Casinoguide » Live Reports

The Night The Lights Went Out in Vegas

Rex — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:09:58 +0000

Well, it finally came to fruition.

“Earth Hour” did, indeed, happen in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Strip Few Minutes Before Lights Out

Bellagio Fountains Show Few Minutes Before Lights Out

The Las Vegas Strip 3 Minutes Before Lights Out

Earth Hour on The Las Vegas Strip

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 just so much easier to go along to get along.

Most people can do it.

Humans are oddly social animals, which thrive on the acceptance, affirmation, and validation of other humans.

In my honest opinion, this is why most people go to church. Do they believe in God? Probably not. Have you ever observed the behavior of the average religious person when they are outside the walls of their church? There is no way in hell (no pun intended) that these guys really believed they are facing eternity in a fiery pit, or else they wouldn’t do 80% of the things that they do.

Other people see it as a form of waking death. Psychological suicide if you will. I am one of these people. This being the case, I am sure I will take a great deal of flak for my disbelief … yet, it is one of the great ironies of life that I am one of the most “green” people in the USA.

I rode my bicycle to the first “Earth Day” in Washington DC, and was shocked at the number of SUV’s hauling in the “demonstrators” or whatever they are called. I have always made it a top priority to live as close to the inner-city as possible … specifically so I don’t have to drive.

As the demonstrators were yelling and screaming about saving the planet, and handing me literature telling me how to conserve energy, I couldn’t believe how bizarre it was. Here I was, a non-car-owner, straddling a bicycle, and these people who arrived in motorized vehicles from Herndon and Waldorf were telling me what an evil bastard I was because I was killing Mother Earth.

It was on that day that I realized that Eco-people are just not that bright. They are intellectually lost souls desperately looking for a leader.

Of course, they found one in Al Gore, but even Al doesn’t believe his own hysteria.

Don’t look at people’s words. Their words are meaningless. Look at their actions.

Al Gore says the planet is going to be destroyed, yet his household uses twenty times the energy of an average household.

How scared could he be?

If I honestly thought the Earth was going to get buried under water if I kept using energy … I would turn everything off and live in a cave. Yet, nobody does this.

It’s the same phenomenon as “recycling”. With the exception of aluminum cans, recycling actually uses more energy than it conserves. By the time they roll the trucks, pickup the bins, take it to the plant to have it sorted on giant belts, and then ship it to its finally destination … the recycling process uses far more energy than simply making a new plastic bottle.

Recycling isn’t about energy, though. It’s about money and jobs. Recycling employs tons of workers, and the benefit is seen to justify its existence.

“Earth Hour” is not about energy either.

Endeavors such as the ones we witnessed tonight are not undertaken to effect any kind of change. Las Vegas could not care less about power consumption.

It’s PR.

Vegas knows that this event will cause the neon city to get major attention.

That being said I feel complicit, hypocritical, and even guilty for covering it … but there is a demand from the public to see what the town looked like. Also, it’s Saturday night. I would have covered the city anyway.

At least this is how I delude myself into not feeling like a complete tool.

Deep down, I know better, though.

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you … “Earth Hour 2009” in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.

I was at the Bellagio when the lights went dark and I worked my way up to the Wynn, over to the freeway, down to Russell, past the Las Vegas Sign, up Las Vegas Boulevard and Trop, over the Hard Rock area, and then I stopped (I suppose illegally) on the DI overpass to catch the lights coming back on. Although traffic was very heavy, I tried to cover as much ground as possible during the hour the lights were off. Those of you following me on the Live Blog during the event already saw the preliminary shots, as well as a quick video of the Bellagio Fountains five minutes before the Strip went dim. There were some holdouts but most of The Strip participated.

Earth Hour on The Las Vegas Strip

It was fairly interesting to see The Strip sans-lighting in many areas tonight. It was almost eerie in spots. I guess if one thing good came out of Earth Hour, it was the unique perspective of the town.

Driving on the Boulevard and seeing the “Welcome To” sign, The Mandalay Bay, and The Luxor Pyramid completely dark was the first time in my life seeing them in such a state.

