Random Vegas The million dollar display at Binion’s has returned. The display case holds $42,000 in $1 dollar bills, $688,000 in $20 dollar bills and $270,000 in $100 dollar bills. (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Yup, this is a picture of Caesars Palace in the 1970s, after their first expansion tower, the Centurion tower, was built. The place looks almost unrecognizable except for the famous fountains. While they have been Re themed to look more like Roman architecture, both of these hotel tow...
Jun 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 338
Random Vegas There is enough concrete in the CityCenter complex to build a 4 foot sidewalk from Las Vegas to New York and back ( sincitytalk.com ) Twitpic of the week Say what you will about Stratosphere but its undeniably a landmark in the Vegas skyline, captured in stunning fashion by @MaverickHeli . Even just as a silhouette its instantly recognizable. Anytime I lose my bearings I just look to the Stratosphere to reorient myself. Some say the property broke Bob Stupak but Bob would tell you i...
Jun 11, 2023•49 min•Ep. 337
Random Vegas All the rooms at the Golden Nugget are now non-smoking. It’s believed the practice was put into place after the last room fire they had on the 11th floor of the Gold Tower in 2021. That fire damaged about 200 rooms, mostly water damage from the sprinklers. (Vital Vegas and Vintage Research) Twitpic of the week Seems no one remembers that Stardust was a run down, low-roller joint at the time of its closure. Similar to my love for Dunes, when we lose something we only had limited or n...
Jun 04, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 336
Random Vegas The original MGM Grand, now Bally’s, had the first movie theaters ever built into a hotel (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week One of the challenges new residents of Vegas that love the city like we do have to learn how to drive, is paying attention while you’re driving and not gawkin. This week’s pic by @_GrandPaD illustrates that better than any I’ve seen before. It’s just fuckin miles of eye candy and I have to try and ignore all of it. While I am a giant fan of the FSE and Turing a...
May 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 335
Random Vegas The lead singer of Devo did the cool/creepy art in the men’s room at Park on Fremont restaurant. ( @VitalVegas ) Twitpic of the week In what can be agreed is the sexiest Golden Nugget exterior signage ever looked as in the late 60s. A time when Gold didn’t look like yellow. The glow of the signage somehow embodies the phrase “feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” But Golden Nugget’s story is longer than that and even the signage couldn’t keep up with the demand caused its evolution into ...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 334
Random Vegas 40% of MGM Resorts guests decline daily housekeeping (VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week Simply Elegant and somehow sexy, like the leg lamp in a Christmas Story. Milton Prell’s Aladdin’s original marquee was a looker, shared this week by @summacorp . It’s not a marquee often featured in the great marquees of Las Vegas but it should be. I can’t describe it without doing a huge disservice. It’s like a neon ice cream cone but with an ad for Nudes On Ice on it. News Tropicana Stadium Play ...
May 15, 2023•51 min•Ep. 333
To summarize, although there were multiple service issues, it didn’t spoil our enjoyment. This place should do very well, having good beers, burgers and pizza right off the bat. The draw is going to be that roof terrace, the drawback is going to be the location. Price wise it’s in line with the rest of the strip with $11 beers and food at resort level pricing. Overall in our opinion, it’s worth a visit. It will be interesting to hear what other people think.
May 10, 2023•19 min•Ep. 325
Random Vegas Caesars hotels in Vegas had 95% occupancy in Q1. 21% of those rooms were occupied by groups/conventions (@MeltzVegas) Twitpic of the week No doubt this week’s winner by @summacorp is a screenshot of a scene in a film but then again, film is just thousands of pictures capturing seconds of action. Call it what you want, I call it beautiful. I love the Fremont St experience canopy but I will always find pictures without it breathtaking. Something about a pitch black sky illuminated by ...
May 07, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 332
Random Vegas Vegas is a trending topic on twitter almost 365 days a year. (@vegasClub) Twitpic of the week It’s a sign o’ the times. The only thing that never changes is change. However seldom does a brand from the past resurrected in Las Vegas. This week’s winner by @jamesInLasVegas captures the conversion from Bally’s to Horseshoe, well, at least the signage. So far the conversion has been little more than an updating of signage but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the Horseshoe has return...
