360 Vegas

So this is actually the first Cirque show I’ve reviewed for the podcast. I’ve seen several Cirque shows; the wife is a big fan. Our first trip to Vegas together included The Beatles - Love, which I really need to revisit. Maybe Tony will go with me, since he really should see it. Since that first trip we took together, my wife and I have seen “O”, Mystere, as well as Zumanity. Confession time: I liked Zumanity. I think we saw it twice. I was definitely disappointed when I heard it was going away. But we really like Cirque, and we like New York- New York. We’ve never stayed there, but we always end up hanging out there. So I was very interested in what we were going to get when Mad Apple was announced. I heard a lot of buzz that it was “not your typical Cirque show,” which actually made me really nervous because that’s also what they were saying about “R.U.N.” and that show was apparently a giant belly flop…    Not the best photo, but she was hanging by her hair. By her hair! To me, it’s kind of funny that si

Random Vegas The 93 acres of land Caesars sits on requires 14 full time gardeners to maintain with an annual budget of $350k (Las Vegas: Behind the Tables) Twitpic of the week While a significant number of people in America are experiencing a brutal winter season, in Vegas, when it happens, its breathtaking and typically doesn’t last very long.  Clearly someone agreed with us as this week’s winner, brought to us by @summacorp, is a picture of Stardust Jan 5th, 1974.  There is something about snow that gives one the feeling of serenity and evokes thoughts of a warm fire and hot beverages.  The peaceful silence of its falling to the dangerous elegance of its presence reminds us once again that snow is only good for show in very limited doses and for recreation. News 360 Vegas Winter Vacation Downtown Stadium EarthCam

Random Vegas A common superstition for horse race gamblers is to never look at your ticket after you buy it (Las Vegas: Behind the Tables) Twitpic of the week   It’s man behind the scenes shit that fascinates me.  As far back as I can remember I’ve always been interested in what’s behind that “Employees Only” door.  That interest was only further exacerbated when I fell in love with Disney.  I love what they produce at the front of the house but what’s going on behind the curtain to make said magic.  @Maverickhelicaptures an arial view of the Flamingo but despite how good that looks, I can’t help but zoom in and look at the stuff on those roof tops.  Not only is Flamingo’s undercarriage on display, so is Drai’s at Cromwell. Although Cromwell’s roof is designed as a public space so you won’t find the bones of the operation on rooftop display.  If I wasn’t such a rule follower I’d attempt to breach security just to see what I could see before they caught me.  However just the idea of getting caught makes me an

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Random Vegas Cirque Du Soleil celebrated “O’s” 11,000 performance this week, bringing you over a decade of acrobatic shrinkage Twitpic of the week This week’s winner by @_GrandpaD captures something you don’t often see from neon signs in Vegas, scale.  Here we see maintenance doing the lords work replace neon tubes in the signage.  By doing so, we get a perspective that is rarely seen in this new world of LED signage.  This sign is massive and if they ever close, I really hope the Neon Museum has the inside track to not only save but display this, one of the most beautiful neon signs in Las Vegas News 360 Vegas Vacation 12 Universal Studios Vegas

Let’s talk about Rouge at the Strat. (And it’s Rouge as in “blush,” not Rogue as in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”) So when Rouge was announced earlier this year, I was definitely interested. It’s probably no secret at this point that I’m a horn dog, and like my Vegas shows to be titillating. I also believe that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and out of a sense of fairness I once took my wife to a male review; something I probably won’t ever do again. It’s not so much watching the men dance that I have a problem with, it was all the screaming. Why do women feel the need to shriek like banshees during these shows? He’s not going to fuck the loudest one in the room! So for the sake of preserving what’s left of my already terrible hearing, I’m opting out of male reviews for the future.  That being said, I’m willing to bet that a decent looking dude could park himself at the bar outside the Thunder From Down Under Theater around 11:30 at night, and it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Random Vegas It’s been reported that the Adele store ad Caesars Palace makes between $120 – 160k every day its open (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week   Lined up like they were taking a year book photo of their class, this week’s winner by @summacorp captures the Thunderbird road sign like marquees are seldom seen, to scale. By taking pictures in front of the sign you can really see just how big they were in relation to a person. Part of the magic of Vegas marquees is this overwhelming awesomeness of these signs. The only thing that would have made this picture cool is if it was in color instead of black and white. But we aren’t complaining. Thanks to the UNLV Special collections department for preserving the history of the city unlike any other city in the world News Foreshadowing the Queen B Little Miss Nasty