It was disconcerting, but oddly fascinating.

Same with NYNY, MGM, etc.

It was also very interesting to see the sheer gridlock as this event drew thousands upon thousands of people to witness the light outage. There were people everywhere with cameras and camcorders to document the event.

It was very much a spectacle.

I was able to make it over to the DI Bridge just in time to see the lights start flickering back on in the near distance.

I may not agree with the philosophy, but the visuals were actually worth seeing.

New Years Eve: Live From Las Vegas

Rex — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:04:37 +0000

I am headed down to Fremont Street to ring in the New Year.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

I will be uploading real-time photos and observations in the event that you want to come along on the journey. I’ll do my best to post everything in a timely manner and hopefully the cell phone photos will be clear enough for you to get a good idea of what’s going on.

At least if you join me from the comfort of your own home, you won’t have to endure the smell of urine and potential stab wounds.

The party this year is called “Tributepalooza”.

Silly name … but who knows, it might be cool.

Sometime tomorrow, I will write up a review with videos of the festivities, and I will also post higher quality photos of the Downtown New Year celebration.

Feel free to check back over tonight, and throughout New Year’s Day for updates.

Wherever you are, have a safe and happy New Year.

All the best in 2009.

Live Updates:

10:57pm: The lines are very long to get in. The event is sold out for non locals.

11:08pm: Fremont Street is vastly superior to The Strip for celebrating on New Years Eve. It’s a million times better. The people are actually enjoying themselves and are in good spirits.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

11:11pm: I asked a dude to give the VegasRex salute. He obliged. Photo below.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

11:12pm: There is a ton of pot smoke wafting through the canopy in front of the stage. Everyone is just having a great time.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

11:55pm: I gave the middle finger to the giant jumbotron cam and they quickly turned the camera away from me.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

12:01am: Some lady grabbed my ass and screamed “Happy New Year!” into my right ear. I am now partially deaf. Like I said, very jovial and friendly crowd.

12:13am: David Bowie Impersonator doing “Under Pressure” with Queen Tribute Band on main stage. It’s actually really good. The fireworks under the canopy were blasted out from the roof of the canopy and from the poles holding it up. They were quick “flash bangs” and not huge firework bursts, but it went really well with the Fremont Street Experience. I have plenty of video so you can see for yourself.

12:18am: The countdown and New Year show was quite cool. Again, much better than The Strip. Mayor-for-life Oscar Goodman led the countdown to midnight. A lot of stuff going on at the stroke of midnight, and the crowd is MUCH more Jovial and Times-Square-ish. I regret not spending previous New Year Eves here. The Strip blows compared to Downtown. I hope some of you were able to enjoy it down here as well.

12:27am: 4 people have recognized me so far. I’ve gotten offers of free beer, and free marijuana. Lots of high fives, cheering, toasting, laughting, music, singing, dancing, drinking … just a lot of fun.

Live on New Years Eve from Downtown Las Vegas - Fremont Street

12:42am: Worked my way to the El Cortez. Saw a pimp loudly arguing with his ho’ out front. Went inside. One cent video poker. How can I resist? My first gambling session of 2009.

Encore Grand Opening

Rex — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:18:05 +0000

After well over a year of watching the building rise in my own backyard … today … I finally entered the Encore Hotel and Casino.

Actually, I reviewed Encore a couple of weeks ago, so this trip was simply a formality.

What did I find inside?

Pretty much what I expected. I don’t want to pass judgement on my own review, but the truth is … as the very first person on planet Earth to review the property, I was quite accurate.

If I had to sum up the Encore, I would say, “It’s a smaller version of the Wynn casino with red/pink Asian lantern lights hanging from the ceiling everywhere.”

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

It’s about a 3 minute walk through a corridor from the Wynn casino floor, to the Encore casino floor … not wholly unlike the Venetian and Palazzo.

To say that I was underwhelmed would be an accurate statement, but I’m a bit jaded after all of my time spent here, so perhaps that is not a fair comment. It is my opinion, though.

