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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...
Springing Back To Life
March 21, 2010
March Madness is in full swing and the city of Las Vegas is downright overflowing. Had I been in a coma for the past four years and awakened today, a recession would not have even entered my mind. Hell, my pessimistic ass even muttered the phrase "Vegas is back" several times today. Frankly, I doubt my saying is true, but for this weekend ... it absolutely is. From Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere, the Boulevard was packed, the sidewalks were packed, and the casinos were packed. From my own personal observations, this is the finest non-holiday weekend we've had in recent memory. I don't know what exactly happened, but somebody opened the floodgates on Friday. Not only have people shown up in numbers, but the mood is quite different from say, six months ago. For one thing, the smiles are back, as is the playfulness. I was on the receiving end of a couple ... Read the full blog post...
Frosted Lucky Charms, They’re Magically Delicious!
March 18, 2010
For whatever reason, St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas is closely associated with O'Sheas Casino. This is somewhat amusing when you think about it. The casino is owned by Harrah's (what isn't these days?), and the owners of Harrah's are about as Irish as a burrito. As a matter of fact, O'Sheas operates under the same license as does the Flamingo, and I'm pretty sure Bugsy Siegel wasn't a mick, but in Las Vegas ... image is everything. Since the Monorail may be on borrowed time for yours truly with the pending arrival of the ACE Bus in two weeks, I decided to burn a couple of the 30-ish locals passes that I still have neatly tucked into the inside pocket of my laptop bag. Given the date on the calendar and the number of people walking around in green clothing, my destination was a foregone conclusion. I knew where the ... Read the full blog post...
On Cloud 9
February 26, 2010
Cloud Nine and I got off to a rough start. As a matter of fact, we got off on such a bad start, that I intentionally steered clear of giving this new ride a try. I'm a pretty unforgiving human being. Lately, however, the balloon has been tempting me. I've been passing the launch zone on a frequent basis, and the fact that I had not seen the view from the top was gnawing at me. Today, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to go up. I caved. As someone who has intermittently flown airplanes for the last 25 or so years, I think it's safe to say that I am not afraid of heights. I think it's safe to say that I am not a fearful person in general. I was a bike messenger who was hospitalized three times after being hit by vehicles, I've owned and ridden motorcycles, I've ridden ... Read the full blog post...
Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
February 24, 2010
"Hey man, can you spare a couple of bucks?", said a voice from out of nowhere. Without breaking stride, I continued my walk on the pedestrian bridge toward the MGM Grand, and I quickly became aware that someone was following closely behind me. "What, you can't hear me?", the voice said more loudly. I looked over my shoulder to see a tall black gentleman with headphones and a box of what appeared to be CD's trailing about 5 paces behind me. I kept walking. "I don't need to ask motherf*cker, if I want your money I'll just take it!" Of course, his logic was flawed. If he could have taken my money, the fact that he didn't take it was prima-facie evidence that he didn't truly want my money. One might wonder why he even bothered to ask. Yes, this thought actually did go through my mind at the time, and while I was tempted to engage ... Read the full blog post...
Up In Smoke
February 10, 2010
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. On March 19th, 2010 Las Vegas was supposed to see a somewhat ground-breaking convention. It was on this date that "Cannapalooza", a three day marijuana convention, was to descend on the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. The event was being billed as a "fun, safe, educational event" and also "the largest head shop on the planet". It sounded perfect for the nation's self-professed adult playground. Unfortunately, the Mandalay Bay recently canceled their contract with the event planners. According to the San Francisco Examiner: Woznicki (the event organizer) said he was embraced by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and major Las Vegas resorts when he first pitched the event. But he said he noticed "trouble brewing" when he talked to Mandalay Bay officials in December. "I felt there was a negative vibe there," he said. "Even at the meeting, a Mandalay Bay security guy said, `Pot smokers ... Read the full blog post...
The Pro Bono Bookmaker
February 7, 2010
Super Bowl Weekend is in full swing and we have a very respectable crowd in town. I'm not sure if it's "third busiest weekend in Las Vegas" busy, though, which it has purportedly been over the years. Traffic is certainly worse than usual, but only modestly so. Up to this point, I have been able to zip in and out of sports books to grab betting sheets with little to no delay, and book window lines have not been appreciably longer than they are during a random NFL Sunday. Casino floors have been widely variable from "normal" at Paris to "downright packed" at the adjacent Bally's. With overcast skies, drizzle, and temperatures hovering in the 50's, the weather this weekend could not be more perfect. I would go so far as to say that this is as good as it gets for Las Vegas. The weekend has also been somewhat mellow for yours truly. I scheduled ... Read the full blog post...
One Step Closer To Primm
February 4, 2010
February 18th, 2010. An otherwise un-notable date has taken on a whole new significance in Las Vegas. It officially represents the last day that Planet Hollywood will be an independent property in any way, shape, or form. On the 19th, it will officially be a Harrah's venture from top to bottom. The first order of business for Harrah's once they take over will be to, what else, lay people off ... albeit "only" about 100 people. The layoffs are supposed to strike primarily management positions. It's very sad to see anyone lose their job, but since the office folks probably have more marketable skill sets outside of the gaming industry than do dealers and cocktail waitresses, I suppose these are the least tragic positions to lose. Besides, I'm not sure how much current Planet Hollywood employees would get along with the rhesus monkeys that Harrah's currently employs in management. On the noted date, Planet Hollywood workers ... Read the full blog post...
Hash House a No Go
January 30, 2010
The Hash House a Go Go is an off-strip joint that has had somewhat of a cult following for many years, and late last year they finally opened a restaurant inside of the Imperial Palace. The far-flung location of this eatery (Rainbow and Sahara) has always prevented me from becoming a routine patron of the establishment, but its new location mid-Strip allowed me to finally get around to giving it a fair shot. This morning, I happened to be out and about by myself when hunger struck, and I've always felt that eating solo was highly underrated. I never really caught on to the eating-as-a-social event thing. Why do people get together to talk at the precise moment they plan on having food in their mouths? It's kind of like going to the proctologist after downing a full bar of Ex-Lax. When I eat, I don't like to talk, I like to ... Read the full blog post...
Dealertaining
January 24, 2010
The Imperial Palace. Possibly the most polarizing property on the Las Vegas Strip. "But Rex, doesn't that title belong to Circus Circus?" Maybe not. You see, with the exception of yours truly, nobody admits to liking Circus Circus. Thus, it cannot be polarizing because nobody takes the opposite side. The IP, however, has both a loyal following and a loyal loathing. Some people love the Harrah's comps, the Dealertainers, the reasonably low limits, and the cheap rooms. Other people consider staying in the IP to be two steps below sleeping in their car, and one step below sleeping on the Deuce bus. Personally, I take an in-between approach. I used to really like the IP. I stayed there on one of my first trips to Vegas and I gambled, watched Legends in Concert, ate at a Hawaiian Luau, and generally had a good time. This was back in the waning days when the customer was still ... Read the full blog post...
