360 Vegas

Random Vegas Mandalay Bay was originally going to be named “Project Paradise”. (Sincitytalk.com) Twitpic of the week Reflection.  It’s how we review our life experiences and learn from them.  It’s also how our own bias distorts our perception.  Nowhere on planet earth does this metaphor better lend itself than pictures of Vegas after it rains.  This week’s winner by @thecalcasino captures both the actual corner marquee as well as its the distorted reflection in a puddle, once again drawing comparisons to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.  No matter your opinion of the property, one can’t argue that this is a lovely photo. News S Bar @Mandalay Bay Vegas Reverse Retro All Net Resort $1 million dollar bar tab Power Slap League Enchant on the Strip

Random Vegas Las Vegas has a dog park on Fremont Street, down by the Western Casino that is home to the worlds largest functioning fire hydrant at 15 feet tall (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week It’s all about the signage on this one for me, shared by @summacorp.  Formerly the Thunderbird, the property was rebranded Silverbird after Major Riddle purchased the property in the mid 1970s.  The marquee was built in 1978 but only existed till Dec 81 when the property closed.  It was later purchased and again, rebranded.  Its final incarnation was as the El Rancho, an attempt to revive the brand that started the strip. It didn’t work and eventually the property closed, was demolished and in its place now is the Fontainebleau. News When We Were Young 2023

Random Vegas In its first week of operation, the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace served about 15,000 people. The venue was built at a cost of $17 million. (@vitalvegas via Bacchanal's Executive Chef at the time, Scott Green) Twitpic of the week It’s past, present, and future all in one photo.  Brought to our attention by @StefanVanDeCook, this picture from @summacorp features the Mirage, with the sands Marquee in the foreground, For a time, the Sands was the property on the strip.  Until the Mirage came along supplanting the Sands as the market leader.  Eventually accepting they couldn’t continue to compete, they imploded the property and in its place opened Venetian. Fast forward to today and we are on the brink of losing another icon, the Mirage. True it won’t be imploded but we are losing the volcano.   it won’t be the same and eventually we will lose the name Mirage but what we will never lose are the memories. News Mirage dolphins El Cortez renovations Franco Dragone Dies Light closes Fertitta buildi

Random Vegas Moulin Rouge would not be the first property to attempt to cater to blacks.  The original was in 1942 when Shamrock Hotel on Fremont St attempted to cater to both blacks and whites.  It was a colossal failure as whites vehemently protested.  In response, city officials denied Shamrock an operating permit sighting Jim Crow policies in place at the time (The Moulin Rouge and black rights in Las Vegas) Twitpic of the week While not being as tall as the real Eiffel Tower in Paris, her replica in Vegas is still larger than life.  Especially with the angle shared by @NickyFurmage, with a background sky that can best be described as apocalyptic.  We don’t get much rain in the desert but when we do, it comes with vengeance.  Thankfully we have photography to capture the magic when it happens.  Thanks for sharing, Nicky. News 360 Vegas WINTER Vacation Vegas Holiday Attractions New Signage @Neon Museum Proper Eats

Random Vegas A running gag on the 70's TV series "Vega$" - "Paging Mr. Cohen, Mr. Burt Cohen" is heard over the Desert Inn's intercom constantly throughout the series. Cohen ran the DI. The man himself finally shows up at the end of season 2 in "Siege of the Desert Inn". (@_GrandpaD)   Twitpic of the week  It just screams Las Vegas and an era fondly recalled by many. It’s actually the sign that unintentionally showcased the evolution from gangster city to corporate America.  Here @_grandpad shares the massive Stardust marquee with the original Electra Jag font.  After Boyd came in and took over the place they did what they do, tried to make the property appealing to everyone.  That included changing the font to helvetica or something easily readable but lacking in character News ACLU Sues Fremont St Experience Wild Wild West Closes

Random Vegas This week it was announced that Coke will be the cola in the guns at Fontainebleau, going against the norm of Pepsi who is the brand of choice at MGM and Caesars properties, equating to about 70% of the market share (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week Dream like, or at least that state in between sleep and awake.  That’s what this picture from @briantonyavegas makes me feel.  It’s sunrise featuring the High Roller, Bally’s and Paris.  The color in this is incredible.  I can almost smell the crisp morning air and hear the street sweepers.  It’s a great time to be awake. News 360 Vegas WINTER Vacation  Sun Feb 26th - Monday Feb 27th