There was nothing there that I didn’t expect. Aside from the lamps and tract-housing type casino divisions, there was really nothing in there that stood out as being unique. They had a small atrium at the door, and a garden and pool outside, which was nice … but nothing at all earth shattering.

I checked out the bars one by one, and poked my head in all of the restaurants. Everything was nice, but nothing really reaches out and grabs you by the nads.

Encore really is an extension of the Wynn, and a smaller extension at the casino level.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that this is a bad thing.

The place is … “pretty”.

It’s damn near the “prettiest” casino I have seen anywhere. If Barbie were to gamble, she would gamble at the Encore.

If Reese Witherspoon from “Legally Blonde” wanted to play some roulette … she would head straight for Encore.

If someone was an Asiaphile … they would want to stay at Encore.

To be honest, the place is a little feminine … and Asian.

If the Encore has any theme, it is “Hello Kitty”.

As a matter of fact, this place should absolutely corner the Asian female market.

But there is a place for dudes. Taking a page from the Wynn playbook, most of the waitresses are smoking hot. Bonerdom can be achieved as most of the ladies are solid 7-10′s.

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

There were “Poker” signs in the Encore, so I got excited about seeing their poker room.

When I asked the greeter where the poker room was, she said, “Go down that hallway, walk for about 2 minutes, take a right” … then I stopped her here.

“Wait a minute, are you directing me to the Wynn poker room?” I asked.

“Yes” she said.

“So the Encore doesn’t have one?” I said.

“Well, the Wynn and Encore share a poker room because we consider them the same property” she said.

There you have it folks. Right from the horse’s mouth. You don’t have to believe ME. Even the employees consider Encore a mere extension of Wynn.

Not only that, but when I went to the cage to get fresh Encore chips … I was presented with brand new Wynn chips.

“The Encore and Wynn have the same chips, but these are brand new”, said the cashier.

The chips are exactly the same as the Wynn chips, but I thanked her and took the chips anyway. Hey, at least they are new.

I played some craps, blackjack, and video poker at the new Encore.

You know what?

It was just like playing craps, blackjack, and video poker at the Wynn. I won at craps, lost at blackjack, and after putting a hundred into a $1 VP machine, walked away thirty minutes later with a little over $90. We’ll call that a draw.

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening - George Maloof

Encore Grand Opening

I know many people will beg to disagree, but I cannot stress enough that the Encore is the Wynn, and the Wynn is the Encore.

We can quibble about design features and layout all day, but the feel and vibe is the same.

And I am sure that this will also piss some people off, but it is the truth: I prefer the Wynn.

After doing my business in the Encore, I walked over to the Wynn, and was relieved to be there. I felt less cramped, and I liked the lack of red/pink Asian lantern lights in the Wynn. It felt bigger and less claustrophobic. If I had to choose one or the other, it would be Wynn.

Because of the size and high ceilings, I also prefer the Mandalay Bay to Encore. I also prefer Palazzo.

I am NOT saying that I don’t like Encore, or that I will not play there … because I definitely will … but Wynn is still my favorite of the two. Clocking in at 6’3” and 190lbs, I am a big guy. Encore felt a little cramped to me. The damn lamps made me feel a bit crowded. When I got back to the Wynn, I felt like I could breathe again. Perhaps Encore will grow on me when the initial crowds thin, but I like the elbow-room in the Wynn casino better, I like the Wynn poker room, and I like the Wynn buffet.

Along with the Bellagio, the Wynn has been the premiere luxury resort on The Strip. As a matter of fact, given the choice, I would always choose the Wynn over any hotel in Las Vegas if it purely came down to pure luxury and comfort.

I was present for the opening of Wynn Las Vegas, and was one of the very first members of the public through its doors.

Today, I could not help but feel a slight bit of Deja-Vu when I walked through the doors of Encore … but the Encore opening turned out to be less exciting than the Wynn opening. I kept looking for something in the Encore that I couldn’t find elsewhere … the “X” factor that really set it apart from all other places on The Strip.

