VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #2

Haziness and Hiding Love Cups. The Conclusion of our First Day in Vegas.

-TI Tram
-Social House
-Revolution
-Changes at Luxor
-Excalibur Still Sucks
-RollThaDice denied at NYNY
-Missing the Monte Carlo Tram


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'Love' Attendance Requirement

In our first and second podcasts, my souveneir 'Love' cup was mentioned quite a few times. Ordering a Rum & Coke (or Diet in my case) is an absolute must. You get this pretty cup pictured below that you can lug around or hide in the Mirage plants while you are out and about. Do take note of where you hid it though because after drinking one of these it will surely be difficult to find.

And It's Official! (EDIT: Or Is it?)

"Michael Jackson is to launch his next world tour with a spectacular show at Las Vegas' Luxor resort. The exclusive news, broken by Vegas insider Michael Politz's TheVegasEye.com, comes after months of speculation suggesting the King Of Pop was planning a major Sin City comeback show.

WENN has obtained one of the secret invites for Jackson's June 10 Luxor show, where he'll perform a string of new songs and announce details of his Live Forever world tour. Jackson will then meet and greet specially-selected fans and celebrities, who will have received a lucky ticket to attend the private dinner reception and concert.

The invitation, which features photographs and images of Jackson performing, calls the event a "memorable evening" and stresses, "This is a semi-formal event so please dress accordingly."

The pop superstar has made Las Vegas his home, in between trips to the Middle East and Europe, ever since he vacated his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, California following his child molestation trial in 2005."

Excerpt From Starpulse News Blog

Stay Tuned: VegasRy.com will be on the scene in July and may have an official first hand review to come.

EDIT: LVRJ.com is reporting this is false so who knows at this point. Personally, I don't really care either way. I do think it would be fun to see him in concert, but can't say I'll lose a wink of sleep if it doesn't happen.

Ok, We Are Officially Excited...

"We have to rig Craps, BlackJack, Slots, and Roulette in our favor."

"Can you make it any more complicated?"


The next trailer for Oceans 13 is up, and it looks fantastic. See anything different in the shot of the Strip? Also, love the shots of the gamblers with dollar figures over their heads.


Ocean's 13 Full Trailer

Official Site

Ocean's 13 Teaser Trailer

Know Your Surroundings: Caesars Palace

If you recall, I recently posted about knowing where the ideal gambling stations are at the Bellagio in relation to nearby restrooms. Today, I'm presenting the second installment of this endless series on Caesars Palace. Caesars has long been a difficult place for me to gamble for 2 reasons: 1) I can't win there (so until I found this map, I had no clue where the cage was) and 2) The restrooms were so hidden or noneexistent. This isn't necessarily true any longer and as you'll see below, Caesars has made the restrooms much more accessible.



One other little tidbit is the top restroom on the map is very close to the casino entrance from the Forum shops. If you've made the long walk through the shopping area then you no doubt must visit this restroom. It's easily overlooked though because you have to take an escalator down to it. Enjoy.

Know Your Surroundings: Bellagio

VegasRy Review: Tryst

On our last trip to Las Vegas, our friend Brandon’s younger brother turned 21 the last day we were there, and as such, wanted to celebrate it in style…with bottle service at Tryst Nightclub at the Wynn. Now, the pluses and minuses of nightclubs in Vegas is the topic of much debate, and will be covered later in more detail.

Reservations were made through the concierge at Bellagio, for bottle service on a Saturday night. We were provided with the cell number of the host, and instructed to call when we arrived. We got to Wynn around 10:30, and the line was already pretty significant. One simple phone call, and the host located us, removed us from the line, and escorted us directly to our table. Great service yes, but we had to pay for it. Being a Saturday night there was a 2 bottle minimum. We ordered our bottle of Rum and Vodka, and settled in for the night.

Another note, our party consisted of 4 guys and no ladies, and unsurprisingly, the line waiting to get in was 95% guys. I think bottle service is a must for groups of guys.

