks that I've come to take the positive vibe for granted. Last night, however, the streak sort of came to an end. I'm not sure if it was the heat, the booze, or a combination thereof, but last night on Fremont Street there were a few shouting matches, a few fisticuffs, and worst of all ... a busload of panhandlers. Literally. A few weeks ago, someone emailed me with regards to the new influx of posers on LVB. The person informed me that the LAPD was cracking down on the posers along Hollywood Boulevard, and that it was getting too difficult for them to work the streets in LA. Instead of sticking around Hollywood, ... Read the full blog post...