There are far more similarities than there are differences. If you are feeling left out because you missed the opening of the hotel, don’t sweat it too much. If you’ve been to the Wynn, then for all intents and purposes, you have been to Encore.

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Encore Grand Opening

Live from the Encore Grand Opening

Was the hysteria, hype, and build-up to the Encore warranted?

No.

Not at all.

I’m a little embarrassed by the way we have reacted to the event and have blown it out of proportion. If we keep hyping this one, we risk losing credibility.

I know that the reviews are going to be positive across the board, and they very well should be positive, but NOT gushing. Encore is a nice piece of work. As was The Wynn, and The Palazzo, and The Venetian, and The Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay … I could go on and on.

I can’t tell you what to think and what not to think, but I can just give you my own advice. Don’t believe too much of what you read with regards to the place being some kind of place above all others. We desperately need good publicity right now, and the Encore gives us the perfect opportunity to manufacture that hype … but I always shoot people straight without regards to marketing and promotion. I take a fair amount of shit for doing that, but sometimes people really do just want to know the real deal.

Should everyone hop on a plane and head to Las Vegas at once?

Well, yes. But not because of Encore.

The Encore is definitely worth seeing, but the new Mirage Volcano is far more exciting. If you can only see one … see the Volcano.

If you are able to head up to the Encore afterward, then by all means do so. It’s almost certainly worth seeing, staying, and playing.

As a second tower to The Wynn, The Encore probably should have opened a bit more quietly with a bit less fanfare. Hype often does a disservice to a property. It almost always builds expectations to a higher point than can reasonably be met.

Encore is not a game-changer like The Mirage was 20 years ago, which kicked off Vegas 2.0, it’s not even close. If anything, it is the closing chapter of the current incarnation of Las Vegas. It’s the last “big casino” from the aging set of men that brought us the Mirage and ushered in the state of Las Vegas we see before us now.

All of this being said, I will be a frequent visitor to the Encore from this day forth, because I live within a few stones throw of the property. I like a nice casino as much as the next person. As I continue to play at the Encore and visit guests in the rooms over the next year, I will no doubt make many reports from there.

If you follow any of my columns, you will no doubt see and hear much more about the place in the future.

Steve Wynn absolutely does deserve kudos for managing his balance sheet, and opening a property in this economy. I like to make fun of his god-like following, and I’m not a huge fan of the seriousness in which he takes himself, but much respect is due for what he has been able to accomplish.

There is no doubt that when it comes to actually running profitable casinos, Steve Wynn is better than the rest. You don’t have to be a rabid fan to have mad respect for a man’s accomplishments, and Steve and his properties absolutely deserve respect.

It would just be a little more palatable if the local media and alternative press could give Steve his props without wiping his ass with their noses.

Anyway …

Now that the Encore is officially open, I am now cautiously looking forward to City Center, Fontainebleau, and the beta release of Vegas 3.0

After a couple of decades of “pretty” resorts, I’m ready for something truly unique.

The Las Vegas Blizzard of 2008

Rex — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:55:11 +0000

This is the closest thing to a blizzard I have ever seen in Vegas, so that’s what I am calling it.

I woke up to moderate rain this morning, and I flipped on the television to see how long it would last.

Imagine my surprise when I saw one of the local newsbimbos standing in a full blown snowstorm.

WTF?

She was reporting from Charleston and Fort Apache, which was about 8 miles from my house, and it looked like freaking Vermont.

(Click thumbnails to view larger images.)

Snowing in Summerlin

I haven’t seen natural snow on the ground since I moved to the Southwest. Before I moved to Las Vegas, I lived in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. It didn’t snow in any of those neighborhoods either. I try not to travel back east during the winter because I don’t like getting snowed in at the airport. I have missed the last couple of blizzards back east.

All-told this is the first time I have been in the midst of snow since the year 2000.

Oh sure, I’ve always been able to see it. I could see Mt. Wilson from Los Angeles, and Mt. Charleston from Vegas … and when I fly back and forth to the East, I can almost always look down and see the snowcapped Rockies … but it’s been a looooong time since I’ve enjoyed a good snow shower.

