September 16, 2008
Photo of the Day - Fountain Show
Las Vegas, NV, 2005. Sure would love to go back to Las Vegas to see the fountains outside the Bellagio again! Actually, there's a lot I'd like to do in Las Vegas - definitely one of my best vacations ever!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2008
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, NV, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
Palazzo Las Vegas Opens This Weekend
Palazzo Las Vegas, the first new hotel on the strip on Las Vegas in three years, opens this weekend. From the preview in today's USA Today it looks really nice. The stats are impressive - it cost $1.9 billion and when combined with it's sister property, The Venetian, because they share a central booking system, it's now the world's largest hotel based on room count. In comparison to the Venetian, apparently the Palazzo has a more modern feel to it.
I'd love to go back to Las Vegas and check it out in person, as well as see everything else that Las Vegas has to offer since we had such an outstanding time in Las Vegas when we spent a week there in 2005. This in spite of the fact that neither myself or my husband gambles. But we had a great time exploring the casinos as well as the surrounding area including Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area and Valley of Fire State Park. We also very much enjoyed all the restaurants and the nightlife. However, now that we have a mortgage I don't think we'll be making any trips that involve flying anywhere that far unless someone else is paying! But someday we'll go back for sure.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2008
Photo of the Day
Somewhere near Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2007
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2007
Photo of the Day - Mists Over Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2007
If You Can't Expand Out, Build Up
Which is what the developers of a hotel, casino and condominiums in Las Vegas that will be themed after Maxim Magazine plan to do. The project only has seven-acres of land to work with, since it's in a developed area with other hotels, a condominium project, an RV park and a parking garage. So the project will feature three towers, one of which at 732 feet would be 132 feet taller than the tallest already existing hotel, The Wynn. Because the towers are so tall, the developers must get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, but if they receive the go-ahead, the project will include 300 hotel rooms, over 1,000 condos, and the usual retail, restaurant and casino space. Apparently there's some debate between the Planning Commission, who feel that a pedestrian mall should be present to help draw people in, and the developers who feel that a circular driveway is essential so that they can have an entrance on the strip. WIthout the entrance on the strip, the property wouldn't have a Las Vegas Boulevard address which would cause to become devalued. I have to agree with the developers - people want to be right on the strip when they come to Las Vegas, and if they aren't familiar with the exact location of where this is, a non-strip address might make them think it's not near the strip, and that could effect business.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)
When is $15 Million Not a Lot of Money?
Normally something like this wouldn't be of any interest to me at all, but the person who's operated the slots at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas happens to be Michael Gaughan, owner of not only the South Point Casino, but also South Point Racing, which fields the #77 truck for Brendan Gaughan. Apparently for the past 23 years, Gaughan's contract for the slots at the airports has been automatically reviewed because officials at the airport have been too busy worrying about construction projects to want to get involved with putting the slots up for bid, but now a lull in projects has allowed that to happen. Gaughan says that he plans on bidding for the right to keep operating the slots but
"I don't make a whole lot of money off it. The county gets the money."
I suppose that depends on how one looks at it. It's indeed true that Clark County gets 63% of the profits from the slots at the airport. However that still leaves 37% of the approximately 40 million that the slots took in last year for the Gaughan family. That comes out to about $15 million. I guess when one routinely deals with millions and millions of dollars, that does seem like a small amount of money, but to me that's big money!
I have no clue as to how the money that comes from the operation of the slots is used. But one thing's for sure is that for the past three years South Point Racing has been operating a truck out of their own pocket at a cost of about $4 million a year. So that "not a whole lot of money" that the Gaughans make off the slots could be used to pay for that truck three times over. That Brendan is behind the wheel is a lot of motivation to keep spending millions to field the truck, but if they don't find an outside primary sponsor soon, and the results don't improve this season, I wonder if Michael Gaughan will want to continue to spend $4 million a year, plus all the other costs of running a race team, without getting much back?
Posted by silverdsl at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
Photo of the Day
From inside the Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2006
Photo of the Day - Inside the Luxor
Luxor, Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. I hope I get to go back to Las Vegas sometime...
Posted by silverdsl at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2006
Photo of the Day - Distant Mountains
Distant Mountain Range, Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2006
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006
Boyd Gaming Sells South Coast Casino Back to Michael Gaughan
A while back, Michael Gaughan, who has long been involved in the casino business in Las Vegas, along with owning Orleans Racing in the Truck Series, merged his Coast Casinos properties with Boyd Gaming. Those properties included The Orleans, Barbary Coast, Suncoast, and South Coast casinos. The South Coast wasn't actually open when the two companies merged, as it only opened in December of 2005. As it turned out, although the casino opened with much fanfare, the performance of the South Coast has been less than expected. So as a result, Boyd Gaming is selling the South Coast back to Gaughan for an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of 15.8 million Boyd shares. As a result that will rid Gaughan of his entire stake in Boyd Gaming.
The casino was built for $583 million and the shares were worth $576.5 million at the close of business yesterday so I guess Gaughan got a good deal. He expects that South Coast will make $40 million this year and it says something about the profits that can be made in the casino business in Las Vegas if $40 million is considered disappointing. What I'm wondering about is whether Gaughan's sale of his stake in Boyd means that the Gaughan family will now have nothing to do with the other Coast Casino properties like The Orleans, or whether other family members have still retained shares in Boyd.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, Nevada, January, 2005. When we went to the Hoover Dam it was raining, I'd love to go back on a nice day and take the tour. It's huge!!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2006
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
Photo of the Day - Nevada Mists
Mists over the mountains near Hoover Dam, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2006
It Must Have Been Raining...
Yesterday there was a nine car pileup on the Strip in Las Vegas which led to the Strip being closed in both directions until it could be cleaned up. I wondered if it was raining because when Jim and I were in Las Vegas last year we were extremely nervous driving the days that it was raining. They don't get too much rain in Las Vegas and the roads seem much slicker than they are here in the rain but also drivers native to Las Vegas don't seem to be able to drive on wet roads quite as well as they do on dry roads. It was incredible how many fender-benders we encountered as we drove around, something we didn't see on the days that the roads were dry. It was like something that we might see up here in the Northeast during an ice storm.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Lake Mead
Lake Mead, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
Sports Themed Mega-Resort Planned for Las Vegas
The newest mega-hotel/casino planned in Las Vegas is the Ultimate Sports Resort which will be located outside of the Las Vegas strip in an area near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The resort, which is expected to cost $4 billion to build, will feature ten sporting arenas including a driving range, swim and dive center, ice rink, shooting range and bowlling alley; 5,500 suites ranging from affordable to super-luxury; 500 condominiums; a 150,000 square foot casino; ten nightclubs; numberous restaurants including several five-star ones; as well as many types of sports and entertainment activities. Of course this resort has to load up on as many activities as possible since they will be located so far away from the Strip which is where most people want to stay when they come to Las Vegas. However, this resort will likely see a huge influx of guests, visitors and events during weekends when Nascar is at LVMS. Otherwise, they are really going to have to make this resort something extremely special to draw people from off the Strip unless they are hoping to cater to a local audience.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2006
Would You Pay $325 a Person for a Meal?