Apr 30, 2023•53 min•Ep. 330
One of the great things about a Vegas trip is all the opportunity for surprises. Not bad surprises, like the bell desk lost your luggage or you just checked in and there’s a used prophylactic in your sheets.Good surprises, like a jackpot, or a delicious new drink, or finding out that random restaurant you decided to try has the best food ever. On my most recent trip to Vegas, I got to experience one of those good surprises when we decided to check out SIX: The Musical during its limited residenc...
Apr 29, 2023•24 min•Ep. 331
Random Vegas 39 Las Vegas poker rooms closed since 2012. 10 of those closed for the pandemic and never reopened. None have closed in since Sept of 2021. Currently there are 19 poker rooms in Las Vegas. (@john_mehaffey) Don’t ask me where they are because that information wasn’t in the tweet. Twitpic of the week Possibly the best picture of how the strip has evolved to today taken by @maverickheli . True, it shows a still in progress Resorts World but that doesn’t take away from the picture. It’s...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 329
Random Vegas Sin City Sindy , formerly identified as the world’s biggest stripper at 31 feet tall, used to stand outside of the stripper bar located at the back of the Miracle Mile shops, by the V Theater and Blonde’s sports bar. While Sindy is still there today, the name of the bar has been changed to the more politically correct “showgirl bar”. While her stripper pole still remains her breasts, formerly said “Stripper Bar” now only says Bar. (VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week Proof that photosho...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 328
My heart just got all achey-breaky. This next review is one that I’ve been hanging on to for some time. Listeners with excellent memories might recall that back in spring of 2022, when I submitted my first review to be read on the show, we figured out that my wife and I were at a show the previous week that Mark was also at. I’m kind of in awe at how much has changed since then. I started as a regular contributor, then I attended my first Vegas Vacation, then we all started hanging out together ...
Apr 12, 2023•32 min•Ep. 320
Random Vegas In a casino cage, damaged currency (slot machines refuse to accept) is referred to as “mute money.” “Mute” is shorthand for “mutilated.” (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week The more I look at this picture the more I appreciate the evolution of the Riviera. Not just the hotel towers but the signage as well. While she wasn’t in the best of conditions at the end she was still a classy broad…or gawdy. The two tend to often blur in Vegas. This arial picture of the property in March of 96, ...
Apr 02, 2023•50 min•Ep. 327
Random Vegas When Wynn was building Bellagio, to pull in the kind of numbers he needed to make the place profitable, he knew he needed a show that would put people in the seats 6 days a week. So he went to Cirque and requested a production centered around water. Originally, it was going to be called Eau, the French word for water. However, people inside the organization were concerned that Americans would mispronounce it as “Eww”, so instead they went with the way it was pronounced, O. Twitpic o...
Mar 26, 2023•44 min•Ep. 326
Random Vegas Treasure Island was originally planned to be an addition to the Mirage before eventually deciding it develop it into a separate property ( sincitytalk.com ) Twitpic of the week “Holy shit, that used to exist” is the first thing I exclaimed the first time I saw this picture of the Riviera’s porte cochere, circa 1969. With stunning curves and swooping elegance, it stood as a shining example of the art deco playbook at its pinnacle and proves that buildings can be sexy as well as funct...
Mar 18, 2023•57 min•Ep. 324
Long, long ago, in the Miracle Mile Shops far, far, away… All right, so if you and the listeners haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a big dork. In my youth, I enjoyed video games, Star Wars, and installing A/V equipment so much that it’s a wonder I ever got laid. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve shifted my dorky obsessions to things like bourbon and Vegas, but I’m still a dork. So when it was announced that the show “A Musical About Star Wars” was coming to the Miracle Mile Shops, I had to check it out. ...
Mar 08, 2023•21 min•Ep. 319
Random Vegas For the 23rd consecutive month, Vegas is reporting earnings over $1 billion (Review Journal) Twitpic of the week The New York skyline, shared by @VegasTravelNews , eloquently recreated on the Las Vegas strip, provides just enough of the real experience to check it off of my to-do list. Plus it has a roller coaster. Where is your theme park attraction real New York? In all seriousness, the ability to enjoy different themes & experiences per property is one of the magical things a...
Mar 05, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 318
Random Vegas It was reported that while building the MGM Grand, today known as Horseshoe, Kerkorian offered to pay Sinatra half a million to come out of his most recent retirement to perform a 1 week engagement. Even if he wanted to, Sinatra wouldn't have been able to because he was still under contract with Caesars who planned litigation if he attempted to play at another hotel (Vintage Research) Twitpic of the week There it is, north strip, as it was known in 1996. We still see the Stardust, L...