Tryst is a pretty slick club, large, but not huge, and decorated in a very cool, very red, way. The club and dance floor open out to a lake and waterfall in a private alcove, with the Wynn Mountain on one side and the casino building on the other. Private tables lined the lake, and this outdoor section provided relief from the sensory overload inside.

Our table was located near a stripper pole, where all ladies were free to show off their skills. It seemed that our table was in a happening spot, as the pole area became very crowded later. As the night went on, more and more ladies tried there hand at the pole, and it was quite obvious that this was not the first time on a stripper pole for many of them.

A short commentary on the pole: Proximity to the pole can be a very good, or very bad thing depending on the wannabe stripper performing at any given time. The following video captures the good, the bad, and the ugly…although not necessarily in that order.

Our waitress was very nice, and very implanted, but I think after she brought the bottles, we saw her 3 more times. Now not to seem snobbish, but for $1,200 (yeah, I know), we shouldn’t have to pour and mix our own drinks.

Now these clubs are pretty much all the same in my opinion, but Tryst was a step above. The current hot spot on the strip, (until next week when the next one comes along) and I have not seen a collection of that many good-looking people in one place. If you can only hit one club on your next trip, or if money is no object, Tryst is your place.

Tryst Home Page (At Wynn Las Vegas)

Score:
4 Cheques (Out of 5)

Preview: Vegas Grand Prix

We are big fans of racing here at VegasRy, but Champ Car seems to be on it's last legs. We have also been pretty rough on Downtown Las Vegas in our recent commentary. However, we think that the upcoming Champ Car race taking place downtown seems like a pretty cool idea.

Next weekend the Champ Car series Vegas Grand Prix will take place on a temporary circuit that snakes aroung Downtown Casinos:

Click to enlarge...
The race is on Sunday April 8th, Easter Sunday, but there are a bunch of festivities throughout the weekend.

We really are more NASCAR and Formula One (Did you know F1 raced in the Caesars parking lot in 1981 and 82?) fans, but this does sound pretty slick. Will keep you updated.

Vegas Grand Prix Official Site

VegasRy Guest Show Review: Zumanity

(Editor's Note: The following is a guest opinion by VegasRy's #1 Fan Allison regarding a show we haven't seen. Based on the review and what we've heard, we don't plan on sitting through it either...enjoy)

Apparently, the creators of Cirque de Soleil’s Zumanity got the old marketing phrase “sex sells” stuck in their heads when laying out plans for their new show featured in the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. Departing from their usual acrobatic wonder, this show delves into a strange new theater style performance where their talent has little to do with gymnastics and a lot to do with shocking their audience into a stunned state of mind.

The show’s warm up is a fine representation of what is to come in the following hour and a half. While ticket holders visit the snack bar (purchasing aptly named treats such as the Oral Fixation, or popcorn to us common folk), two well endowed ladies wearing just enough clothing to hold themselves in, make suggestive jokes while hand feeding guests strawberries and cracking naughty jokes. Lewd, yes, but more was certainly to come when the Master of Ceremonies entered the stage, whose gender I would only guess knowing that I had a 50/50 shot. This Drag Queen Host proceeds to taunt and tease both willing and hesitant ticket holders until the slightly more talented performers enter the stage (editor note: I was a defined hesitant participant…that tranny had the nerve to ask repeatedly how much I had spent on my chest!!!). Various costumed (barely in most cases) artists enter and exit the stage, leading the show to the finale, which stands apart from the rest by featuring an acrobatic, un-clothed midget swinging above the crowd.

I have seen quite a few Cirque shows now. If you are looking for half clad performers strutting their stuff on stage, I suggest asking one of the plentiful knowledgeable taxi drivers where you can get your fix. If you are looking to see a Cirque show with some real talent, try one that doesn’t promise to show you the “sensual side of Cirque du Soleil” and stick with the Bellagio’s “O”, MGM’s “Ka” or “LOVE” at the Mirage.