Diners at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, the high-end French restaurant at MGM-Grand in Las Vegas, pay $325 a person for a sixteen-course tasting meal or $125 for a six-course version. Of course that doesn't include drinks so add onto that perhaps another $100 a person or more if one wants a glass or two of a good wine. While the reviews indicate that the food is outstanding, by the end of the night the bill is quite hefty. I happen to love going out to eat and great food. But $325 a person? I would much rather spend that money on something more lasting. Then again, if someone wanted to treat me to a meal there it would probably be a pretty interesting experience.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2006
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2005
New Casino Operated by the Gaughan Family Opens
Owned by Boyd Gaming and run by the Gaughan family, who merged their Coast Casino properties with Boyd Gaming in 2004, the newest casino in Las Vegas, The South Coast, opened last week to a little more fanfare than wanted. A fireworks display to mark the casino's opening ignited building materials left on the rooftop of one of the hotel's towers which resulted in a visit by firefighters. Luckily, the fire was extinguished quickly with no injuries or major damage and the hotel/casino wasn't even evacuated. Not for lack of trying though - annoucements about a fire emergency were heard over the public address system but they were completely ignored, as were the firefighters entering the building. That's pretty scary. Fortunately it was a minor incident but what if it was a serious fire? Lives could have been lost because the majority of people were assuming that it was a false alarm which it actually wasn't.
Geared to the locals in Las Vegas rather than tourists like the other Coast Casino properties like The Orleans, The South Coast should be a big money maker for Boyd Gaming and the Gaughans. Of course there's a casino and 650-room hotel, seven restaurants, a 64-lane bowling center and a 16-screen movie theater. In May a 4,400-seat equestrian center and a second, 700-room hotel tower are slated to open. At some point in the future there will also be a nightclub/showroom but apparently Michael Gaughan, Jr., Brendan's brother and CEO of Coast Casinos, is still developing plans for exactly what it will entail. When I was in Las Vegas about a year ago we stayed part of the time at The Orleans and South Coast sounds very similar. The Orleans is nice but not as glitzy as the other hotel/casino properties directly on the strip on Las Vegas. The food at the restaurants was good but not quite as top-of-the-line as at the other casinos. Likewise, the rooms were comfortable, big and pleasant but less fancy than other properties.
What's amazing to me is that when Boyd Gaming aquired Coast Casinos in 2004 they did so for $1.4 billion dollars. Of course not all that money went directly into the pockets of the Gaughan family. But it's not an understatement to say that they likely made a significant profit on that sale. With that in mind, it's really hard for me to have too much sympathy for them in relation to the financial problems that Orleans Racing has been having recently that led to Steve Park being released and the #62 being parked four races from the end of the season. Yes, it's not good business to pour an endless amount of money into a business without making a profit and yes, the Gaughans can't just take money from any random place and use it to finance Orleans Racing. But after selling many of their holdings for $1.4 billion and presumably continuing to take in some share of the profits from the Coast Casino properties, including this one, I find it almost laughable that the Gaughans were crying poverty and talking about how they couldn't afford to race a second truck for four races until Scott Lynch showed up, money in hand. Maybe their money really was so tied up that they couldn't field a truck for Steve for those four races but on the surface it sure does appear that they have plenty of financial resources to play with.
Of course the family being involved in a $1.4 billion deal makes Orleans Racing PR representative Mike Snow's comment about Brendan's 2004 Cup earnings that likely totalled several million dollars being "meager" make a lot more sense, though I think it still came off badly. But when the family is used to dealing in billions perhaps a couple of million dollars really doesn't seem like much at all.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2005
Boom in Mall Development in Las Vegas
Yet another reason to like Las Vegas - there are at least three major mall projects under development over the next few years. When I went to Las Vegas in January there seemed to be plenty of malls and shopping areas but many of them were connected to casinos. So I can see how there might be the need for some more stand-alone malls. Many of the malls also seemed to feature very high-end stores, catering to high-rollers, or touristy stores so there wasn't a lot of places for everyday clothes or household shopping. There was one mall which we didn't go to in the downtown area and one outlet mall which we did go to and weren't impressed by. So it seems like another big mall with a little of everything might be a good thing for the Las Vegas area.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2005
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. January, 2005
Posted by silverdsl at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2005
Real Estate Prices Soaring in Las Vegas
Even Houses in Previously Undesirable Areas Go For Big Bucks
One thing that Jim and I noted when we were in Las Vegas in January was that there was a huge amount of construction on new houses and condominiums both in Las Vegas and throughout the surrounding area. So it's no suprise to read that Las Vegas is experiencing a real estate boom. There are 93 new luxury condominium projects either planned or under construction currently and I'm sure there are any number of other projects, both housing and non-housing related that are planned for the area as well. Las Vegas is undergoing a tremendous amount of growth and since there isn't that much land in the most desirable areas, near the Strip, those properties that are even remotely close are going for huge amounts of money. The increased development of areas close to, but not directly on, the Strip will probably end up meaning that even areas that for years were full of crime and prostitution will undergo a transformation in the future. There are a lot of people who probably stand to make a tremendous amount of money in the years to come in the Las Vegas area, including some homeowners who bought their houses for a lot less than they're worth now.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Steve Wynn and Branding
The Wynn Casino in Las Vegas which opened in April wasn't originally going to be named after it's developer Steve Wynn. At one time it was going to be called Le Reve, after a Picasso painting that is part of the art collection at the Wynn. However, marketing consultants recommended against that because there was no name recognition for Le Reve. But plenty of people knew the Wynn name and that became the name of the resort. But it doesn't just stop with Wynn's name being on the outside of the building. Naturally there's all kinds of products that visitors can buy with the name Wynn on it and there are all sorts of things inside the hotel and casino with the name on it as well. Many of those things are designed to connect the Wynn name with luxury and give costumers a certain impression about what the Wynn name, as well as the property, represents. So Wynn has successfully used his name for his brand and has ensured that it equates luxury in the minds of many who visit Las Vegas.
But there are some risks to connecting himself so closely to his product. It's a risk that Martha Stewart knows all too well. When there's a scandal it can reflect badly on one's business ventures if they are too closely associated with their founder. Or if his financial situation changes that could also reflect poorly on the brand since it reflects luxury and success. I imagine Wynn is aware of those risks and doesn't think that it will ever be an issue for him. Maybe it won't be. And the popularity of those kind of resorts being what they are, even if there is some sort of personal issue for Wynn unless it's something very serious, it might not ever effect business at the casino or how it's viewed in a significant way. Still, most others on the strip have avoided branding their properties in connection with a person and probably for good reason.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2005
Pricetag for Gaughan's Newest Casino Almost Doubles
The Scoop on Gaughan's Latest Property
The scoop is a bit of an exaggeration since the above piece in the Las Vegas Sun doesn't offer up much in the way of specifics about the new casino under construction by Michael Gaughan and Coast Casinos. But it does indicate that it will be a luxury type casino so popular these days with an astonishing price tag of almost $600 million, up from $350 million. That's a staggering amount of money! But apparently pales in comparision to the new casino being built by rival, Station Casinos which will cost almost a billion dollars when it's said and done. The thing is that the profits from the casino business are such that these casinos will likely be profitable fairly quickly. Very profitable.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. Wish I was there...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. Have I mentioned recently how much I want to go back to Las Vegas and specifically to Valley of Fire State Park?
