360 Vegas

Random Vegas Similar to the myth of Bugsy Seigel and the Flamingo, a popular myth has been told many times over about Howard Hughes and the purchase of the Desert Inn.  The legend says Hughes overstayed his welcome because ownership wanted the penthouse rooms for high rollers coming in for new years.  Instead of leaving, Howard bought the place.  The real story about the Desert Inn purchase is that Howard kept holding up the deal with seemingly petty details.  The two parties would agree in principle to a deal only to have Hughes find something else he wanted to address.  The situation became so heated that the deal almost fell through and his right-hand man Bob Maheu threatened to quit if Hughes changed one more thing.  That was enough to get Hughes to finally close on the deal, paying $13 million for the Desert Inn. (Book - Howard Hughes: The Hidden Years) Twitpic of the week No one has done as much with so little than Cosmopolitan.  That resort sits on 4.4 acres, has a premium location next to Bellagio’s

Random Vegas Surprising no one, the sportsbooks at multiple properties reported record breaking action on F1 betting Twitpic of the week I know it looks like this at every F1 track but damn it looked cool in Vegas.  Whatever you think of F1 and/or its impact on the city you can’t argue they know how to illuminate a track.  That was captured magnificently on ESPN via helicopter, then shared via screenshot by @MeltzVegas.  Many records have been reported as a result of the often-trolled event but it was the spectacle promised; and as usual, the Sphere impressed.  Here’s to hoping our Wishlist of things to improve actually get addressed. News F1 2023 Results Manhole Cover Accident Vegas Starfish Fraud Pedestrian Traffic

People will try to describe the experience you have at the Sphere but let’s start with saying it unlike anything you've experienced before.  It doesn’t matter if you see the film or a live act, this will be different.  Which is exactly what Madison Square Garden Company was going for with the Sphere.  You’ll find a lot of comparisons to IMAX, Disney’s Soaring Attraction, 360 theaters but that’s only because how else do you describe something never done before.  The Sphere is one of those rare attractions that lives up to the hype, not only breaking the technological ceiling set before it but creating a new form of entertainment.  Let’s discuss some of the ways its unlike anything you’ve seen before.   First, the Sphere is located behind the Venetian convention center.  It’s the largest spherical building ever constructed at 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide.  The exterior also features 580,000 square feet of LED displays, making it the largest LED display in history.  It cost approx. $2.3 billion to build an

Random Vegas The Westward Ho was advertised as “The World’s Largest Motel”.  It had 777 rooms and closed in 2005.  When demolished they had to take down 27 total buildings. (@las_when) Twitpic of the week What else can you say but wow?  Here’s hoping Vegas properties will take notice that you can do so much more with LED signage than just running commercials.  If the Sphere hadn’t already endeared itself in the hearts of the locals it did with this display showcased during F1 practice, shared by @kerrybilicki.  Featuring elements of the Flamingo, classic Sahara, googie stars from Stardust’s glory days and a lot more all represented on this global display of Vegasy goodness.  Salud to much more of this. News FUF1 Downtown Ban Encore marquee signage

Premium Content Preview - Patreon.com/360Vegas   The Sahara used to be referred to as the start of the strip, when the strip began to develop.  During that time, people talked about the strip like they do off strip properties today, too far from the action.  Turns out what people really wanted was more options and the development of the strip over the years has been nothing short of remarkable.  The question is, does the strip have a limit to the number of properties it can support, or do the struggles facing places like Sahara fall directly on the shoulders of the properties experiencing them.  Give the people what they want and they will come.  If you follow that sentiment then the question has to be asked, do people not want what Sahara has to offer?  Is that why they are struggling?   For more information regarding Del Webb and the Sahara, check out... lvstriphistory.com  Del Webb: A Man A Company  Gambling on a Dream: The Classic Las Vegas Strip 1930-1955  Viva Las Vegas: After-Hours Archite

