360 Vegas

Random Vegas Over $40,000 per year is collected and donated to charity from coins tossed into the Venetian canals and fountains (VitalVegas) TwitPic of the week This week’s winner by @Bluestorm2000 perfectly sums up the appeal of Vegas, sometimes things just line up and despite the odds and the house edge, sometimes you just win.  That’s why we gamble, for those moments.  Here we have a picture of Bellagio with the sun acting as a solar crown to the peak of the building.  What else can you say about this building that hasn’t already been said.  Nothing I can think of this week. News Top Rated Hotel Casinos

Surly dragon, sexy showgirl, and cute puppies. If I told you the best magic show in Vegas right now is starring a short, unkempt, surly Englishman in a poorly-fitting sequined dragon costume, you would probably question my opinion.  But Piff the Magic Dragon is hands-down the most entertaining magic show I’ve seen in Vegas, and that includes all the celeb-magicians. Caesars Entertainment snatched up a contract with Piff in 2015 after he appeared on America’s Got Talent. He was no stranger to Vegas, having worked in the Cosmopolitan’s Rose.Rabbit.Lie and Spiegelworlds’s Vegas Nocturne in 2014. He also toured as a supporting act for Mumford & Sons during their 2012 tour and is on their album cover for “Babel.” I first saw Piff in 2020, shortly after he was moved from the tiny Bugsy’s Cabaret (the same place you can currently see Wayne Newton and X-Burlesque) to the 700 seat Flamingo Showroom due to social distancing requirements. Mrs. Jaydubs describes Piff as “that surly uncle who comes to the party, an

Random Vegas If you’re dealt a winning hand in video poker and accidentally fail to hold some or all of the cards before hitting “deal/draw”, some casinos, upon request, can review the last hand played and pay you what you would have one. (@VitalVegas) TwitPic of the week It’s the best view I’ve ever seen of the mistake in the desert, shared by @VitalVegas.  The giant MGM lion entrance formerly on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana.  It still seems like a silly superstition that designers should have known about.  Apparently, Asians consider it bad luck to walk under the mouth of a lion or some variation on that theme.  So, they avoided entering the property via this entrance.  In response, MGM decided to tear it down just 3 years after opening.  It’s one of the largest architectural missteps in Vegas history. News Hughes/Silver Slipper Myth Riviera Plans U2 UV Las Vegas Ad

Random Vegas Another reason the Strip began to outpace Fremont St was theming.  By the 50s the western motif was outdated and abandon by new properties opening on the strip.  This is why a more sophisticated client was attracted to the area. While on Fremont, the western motif was alive, well and expanding.  (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon) TwitPic of the week History in the making, literally.  This week’s winner goes to @FSELV for a picture of the Fremont St Experience canopy under construction.  We lament on this show the loss of the black sky to frame Fremont Neon but respect what the Fremont St Experience did to draw people back downtown.  It is in that spirit that we celebrate this photo. News 360 Vegas Live Boring Co Update

Random Vegas The Sphere has been averaging over $1 million in ticket sales per day.  It generated nearly half a billion dollars in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30th. (LasVegasLocally) TwitPic of the week Talk about things changing but staying the same.  This perspective shows us the strip south of the curve in Las Vegas Blvd. Featured prominently is the Mirage marquee.  Then, because it’s 1994 and Caesars Palace is set back from the strip, and the Dunes site is being prepared for Bellagio construction, we get to see all the way down to Excalibur and the brand-new Luxor.  Across the street we see Harrah’s while it’s still a riverboat called Holiday Casino, then we see LINQ still themed as Imperial Palace.  Hilton still owns Flamingo, Bally’s still uses MGM Grand’s original marquee, and the original Aladdin still exists.  Speaking of MGM Grand, in the distance we can see the new MGM Grand and the recently deceased Tropicana.  Thanks as always to @Summacorp for sharing this pic. News Paris Celebrate

Random Vegas  Super successful restaurants make $20-25 million a year.  STK at Cosmopolitan makes almost $50 million a year and Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace generates more than $60 million a year. (Vital Vegas)  TwitPic of the week  Dunes, Caesars Palace, Flamingo and Aladdin.  Those that still remain look radically different from how they looked in 1980.  This photo shared by @summacorp shows just how cluttered things used to be on the strip before the Mirage boom started buying up all available land to make super casinos.  Today, this same perspective would show off Mekka Walgreens, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Horseshoe and Flamingo as well as Caesars and Bellagio.  News E-500 Swingers F1     