Feb 26, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 317
Most remember the Riviera as the old rundown place it felt like towards the end of its existence. But the Riviera roamed the landscape like giants for a time, attracting the biggest names in entertainment. However that was a long time ago and the Riviera was not able to keep up with changing tastes. And as Liberace and Dean Martin’s stars began to fade, so did the Riviera, gradually declining into the property she was for her last 20 years, a grind joint. The Riviera is no longer with us. While ...
Feb 18, 2023•11 min•Ep. 223
Random Vegas Riviera was the first casino in Las Vegas to have a fast food restaurant, a Burger King (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week With the help of @Maverickheli , at first glance, it looks like a large metropolis. Half a second later you realize you’re looking at the strip and goddamn is it sexy. It isn’t a colorful as it once was but it still glitters and glows. This POV is simply breathe taking and a sweet addition to our Twitpic of the week collection News The New Bazaar Shops...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 316
So this is actually the first Cirque show I’ve reviewed for the podcast. I’ve seen several Cirque shows; the wife is a big fan. Our first trip to Vegas together included The Beatles - Love, which I really need to revisit. Maybe Tony will go with me, since he really should see it. Since that first trip we took together, my wife and I have seen “O”, Mystere, as well as Zumanity. Confession time: I liked Zumanity. I think we saw it twice. I was definitely disappointed when I heard it was going away...
Feb 08, 2023•27 min•Ep. 312
Random Vegas The 93 acres of land Caesars sits on requires 14 full time gardeners to maintain with an annual budget of $350k (Las Vegas: Behind the Tables) Twitpic of the week While a significant number of people in America are experiencing a brutal winter season, in Vegas, when it happens, its breathtaking and typically doesn’t last very long. Clearly someone agreed with us as this week’s winner, brought to us by @summacorp , is a picture of Stardust Jan 5th, 1974. There is something about snow...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 315
Random Vegas A common superstition for horse race gamblers is to never look at your ticket after you buy it (Las Vegas: Behind the Tables) Twitpic of the week It’s man behind the scenes shit that fascinates me. As far back as I can remember I’ve always been interested in what’s behind that “Employees Only” door. That interest was only further exacerbated when I fell in love with Disney. I love what they produce at the front of the house but what’s going on behind the curtain to make said magic. ...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 314
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Jan 21, 2023•6 min•Ep. 225
Random Vegas Cirque Du Soleil celebrated “O’s” 11,000 performance this week, bringing you over a decade of acrobatic shrinkage Twitpic of the week This week’s winner by @_GrandpaD captures something you don’t often see from neon signs in Vegas, scale. Here we see maintenance doing the lords work replace neon tubes in the signage. By doing so, we get a perspective that is rarely seen in this new world of LED signage. This sign is massive and if they ever close, I really hope the Neon Museum has t...
Jan 15, 2023•44 min•Ep. 313
Let’s talk about Rouge at the Strat. (And it’s Rouge as in “blush,” not Rogue as in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”) So when Rouge was announced earlier this year, I was definitely interested. It’s probably no secret at this point that I’m a horn dog, and like my Vegas shows to be titillating. I also believe that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and out of a sense of fairness I once took my wife to a male review; something I probably won’t ever do again. It’s not so much watchin...
Jan 11, 2023•31 min•Ep. 311
Random Vegas It’s been reported that the Adele store ad Caesars Palace makes between $120 – 160k every day its open (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Lined up like they were taking a year book photo of their class, this week’s winner by @summacorp captures the Thunderbird road sign like marquees are seldom seen, to scale. By taking pictures in front of the sign you can really see just how big they were in relation to a person. Part of the magic of Vegas marquees is this overwhelming awesomeness ...
Jan 08, 2023•59 min•Ep. 310
Random Vegas The International, better known as the Hilton and currently known as Westgate, was specifically designed to attract families and conventioneers It offered a supervised youth camp of sorts to keep the kids occupied so the adults could do what they wanted Twitpic of the week It’s been considered the worst eye sore in Vegas history, similar to its predecessor the Landmark. The big blue building known as Fountainbleau, then various other names as new ownership groups attempted to rebran...
Jan 01, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 309
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Dec 24, 2022•15 min•Ep. 224