So much to blog about, so little time...
Posted by silverdsl at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2005
Tom Petty to Play Intimate Show in Las Vegas
In June I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in concert and it was an awesome show! It definitely ranks among the better concerts that I've seen. So apparently Petty is playing a concert at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, presumably in The Joint, for about 1,700 people. I would love to go to that show and see Petty & the Heartbreakers in such an intimate venue.
I saw Hootie and the Blowfish perform at The Joint in January as one of the events for Operation Marathon and let me just say that is a sweet space for a show. It's small but not so small that people are on top of each other. There's good sightlines to the stage from pretty much everywhere and the sound system is very good. Granted I've seen quite a few concerts in some very crappy places during the days when I went to a concert of some sort whether it was a local or national act at least once every weekend, so maybe I impress easily but if I lived in the Las Vegas area I would definitely be going to a lot of concerts at The Joint.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2005
Major Renovation Planned for Mirage in Las Vegas
New Restaurants, Nightclub, Cirque du Soleil Show
When the Mirage opened in 1989 on the strip in Las Vegas apparently it was on the cutting edge of luxury for megaresorts at the time and helped to revitalize the strip. However, when I visited back in January I wasn't terribly impressed, though to be fair it was a fairly quick walk through. Now comes word of a major renovation to enable the aging resort to keep up with The Bellagio and the newly opened Wynn. The Mirage will be getting three new restaurants, a fancy nightclub by the same people who also operate the popular nightclubs Light and Caramel at Bellagio and Mist at Treasure Island, and a Cirque du Soleil show, the company's fifth in Las Vegas.
The Cirque du Soleil show is particularly interesting because it will be based on the music of the Beatles. I've seen two Cirque shows thus far and I can't say that I can can picture the Beatles music being a perfect fit for Cirque, nor any rock music for that matter, but the folks who are the force behind Cirque are exceptionally creative and are sure to come up with something astonishingly good that will leave audiences in awe. And since there are still many Beatles fans I'm sure it will be astonishingly popular as well. I'd definitely go see it the next time I'm in Vegas which hopefully will be in the next couple of years.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Gaughan Family Operates Slots at McCarron International Airport
Check Those Bags and Try Your Luck
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is filled with slot machines - 1,300 of them to be exact - which are used continiously by travelers killing time while waiting for flights or before heading elsewhere in the Las Vegas area after they get off of a flight. With over 41 million visitors a year either walking by or better yet stopping to play the slots at McCarran Airport, that makes it the biggest commercial casino in the country and possibly the world. Revenue from the slots are split between the airport, which pays for the biggest part of their operating costs, and the operator, one Michael Gaughan of the Coast Casino chain and owner of Orleans Racing.
Gaughan has been operating these slots via Michael J. Gaughan Airport Slot Concession for 20 years. He gives the airport 86.5 percent of the gross revenue, which apparently covers the right to operate the slots. So last year McCarran Airport apparently took $38.5 million of the total take of $54.4 million. Which left $16-17 million for Gaughan, which probably doesn't seem like much particularly when compared to the revenue that probably comes in from Gaughan's other casinos. However, Gaughan says in the article that the revenue from the slots in the airport have increased "20-fold" in the 20-years he's been operating the slots. So the profit has continued to increase and presumably will as the years go on.
I always wonder where the money to run Orleans Racing comes from. Because obviously they can't just take a chunk of change out of the slots at McCarran Airport and bring it over in a truck to Orleans Racing, even though both operations are owned by Michael Gaughan. A few months ago on Wind Tunnel Brendan Gaughan said that his father, Michael, pays for everything at Orleans Racing, including his salary out of his own pocket. Which of course runs contrary to what a certain Orleans Racing PR person said on SPC about Brendan being the one to foot the bills but that's a whole other story. In any event we'll say the Gaughan family in some way, shape or form fields Orleans Racing from their personal money, which based on the various articles I've read is significant. However, I'm sure they don't want to throw all their own money into Orleans Racing so yet again I say: I wish that #62 truck of Steve Park had a primary sponsor. I think an influx this season of some additional revenue from a sponsor or other source might have helped prevent some of the struggles and challenges that Orleans faced as they fielded two teams this season.
The business operations of the various teams always interests me. Most team owners have to have a significant amount of personal wealth to start a team and keep it going but as with the Gaughan family they don't want to sink an unended amount of their own personal money into their team or teams. I guess in an ideal world the sponsors would pay all the bills. But I imagine that's not the case for all teams, particularly as the costs for racing continue to spiral upwards. I know some of the businesses outside of racing by which some of the various owners finance their companies - I'm sure it's all a very complicated process involving lots of accountants!
But just in case the money from the slots at the airport goes directly back to racing operations Steve Park and Brendan Gaughan fans should gamble a lot at the airport!
Posted by silverdsl at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Coast Casinos Puts Priority on Value Over Glamour in New Casino Restaurants
Restaurants at New Casino to Cater to the Value-Conscious
I thought this was a very interesting article about the approach that Coast Casinos has to it's new South Coast resort that will open next year in terms of the restaurants they are planning and the resort in general. The Coast Casinos, which include The Orleans, cater to a mix of both Las Vegas locals and tourists with perhaps a bit more towards the locals. So there is much less emphasis on glitz and glamour and more emphasis placed on value. Some of the restaurants will be spin-offs of existing Italian, Mexican and seafood restaurants in other Coast properties but they will also have a buffet (of course) and a 24-hour cafe that are very much geared towards local customers. To do that the buffet will change their offerings on a regular basis with return customers in mind and the 24-hour cafe will feature a prime rib and graveyard specials which are apparently popular with locals. There will also be a steakhouse that will be central to the South Coast. That's very much different from other hotel/casinos in Las Vegas that are increasingly featuring the fanciest and most expensive restaurants possible with the intention of impressing their customers as much as possible.
When I was at The Orleans in January it definitely stood out in contrast to the other hotel/casinos located directly on the strip. The Orleans has its share of flashing lights and ways that they tried to lure people but the luxury and glamour of the other casinos was definitely not there. I'm sure if I lived in Las Vegas I would have no use for the fancy resorts and would definitely gravitate towards the more low-key Coast Casinos properties. But as a tourist I definitely liked the fanciness of the non-Coast properties, including their restaurants more because if I was going to be in Las Vegas I wanted a true Vegas experience. I did really like the Italian restaurant in The Orleans though the service was horrible that day.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Another Fire in Red Rock Canyon
Right around the same time last month there was a fire in Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas and just this past weekend lightning started another fire in Red Rock Canyon that forced the evacuation of the Visitor's Center there. The fire is now out but the loop road around the park is closed as firefighters continue to clean up after the fire. It's such a beautiful place that it's a shame that they keep getting hit with fires but I guess that's part of the course of things in nature, particularly when it's so hot and dry out.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2005
Stratosphere Considers Expanding
62% of Revenues Come From Activities Other Than Gaming
Apparently the Stratosphere, located in Las Vegas at the Northern most end of the strip, is thinking about expanding by adding more rooms and a convention center. I imagine they're probably looking to do everything they can to lure visitors because they're definitely in an inconvienent location as compared to other casinos, many of which are clustered very close to each other. The other problem that the Stratosphere faces, in addition to how much of a hike it is to get there, is that the neighborhood around the hotel and casino isn't the greatest. It looks worn-down and definitely not as well-taken care of or as upscale as other parts of the strip. I'm not surprised that more of their revenue comes from attractions other than gambling considering how much they publicize the rides at the top of the Stratosphere and also the view from the observation deck. So a lot of people are probably going there for reasons other than gambling, particularly if they have families. I am surprised to learn that the same is true of other hotel/casinos, that more of their revenue comes from non-gambling activities.