After seeing the footage on TV, we hopped in our car and drove out to Red Rock Casino.

I have to tell you, it is the first time in my life that I have ever seen snow on top of palm trees. It was really cool.

Snow on Palm Trees

Driving in the Snow

Snowing at the Red Rock Casino

Once we made our way out on Desert Inn Rd to the casino, we all piled out of the car, and began to play in the stuff. We were literally having one of those “Winter Wonderland” scenes where everyone was going nuts throwing snow around. We had a snowball fight, and were just flinging the stuff all over the place.

Keep in mind that this entire scene was playing out in the parking lot of the Red Rock Casino, so we drew some attention. Apparently Red Rock Security called the Metro Police on us to see what in the hell we were doing, and when the officers rode up and noticed us firing snowballs at each other, they yelled “No throwing snowballs!” out of the cruiser window.

When I looked over at the officer like he was nuts, he cracked a smile and wished us happy holidays. Fortunately, his order was a joke. I talked with the main cop for a couple of minutes before they drove off. I assume he reported back to security that we were just a bunch of idiots who hadn’t seen snow in eight years and that we were not a threat to life, limb, or the financial security of the Station Casinos conglomerate.

I swear those asstards at Stations are the most paranoid individuals in town. Station Casinos are one of the few places left in town that I get harassed for taking a simple snapshot. They need to lighten the hell up. It’s not my fault their profits are in the shitter. I try to make photo reports from their properties whenever I can, but I swear they don’t make it easy.

Most casinos are just happy to see people now, Stations still acts like a corporate dildo.

“I have a camera warn near the unoccupied slot machines.”

Hey Stations … TERRORISTS DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU.

There, I said it.

Someone had to.

Anyway, we did our best to roll up enough snow to make a snowman, but 1/20th of an inch just isn’t enough to get the job done.

Snowman

So, I improvised.

Snow boobs.

Snowboobs

Really, it was the best I could do given the circumstances. I think they are solid C cups, although the shape leaves something to be desired. It looks like plastic surgery gone horribly awry, but then again, I have yet to see a snowman that actually looks like a human.

After about 20 minutes, we had had enough. None of us could feel our hands anymore, and our feet were frozen. Everyone wanted to climb back into the car and turn on the heater. It took us less than half an hour to hate snow again. I’m really more of a rain person anyway.

While driving by the entrance of the casino, this man had just slipped in some ice slush and was being assisted back in.

man just slipped in ice slush

Driving back toward The Strip was a cool lesson in geography.

My current home is at an elevation of 2,025 feet above sea level. Red Rock Casino is at an elevation of 3,050 feet above sea level.

That 1,000 feet makes all the difference in the world.

I got on my favorite east-west thoroughfare (Desert Inn Rd), and watched as the topography changed with each stoplight.

snow on cars

snowing at Desert Breeze Park

less snow at Desert Inn and Jones

slush and cold rain at Desert Inn and Decatur

Fontainebleau from Desert Inn and Valley View

Snow accumulation stopped at exactly Durango Dr. at 2,620 feet.

Snow stopped falling, and it was all rain from Jones Blvd. At 2,300 feet.

Basically, I live about 275 feet out of the snow zone.

By the time I got to The Strip, it was just rain. No snow at all … although the Stratosphere was clearly up in the white stuff. I could not even see the top.

Encore, Fontainebleau, and the Stratosphere

Palazzo, Venetian, and Treasure Island

Encore and Wynn

Wynn, Encore, and Trump

It’s also worth noting I have started being able to discern the altitude gain from here to the Summerlin area. Breathing becomes a little shorter and more rapid with each block. I used to not notice it, but I’m getting old. I can actually feel the thinner air on my respiration now. It’s not dramatic, but there is a difference.

Passing through the microclimates of the Las Vegas Valley is really cool when snow shows up, and this is the first time I have done it .. and also the last time I will do it.

Why?

People cannot drive. Man, the near-misses were scary. People can’t drive when it is sunny and clear out here. Throw in any kind of precipitation, and it is chaos. I am not chasing snow with these Mario Kart drivers anymore. You literally take your life into your own hands getting on roads with the weather like this.