Zumanity Home Page

Score:
1.5 Cheques (Out of 5)

No Lego Imperial Palace?! Not Interested...

Maybe parents will get the hint and take their kids to THIS Las Vegas, not the one in Nevada!

LEGOLAND^® California is about to embark on the largest ever Miniland expansion at any LEGOLAND Park. The Carlsbad theme park will expand their Miniland U.S.A. attraction by recreating the fabulous Las Vegas Strip made entirely out of LEGO^® brick. The architectural landmark is built out of more than two-million bricks and represents more than sixteen-thousand hours of detailed labor. The new area is set to be unveiled March 29, 2007.

Hotels Represented: The Luxor; New York, New York; Excalibur; Mirage; Treasure Island; Tropicana; MGM Grand; Paris; Venetian; Stratosphere

Family Travelers Get a Taste of Las Vegas at LEGOLAND^® California

VegasRy Tip: Use the Concierge

In Las Vegas, entry to the hottest nightclubs and restaurants is all about who you know. Since we don’t know anyone, we sometimes need to rely on someone that does.

That’s where the concierge comes in. For those who might not know, most (if not all) of the hotels have a concierge desk manned with people whose job it is to answer questions, arrange show tickets, tee times, etc. It’s their job to take care of any planning or problems, so you don’t have to. Some hotels even have concierge floors, dedicated to providing a higher level of service, albeit for a price. There are also 3rd party companies in town that provide the same services.

Simply approach any concierge desk and ask them to make dinner reservations or to be put on the list at a club. It doesn’t necessarily need to be at the hotel you are staying at, although obviously it helps. Also, be prepared to tip them, the size of the tip relative to the difficulty of the service. Most of the time we have reservations set up ahead of time, so there’s no need, but on certain occasions we have made use of the concierge, to mostly positive results.

For instance, one afternoon we decided that we wanted to eat at a restaurant on the strip and we didn’t have reservations. I asked the concierge at Paris (along with a $10 tip) to call and make them for me (we weren’t staying there). When we got to the restaurant we were led down a corridor to a semi-private room, very nice and there’s no way we would have been afforded that if we had simply called the reservation line ourselves, well worth the ten bucks.

However, during the last trip, the party we were with tipped the concierge very generously, and asked to be put on the list for Mix. When we got there, we weren’t on the list. Luckily the club was pretty dead, so entry was not a problem, still it was the principal. Turns out the associate was transferred to another position at Bellagio (see service review here), and had not alerted anyone prior to leaving. This is simply unacceptable.

Despite the odd bad experience, we would definitely recommend using the concierge in Las Vegas, especially if you are requesting reservations at the property you are staying at (such as Tryst, if you are staying at Wynn). Just be prepared to tip for the convenience.

Michael Jackson Set To Be Erected

Talk of a Jackson 5 concert series in Las Vegas has been rampant the last few months. It appears to be a done deal as branding has already begun. I was hoping to see Michael's plastic face on the glass surface of the Luxor, but a 50 foot robot version of himself will suffice. My only concern is if there will be a 20 foot child robot erected as well.

Read a few of the details here.

Pay This Man His Money

Rumor has it Tim Floyd has cashed in on more than just a new high school recruit that could make or break his team's future this past week. Word around Vegas is that he had a hefty sum of dough on the Tarheels to cover on Friday night over his Trojans. After blowing an enormous first half lead, USC (with the help of a technical from Coach Floyd) failed to cover the 8.5 points they were getting much to the dismay of the the gambling world. It certainly appeared as though they gave up down the stretch. With Floyd's season done, he can now fly to Vegas to personally collect his winnings and celebrate his good fortune.

Credit for this post is owed to the good folks at JustCallMeJuice.

Photo Quiz #2: Answer

Pens and papers down! Photo Quiz 2 has been up for over a week now so it's time to reveal the answer.