I enjoyed visiting the Stratosphere even though it was a cloudy day. Going there was on my list of things to do when I went to Las Vegas because I wanted to see the view from the top and I wasn't disappointed. Even on a cloudy day it was still very impressive. The food wasn't anything memorable in the revolving restaurant but I really loved sitting there and getting to see far and wide in all directions all around Las Vegas while we were eating. I'm sure it would be even more impressive on a sunny day or at night. I don't think I would stay there if I went back to Las Vegas in spite of the cheap hotel rates, but I would definitely go back to go up to the observation deck up top.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2005
Update on Red Rock Canyon Fire
From what I read today firefighters expected to get the fires in Red Rock Canyon under control but I can't find anything thus far which indicates that actually happened. In the article above there's a little more information about exactly where the fire broke out and based on the photo I can pretty much place where it is from what I can recall from when we visited a few months ago. Apparently there was some concern that the fire would spread to Bonnie Springs which is just a few miles away. In Bonnie Springs is a little town where they do re-enactments with people dressed up as cowboys. Jim and I stopped there for a bite to eat and we weren't impressed but perhaps kids would enjoy it. The highlight was seeing a wild burro. To the people who live in the area I'm sure that's no big deal and they are probably pests who get into things but to me it was pretty cool!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2005
Photo of the Day - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005. Just a random photo of The Stratosphere taken from the car as we were driving away on our first day in Las Vegas. We went up to the top of The Stratosphere and had lunch in the revolving restuarant up there, then went to the observation deck outside. There really are some incredible views up there! I just wish it had been a sunny day.
But I post this as a way for me to mention that since I've been blogging about so many Las Vegas related topics and posting so many photos from my trip that I created a Las Vegas category in case anyone is interested in reading everything that I've said on that topic, much like I have categories for Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Photography, etc... I also created a category for Maine since I post a bunch about that beautiful state as well.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)
Wildfire Burning in Red Rock Canyon
One of Several Fires Burning in Nevada
It's not a huge fire by any means compared to what firefighters are fighting elsewhere but there's a 25-acre wildfire burning in the mountains of Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas that was apparently sparked by lightning. The article doesn't give much details as to exactly what area the fire is in but the scenic road in Red Rock Canyon is closed so it must be fairly close to where Jim and I were when we visited Red Rock Canyon since we drove around the entire road. It truly is beautiful there and I hope the fire doesn't do much damage.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Las Vegas Centennial Cake Not Free After All
Somehow the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee thought that that the humongous cake, measuring 102 feet long, 52 feet wide and 20 inches high and weighing over 130,000 pounds, that they served to thousands of people as part of the Centennial Celebration was a donation from Sara Lee. Not so fast, says the spokesperson from Sara Lee who indicated that the only agreement was to deliver it at a discount. So the committee will have to pay $95,000 for the cake. Which given that the retail value of the cake is $250,000 is still a substantial discount, especially considering the cake had to be baked in North Carolina and then shipped to Las Vegas which was probably no easy task. Seems like that's a pretty big misunderstanding for the committee to think they're getting it for free and Sara Lee expecting to be paid $95,000.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Not Enough People Riding Las Vegas Monorail
Unless more people start riding the $650 million Las Vegas monorail that transports visitors up and down the strip, the fare to ride may be increased from $3 to $3.85 due to lower than expected ridership and higher than expected costs. Based on what I saw when I was in Vegas in January, I'd say they will need a lot of luck to get more riders. Signage for the monorail was poor to non-existant so it was almost impossible for me to figure out where the monorail stations were. In addition the monorail doesn't seem to be in a highly visible spot so out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Another problem is that in Vegas valet parking is free. So it's very easy to go from one casino to another if a visitor has a car. During the peak busy times during the warm months I'm sure it's not as convienent to drive everywhere like Jim and I did in January but it seems like it's probably easier than it is in cities like New York where parking anywhere costs an arm and a leg. I would also think that with so many forms of entertainment, restaurants and gambling available in a small area, some visitors may choose to not go very far up or down the strip from where they are staying, unless their hotel is located off the strip. So while a monorail seems like a good idea to have in Vegas I think they are going to need to do a lot of work to promote it to get more people to ride.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Rio
Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2005. A shot of the Rio Hotel and Casino at night. I might have posted this one I'm not sure. But I was thinking about how awesome the view is from the top of the Rio. There's a cool bar up there with some very yummy exotic drinks. Apparently the Rio is an all-suites hotel so I wouldn't mind staying there in a future visit to Las Vegas. It was really hard to take a photo that does justice to how cool the neon that lights the Rio up looks at night.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2005
Vince Neil Teams Up With Hard Rock Hotel
Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil, a Las Vegas resident, is a busy boy. Besides being on tour with Motley Crue, Neil has a new private label wine which he is unveiling at an event he will be performing at in Las Vegas. But the bigger announcement is about the motorcyle-cafe that he will be partnering with the Hard Rock Cafe on as part of their $1 billion expansion. That could turn out to be a very lucrative investment for Neil.
I liked the Hard Rock Cafe when I was there. It's a popular hotel/casino with the "in" crowd and usually those type of places aren't my cup of tea. But I really enjoyed the Hard Rock. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night which was perhaps an off-night but the vibe seemed pretty relaxed but fun there. We ate in one of the restaurants there which was a fairly casual place but good. Then we saw Hootie and the Blowfish at the Joint, the nightclub there. That's a really great space for seeing a concert. It's not a huge club and the set-up is condusive for being able to see well anywhere in the club. Lenny Kravitz is playing there in a few days and I would love, love, love to see Kravitz perform there. I'm sure that is going to be an amazing show!
Posted by silverdsl at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2005
Wynn Las Vegas Show Cut to One Performance a Night
Le Reve Gets Unfavorable Reviews
This probably interests no one but me but just two weeks after it opened the elaborate aquatic show Le Reve at the Wynn in Las Vegas has been cut from two performances a night to one performance a night. I remember thinking when I first heard of this show that it sounded just like Cirque du Soleil's O which is also an aquatic show. I saw that back in January and I thought it was amazing. So Le Reve was going to have an uphill battle to be better than O. And for at least one reviewer from the L.A. Times, the show did in fact seem to be little more than a watered down version of O. Given that tickets are $121 for Le Reve I can understand why audiences might rather spend their money on the original rather than the imitator.