But … it was nice to see once.

I had heard that it did, indeed, snow here … but I have always lived too close to the action to see it for myself. The Strip is usually too low in altitude, and creates too much of a heat island to get any measurable snow.

However … finally … today, I can officially say that I have been in the middle of a Las Vegas blizzard.

Just think, three short months ago it was well above 100 degrees, and now it’s snowing.

Las Vegas doesn’t have much in the way of weather, but every now and then, it gets interesting.

This was one of those days.

Thanksgiving on The Strip

Rex — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:03:17 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving.

Or so they tell me.

Once again, it’s that time of year when we celebrate the inferior firepower of the Native American, who’s complete incompetence allowed a bunch of effeminate Englishmen build an entire nation on their property.

We sat down, ate a meal with our hosts, then shot them in the face with a musket.

If that’s not something to celebrate, then I don’t know what is.

Of course, we made it up to them.

We killed their ancestors and took their land, but we gave them casinos in return.

In the end, I’d say it was a win-win for everyone.

Needless to say, I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. If you have to be told by the Federal Government to sit down and be thankful for your family on a prescribed day … then you’re an asshole. I wish I could be more tactful, but I just don’t know how else to put it.

Every day, I am thankful for what I have to be thankful for, and I am bitter about, well, just about everything else.

I don’t reserve a particular day for it.

So, while it’s “Thanksgiving” for the rest of America … to me, it’s “Thursday”.

As such, I will be heading out to The Strip in search of cleavage and gambling winnings.

Due to the cold weather and miserable economy, I will likely find neither, but I am … if nothing else … persistent.

I will send some real-time shots back to this post at various points during the day so that you too can be on The Strip on Thanksgiving.

At least as much as is possible.

I hope everyone is enjoying their day off.

Live From The Las Vegas Strip on Thanksgiving

Excalibur Electronic Poker Room

Live From The Las Vegas Strip on Thanksgiving

Live From The Las Vegas Strip on Thanksgiving - Downpour at End of Trip

Live From Las Vegas: The Halloween Edition

Rex — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:40:00 +0000

I don’t really celebrate Halloween. At least not the part where I dress up.

Truth be told, I never did.

That doesn’t, however, prevent me from looking on with curiosity at the people who do celebrate the “holiday”.

I will probably go over to The Strip tonight to see what’s happening tonight.

I never have any idea what to expect on Halloween in Las Vegas. Sometimes I see a lot of goofy people, sometimes it just looks like any other night. I guess we’ll soon see.

If any of you female readers out there plan on dressing as a french maid, cheerleader, nurse, or some other kind of whore-like outfit … by all means, email me some photos.

I’ll have my own little one-handed celebration in front of my monitor, and maybe this whole debacle of an event will mean something after all.

Anyway, I will post some running pictures from my cellphone so you can get the live-vibe. Cellphone photos notoriously suck, but you have to trade quality for mobility and expediency. It’s the nature of the beast.

I will post higher quality pictures and videos that I took with my “real” camera, as well as some commentary about Halloween night on The Strip sometime later this weekend.

If you are celebrating tonight … have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Harrah's Imperial Palace Monorail Station

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Joker?

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Tinkerbell and a Pirate (?)

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Helly Kitty Man

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Sexy Pussy Cat

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Sexy Footlocker Chick and Swiss Maid

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Rubiks Cube Man and the King and the Queen of Hearts

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Naked Man

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Harrah's

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Pornslappers

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Bellagio

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Sexy Cutesy Space Girls?

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Flamingo "X" Pit

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Bluehairs partying it up

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - School Girls and their Pimps

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Hottie

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Shotgun Wedding?

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Cool Dude, Tequila Bottle, and Scantily Clad Women

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Another Pussy Cat

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Sexy Chick and her Doctor?

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Mr. T?

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Drunk Penis Man

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Your guess is as good as mine ???

Live - Halloween on The Las Vegas Strip - Teletubby and an Indian Boy?