Random Vegas The International, better known as the Hilton and currently known as Westgate, was specifically designed to attract families and conventioneers It offered a supervised youth camp of sorts to keep the kids occupied so the adults could do what they wanted Twitpic of the week It’s been considered the worst eye sore in Vegas history, similar to its predecessor the Landmark.  The big blue building known as Fountainbleau, then various other names as new ownership groups attempted to rebrand the property while not making any actual progress to finish the project, is now officially the Fountainbleau again.  Its progress to completion is easily visable to the eye and once again, north strip has a pulse.  Signage has been installed and the original owners are once again the driving force behind this project.  @meltzVegaspicture shows progress and the signage reinforces that she is coming in the 1st quarter of 2023.  Led by the people who dreamed her up, its exciting to know that the original visionaries

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Random Vegas NYE 2022-23 will have fireworks launched from 8 strip resorts.  They are Aria, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, The Strat, Treasure Island, Venetian and Resorts World.  It will take five days for 66 pyrotechnicians to install the fireworks (RJ) Twitpic of the week In a city where mega resorts rule the landscape, never has a property done so much with so little.  4.4 acres is all the land that Cosmopolitan resides on.  Granted, it cost as much as a mega resort with a 3.9 billion dollar price tag but still.  Its clear the future of the strip is in properties like this and Cromwell, boutique hotels doing more with less.  @maverickhelicaptures the property in ways only it can.  Seriously need to get off our ass and take a helicopter ride around the city News Brew Dog Opens Goodbye Banger

Random Vegas The Neon Museum offers tour scripts in several languages: Chinese, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish The scripts are printed on reusable plastic booklets that visitors can borrow for free then return (VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week It was really inevitable.  How can the city claim to be the entertainment capital of the world and not have sports in the list of available options?  We are halfway there with the addition of the hocky and football.  Just basketball and baseball to go to complete the collection so many cities around the states have.  When and where is still up for debate but close to the strip is a solid bet.  @Maverickheli highlights sports addition to the famous skyline.  Las Vegas is finally becoming what it has coveted for so long, respect as a legit big city. News DivAdele Slingshot Terrorism Hard Rock Evolution

So before I get into this review, a few disclaimers:  If you told me a few years ago that I would actually make an effort and spend my own money to see Wayne Newton perform, I would have laughed at you. A lot. If you told me even a few months ago that I would not only see Wayne Newton perform, but also (spoiler alert!) enjoy it enough that I would recommend that others go see it, I would wonder what you were on.       Now, to be fair, I like crooners. But when I say that, I mean that I like the Rat Pack. To me, a pleasant evening is cooking dinner with Sinatra and Martin on the stereo and a glass of bourbon within reach. If I could see any concert ever in history, it would be Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack performing one of the Summit shows in the Copa Room at the Sands while they filmed the original Ocean's 11. But I have never considered myself a Wayne Newton fan. What brought me to see Wayne Newton recently was what the kids call the FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out. Like it or not, Vegas is synonymous

Random Vegas A 1990 smoking ban in gambling clubs in New Zealand reduced the county’s poker machine revenue by 28% Twitpic of the week Towering over the rest of the Fremont Casinos, Circa is a new landmark one can use to orient themselves in Las Vegas.  It’s not quite the same the Strat but still, it lords over its competition both figuratively and literally.  As usual, @maverickheli brings a unique and stunning perspective to the city that we love. News Garth Brooks Residency Caesars Expansion Serial Robber

Random Vegas Caesars Entertainment's loyalty program uses 90 different demographic segments for its customers. "Player value" is most associated with frequency of play, type of game played and number of coins/credits per spin or hand. (via Vital Vegas, via "Addiction by Design" by Natasha Dow Schull) Twitpic of the week I never had the chance to check out Lady Luck.  The first time I came to Vegas was 2004 and the property was already closed at the time.  I’m told, at least in the end, she was a dump.  But there is something about neon that romanticizes the past, regardless of its shitholery. That’s what Lady Luck’s Neon exterior does.  It’s a shame that we lost such an iconic name as well but again, having never experienced the place for myself, its easy for me to say.  My vision of the property will always be influenced by the feelings it stirs up when I look a pictures like the one shared by @summacorp. News Sick New World Vegas The Grandstands of Bellagio

