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A Pilgrimage to The Riviera
March 31, 2009
Well, the Riviera is the latest property to go into default. It seems like another one of these stories comes out every day, but it is what it is. Technically, Riviera Holders have decided not to make a $4 million interest payment that was due yesterday on a $245 million loan. Things are getting kind of scary. Without liquidity, any number of things could happen, including the worst-case scenario ... foreclosure. Of course, other possibilities also exist like restructuring and repayment negotiations, so it's probably not time to panic yet. However, just in case, I decided to head over there today, not just to see how the place was faring, but to lend my support to the fledgling property. They only got $10 of my money, but at least now they are only $3,999,990 short instead of $4 million. Every little bit helps. For whatever reason, the Riviera does not seem to have many enthusiastic ... Read the full blog post...
City Center Dodges a Bullet
Given that I have talked to my friends and neighbors about it every day, it's hard for me to believe that I have not made a single City Center update in the entire month of March … until today. Since the future of Las Vegas arguably hinges on this property, the argument could be made that the project should have its very own website … updated hourly. The pictures on this page were taken Friday, three days ago. I made a special trip on this particular day solely to photograph the City Center. Why? I have to be honest with you, I thought we were looking down the barrel of an outright catastrophe. I thought these would be the last pictures I would get of the project while it was still under construction. At least for awhile. You see, three days ago, City Center dodged the mother of all bullets. They had 8 hours to obtain ... Read the full blog post...
Oscar's Legacy … Union Park
March 30, 2009
I headed Downtown this morning to take care of a few things. The real Downtown. Because traffic was somewhat, heavy, I took another one of my “super-secret” alternate routes. This route takes me past both the Las Vegas Outlet Malls (more on this in a later post) … and it also takes me past something that I refer to as “The World's Ugliest Building”, at least in its current state. This supposed work of art sits across from the World Market Center, and conclusively proves that art is truly in the eye of the beholder. I digress … This little detour also takes me directly past the future site of “Union Park”. Now, not a whole lot of people are familiar with Union Park, but for those of us who live in the environs of Downtown Las Vegas, it's actually a pretty big deal. Union park is a massive project that will not just sit ... Read the full blog post...
The Night The Lights Went Out in Vegas
March 29, 2009
Well, it finally came to fruition. “Earth Hour” did, indeed, happen in Las Vegas. I am truly dismayed, disappointed, and embarrassed that my city took part in this escapade. The whole concept is beyond absurd. The event planners tried to get a billion people worldwide to turn off their “non-essential appliances” for one hour. This was supposed to help keep the polar ice caps from melting or some nonsense. Did they hit the billion number? Nobody knows. They never will. Were the polar ice caps saved? It's doubtful. Frankly, I'm not 100% sure that they are in danger. Here in the USA, this whole "green" movement is by and large a white suburban endeavor. Over the course of my life, I have come to realize a universal truth. That truth is: People need a cause. That's the secret behind global warming. People really just don't have anything else to do. Nobody wants to be the odd man out. It's uncomfortable. It is ... Read the full blog post...
Friday Night on Fremont East
March 28, 2009
"The Fremont East District" Say those words to the majority of locals, and you'll get a reaction not unlike this: “Oh gawd! Can you believe we spent so much money on that thing!” To say that Fremont East has not been well-received would be an understatement. Fremont East launched in August of 2007, after the Mayor and the City decided to pay $5.5 Million to install some fancy light fixtures on Fremont St. between Main St. and 7h Street. I was one of the people who initially shat upon the idea. I thought it was stupid, and a complete waste of money. I was one of those in “what were they thinking???” chorus. Now, I haven't had a complete change of heart. I still think five million dollars of taxpayer cash is too much for the glass slipper, the showgirl, and the martini glass. But, what's done is done. We're not getting a refund. It's been here ... Read the full blog post...
Free Nighclub Passes Right Here
Up and coming shows: Pussycat Dolls After concert party A bunch of girls, I guess they sing. Not really my kind of music. When: Saturday, April 25th Where: Pure Nightclub What: Pussycat Dolls Perez Hilton (no, not Paris, Perez) Perez Hilton is the Internet's most notorious gossip columnist. From his gossip website: Oh it's so good to know that Ivana Trump and her adopted son hubby Rossano Rubicondi have settled their rich people differences and saved their marriage. This guy is a crack up to read. With any luck he's as good at Pure. I'm pretty sure I would not want that guy reporting on anything I do! When: Friday, April 3rd Where: Pure Nightclub What: Perez Hilton Scott Weiland Known for bands Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver and also known for his drug addiction and bipolar disorder. He's pretty much a must see if you're in to music at all. Should be a good show if all goes ... Read the full blog post...
My video debut and the Cuba Gooding, Jr. story
This is my video debut, much against my will, I might add. Well, okay, when Vegascabbie suggested that we do my interview of him on video, I said, "Cool." It seemed like the practical thing to do as he is a video blogger in Las Vegas and I'm a blogger. So it makes sense that we'd combine our efforts, sort of a two for one deal. When it came down to me being in the video, I was a big chicken. We drove around the neighborhood for a while so I could get used to a camera pointed at me. I don't like the way I look, don't care for my voice, and well, I'm just generally self conscious. VegasCabbie, on the other hand, is on camera just like he always is, fun and comfortable. You'd think he was born on video. He's quite the ... Read the full blog post...
The Return of The Mint 400
The Mint 400 is a race with a very large amount of Las Vegas history behind it. As a matter of fact, it's the race that Hunter S. Thompson covered in his incredibly popular article- turned-novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”. Now, for whatever reason, people think that I am a fan of Hunter Thompson … or was in some way influenced by him. The fact is, I have never read anything written by the guy, and therefore I have absolutely zero opinion of his writing. I did, however, see the “Fear and Loathing” movie, and I greatly despised it. It's arguably the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. It was Johnny Depp doing a Jim Carey impersonation for a solid one hundred and twenty minutes. Seriously, I would rather sit through “Steel Magnolias” or “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” or "Twilight" than have to sit through that abstract “Fear ... Read the full blog post...
Smoker Wars at the Poker Table
March 26, 2009
So, a guy sits down at a Poker table and lights up a cigarette ... The dealer immediately tells him that the room is non-smoking. The player says it's “his right to smoke”, and refuses to put it out. The floor is called, and they repeat the order to put out the cigarette. The player jumps up, grabs his chips, calls the employees fascist and Un-American, and storms out. Sounds like a scene from a really bad movie, right? I wish. This very scenario actually played out this week while I was playing Poker. I've said it before, and I'll say it again … smokers are their own worst PR. In 2006, Proposition 5 or “The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act” was passed by voters in the State of Nevada. The law basically prohibited smoking in many public areas, but made sure that people were still allowed to smoke on the casino floor. Voters wanted to ... Read the full blog post...
And that's a sign?
Huh? Well, that is what this one leaves me with. I do not get it. I was wondering if any of you get it.
Recently the Luxor put up a sign on a couple of sides of the pyramid. It is a picture of what you see through your video camera viewer when taking a picture. Personally, when I first saw it, I thought it was a soccer field. Which would explain why I never bet on soccer. But look, at this photo and you can see what I mean, maybe?
So anyway, according to the reporter Amanda Finnegan at the Sun, Brad Goldberg, the Luxor vice president of marketing said, "We call this our 'focus campaign' with the goal being to drive people's focus and attention on Luxor and Las Vegas," he said. "As a city, we're trying to create more interest and excitement ... Read the full blog post...