Random Vegas The office of Sam “Ace” Rothstein and the Tangiers sports book in Martin Scorsese’s Casino was filmed on the site of an unopened casino at the Jockey Club (@summacorp) Twitpic of the week One of the reasons Vegas is like no other place on the planet is the wide array of architecture it has on display.  It has a mixture of traditional, themed and many in a category of their own.  Unfortunately, the creativity that brought us the likes of Caesars Palace, Paris and Excalibur, shared here by @las_when,  seems to have been forgotten or at least abandon.  The situation leaves those that appreciate them to desperately fear that the themes that make the city so unique are now the targets for redevelopment by those who thought an office park on the strip was something visitors wanted.  The only constant in life is change so rather than lament the inevitable we should try to just enjoy what we have while we have it. News F1 Vegas Eve Venetian Grandstands Mirage Mountain Trespassing Jackpots Wizard of Oz E

Most of you probably don’t know who Kenny Epstein is, but you should. He’s the owner and CEO of El Cortez. Much more than that, he’s the guy that made the conscious decision to not remodel the property but to refresh it while retaining the vintage feel the property permeates. Kenny understands what El Cortez does so well and sees the value in continuing to service those customers. So instead he upgraded just about everything in the property, all without changing the esthetic. This year, the El Cortez, and Kenny, celebrate their 80th birthday. So we took the opportunity to talk history and the El Cortez with the man himself in the first ever 360 Vintage Vegas Interview.  

Random Vegas The music video for U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, filmed in downtown Las Vegas in 1987, was done in one take, shot in less than 3 hours with a skeleton crew and an unsuspecting cast of extras. All the stuff in the video really happened.  The music video is credited with introducing, or in some cases re-introducing, Fremont St to the masses and creating a demand for the area that it hadn’t had in a long time. This would go on to spark the need to renovate the area with an attraction that would draw people to it.  Today, we know it as the Fremont St Experience.  (RJ.com)   Twitpic of the week The rebranding of a property must be an inexpensive process.  Consider how quickly Caesars Entertainment rebranded Imperial Palace into the Quad, shared by @MeltzVegas, only to rebrand the property less than two years later into the Linq.  Naming aside, we’ve been a fan of the properties transformation from what was considered by most to be one of the worst properties on the strip when it

Random Vegas Roughly 26 international destinations are reachable from Las Vegas (@lasvegasweekly) Twitpic of the week In Las Vegas, perspective is everything.  While some may look at gambling losses as a negative, those that love the city understand its part of the dance that leads to a win.  This week, @luckytraveling shared a POV that reminds one that even when passed out on a casino floor one can still find beautiful imagery.  Captured is a view of the Cromwell hallway from the floor up to the chandeliers and while it doesn’t feature anyone on the floor, its easy to make that leap in a monologue. News Street Vendor Ban G2E 2023 Voltaire Residencies High End B&E Palms sign Refurbishment Las Vegas Monorail Deals F1 pop-up experiences and exclusive culinary events  

Random Vegas Advertising at the Sphere costs approx. $450k for a one-day campaign, $650k for a week.  For comparison, traditional billboards cost $20k a month, Mekka Walgreen’s is $65k a month and a 30 second spot during the 2024 SuperBowl will run you $7.5 million. Pricing for the Sphere does include production development of the ad.  (VitalVegas & News3lv.com) Twitpic of the week Barbary Coast, in all her chasing lights glory, shown here by @las_when as she was originally introduced to the market, with a white exterior.  Even better, this picture was taken before the pedestrian walkway was installed.  This was Fremont quality exterior lighting, not found on the strip in too many places these days.  While we prefer the property it is today, Cromwell, we will always prefer this signage. News Tupac Arrest Room Fraud Rio Renovations  Rio Players Club  Rouge Roulette Area15 Expansion Sphere Parking Westgate Halloween Suite  Killer's "Your Side of Town" Music Video  