If you thought Caesar's or Venitian, you're way off. This is actually the fountain at the South side entrance of Monte Carlo. This entrance is under construction now so who knows if this beautiful fountain will remain. Congrats to AD (our biggest fan) for correctly answering it. Stay tuned for Quiz #3.

Vegas Link: CheapoVegas.com

CheapoVegas is an irreverent site dedicated to providing info about the many properties in Las Vegas from a decidedly low-roller point of view. It supplies info in a very interesting and unique way.

The data is set up by hotel and casino, and offers the usual info like room size and price, but does it in a more conversational and opinionated way. Along with vital info on the property, CheapoVegas also includes thoughts on the overall feel of the casino, and even lets you know what you get bottles of in the bathroom.

This is a great site to refer to if you want a more experience-oriented view on a hotel, vs. the usual nuts and bolts descriptions found elsewhere. It is a fun site to read through, especially if you’ve been to some of the places reviewed. However, higher-end properties such as Bellagio and Venetian are treated with disdain, hence the name Cheapo.

One last note, the folks at CheapoVegas seem to hate Steve Wynn and his properties, rating a definitive 1 on the Wynn-o-Meter.

CheapoVegas.com

Louie's Lead Pipe Lock of the Week: UCLA

Reports coming from all over that Florida Coach Billy Donovan is on his way to Lexington to take over Kentucky, even as his team prepares to play UCLA in the Final Four.

Lou Says "Don't sleep on this big-money opportunity!".

Because of the massive distraction that inevitably causes, the Lou Man LOVES UCLA +3. He also likes Georgetown -1.

Report: UK Ready To Name Donovan (WLEXTV - Lexington)

The Crown Jewel of the Strip is Safe...For Now

LAS VEGAS — Billionaire Phil Ruffin said Monday that there is no deal to sell his New Frontier casino-hotel on the Las Vegas Strip to New York-based real estate group El Ad Properties.

Ruffin had been scheduled to meet with El Ad executives on Tuesday, but said he canceled the trip to New York after it was apparent the deal would fall through.

"Any time a deal starts to wobble, there's always a problem they're not telling you about," Ruffin told The Associated Press. "It doesn't look like we have a deal."

And we were all set to buy the Sigma Derby (horse racing) game at the liquidation auction.

Ruffin: 'No Deal' on New Frontier Casino Sale (Yahoo! Finance)

Pac Man to 'Make it Rain' in the Hoosegow

(Las Vegas-AP) March 26, 2007 - Tennessee Titans star Adam "Pacman" Jones could face felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from a triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club in February.

Castro said the request for charges will be submitted to District Attorney David Roger no later than the end of the week. Roger will be asked to consider charges against the 23-year-old Jones and a man and woman described as friends of Jones.

I'm not sure why anyone was surprised.

Look people, this is all very simple...if you are in a strip club with Pac Man Jones, someone is going to get shot. It's as simple as that.

Las Vegas police to seek charges against 'Pacman' Jones

A Disturbing Trend....

Ads on hotels. These range from the relatively harmless LOVE ad on the top quarter of the Mirage...... to the godawful 18-story Toni Braxton (really? Toni Braxton?) on the Flamingo.


This is a slippery slope, as evidently most hotels were covered with NBA related advertisements during the All-Star weekend (as if that event wasn't terrible enough). We can see a point in the future where the hotels in Las Vegas look like a Nascar driver's uniform. It's our belief that hotels should NOT be billboards, that's why every hotel has a giant marquee.

What's next, they try and brand the Bellagio Fountains? Wait, they already have...



Please, we love the strip the way it is, don't turn it into Times Square or Downtown Tokyo.

VegasRy's Tourney Challenge Update

Time for a quick update on the progress of the First Annual VegasRy Tournament Challenge.

Despite her early lead, it looks Like Allison is out of it due to her questionable pick of Memphis to win it all.