With how much money was spent on everything at the Wynn and how much attention to detail there is, I'm surprised that this show wasn't made to be a little more original so that it would be as spectacular as the rest of the Wynn supposedly is.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2005
Photography - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2005
Wynn Las Vegas Casino Opens
Luxury, Luxury and More Luxury
So the eagarly anticipated Wynn Casino opened in Las Vegas just after midnight last night to huge crowds. In fact some people waited for more than three hours to get in for a first peek at the hotel and casino that Wynn spent $2.7 billion building. Of course the entire complex is lavishly decorated both inside and out and features 18 resturants, theaters and a bunch of expensive designer stores, including a Ferrari dealership. I think there's also a golf course on the property as well. Wynn was very secretive about photos of the interior and if I remember correctly up until this point Vanity Fair had an exclusive on the first photos of what the hotel and casino looks like on the inside. I'll be interested in reading some reviews of what people think of the Wynn to see if it lives up to the hype.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2005
Photo of the Day - Bellagio Foutains
Las Vegas, Nevada. January, 2005. To go with my previous entry this is a shot of the Bellagio fountains. I really thought I had taken some other shots of the fountains but thus far I can't seem to find them.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
Behind the Scenes of the Bellagio Fountains
This is a neat article all about the inner workings of the fountains outside the Bellagio. I'll have to post a photo later of the fountains but essentially it's a show of dancing water and light set to music. Some might say what's the big deal but it's very impressive, especially at night. When we stayed at the Aladdin our room looked out at the fountains and it was quite some sight to be able to see them go off. Even better was seeing the show from up close.
The above article is filled with all sorts of interesting information about the inner workings of the fountains such as that it takes 36 engineers to put everything together. In addition, the fountains and the lake that they are in don't draw from the city water supply. Instead they use well water and in case of a fire in any of the nearby casinos water can be pumped from there by firefighters. Another interesting tidbit is that once everything has been coordinated and programmed there is one show operator who controls everything. All he or she has to do is pull up a show on a computer screen and press play. The computer system then controls everything. It's pretty incredibly really how it all works.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2005
Two Girls Rescued From Insanity Ride on Top of Stratosphere
The newest ride to open on top of the Stratosphere hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Insanity, had a major malfunction early this morning leaving two girls stranded more than 900 feet above the ground, dangling in the air at the end of a mechanical arm, for an hour in the cold. Luckily technicians were eventually able to pull the ride back in and get the girls off of it. I was on top of the Stratosphere back in January and even if I already wasn't a fan of thrill rides, I don't think I'd ever be able to get myself on one that's all the way up there. Strangely, I had no problem with the helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon but something about being up that high and being tossed around in a ride on top of that - yikes! Which is the least of what those two girls were thinking.
A few weeks ago a segment of "Mikey Mike'd" featured Michael Waltrip and Shane Hmiel riding Insanity on it's opening night. After they rode it the ride was shut down for a while due to high winds and if I remember correctly Michael even commented on that. It sure would have been an exciting edition of "Mikey Mike'd" if Michael and Shane got stuck up there! But even when Jim and I were up there it was windy and I imagine that on top of a tower that high there is always a degree of wind. I imagine that was taken into consideration when the ride was built but it seems that they might have to reevaluate the threshold for when the ride gets shut down due to high winds.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
MGM Mirage to Build New Casino In Las Vegas
Two Soaring Towers to Be Located on the Strip
MGM Mirage has hired a well-known architect to design a new 4,000 room hotel/casino which will eventually be located on the strip between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo, both properties owned by MGM Mirage, as part of a $4.7 billion project. Yes, that's billion. Apparently both towers of this hotel/casino, which they would like to open in 2009, will be made entirely of glass to give guests great views of the strips and the desert around Vegas. I can only imagine how extravagant it will be. Yet another sign of how much money flows in and out of those casinos that another large hotel/casino will be built there.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. January, 2005. This isn't actually what I wanted to post as a photo of the day but since I've never been to Arches National Park this will have to do as the stone of the formations at Valley of Fire is similar to those of some of the arches at Arches National Park. I've seen some photos from Arches National Park over the past few weeks which I've absolutely loved and it's just really made me want to go there even more than previously. Which was a lot to begin with!
I might have mentioned in a previous entry on Valley of Fire but the red of those formations is caused by iron levels in the stone.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
Not to be Seen on Caesars 24/7
Lawsuit Claims Employees Sexually Harassed
Several kitchen workers at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas are claiming that they were sexually harassed by their bosses and have filed a lawsuit. I think it's highly unlikely that anything even remotely about this will appear on A&E's reality show Caesars 24/7! I've not gotten to watch that show lately and one reason is because I didn't realize it had been moved to Saturdays at 6 p.m. So I've gone looking for it on Mondays at 10 p.m. and thought that it was on hiatus or something. Little did I know it was just on a different day. I will have to try and catch it (or Tivo it) on Saturday since it's a new episode.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. January, 2005. The cool thing about Valley of Fire State Park is how all the rock formations were so unique. Erosion has shaped them in so many different ways. I think I could spend days there photographing. And the same rock formation would look completely different from all different angles and at different times of day as the light changes. Also different seasons would bring some interesting changes. It probably doesn't snow there often but if it ever does that might make for really cool shots. After a rain storm would make for different photos than when it hadn't rained for a long time. And so on and so on. I just wish I actually lived near there so I could go and take photos in all these different scenarios.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2005
Tight Security Planned at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Some Fans to Be Randomly Screened With Handheld Metal Detector
It's always good to hear about security precautions at tracks. LVMS has been inspecting motorcoaches and other vechicles entering the infield with bomb-sniffing dogs, coolers are banned, bags will be searched and some fans will be screened with a handheld metal detector. I'd like to see a day when all fans are screened with a metal detector not just random fans. Perhaps time contraints would make that difficult to do with all fans entering the stands but certainly everyone who goes into the garage area, at least those people without hard cards, should be subject to a once over by a metal detector and a bag search. None of this happened when I went into the garage area at Dover but it should have in my opinion.
While I hope that there will never be any incidents of violence at any of the races either in the stands or in the garage area, in this day and age, I think it pays to be cautious. Especially considering how much close interaction fans have with the drivers. Look no further than the Dimebag Darrell shooting or even that brawl between fans and players during the NBA game last year for reasons why security is extremely important. The majority of fans have a healthy outlook on the sport and are just going to have some fun but there are always going to be some people who might take things too far and I think it's better to be safe than sorry.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2005
Photo of the Day - Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. I wish I was back in Las Vegas! I've been hearing a lot of talk about Las Vegas the past week or so because Nascar comes to Las Vegas this weekend. Already some of the drivers are there going out and partying. If I were there aside from pigging out in all the yummy restaurants and going to any Nascar related events, I'd go spend lots of time in Valley of Fire State Park taking photos of all these neat-o rock formations. I'd like to either go there at sunrise or be there for sunset when the light would probably make these formations look even cooler.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
Photo of the Day - Cool Clouds
Clouds over Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005. Sunny, cloudy, sunny, cloudy, rainy, sunny. The weather just couldn't make up it's mind when we were in Red Rock Canyon. I wish it had been sunny the whole time, especially since it was a little chilly when it was cloudy, but the mixed conditions meant that I could take this shot of the clouds at one point. The clouds seem so swirly and my eye was drawn to the sky to take this photo.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:27 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
MGM-Mirage Mandalay Deal Creates Largest Casino Company in the World...