What is it with Cirque du Soleil and Vegas? Ever since Steve Wynn invited Mystere to set up shop at Treasure Island in 1993, the French-Canadian circus brand that has made absurdity its trademark has become an inextricable part of Vegas entertainment. As of this writing, there are 5 Cirque du Soleil shows that call Vegas home (6, if you count the Cirque-owned, but not Cirque-developed, Blue Man Group) and there have been a total of 11 Cirque shows that have had permanent runs in Las Vegas. Some of them had shorter runs than others...   Come aboard, we're expecting you... Kà was the fourth Cirque du Soleil show developed for the Las Vegas market, and it has the distinction of being the first Cirque show to tell a cohesive narrative. If you’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil show: most Cirque shows have a theme but not a narrative. Mad Apple is themed after New York City.  “O” is themed after water. I’ve read that Mystere is themed after “the origins of human life and our connection with the universe,” so you kn

Random Vegas  Frederick W. Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx saved his company by gambling in Las Vegas.  When FedEx had a hard time paying their $24,000 fuel bill, Smith took the company’s last $5,000 to gamble and managed to win $27,000 on blackjack and kept the business afloat.  TwitPic of the week  The year is 1985 and featured in this picture is the Dunes in all her glory including the satellite casino named the Oasis.  Beyond being a snapshot in time of a property I adore, shared by @Summacorp what captivates my imagination is virtually all this landscape has been almost completely reimagined over the next 20 years.  We all know Bellagio is in the place Dunes used to be but other than the Jocky Club, everything is different.  The entire southwest of the real estate.  It’s missing Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, all of CityCenter, Park MGM, NYNY, Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay.  Ironically almost everything around it is the same, although updated like Barbary is now Cromwell and Flamingo is no longer a Hil

Random Vegas  Open containers are legal if you are using a limo or party bus.  Not legal in a rideshare or taxi. (Las Vegas Trivia Tidbits Book)  TwitPic of the week  It’s something we take for granted for in Vegas, not knowing what time of day or night it is.  But viewing an atomic explosion has got to be an experience like no other.  Here we see downtown Las Vegas in the midst of just such an occasion, shared by @Summacorp.  Even in this picture the magnitude of these explosions is palatable.  The light in the distances somehow makes the casinos in the foreground look like they belong to a model playset in comparison to the expanse of light.  Amazing that you can describe something so destructive as beautiful.  News Caesars Sells WSOP Venetian Happy Hours

Random Vegas  Hilton, at one time, had the tallest sign in Vegas at 362 feet tall, taller than the Landmark Hotel itself and only a few feet shy of the Hilton itself.  On July 18, 1994, it was blown down by 70-80 mph high winds.  Fortunately, no one was injured.  The sign was rebuilt in 1997 but not nearly as tall at only 279 feet tall. This is the sign Westgate has to this day. @summacorp  TwitPic of the week  Do you realize how much Vegas history is in this one shot shared by @Summacorp?  We’ll start with Circus Circus since it’s the easiest to orient yourself with.  Here you can see her 5 fountains and carousel marquee as well.  Next door you have Travel-lodge to the left, still there today, and Westward Ho on the right, not with us anymore. Across the street you have the Thunderbird, Algiers and Riviera. Today its Fontainebleau and a parking lot for the LVCVA. Beyond that we can see the International, the Convention Center and the Landmark.  Today the International is the Westgate and the convention cent

Random Vegas  There were 137 employees that worked all 34 years and 8 months at the Mirage.  All current employees get $2k per year worked and first dibs on Hard Rock jobs in 2027 (@Vegas_Visual)  TwitPic of the week  It’s the best picture I’ve ever seen that really shows off the scope and grandeur of a live performance at the Sphere, shared by @meltzvegas.  The 18k images dwarf the performers while enhancing the music. It’s an experience unlike no other and of course its located in Las Vegas. Even if its only to watch the movie I can’t recommend the Sphere experience enough, unless you get motion sickness.  Then stay away from that shit.  News Neon Museum Expansion Hard Rock Las Vegas

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Random Vegas  YESCO replaced more than six miles of neon lighting with RGB LED strips on Mandalay Bay and Delano (Vital Vegas).  TwitPic of the week  I was never a fan of the property, but damn did they have a nice marquee.  The Frontier marquee, born in 1966 and shared by @_GrandPaD with an assist from @summacorp, was designed by Ad Art. It was at one time the tallest super pylon in the world at 184 feet, 4 feet taller than the previous record holder the Dunes.  Originally the “F” at the top of the sign rotated but that functionality was troublesome and eventually abandoned.  Unlike the Dunes I was fortunate enough to have seen her in real life and to be fair, pictures don’t do it justice.  Not like being in its presence.  I’m grateful for that time and for this picture for inspiring not only this monologue but the memories.  360 Vegas Book Mirage-TI Tram closes E-500 YouTube Livestream Cosmopolitan Changes to MGM Neon City Festival