This leaves the likely winner to come down to a matchup of 2 puppies, Stewie and Louie. Stew has 2 teams remaining, and Florida winning it all, whereas the Lou Man has 3 teams left, and Georgetown cutting down the nets. Louie has 400 potential points left, and Stewie has 280, with a slim 60 point lead.

Keep an eye on the brackets here.

P.S. The Rebels fell to Oregon 70-66 on Friday night, despite a tremendous comeback from 17 down with just over 5 minutes to play. Turns out Oregon's outside shooting was too much for UNLV, which ended the season 30-7.

VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #1

In the very first Podcast, VegasRy and RollThaDice cover their first day in Las Vegas.

-Southwest Airlines
-Bellagio Checkin
-Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon
-Imperial Palace
-Joe's Seafood
-The Beatle's Love

Edit: Apologies on the poor quality during a portion of this. Being the pro that I am, I forgot to flip down my mic....as we said, we're working out the kinks.



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Food For Thought

Somewhere along the line, Vegas became known for (among many other things) its buffets. Let me be clear; I'm no fan of buffets in general. I suppose if you're the type who cannot decide on a particular menu item, then the smorgasborg of choices can be appealing. My problem though is that it's very indicative of our culture. We overdo EVERYTHING. As a result, I tend to overeat at buffets. This of course is bad on a lot of levels but most importantly, while in Vegas I want to be carrying around ZERO added weight. I may be a pretty boy, but this is in no way me being vain. This is me wanting to enjoy every waking moment there. Buffets just weigh me down. I become sluggish because buffet's are momemtum killers.

Recently, we decided that sushi would become the official Vegas food of VegasRy.com. Sushi is the total anti-buffet. And I'm not talking about having some rolls at the buffet in addition to the beef with brocolli and pizza. Sushi is the perfect complement to a weekend of drinking with little sleep. It's enough content to keep you upright, yet won't slow your roll. I highly recommend checking out the Sushi House at TI, Shinaro at Bellagio, or Nobu at Hard Rock instead of one of the countless buffets in town. You'll thank me later.

On this note, I noticed that Vegas may lose its title as buffet king to a city in Ohio as detailed in this aricle here. Maybe this will help Vegas lose the association by so many to buffets.

Cirque du Soleil just got even creepier...

Just what we need, another CDS show, this one at Luxor. Am I out of touch because I've never heard of this guy? Seriously, who is he?

From today's Review-Journal

"Mindfreak" magician Criss Angel and Cirque du Soleil won't open their long-rumored stage production until the summer of 2008, which gives them time to live up to big promises.

"Imagine if we could reinvent magic like (Cirque du Soleil) reinvented the circus," Angel said in a media event Thursday at Luxor to announce the show. "That is my dream, that is my quest and that is exactly what we're going to do when we open the show."

MGM better hurry up and build more casinos so they can open more Cirque shows...

Magician in new Cirque show

VegasRy Profile: Steve Wynn

We are big fans of Steve Wynn here at VegasRy. Actually, we are big fans of his creations as we have never met the man. The Mirage, Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas rank among our top 5 fav casinos. However, I don’t think there is a more polarizing figure in Las Vegas business and politics than Wynn, love him or hate him, there seems to be no middle ground.

On the one hand, he seems to be the embodiment to the ‘corporatization’ of Las Vegas. His Mirage ushered in the era when gambling took a backseat to restaurants, shows and other forms of entertainment. Properties seemed less like casinos with hotels attached, and more like resorts that happened to be casinos.