Random Vegas Because they used the shell of the Marina Hotel, the entire MGM Grand project was considered a remodel rather than new construction.  Therefore, property taxes were set at the value when the Marina was built. (@AStotland) Twitpic of the week While it may be hard to wrap your head around, motels used to dominate the Vegas strip and beyond.  They must have seen the writing on the wall when hotel towers became the future of hospitality but that didn’t stop properties like the La Concha from continuing to try and compete in the market. In 2001, the property was approved to build a 520 foot tall hotel tower, a 645 square foot condo tower and a shopping mall.  In 2004 the La Concha was closed and demolished to make room for the new project.  The iconic concrete shell lobby was carefully dismantled and donated to the Neon Museum who reassembled it and use it as the attractions lobby.  The signage, shown here by @Las_when, is on display in the neon boneyard to this day.  The project was ultimately cance

Who farted?  Do you have that one piece of media that you would like to check out, but never seem to get around to it? Like, you’re scrolling through Netflix, and there’s that one movie that you’re interested in checking out, but not this time. Or the next time, or the time after that. It’s always there, and you’re interested, but not interested enough to dive in at the moment. That, my friends, is how Blue Man Group was for me until recently. I’ve known who the Blue Man Group was for over 20 years now. I remember there was an Intel Pentium TV commercial that they starred in, and a little Googling tells me that was in the year 2000.  Sometime after that, I borrowed their album - yes, they have albums - from a friend, because I really liked the unique sound they had. And when I took my very first grownup trip to Vegas in 2002, I stayed at the Luxor, where BMG has had their Las Vegas home off and on since the year 2000. Men beat their 'bone, live on stage! I’ve never been one to mince words in my reviews,

Random Vegas While already in use at multiple other businesses in the valley, the Las Vegas Club installed the 1st neon sign on a hotel gambling establishment in 1931 (Vintage Research) Twitpic of the week While there are many reasons to not like Caesars Palace, the architecture isn’t one of them.  The move from the Sarno block exterior to an aesthetic that more appropriately reflects the time and place its representing was masterfully applied.  Even though we know these are all recreations it still projects a sense of authentic grandeur.  I mean, whose eyes aren’t drawn to statues of topless females and concrete penises.  Thanks to @las_when for sharing a great representation of what we are talking about. News Happy Hour Deals Kitchen Nightmares Fontainebleau Details MGM Cyber Attacks Zero Bond Red Rock Point Theft Planet Hollywood Fire Alarms  Rio Refurbishment 

Patreon.com/360Vegas   Something for everyone, that’s what Vegas has that makes it a magical destination.  It took decades for the market to get that way but it seems every time change is needed, the city finds a way to adapt and evolve.  At the end, the Hacienda looked miniature next to its new neighbors Luxor and Excalibur.  Like many properties before it and since, the Hacienda evolved as much as it could but ultimately had to be imploded to make room for the future of the strip.  Thankfully part of that evolution includes other properties adapting to cater to the audience that once frequented the Hacienda. For more on Hacienda, check out the following resources lvstriphistory.com  Gambling on a Dream Volume 2  The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream  Pinterest  Vintage Vegas Shirts  Battle Born Pins       

Random Vegas By 1980, the states five dominate gaming entities were publicly traded companies.  They were Harrah’s, MGM, Del Webb, Caesars World and Hilton (Neon Metropolis) Twitpic of the week The concept was unique and interesting to begin with.  City Center, a city within a city.  So big it has its own fire department onsite.  Unfortunately, what we got was essentially a very expensive office park on the strip. While not pictured, Aria is a sexy bitch, but it was designed to usurp Bellagio as the premier property in the portfolio and to date, it has done no such thing.  While Veer towers have always captured our imagination the remaining resorts on property, include Vdara and Waldorf Astoria, don’t have casinos in them so there is no reason to even visit either of these properties, in our opinion.  It is amusing that the most popular resort in the City Center portfolio is arguably Cosmopolitan, a property they had to acquire and fold into the complex.  Thanks to @TheCrybabyvegas for sharing the view from