...for now. The $7.9 billion, yes, billion dollar deal by MGM-Mirage to buy the Mandalay Bay Resort Group has created the largest casino company in the world. However, that might soon be outdone by a possible deal in which Harrah's Entertainment would purchase Ceasar's Entertainment. The dollar amount which is being discussed in these deal is staggering. Billions of dollars. Billions! It shows how much of a money maker the casino business really is. Amazing.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2005
Photo of the Day - Desert
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. Not much to say about this one other than it was really, really awesome taking photos in Red Rock Canyon and the surronding area. As I think I've mentioned more than a time or two in this blog!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2005
Photo of the Day - Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Jan. 2005. I wish I could have done justice to how cool the reflection off the Manadalay Bay Casino looked but by the time we drove by up close it was getting pretty cloudy out. But even without a lot of sun this casino still looked cool. Every casino does such a great job of making their buildings look impressive both up close and from far away.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2005
Photo of the Day - Desert and Mountains
On the road to Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. I made Jim pull over so I could take a couple of photos as we approached Red Rock Canyon. I was just so amazed by everything I was seeing that I had to take some pictures. There just aren't any views like that in New York or New Jersey!
All those clouds came rolling in gradually as we made our way to Red Rock Canyon and then as we drove through. It made for some interesting pictures. At times the clouds just swallowed up the mountains. But when it was sunny that bi-colored mountain just looked so cool!
All this time I've been saying that I had never been in the desert before yet I completely forgot that I was in Israel and was very definitely in the desert there. It was so long ago, when I was in high school, that it's easy to forget. Everything was so rushed on that trip too so it was hard to take a lot of things in. Oh, how I wish I had a good camera when I was there!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2005
Photo of the Day - Paris Las Vegas
Paris-Las Vegas Casino, Las Vegas, NV, January, 2005. Here's a shot of the Effiel Tower replica at Paris-Las Vegas Casino. It's a nice looking casino both inside and out and Jim and I spent one night there eating in a absolutely delicious restaurant, Ortanique which features Caribbean influenced food. From what we could tell it looked like there were a lot of great restaurants there including a few nice French ones. We also went up to the top of the Effiel Tower there at night and the view was amazing!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2005
Clear Channel Signs Agreement With Aladdin Casino
Jim and I stayed at the Aladdin while we were in Las Vegas and were very impressed. The casino has apparently been purchased by Planet Hollywood and will be undergoing some changes, one of which will include a new showroom. So now Clear Channel has signed an agreement with the Aladdin to manage their existing theater facility, as well as the new showroom. Clear Channel may bring in a Broadway show as they did at The Venetian, but they will surely bring in some top musicians as well. Those type of big-name shows are what The Aladdin needs to rejuvenate itself a little. I'm not a fan of Clear Channel but this is a good thing for the Aladdin.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2005
Caesar's 24/7
A&E has a reality show all about Caesar's Casino in Las Vegas called Caesar's 24/7. Jim and I caught a few episodes of it earlier today and I loved it! I'm not sure I would have been interested in watching had we not just been to Las Vegas but it was really pretty well done. The show follows a variety of different casino workers and customers around to show what they do each day. A lot of the show featured stories about high rollers because people throwing around big money is naturally more interesting than someone betting a few dollars. But there were also segments on the wedding planners at Caesar's trying to pull off 21 weddings in one day while navigating some problems, how the security team operates and a "shadow" dancer is also heavily featured. All in all they seem to do a really good job with the show, though I'm sure to get Caesar's to cooperate with the show they had to agree not to show anything too negative about the casino so like other reality shows this isn't truly reality. But it's really interesting to get a peek into the inner workings of the casino.
The high rollers are hard to understand though. I'll never have as much money as these folks that I can throw around cash like it's nothing. So I guess I really can't understand their lifestyle. One high roller was incredibly demanding and wanted the casino to fullfill his every need for free which they pretty much did; another had a girlfriend who's primary concern was spending all his money. As much as having more money would make a lot of things a lot easier, I'd rather be defined by who I am as a person rather than my bankroll and how much I spend somewhere. And I certainly don't need to spend a ton of money to have fun and be happy. But apparently in Las Vegas that attitude might put me in the minority.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
Photo of the Day - From Valley of Fire State Park
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, January, 2005. This is one of the rock formations I was especially fond of in VoF State Park. It's like a mini arch and it was pretty neat looking though this photos doesn't really do it justice. Unfortunately I saw it when we were short on time and couldn't spend too much time taking photos of it because we had to leave for the long drive back to Vegas. There aren't arches in VoF State Park like there are in Arches National Park but there are a few smaller ones and they are neat to see. It's pretty cool the way erosion has worked it magic on the rocks in VoF.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2005
Golden Nugget Sold
Landry's Resturants, Inc., the company that owns The Rainforest Cafe chain of restaurants among other restaurants has bought the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas. The price of purchase is $140 million plus assuming $155 million in debt associated with the casino. The only reason this interests me is because when Jim and I drove through downtown Las Vegas we were struck by how worn down it looked. Yes, some of the charm is that there are plenty of elements of old-style Las Vegas there. However, a lot of the property there seemed to have seen much better days. So it will be interesting to see what Landry's does with the Golden Nugget and how what they do benefits (or doesn't) the rest of downtown. Perhaps they can breath a little new life into that area.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2005
Photo of the Day - Over Lake Mead
Lake Mead from the air. Jan, 2005. So as one might imagine a lot of the photos of the day for a while are going to be shots from our Las Vegas trip. I'll throw some other stuff in there to mix it up but I got to take a lot of photos that excited me so I'll be putting some up here in the blog.
This one was taken from the helicopter on the way to the Grand Canyon. It's of Lake Mead which is huge! I knew it was huge and it looked huge when we were at the Hoover Dam but from the air one can really see how big it actually is. It also made for some awesome photos. Those islands in the Lake? In a lot of cases those are actually mountain tops to mountains that were covered when the Lake was filled! Yeah, that's a lot of water!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park in Vegas
So I'm feeling pretty bad about ripping Steve Park for pulling out of the Operation Marathon Getaway. Why? Because when we talked to him in Vegas at the Hootie and the Blowfish concert he couldn't have sounded like he could have felt any worse about what happened. Now Steve had no idea that he was saying all of this to the person that made a big fuss about it so I have no doubt that he was sincere in what he was saying.
It was actually pretty awkward because we were standing there with two women from the group who are close friends with the travel agent and he made a disparaging comment about how bad the travel agent made him look. I'm pretty sure they were not happy about that! Then he launches into this whole thing about how bad he feels about it and how he was supossed to have done the 5K and didn't. The longer he talked believe me the worse I felt because it was pretty clear that he felt like he had let people down with all of it and he was feeling guilty and/or bad about that. I would have liked to have reassured him that it was okay, that no one was angry with him, but his girlfriend came over to get him so I never got a chance to say anything.
Based on the entire conversation with him I will definitely have second thoughts about ever publically saying anything the slightest bit critical about him outside this blog because he really does seem to feel very bad whenever he feels like he's let someone down or did something wrong, even stuff that is pretty minor and clearly his PR person or whoever must fill him in on what's being said.