Imagine your favorite local bar gathered its funniest, sexiest, strangest, and most talented patrons and friends, and brought them together to put on a wild variety show and you’ve got a reasonable idea of what you’d experience when you see Miss Behave's Mavericks. So back in spring, there was some buzz starting to grow about a new show downtown, Miss Behave’s Mavericks. Vital Vegas had reported on it. (I have to say here that I often appreciate Vital Vegas’s perspective and info - and I know he’s a friend of the podcast - but he seems to have a love of all things downtown that I don’t necessarily share.) But the buzz kept growing, and it really piqued my curiosity. I knew about the previous Miss Behave show - which was at Bally’s - but only by name. I also am not afraid to admit that I’m kind of a value shopper when it comes to Vegas. I’m always looking for the deals and the bang-for-your-buck. So when I found out that’s tickets were $25 each, I was sold. By the way, they’ve since gone up to $39 per person,

Random Vegas The NeonMuseum’s current campus on Las Vegas Blvd, north of Fremont St, opened to the public in 2012.  On Oct 28th, it celebrated its 10th anniversary (@lasvegasweekly) Twitpic of the week Lettering longer than a football field and taller than a house is what travelers got to experience upon a person’s arrival at the original incarnation of the Stardust.  Part of the magic of Vegas is the often larger than life displays, whether it be the signage or experiences, available every time you visit.  Its also one of the reasons why the Neon Museum exists and is so popular.  Having the opportunity to roam amongst the titans of old gives you a perspective unique to the city and its magic.  Thanks to @_GrandPaD for sharing this flash back in time News The Fan District Venetian Reinvestment Reaper Evel Pie F1 For Sale The Fremont Progress Report

Random Vegas Mandalay Bay was originally going to be named “Project Paradise”. (Sincitytalk.com) Twitpic of the week Reflection.  It’s how we review our life experiences and learn from them.  It’s also how our own bias distorts our perception.  Nowhere on planet earth does this metaphor better lend itself than pictures of Vegas after it rains.  This week’s winner by @thecalcasino captures both the actual corner marquee as well as its the distorted reflection in a puddle, once again drawing comparisons to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.  No matter your opinion of the property, one can’t argue that this is a lovely photo. News S Bar @Mandalay Bay Vegas Reverse Retro All Net Resort $1 million dollar bar tab Power Slap League Enchant on the Strip

Random Vegas Las Vegas has a dog park on Fremont Street, down by the Western Casino that is home to the worlds largest functioning fire hydrant at 15 feet tall (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week It’s all about the signage on this one for me, shared by @summacorp.  Formerly the Thunderbird, the property was rebranded Silverbird after Major Riddle purchased the property in the mid 1970s.  The marquee was built in 1978 but only existed till Dec 81 when the property closed.  It was later purchased and again, rebranded.  Its final incarnation was as the El Rancho, an attempt to revive the brand that started the strip. It didn’t work and eventually the property closed, was demolished and in its place now is the Fontainebleau. News When We Were Young 2023

Random Vegas In its first week of operation, the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace served about 15,000 people. The venue was built at a cost of $17 million. (@vitalvegas via Bacchanal's Executive Chef at the time, Scott Green) Twitpic of the week It’s past, present, and future all in one photo.  Brought to our attention by @StefanVanDeCook, this picture from @summacorp features the Mirage, with the sands Marquee in the foreground, For a time, the Sands was the property on the strip.  Until the Mirage came along supplanting the Sands as the market leader.  Eventually accepting they couldn’t continue to compete, they imploded the property and in its place opened Venetian. Fast forward to today and we are on the brink of losing another icon, the Mirage. True it won’t be imploded but we are losing the volcano.   it won’t be the same and eventually we will lose the name Mirage but what we will never lose are the memories. News Mirage dolphins El Cortez renovations Franco Dragone Dies Light closes Fertitta buildi

Random Vegas Moulin Rouge would not be the first property to attempt to cater to blacks.  The original was in 1942 when Shamrock Hotel on Fremont St attempted to cater to both blacks and whites.  It was a colossal failure as whites vehemently protested.  In response, city officials denied Shamrock an operating permit sighting Jim Crow policies in place at the time (The Moulin Rouge and black rights in Las Vegas) Twitpic of the week While not being as tall as the real Eiffel Tower in Paris, her replica in Vegas is still larger than life.  Especially with the angle shared by @NickyFurmage, with a background sky that can best be described as apocalyptic.  We don’t get much rain in the desert but when we do, it comes with vengeance.  Thankfully we have photography to capture the magic when it happens.  Thanks for sharing, Nicky. News 360 Vegas WINTER Vacation Vegas Holiday Attractions New Signage @Neon Museum Proper Eats