Saturday Live

Rex — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:48:33 +0000

One of the things people kind of like on my other site is the “Real-Time Las Vegas Webcam” thing I do from time to time.

Every now and then when I am walking around Las Vegas, I will take either my laptop or my BlackBerry along with me and just manually upload shots at random of the scenes around me.

I suppose that in some way, it makes people sort of feel like they are here … without actually dropping the cash for airfare.

And since it’s real-time, you basically see what I see pretty much when I see it.

You can see how crowded or empty the city is and kind of get a small feel for the vibe.

Since this blog is a new format, and I don’t have the real-time photo upload enabled, I will actually have to stop and post the shots manually, which means they may be a few minutes delayed … but it’s still about as close as you are going to get to a roving Las Vegas webcam updated in real time.

Sometimes I catch something of interest. Sometimes I get nothing at all but random Vegas scenery.

Such is the nature of live webcasts.

These things aren’t exactly planned.

It is currently 2:53pm on Saturday (October 25th, 2008) and I am heading out for a bit.

You are welcome to come along.

It’s about the next best thing you are going to get to being here, without actually being here.

If you get plastered and flush the entire contents of your wallet down the toilet as you are reading the post, it will make the Vegas experience much more authentic.

The photos that follow will be taken by my cellphone and uploaded in near-real-time.

Live from Las Vegas - The Hilton Sportsbook

Live from Las Vegas - The Hilton Casino

Live from The Las Vegas Strip - Fontainebleau Construction

Live from Las Vegas - The Monorail

Live from The Las Vegas Strip - Riviera

Live from Las Vegas - Palazzo, Wynn, and Encore from The Monorail

Live from Las Vegas - The Monorail

Live from Las Vegas - Traffic jam near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard & Flamingo Ave.

Live from Las Vegas - Bally's Pool

Live from The Las Vegas Strip - Bally's Casino

Live from The Las Vegas Strip

Live from The Las Vegas Strip - Bellagio Overpass

Live from The Las Vegas Strip - Bellagio

Well, I am finally back. I cut off the picture taking after I had arrived at the Bellagio.

It was in the mid-80′s today, so it was still perfectly good pool weather.

I am not sure whether or not you could tell from the photos, but the crowds were quite impressive today.

Compared with a month ago, the numbers seem to be up significantly this Saturday.

Our tourism has fallen off dramatically over the last year, so hopefully this is a harbinger of things to come. Granted, it is a Saturday … the busiest day of the week, but there have been many weekends over the past several months in which the place seemed like a ghost town.

Not so today.

Not just the sidewalks were full, but so were the gambling pits.

Craps tables, Blackjack tables, Baccarat, you name it. All going strong and very crowded.

The sports books were also completely crammed with people.

The only place I noticed that is still lagging is the video games.

The slot machines and video poker machines are still relatively lonely compared to what they were say, 3 years ago, but at least the pits are seeing more and more action with each passing week.

I know that this is a side effect of lower room rates, and gas prices which are finally coming down, but hey … a crowd is a crowd.

I hung out in the Bellagio for awhile amidst the crowds, then cruised The Strip with a buddy of mine whom I met at the bar near the poker room.

At times, traffic was nice and gridlocked too. Especially near Las Vegas Boulevard and Spring Mountain Rd. I normally detest traffic, but after 6 months of smooth sailing, it was nice to be back in the bumper-to-bumper mess.

Have our tourism and revenue numbers bottomed?

The hell if I know.

But on this particular day, it does seem like we may have turned a corner.

All told, morning to evening, I was in the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, NYNY, Hilton, Bally’s, Paris, and Bellagio.

Each and every casino had a reasonably decent amount of action. Nothing like two years ago, but things look to be picking up a bit.

People seemed happy, and the “vibe” seemed to be back … if just for this day. Lots of drinking, smiling, and general goofiness.

Of course, Jimmy Buffet is in town, and we are overrun with parrotheads right now, so that may have something to do with it.

Whatever the reason … Jimmy, the weather, the room rates, or something else … the end result is that it was a good day to be in Las Vegas.