Conversely, these properties are spectacular. Each one progressively set a new standard in design and luxury. Bellagio obliterated all expectations when it was built, and Wynn Las Vegas, despite impossibly high expectations, is a gorgeous property as well. Wynn’s attention to detail and requirement of nothing but top-notch service also

Personally, Wynn is very controversial as well. He is the de-facto ‘king’ of Las Vegas, seemingly having his way with the legislature and other facets of government. It was this cavalier attitude that might have led to his downfall at Mirage Resorts. While he built the corporation into a Wall Street darling, many of his later decisions and their financial ramifications made the board and stockholders a little nervous. In 2000, with the stock price in decline, Kirk Kerkorian’s MGM completed a semi-hostile buyout of Mirage Resorts, and left Wynn on the outside looking at the company he built.

Wynn has never been media shy, with well publicized feuds with Donald Trump (the 2 are now friends), Sheldon Adelson (2nd richest man in America, Chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp, and Wynn’s neighbor at the Venetian), and his defamation lawsuit regarding the John L. Smith unflattering biography (deserves it’s own post). With the opening of Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn was back in the spotlight, even appearing atop his own casino in an advertisement during the Super Bowl. There is also a very high-profile dealer lawsuit stemming from his controversial decision to cut the pit bosses and managers in on the dealer tip pool.



We’d like to introduce something that we call the Wynn-o-meter. His is a scale from 1 to 5 documenting a person or publications slant towards Wynn the person and company. (1 being Sheldon Adelson, and 5 being Elaine, Steve’s wife) This is in an effort to fully disclose the person’s or entity’s slant towards Steve Wynn. For example, the book Super Casino (reviewed here) is about a 2 on the Wynn-o-meter, as there are no outright digs at Wynn, but there is a certain bitterness reflected in his lack of cooperation in writing the book.

Personal and political feelings aside, the man can build a casino, and we here at VegasRy are anxiously looking forward to the opening of Encore, the new sister resort of Wynn Las Vegas. Some of the our best times have been had at properties that he created, and we hope that he will build many more in the years to come.

FYI, VegasRy is a Solid 4 on the Wynn-o-Meter

Wynn Las Vegas Home Page

Memories

I mentioned in my last post a series of firsts that I experienced recently in Vegas. One of those was my inaugural visit to the Imperial Palace. VegasRy dragged me in here on our way to the Mirage as we were naked without a cocktail. After entering I thought I was downtown Vegas as joint was anything but swanky. We quickly hit the bar so we could be on our way. While there though, to my surprise, a sense of seriousness overcame VegasRy. After sipping our rum & diets, VegasRy asked me to be an usher in his upcoming wedding. I, of course, told him that I'd be honored to seat people on the big day. We then promptly got the hell out of dodge. Not only was that the last moment of seriousness for the entire trip, it will be the last time that I ever step foot in the IP. I will cherish my lone visit, yet avoid at all costs until the powers that be transform it into the swanky hotel and casino we expect to see. Here I am after the special moment. Look how happy I am.

New Not Synonymous With Good

Having been to Las Vegas as many times as I have, many of the things I like to do while there have become almost second nature. I've dined at many of the same restaurants multiple times as well as been to the same clubs over and over. With the advent of this site though, I made a conscious effort to check out some of the new 'features' (if you will) of Vegas. (not necessarily new, but at a minimum new to me) What follows is a laundry list of these items as well as my overall opinion. Some of these have been blogged about previously and others will be blogged about in the near future in much more detail. Others still, will never be mentioned again due to their insignificance. Without further ado...

-Bellagio Lakeview Room: 
-Bill's Gamblin' Saloon: 
-Single Deck Blackjack (when touching the cards): 
-Imperial Palace: 
-Cirque du Soleil's Love: 
-Revolution: 
-Social House: 
-Saki Bombs (in Vegas only): 
-Five Nine Irishman: 
-Blackjack at the 'Bur: 
-Mix: 
-Dining on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi: 
-Captain Morgan Private Stock Rum: 
-Myer's Rum (boo Mandalay Bay!): 
-Tryst: 
-Bellagio Cabana: 
-Bellagio Cabana Service: 
-Ted Baker: 
-Downdown Vegas: 
-Fix: 
-PH: