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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...
3 Levels of Fun
June 5, 2010
For a couple of years I have been complaining about the blighted lot that sits immediately to the south of Planet Hollywood. This parcel of land, almost dead-center strip, has always struck me as the most underutilized piece of real estate in the entire city. Today, however, I am happy to announce that this is all about to change. This week, the owners of the land annnounced that they are going to build something new and amazing on this particular corner. What, exactly, are they going to build? Well, hold on to your hats, because this is going to be the most exciting news you've heard in the past sixty, or possibly seventy seconds. Coming soon to the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon will be .... Drumroll please ... Wait for it ... Wait a little more for dramatic effect ... Can you feel the excitement ... Here comes the big announcement .... A Walgreens. Oh Hallelujah! It's like a ... Read the full blog post...
The Lady Luck Revival
May 27, 2010
Lady Luck is a somewhat imposing Downtown casino that was shuttered in 2006, expected to re-open a year later ... yet still sits dormant. Over the last year or so, I've received numerous inquiries into the state of affairs at the Lady Luck. Unfortunately, to all of the inquiries I have received, my answer has always been the same: I don't know. While I am acquainted with a fair number of people who work in casinos which are actually open, I honestly wouldn't know who to contact when it comes to projects which are in the works. Even if I did know who to contact, I doubt I would do so. There is a huge difference between a "blogger" and a reporter. A blogger writes a web log of his/her personal experiences and opinions, while a reporter investigates facts and is assigned to stories of which he/she may ... Read the full blog post...
Positive Creep
May 26, 2010
Yesterday, construction began on a brand new piece of art. This is a display which will adorn my own neighborhood, and it is expected to be completed in three months. A short, mainstream explanation of the work-in-progress follows: We already have the Bow and Arrow Motel, the Horseshoe, and the Silver Slipper along Las Vegas Boulevard North, as well as the Vegas Sign, Martini Glass, and more along East Fremont Street. Now, another set of street installations is coming to the downtown area. Las Vegas has commissioned artist Dennis Oppenheim to create a gateway to the Arts District in downtown Las Vegas. His previous work consists of other outdoor installations around the world in locations including Lithuania; Kansas City, Missouri; Ventura, California; and Seattle’s Olympic Park. The local project will display a pair of 45-foot-tall paint brushes angled in over the street. Each will be topped by a set of lights that will shine a rainbow of ... Read the full blog post...
Filling The Gap
May 24, 2010
A few weeks ago, while standing on the balcony of a Sahara penthouse suite, I looked to the lot immediately south of the casino and asked "Are they supposed to build something here?" The person whom I was with had no idea, and when I later posed the question in my own forums, I realized that almost nobody had an answer. The former home of the Wet n' Wild amusement park has been sitting vacant since 2004, and like so many other projects around town, it's devolved into little more than an eyesore. Yesterday, on my way back from an absolutely thrilling hold 'em session at Caesars Palace, I passed the vacant lot again and noticed a new fence which read "10,000 New Jobs For Nevada - Silver State Arena". Huh ... what?! Good god, how on earth had I managed to miss this development? They are building a stadium in my own backyard ... Read the full blog post...
Where’s The Gambling?
May 21, 2010
How about a round of applause for a little more Downtown redevelopment ... The Las Vegas City Council today unanimously approved leasing a city-owned, three-story former retail store to a pair of developers who hope to turn it into a nightclub that will help light up downtown's Fremont East District. The building, at the southeast corner of Fremont Street and Sixth Street, is envisioned to have a nightclub within about a year to a year and a half, and will also be used for retail space and condominiums, according to the developers. Terry Caudill, who owns the Four Queens and Binion's casinos, and Carlos "Big Daddy" Adley and his wife, Ava Berman Adley, who own the Velvet Margarita in Hollywood, have formed a limited liability corporation to lease the property, called 601 Fremont LLC. "We're going to bring in some of the top retail, restaurant and amenities, literally in the country to this spot," ... Read the full blog post...
Kicking It Old School
April 19, 2010
The past several days have been spent traveling back and forth to the south strip, and yesterday, I decided to change intersection corners. After working on my base tan at the Luxor (don't laugh, it's necessary to prevent painful burning in May), I walked over to the Tropicana. About 15 people from my site are coming into Vegas this weekend, and they are contemplating making the Tropicana one of their stops. As such, I decided to see how things were coming along. After looking around the Trop for a bit, the answer to my question was: very quickly. The crotch port is still under construction, as is the area at the end of the Tropicana Ave pedestrian bridge, but the gaming pit is looking pretty nice. It's certainly a huge change from just a couple of weeks ago when I last visited. The pit has higher ceilings, it's quite ... Read the full blog post...
Counting Down to Cosmo
April 8, 2010
Screw the iPad hype, today comes the announcement that you have all been waiting for. Per the Associated Press: The CEO of the new $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas casino said it will open in mid-December, with about one-third of its rooms delayed until July 2011. It is likely to be the last major new casino-resort to open on the struggling Las Vegas Strip for at least a few years. Even before the Cosmopolitan plays its first hand, executives and analysts said it must draw new customers who feel it is a must-see draw to Sin City. Cosmopolitan CEO John Unwin said the hotel's amenities, including 13 restaurants, a spa, nightclub, 150,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and retail stores, would open in mid-December along with the casino and the bulk of its 2,995 rooms. Um, yay? Alright, I suppose the naysaying about this one is a bit self evident. Neither Aria nor Vdara ... Read the full blog post...
Forgotten, But Not Gone
March 23, 2010
This weekend, I spent a great deal of time inside of an old favorite. Your mother. I also visited the Tropicana several times. For whatever reason, the years 2000-2010 saw the Tropicana endure a particularly hard rap. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the property was the redheaded stepchild of the South Strip. It was the property of last resort when everything else was booked, and admitting you stayed in the joint was the Vegas equivalent of declaring that you had a small wiener. If people didn't snicker in your face, they did so behind your back. Hardly an online "next up for the wrecking ball" poll was posted without the Trop at least receiving honorable mention, and the stereotypical clientele of the resort was that of wig-wearing women sitting in front of slot machines while puffing on cigarettes, pausing only long enough to hock a loogie from their tar-encrusted lungs ... Read the full blog post...
Beach Clubbing
February 27, 2010
The largest eyesore south of Echelon Place is finally getting ready to disappear. Well, not so much "disappear" exactly, but it is finally slated to become something other than an eyesore. For the last several months, the construction at the base of the Encore Hotel and Casino has made the vacant lot directly across the street look downright appealing. Every time I have driven by the construction site (including today, the photos on this page were taken hours ago), I always feel surprised that Steve Wynn would allow such a fugly scene to play out in front of one of his signature properties. It seems so ... heterosexual. If I were building an addition to my property, I would have no qualms with digging the place up and parking dump trucks on the lawn, but Steve "I Need More Teeth Whitener" Wynn? Perish the thought. Alas, Steve took it upon himself to crap where he ... Read the full blog post...