I still don't really know the particulars of what happened but I suspect that the travel agent talked big and exaggerated some things which led to a lot of this. I'm guessing they figured that with how rabid many of Steve's fan are for anything that has anything to do with him more people would sign up and when that didn't happen that left them scrambling and things fell apart from there. Even I might not have gone if not for the fact that this was in conjunction with Operation Marathon and I felt strongly about supporting Michael and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
I'm not upset with Steve anymore having heard him say how bad he felt about not participating like he was supossed to but given the amount of money we spent on the trip I think I had the right to be upset earlier. I also still think that it's a shame that all of this happened with something in conjunction with a charity. Perhaps if the travel agent had handled things differently they would have found some compromise that would have made Steve felt like he wasn't letting people down but wouldn't have required as much of a committment as they had wanted from him previously. But he did make it to the Hootie and the Blowfish concert and I got to talk to him for a bit so I was very happy! Steve really does seem to be a great guy, very friendly and seems to very much care about pleasing the people around him.
ETA: Now I feel even worse having just been told something else. But there was no way for me to know that and it's not my issue anyway. But this encounter with Steve was definitely an eye opener and a lot of things make more sense now for sure.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2005
Las Vegas Day Seven
Well, we're back! We got back to New Jersey a few hours ago. I never got around to doing an entry yesterday because we were so busy doing all sorts of fun stuff so I figured I would throw something up now.
We started the day by going over to cheer on Michael Waltrip as he ran the marathon. The funny thing was that we almost didn't see him but all his hair blowing in the wind was how we knew it was him as he approached. Michael ended up finishing in just under four hours which was a personal best for him. He really should be proud of himself for how well he did! And to raise money for such a good cause too.
Then Jim and I decided to take a ride to Valley of Fire State Park. It was a bit of a long trip but I'm so glad that we went! It was yet another amazing place with all these neato, huge red rock formations. The ride there and back was filled with some pretty cool views too.
(photo by Jim) Then last night was the Hootie and the Blowfish concert. I really wasn't expecting much since I'm not a big Hootie fan but it was actually a really, really great concert! Something very unexpected happened at the concert also which I'll have to post about in the next few days. It was a really fun night for sure!
Posted by silverdsl at 12:29 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2005
Las Vegas Day Six
Today was definitely a Michael Waltrip day! I saw him three times today - at the 5K, at an autograph signing and at a Meet & Greet. He really is great with his fans! The details of the day will have to wait as I'm really tired right now but the above photo is from the autograph signing.
Me with Michael. This was from the Meet & Greet. Jim and I also got a photo taken with both of us with Michael and Kyle Petty. I haven't seen how it came out yet as we won't be picking it up until tomorrow but I suspect it might come out kind of funny and not in a good way as I got taken by surprise in that photo. So luckily Michael was nice enough to pose for another photo with me.
After the Meet & Greet, Jim and I went out to eat at a really good restaurant in the Paris casino. After dinner we went up to the top of their version of the Effiel Tower. I wasn't sure it would be worth the price of admission but the views were incredible from up there!
Posted by silverdsl at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
Las Vegas Day Five
Bright and early we got up this morning and headed out to take our helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. We got really lucky because it was nice and sunny in the morning and almost as soon as we got back it got really cloudy. Right now it's raining pretty hard here. But the Grand Canyon trip was amazing and it's definitely the highlight of the trip so far.
Not only did we get to see the Grand Canyon but we also got to see Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam from up above as well. So that made for some really cool photos. It was a bit tricky taking photos from a moving helicopter though! I'd see something and by the time I got focused we were by it. There was also the glare on the glass to contend with. But some of the shots came out neat.
We got to land inside the Grand Canyon on land that belongs to an Indian Reservation, which virtually all it's income comes from these landings. After we landed we got out and walked around for about a half hour. It was just incredible to see the massive walls of the canyon up close. Just seeing a small taste of the Grand Canyon makes me want to go back and explore much more of it.
Everywhere we looked out the helicopter there were some amazing sights of the Grand Canyon, the mountains, the desert, Lake Mead and Las Vegas. I will definitely remember this for a very long time! When I get back I'll have to post some more photos because there were so many awesome sights.
The only unfortunate thing is that we had to miss the tour of Orleans Racing and Las Vegas Motorspeedway that the group went on this morning. It was unavoidable because this was the only time we could take the helicopter ride since it was rescheduled from Wednesday. Even though the group got to very briefly see Brendan Gaughan at Orleans Racing, I think the helicopter ride ended up being something even more memorable than the tour of Orleans Racing would have been.
Then this afternoon we went outlet shopping and then out to eat at the sushi place that we like at the Aladdin.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2005
Las Vegas Day Four
Today the weather cleared up somewhat - yay! So Jim and I took a ride out to Red Rock Canyon, about an hour away from Las Vegas. It was so amazing! I've never seen mountains like we saw in Red Rock Canyon. It was incredible. Now I know it's not anything like the Rocky Mountains or places like that but these mountains still looked pretty huge to me!
Seeing the desert was pretty neat too. I was surprised by how much greenery there actually was. Apparently there's more rain in that area of the desert than there is elsewhere so it can support a lot more than it might somewhere that they only get an inch or two of rain. It was pretty cool to see cacti that were native rather than growing in a pot!
There were still plenty of clouds today unfortunately but the 13-mile scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon was still beautiful anyway. Scenes like this were what we saw all around us.
In the desert after a lot of rain there is always the risk of flash floods. There were several places where it was also very obvious that floods had done quite a bit of damage. After all the rain yesterday there must have been some flooding since we came to this area where water was flowing across the road and there was plenty of standing water elsewhere.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)
"O" - Cirque du Soleil
Wow! I can't possibly put into words how amazing this show is. It's not a circus but there are trapeze acts and clowns. It's not a ballet but there's all sorts of dancing. It's not a play but it was very theatrical and had a bit of a plot. Overall, it was just a spectacular show and one I'll remember for a very long time. Much of the show was based around a large pool of water, which appeared and disappeared as they needed it. Clearly, a great deal of time was spent developing this show very precisely.
There were three female contortionists who were particularly amazing to me. The way these women bent their bodies backwards and around themselves was so unnatural yet it came easily to them. Just incredible. All the acrobatic and trapeze type acts really were outstanding.
One thing that impressed Jim and I was how the performers had to be so multi-skilled. They needed to be dancers, acrobats, swimmers, divers and performers. Doing this show definitely takes a lot of talent and I really admire those who both performed in this show and created it.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:12 AM | Comments (0)
More From Las Vegas
So here's one of the shots that I took of the strip from the Voodoo Lounge on top of Rio last night. This picture can't do justice to how beautiful and amazing it was to see everything all around in every single direction all lit up. Not just the strip but streetlights and houses every which way that I turned went far into the distance. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
In spite of the rain, we decided that we would head out to the Hoover Dam because Jim has always wanted to see it and it really wasn't too far of a drive to get there. Unfortunately I forgot to change lenses before I walked over the dam so I didn't have quite as wide of a shot as I would have liked so it's hard to show just how massive the dam actually is. It's incredible to think of how much work and how much mountain and earth was moved to create this dam. We didn't take the tour because we didn't have time but just walking around on top of the dam was quite a sight!
