E-301: Highest Functioning Autistic EVER

Random Vegas 

When bill acceptors were added to slot machines in the '90s, it generated a 30% increase in the amount of money played. (@VitalVegas via Natasha Dow Schull) 

Twitpic of the week 

The story of Rio is a tragic tale.  When it opened, it was a monster success, pioneering the move to fine dining and celebrity chefs.  3 years after opening in 1990, the property was so popular that it built and opened a 20-story expansion tower, showcased this week by @LuckysLasVegas.  In 1997, at a cost of about $200 million dollars, it unveiled the “Masquerade in the Sky” show.  When Harrah’s Entertainment decided to relocate their corporate headquarters from Memphis TN to Las Vegas in the late 90s, they didn’t feel they owned a property that was worthy to setup operations in.  So they purchased the Rio in 1999 for $888 million and established it as their corporate headquarters.  And so began its downfall.  Years later, after all the celebrity chefs left, CEO at the time Gary Loveman would admit that they made the mistake of thinking they could run Rio with the same way they run Harrah’s.  Despite making Rio the home of their prized acquisition, the World Series of Poker, the property has noticeably not received any of the renovation love that has been given out to all its sister properties.  While Rio has been at the middle of many sale rumors, the latest claiming it will be demolished so a baseball stadium can be built on the land would not only be its final indignity, it would be its most egregious.  The irony isn’t lost on me that a sport infamous for its many cheating scandals wants to move to a city that originally identified the importance of insuring that the games had to be fair to the player only to recently adopted the practice of hidden fees.   

News

360VV8 Eve

Neon Museum Expansion Plans 

Grand Sahara Residencies Coming

Cirque announces plans to refresh "O"

Pro Sports Impact

Eataly is run by morons

Wynnification

Eldorado's Caesars Acquisition Plan

Drug Amnesty Drop Box @McCarran

New Golden Gate Logo

E-299: Lesidency

Random Vegas

The La Concha Motel lobby was designed in 1961 by Paul Revere Williams, the first African American elected Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.  To this day it is considered one of the best preserved examples of 1950s googie architecture, a style featuring upswept roofs, curvaceous geometric shapes and its use of neon. The La Concha lobby is now the Neon Museum's visitors' center (Neon Museum & Research) 

Twitpic of the week

It’s quite simply one of the best marquees that has existed in Vegas history.  A truly mesmerizing sign whose presence was not only grand but glorious.  Shared this week by @summacorp aka vintageLasVegas on instagram, this whole style of architecture resonates with me in an unexplainable way.  I find the swooping curves breathtaking, get lost in the sparkle of the lettering and could spend hours watching the lights cascade back and forth.  It’s a special thing when signage becomes iconic.  While I like that owners of the small dive casino bar west of Lucky Dragon have resurrected the name and installed a smaller version of this marquee, make no mistake, the Mint has not returned.  That being said, here’s hoping that this is the start of a new era in Vegas where unforgettable brands return to the landscape. 

News

Battle Born Vegas Pins
MGM Sundries Surge Pricing
Cirque's R.U.N. coming to Luxor
Light Rail Transit System Defeated
The Massachusetts Manze
Wynn Resorts Eliminates Parking Fees
Paula Abdul Vegas Residency
Weed Lounges Approved

E-295: Anticahn

Random Vegas 

Before Vegas World was done with construction, Bob was approached by the Nevada Culinary Union who attempted to pressure him to hired dues paying members.  When he wouldn't do as they requested, they began to picket the property.  In response, Bob organized the Vegas World staff and had them picket the union with signs proclaiming their practices were unfair.  At one point, Bob offered to resolve the matter and sign the union contract if the organizers could beat his carnival trained roosters at tick-tac-toe.  Eventually the Union was ordered to stop their illegal protest in front of the property in 1980 (No Limit) 

Twitpic of the week

I think this is the appeal of Lonnie Hammargren’s houses, a pile of things you can’t help but wonder “How the hell did this all get here?”.  Not just how did this physically get here but what’s the story?  Because there is no way there isn’t a story behind how this came to be here from wherever it came from.  Unlike Lonnie’s house, the Neon Museum keeps things that have a million different stories of memorable moments and legendary hot streaks, depending on the person telling the story. While they may all have a memorable tone they are intimately unique.  Perhaps more than any time in the recorded history of the adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has the retort, “Who the hell thinks any of this is trash” ever been more apropos.  You can thank @arivetinglife for inspiring the recognition this moment.

News

Vegas Visitation in decline

Astral Vegas

Cirque Downsizing

Zappo’s Office Building for Sale

Kaos Opens @Palms

Eiffel Tower Light Show & Fountains of Bellagio

Palms 40 story-ish LED Signage

Game of Thrones in Fountains of Bellagio

E-253: Tears For Fears of Cirque

Random Vegas

There is a small thematic sub-text of cirque’s Beatles LOVE being the band’s last concert? (Vegas Chatter)

Twitpic of the week

Palpable, in a word, is how I would describe @jenhaught's picture and this week's "Twitpic of the week".  The view of the strip, south of Paris, at night, taken from the Eiffel Tower experience is so intense it's almost tangible, also known as the actual definition of the word Palpable.  One of the most interesting effects views like this and ones available at the Mandarin Oriental or the High Roller is, while they are stunningly beautiful, they also create an intense desire to abandon said view and become a part of it.  It reminds one of the philosophy that there are two kinds of people in the world, Astronomers and Astronauts.  Astronomers observe and enjoy space from a distance, in the safety of familiar surroundings; while an Astronaut ventures into the vast unknown to experience it.  I get the impression the majority of people who love Las Vegas are the latter, even if only in Las Vegas.

News

Caesars Sells Harrah's

MGM Resorts hires sexual predators 

Auto Collection Closing at LINQ   

E-216: Kitten Bandy

Random Vegas

Last week I complained about the size of the new Park Theater at Monte Carlo, seating 5,300. While I knew I was correct that it is the largest of the “small venues” in the city, I was off on the size of the venues I used to compare. Axis Theater has a max capacity of 4,600, the Colosseum is 4,298 but I oversold Encore, it only seats 1,500.

Twitpic of the week

Sunrises and sunsets can suck it.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more magical, and dare I say romantic, than seeing the reflection of neon signage in water; a sight that can even challenge Richard Dawkins on the concept of paradise.  This environmental phenomenon in the desert offers one the rare opportunity to make out with Vegas signage without actually violating private property.  Thank you @VitalVegas for making the hardest decision regarding Twitpic of the week be deciding which of your pictures should win. We chose Mermaids so we now have pictures of her at day and night.

NEWS

Steven’s Group Expands Again

Cirque du Avatar

Vegas Pioneering Driverless Technology

BAR coming to the Grand Bazaar

Billion Dollar Babies

Murren the Meek

Adelson the Evil