Random Vegas There are over 130 unique employee uniform styles at the Aria.  Each uniform is equipped with a radio frequency ID chip (sincitytalk.com) Twitpic of the week Welcome to the new strip landscape, one populated by a mesmerizing giant cylindrical object proving that even LED can be done in an interesting way and not just as a giant rectangular TV.  It will come as no surprise that @maverickhelishared this new view.  Here we see the entire strip showcased with the Strat in the foreground all the way down to Mandalay Bay.  The Sphere, of course, stands out because of its uniqueness, not just to the market but in the world as the largest spherical object.  As with everything, someone will probably build one larger, probably in the middle east, unless it’s a huge flop but I don’t think Venetian owners will allow that to happen.  What the hell else are you gonna use that thing for if not its intended purpose.  Is the Sphere too big to fail or will it fail because its too big.  Time will tell.  We are hop

Random Vegas The myth is that casino carpet is busy to keep guests looking at the slots.  The fact is its to conceal stains as well as wear. (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week A breathtaking photo of @Caesars Palace from @maverickHeli.  An arial view of the property showing just how diverse and sprawling the property is.  This photo has it all, well, almost all.  It has the 6 different hotel towers, the Roman, Centurion, Fantasy (known today as the Nobu tower), Palace, Augustus, and Octavius towers.  It has the porte cochere and the famous fountains capped off by the Absinthe circus tent.  While I’ve been assured this tent is a permanent structure, I can’t help but wonder why Caesars didn’t build them something more on brand.  Perhaps the juxtaposition better suits the show’s theme.  Whatever the reason it’s a marvelous photo and one I’m happy to add to the Twitpic of the week collection. News Adele Disruption Fan Girl Opportunity Ticket in-Bonus Out in Testing 360 Vegas Vacation Naming SkyVue Removal Zoo Sta

Random Vegas Silver Sevens deals live roulette again. That makes 67 casinos in the Las Vegas market that offer the game. There are 71 with table games. Of the four that don't deal roulette, three are small locals that only have blackjack. The other is Main Street Station. (@John_Mehaffey) Twitpic of the week Whenever we start talking about “locations” for 360 Vegas Vacations, think of this picture from @JustWonOne when we refer to center strip.  From the Horseshoe to Aria.  Just disregard that MGM marquee as it doesn’t serve our narrative and as we all know, it’s all about the narrative.  Or maybe you don’t know that but just go with it.  For the record, we consider South Strip to be Mandalay to Park MGM and north is Cromwell to Palazzo.  We expanded it beyond Mirage thanks to Flight Club Social Darts Experience, as I’m calling it.  All seriousness, this is a great photo of center strip. News 360 Vegas #1 Best Vegas History podcast Top Las Vegas podcasts 360 Vegas Vacation 2024 More F1 Details road closures

Random Vegas Casino staff often use police code as shorthand when dealing with guests.  For example, a “408” means a drunk guest (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week It’s a hell of a view of west Fremont St, although not the view it used to be.  But that’s okay.  Business is business and the only constant is change.  Especially in this town.  So we’ll enjoy what we have and be grateful for it.  Or so help me I will turn this car around right now.  Anyway, thank you @cinamongirl for sharing your view from Oscar’s.  At least this view has been classed up by the giant LED showing the various former views down Fremont St.  Or was that a final shot at Plaza, showing them what they used to have, now reduced to a tv on the back of a concert stage. News Durango Las Vegas Crocodile Dumbass  The Sphere Hard Rock Guitar Hotel Fontainebleau Restaurant Details Paris Cherry Bombing More Paid Parking Flight Club Survey Legacy Club @Circa Special Events New Exterior Illumination at Mandalay Bay  Vegas Eyecandy in Usher’s new m

Patreon Exclusive Content   The Flamingo may be the most iconic property in all of Las Vegas.  Credited with bringing the luxury theme to the strip, its opulence was considered off putting to some, particularly locals, especially when they were initially informed they weren't allowed to wear their cowboy hats inside. If your interested in learning more about the Flamingo, check out... lvstriphistory.com  When the Mob Ran Vegas  After-Hours Architecture  Gambling on a Dream: The Classic Las Vegas Strip 1930-1955  the Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream  Pinterest  BattleBorn Pins  Vintage Vegas Shirts