The ride to the Hoover Dam was pretty interesting too. Of course it would have been nicer if it wasn't raining but it was still pretty cool to see the desert and especially all the mountians. It's so different from the way it is in New Jersey that's for sure! There are some mountains out our way but not anything like these.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:04 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Las Vegas Day Three
It's been beautiful weather in Las Vegas for a while but of course now that we're here it's pretty much supossed to rain for a good part of the week. We already had to cancel the Grand Canyon helicopter tour we were going to take today and hopefully we can fit it in early on Friday morning, when it might be clear for at least part of the day. I also wanted to go to Red Rock Canyon and that's kind of in doubt since it's supossed to rain all day today and much of tomorrow too. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will clear up at some point so we can head out there.
We switched over from the Aladdin to the Orleans a little while ago. The Orleans is definitely not the Aladdin, where they paid a lot of attention to detail and making sure things were pretty much immaculate. But the room is nice and big and we've got a view of the strip which should look really awesome at night all lit up. I'm really glad we decided to rent the car so we can get back and forth between here and the strip fairly easily.
Last night we went to the Rio to the Voodoo Lounge which is on the 52nd floor. There is an amazing view from up there of the whole strip which was unbelievable to see. If I get a chance later on I'm going to download some of those pics and maybe throw one or two of those up here if they came out okay. I got a very yummy drink there, a Voodoo Doll, made of bananna and stawberry liquior.
Tonight we're going to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" at The Bellagio which I've heard is amazing so I'm really looking forward to that.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
Yummy Stuff
So far Jim and I have eaten in a bunch of different places in Las Vegas. I'm all screwed up in terms of when I get hungry because of the time change so that's a problem but hopefully that will straighten out soon. Thus far my favorite meal has been the sushi we had late last night as a snack at the sushi bar here in The Aladdin. The smoked salmon in the Philadelphia Roll was some of the freshest and best I've ever tasted. I could have eaten it all night! Otherwise the other really yummy thing that I had was a Pina Colada at a casual burger place in the Desert Passage. One of the best Pina Coladas I've ever had and I hope I can get another one before we leave. We've tried a couple of restaurants that were recommended but those didn't live up to the hype so I won't waste time blogging about those now.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day Two
So today we traveled up and down the strip checking out all the different casinos. It's absolutely unbelievable how huge each one is! Every casino and hotel is so spread out with so much inside - stores, restaurants, theaters, hotel rooms, conference centers and of course the casinos. One of the most impressive in terms of the attention to detail in terms of the theme was The Venetian, a piece of which is pictured above. Great care is taken to make visitors feel like they really are in Venice with Gondola rides through a canal and all. The only thing is that I couldn't help but think of Epcot in Walt Disney World and the Italian area there because much of the architecture and stature were extremely similar.
The Luxor was another cool casino. Jim wasn't too impressed with it but I've always been intrigued by Egypt and the pyramids since I was a little girl. So I thought the Luxor was pretty neat. The only thing is it was very dark inside and I've heard the rooms are that way as well so I'm not sure I would enjoy staying there though.
Of course all of the casinos have fancy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I took this particular photo outside a seafood resturant where the bottles were embedded in a see-through wall that water flowed through. The photo isn't that clear but I thought it was kind of neat.
There was no way for us to see every casino but so far the one that I thought was the nicest was the Bellagio which we went to last night. That's the fanciest and most expensive one on the strip and everything there is very well taken care of. The fountain show there is amazing too and at some point I'll have to post some photos of that too. As for the one I liked the least I'm not sure but I didn't think The Mirage lived up to the hype in that a lot of books said how nice it was and how much there was to see there.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
Las Vegas Day One
Yes, we did make it to Las Vegas! And we're already having a great time though we are very tired. It's only 9:30 p.m. out here but we're still on East Coast time which has us all messed up.
So we got to Newark Airport bright and early at 6:30 a.m. to make sure we were there early enough to catch our 9:15 a.m. flight. Luckily, while there were a few weather related problems due to ice, we only left about a half hour late which wasn't too bad considering what a huge storm there was over the weekend. The flight wasn't bad though I started to get very restless by hour four of five.
The first thing we did after we picked up our rental car was head to the Aladdin. We ended up with a truly awesome room! The above shot is the view from our room. So we can see the fountain show at the Bellagio across the street right from the room which is so cool. This is a really huge room and the bathroom is bigger than my bedroom at home! It's too bad that we're only staying here two nights but we wouldn't be able to afford it for longer than that. We'll enjoy it while we're here that's for sure!
After we relaxed for a bit we headed up to the Stratosphere where we ate lunch at Top of the World which is a rotating restaurant all the way at the top. The view from up there is amazing! Unfortunately while it's warm in Las Vegas, at least compared to the way it is in New York, it's cloudy so the pics aren't as good as they might be on a sunny day. But it was still pretty neat to see the view of all of Las Vegas from the top of the Stratosphere.
Then tonight we've been walking around the various casinos and checking out the sights. There is so much to see and do, much more than we'll be able to see. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because we're going to try and visit as many of the casinos on the strip as possible.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2005
Just in Time for Our Trip to Las Vegas
Judge Throws Out Lap Dance Law
A Nevada judge threw out a law making it illegal for strippers to fondle or caress their customers during lap dances, saying that it's too vague. So at least for now, until Las Vegas can enact a more specific law, which I'm sure they will do quickly, strippers can no longer be arrested for "fondling" their customers. I wonder if all the strip clubs in Las Vegas are suddenly going to see even more business than usual because of this?
That's really the only aspect of strippers that bothers me - the physical touching. I don't mind if Jim goes to strip clubs and looks at the strippers but more than that wouldn't really go over too well with me. But there are a lot of women who don't even like it when their significant others look at other women, strippers or otherwise. I think it's human nature for both men and women to admire those that they find attractive and I wouldn't expect that to stop just because someone is in a relationship or married. Of course acting on it is a different story but looking doesn't bother me.
Posted by silverdsl at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2005
Going to Las Vegas
Whooo-hoo! Tonight starts the longest vacation I've ever taken at once from work! Yay! Jim and I are going to Las Vegas on Monday through the following Monday and I won't be back at work until Febuary 2. I'm very much looking forward to this trip.
While I'm in Las Vegas I'm going to try to continue to update this blog everyday, mostly with Las Vegas related stuff. So I'm hoping to have some entries about things we do as well as some photos. Supossedly we have internet access in our room at both hotels we'll be staying at so I shouldn't have any problems getting online. So assuming the technical stuff goes right it will just be a matter of finding the time to do some entries.
A note for those folks from NYYFans: Since we will have internet access we will be checking the site and the forum. So we will be able to take care of any problems that crop up just like we do when we are at home. So that doesn't mean anything goes on the forum next week.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
When We Need a Break From the Chaos of the Strip...
While Jim and I are in Las Vegas I'm hoping that we can take a trip to Red Rock Canyon. It's about a half hour from the strip in Las Vegas and it's supossed to be really nice. There's a 13-mile scenic drive with pullouts for photo-taking so hopefully we will be able to do that. We're going to be seeing lots of sights in Las Vegas but I'd like to see some of the natural sights as well as all the neon ones. Of course we do have the trip to the Grand Canyon but I'd like to see Red Rock as well since we'll be so close. It'll just be a matter of figuring out what day to go and if we have time.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)