Random Vegas Vegas has the 3 largest video screens in the world. Sphere @Venetian at 580,000 square feet (515 long by 367 width), Resorts World at 161,636 square feet (475 long by 340 width), Viva Vision Screen at the Fremont St Experience at 130,000 square feet (1,500 long by 90 width). TwitPic of the trip Technically this was before360VV14started but according to the rules I’ve made up in my head, it counts. This was a unique point of view of a common visual of the tallest building in Vegas. Fontainebleau, the property that continues to disappoint is showcased here looming over one as they attempt to enjoy the pool. Fortunately it doesn’t cause a shadow but it does hulk over the strip as a cautionary tale. It isn’t as easy as field of dreams. You need to do more than just build it to get people to come. Regardless, its an attractive building as showcased in this week’s picture.   360VV14 Trip Report Sunday, June 23 - 6 pm - Meet & Greet @Furnace @Downtown Grand - 8 pm - Group Gaming @Downtown Grand   M

Random Vegas Ever wonder why they call them tokes instead of tips?  The reason is many years ago dealers tried to convince the IRS that the cash they received from players was not a tip and therefore did not have to be reported as taxable income. The logic behind this dodge was that a tip was defined by the IRS as a payment in return for special treatment. Since it is illegal for a dealer to provide any sort of favor to a player, the dealers argued that the money they were given was a “token of appreciation” for dealing an honest game, and therefore not a reward for special services. The IRS didn’t buy it, but the term “toke” stuck.” (Super Casino)   TwitPic of the week It’s the best picture of the sultan at the Dunes that I’ve ever seen, perfectly lit up a night.  It was a Porte cochere like no other.  Well, it was actually kind of an uneventful Porte cochere but it has a giant sultan on the roof.  And he had a gem that lights up at night in his turban.  This, looking at this, just makes me smile.  The pict

Random Vegas  Justin Timberlake was paid $6 million dollars to perform at Fontainebleau opening night.  That night, he stayed at Wynn. (VitalVegas)  TwitPic of the week  You’ve heard me talk about it before, the Stardust.  Here we got a picture from @_GrandPaD showing off the entire property, including the old Royal Nevada that they rebranded the Stardust Auditorium.  It also shows the properties first hotel tower that existed between the two properties, connecting them together.  Next you can’t help but look at all those motel units behind the Stardust Frontage.  And lastly, you’re reminded this is in the middle of a desert by the Barron wasteland that stretched beyond the resorts reach. All silhouetted with the beautiful mountains.  News Electric Playhouse Fontainebleau expands “The Friends’ Experience“ Tuscany Deal

Random Vegas The five biggest jackpots ever won in Las Vegas history (@VegasIssues) 1.     $39.7 million – Excalibur, Mar 2003 2.     $35 million – Desert Inn, Jan 2000 3.     $27.6 million – Palace Station, Nov 1998 4.     $22.6 million – Bally’s, May 2002 5.     $21.3 million – Caesars Palace, June 1999 TwitPic of the week I don’t know if its common knowledge but Bellagio has a hell of an ass on her.  You don’t think of her as a tri-tower because that frontage is all anyone remembers but she is in fact a tri-tower, showcased spectacularly by @Maverickheli.  I don’t think this aspect of her is as appreciated as it should be.  I know I didn’t until we moved and I made the drive from the west to the strip via Flamingo Road.  She unveils herself as you come over the freeway.  It’s very distracting and elegant and a beautiful addition to our Twitpic of the week collection. News 360VV14 RJ Tip Guide Frontier Site

Random Vegas The largest American flag every flown was displayed over the Hoover Dam on May 1st, 1996.  Each star on the flag was 17 feet high. (@LasVegaslocally) TwitPic of the week My growing affection for this property rivals only Keren’s dislike for it.  The world famous, Caesars Palace, here showcased in 1974 by @summacorp.  Here we can see the properties 3rd hotel tower under construction, the Roman tower expansion.  Something that used to annoy me about Caesars was the piece mail cobbling together of different eras.  Now its what I find charming about it.  How many places can you visit on the strip that are the same structure they were in 66.  It’s remarkable and why I’ve selected to celebrate her evolution with this week’s winner. News J-Lo Vegas Drama Resorts World Money Laundering Icahn Returns Golden Nugget No Resort Fee Rio Drone Show                

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