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ACEs Cracked
May 18, 2010
Well, I tried to be a "green" citizen. I tried to prevent global warming. I tried to save trees, plants, and baby dinosaurs. Despite my best efforts, however, the Las Vegas Regional Transit Authority told me to go fornicate myself with a sharp stick ... although not in those exact words. You see, shortly after 1pm today, I walked over to the Stratosphere ACE stop with the full intent to buy a one-way pass (which the RTC calls a "2 hour all access pass") to go to the Tropicana. Why was I buying only a one-way pass? Because the person with whom I was meeting with at the Trop had rented a car for the week, and I anticipated returning home not on the ACE, but in a private vehicle. Sounds reasonable, no? Apparently this was not reasonable at all, because when I got to the ACE ticket machine, I quickly learned that the RTC had completely eliminated ... Read the full blog post...
Summer of the ’70s
May 17, 2010
After the very successful "Summer of '69" effort, I was strongly hoping that Fremont Street would bring us another theme this year, and it appears that I will be getting my wish: It's going to be 102 days of dy-no-mite surprises as Fremont Street Experience brings you the "Summer of the '70s" festival and free concert series. Headlining bands as well as weekly tribute bands will fill downtown with sounds of the '70s including disco, classic rock and more. Although I started getting burned out on tie-dye halfway through the summer, when all was said and done, I thought that what Fremont did last year was brilliant. The free concerts, costumes, and custom light shows really added an element of fun to Downtown that surprised me. Before the Summer of '69 theme kicked off, frankly, I was skeptical. The whole thing just seemed too corny, and when I first heard about it, I ... Read the full blog post...
Indecent Counter-Proposal
Well, another Triple Crown race, another loss. My longshot strategy is 0-2 this year. I know, "that's why they call them long shots", but where the hell is equine Jeff Gillooly when you need him? For the Preakness, I decided to give my money to the Sahara book, but when the lone guy behind the counter refused to take his eyes off of a televised game to answer my questions, I got back in the car and made a quick drive to the Hilton. Hey, Nevada Public Utilities Commission, do you see that ... the competitive marketplace actually works. When I say that "I" drove to the Hilton, I don't mean that I actually operated the gas pedal and the steering wheel. The fact is, I only drive a small percentage of the time I go somewhere by vehicle. I hate driving, I know just enough people in this town that I don't ... Read the full blog post...
Neon Diarrhea
May 15, 2010
Now that it is officially a new decade, I am updating the pictures I have for every property in Las Vegas. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have photographically covered every inch of Las Vegas Boulevard from the North Las Vegas border to the M Resort, but keeping them up to date is a continuous process. For the last week or so, I have focused my attention on the area between Flamingo Rd. and Harmon Ave., and from my own perspective ... I think this area is now the very best that the Las Vegas Strip has to offer. At this point, I might go so far as to say that this half mile stretch of road is the Las Vegas Strip. At least from a visual standpoint. I think it is fair to say that the Las Vegas Strip is in a rut. In the last decade, The ... Read the full blog post...
Scam Vegas
May 14, 2010
So far, 2010 has been a somewhat unusual year in Las Vegas from my perspective as a resident. While there have always been copious amounts of panhandlers, bums, and "can you spare some change so I can buy baby formula" scammers in this town, in the past several months, the numbers of these groups have really picked up. Allow me to give you an example. About an hour ago, as I was arriving home, a man dressed in a city worker's uniform greeted me at my driveway. I rolled down my window to see what he wanted, and he said "Hello, I am with the Las Vegas Safety Department and I am here to repaint your house number on the curb. It's almost worn off and it needs to be visible in case of emergency". "Alright, whatever", I said, and I began rolling up my window. Before it reached the top, the man shouted out ... Read the full blog post...
Fight The Power
May 12, 2010
I’ve been utilizing the ACE Bus quite a bit lately. This is especially true during off-peak times when I find it to be fast and efficient. There are, however, some rough edges that still need to be smoothed out. For instance, on Saturday, I walked over to the Stratosphere ACE Station, tried to put my fare into the machine, and ... nothing. It would not accept my money. The bill feeder was completely dead. This was a problem. The ACE has something called a "proof of payment" system where transit cops randomly roam the bus, fining people who do not have a ticket. In a way, the fare system is like speeding enforcement. It provides a mechanism by which people can flout the law by playing the odds, and only be forced to pay up when they get caught. Personally, I am not a fan of fare systems which rely 100% on law enforcement. This ... Read the full blog post...
Prude City
It looks like the era of topless pools in Las Vegas may be coming to an end. Excerpt " .... Hard Rock and Light Group — which operates the adult-only Liquid pool at Aria and the topless Bare at Mirage — each changed their minds about opening topless pools this season. Off-Strip, Green Valley Ranch Resort has also discontinued topless sunbathing at its pool, the Pond. Light Group President Jodi Myers said one reason it decided against topless sunbathing at its new pool is because the no-party policy limits the club’s marketing. Phil Shalala, vice president of marketing at the Hard Rock, said they felt it was a gimmick that had run its course. Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre said regulators will work with Metro again this summer to conduct enforcement checks at pool parties. “Both Metro and Gaming Control have an ongoing interest in these venues and continue that interest going into ... Read the full blog post...
Leaving Las Vegas … Eventually
May 11, 2010
Generally, I don't find "studies" terribly compelling, accurate, or original ... but this one was at least thought-provoking. Excerpt: "Swell of discontent: A large share of locals, many jobless and underwater, pining for greener pastures away from the recession-ravaged area, study finds During Las Vegas‚ boom years, plentiful jobs were enough to keep the masses moving here. Now that the boom has gone bust, a new survey by UNLV researchers suggests a large share of valley residents see little reason to stay. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Social Survey found 40 percent of locals want to leave the state. The results are an indication of tough times, said Robert Futrell, a UNLV sociologist who led the study paid for by the university and the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition. Most Las Vegans, it seems, talk about moving at some point. The transient nature of the area ‚ only 8 percent of us were born here ‚certainly contributes ... Read the full blog post...
A Grand Evening
May 9, 2010
Although I typically refuse to do so, Friday was a rare occasion in which I acquiesced to the dreaded "Will you drive me to the airport?" request. While this is a task that I will never perform for an able-bodied person, it just so happened that I had two friends staying in NYNY last week, and one of them was on crutches. Apparently, there is nothing like disability to give one a bit of perspective, because on the way to McCarran, both of these Strip-snobs declared that their next visit to Vegas would be spent on Fremont Street. According to these two, they had an epiphany on this trip. They had come to the conclusion that "everything on The Strip is too far away", and they no longer wanted to feel like a "captive audience in a group of hotels owned by the same people". See ... they all come around. Eventually. After dropping ... Read the full blog post...
Gnarly and the Chocolate Factory
May 7, 2010
For the first time ever, yesterday, I embarked on a trip to the famous Ethel M Chocolate Factory. For those of you who are unaware, Ethel M is kind of a big deal for those who like sweets. It is a gourmet candy factory which just happens to be located about 10 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, and is a mecca for chocolate lovers from all over the country. Given its popularity, it's somewhat odd that I had never been to Ethel's before. The reason for this is that I am not a huge chocolate lover. I like it just fine, but I'm generally not willing to brave travelling to Henderson to consume it. Having kids, however, means that what you want is often completely and utterly irrelevant. You are going to do and pay for whatever you are told to do and pay for. It's a lot like being an ... Read the full blog post...