Random Vegas A Vegas Bartender friend of Vital Vegas said her tips increase 20% just by curling her hair. (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week @TastyOldMan shared a picture of the view from his room at Plaza.  It features a sunrise backing the most creative project built in Vegas since Cosmopolitan, Circa.  Circa did what a new property in Vegas is supposed to do, change the game, or at least move the needle.  Circa is truly a must see.  Stadium Swim and Circa Sports are absolute game changers. Derek Stevens is officially the new Steve Wynn, without all the rapey parts.  News Ocean Prime Coming Progress at Fontainebleau NYNY Renovated Rooms 

Premium Content Preview www.patreon.com/360Vegas   The Frontier is a property that, despite its multiple incarnations, has ever appealed to me.  By the time I came to the city for the first time she was already a rundown, grind joint on the strip.  But Vegas history is Vegas history.  So it was inevitable that at some point this property would capture my attention long enough to learn all I could about it.  Turns out I don’t have to love a property to find them interesting and worthy of a 360 Vintage Vegas segment.

You never know when you'll get a bonus round.

Random Vegas The stage at “Ka” uses vegetable oil in its hydraulic cylinders, rather than hydraulic fluid, for environment reasons (@VitalVegas)   Twitpic of the week   Diversity.  That’s what this week’s winner brings to mind.  @Misnomer shared a photo of south strip from the perspective of Aria…or one of the buildings in City Center.  It showcases some of the most diverse options available in the market.  Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur and NYNY all offer unique experiences within a mile of one another.   Capped off by Monte Carlo, known today as Park MGM, and here you see a good example of the great blanding of the strip. Here’s to hoping Hard Rock doesn’t fuck up Mirage   News Bellagio’s Garden Table Slot Ticket Theft Bent Cards Flanker Kitchen Wynn’s $10,000 Dinner    

Random Vegas Judges in Nevada have the power to ban someone for up to a year from the strip corridor.  It’s a punishment primarily used against convicted drug charges and prostituting Twitpic of the week Not a picture you would normally expect to see win Twitpic of the week but this photo from @pennys4vegasshows a view that is all to common to the Vegas frequenter, air conditioning units on roof tops.  In some cases we get glimpses of Vegas in the view but often you don’t.  But it still feels like Vegas, almost regardless of you room view.  Here we are treated to the warm neon glow of Walgreens, Hennessy’s tavern and slotzilla.  Now you tell me you don’t see those things and think, damn. How much longer to my next Vegas visit?     News Silverton Renovation The Pinky Ring @Bellagio Cross-Property room charging City of Las Vegas Showgirls Silverton Dice Dining Mirage Shooting

Random Vegas A study found gamblers who follow responsible gaming codes of conduct contribute just 4% of gambling revenues (@vital Vegas via “addiction by design” by Natasha Down Schul) Twitpic of the weeks   It’s really just the same view as last week, just tweeted at a different angle.  Kind of like a mirror image.  And yet, that was all that was needed to come up with this monologue. @maverickheli shares a view of what is coming to be considered mid-strip properties. These monstrously sized properties somehow magically reduced to miniatures will forever capture my imagination. Did anyone have, or currently have one of those huge train set that winds through a community.  I never did but the scale just enchants me.  If Vegas was an option to build I think I might dedicate a room in my home for it.  An idea almost certain to be vetoed by Mrs. 360 Vegas   News Rain Damage Stadium Craps 2.0 Bally’s new speakeasy & oddities

Random Vegas The Las Vegas Raiders generated the most net ticket revenue in the NFL in 2021 bringing in $119 million in 2021 (Sportico) Twitpic of the week Most likely an enhanced photo but we don’t hold that against pictures. Either way, great job, once again by @maverickheli of capturing just how beautiful the strip is featuring mid to south strip here. Seriously, we need to get off our asses and finally experience this view first hand.  I have a feeling its like the sports book at Circa, pictures just don’t do it justice. You have to see it for yourself to appreciate it.  When we do finally do this, I promise to take my own pictures and share them News More Fremont St Renovations Downtown Grand evolution Circa 2.0 Sigma Derby Celebration MGM Active Imagination

Premium Content Preview. In this installment, we discuss blocks 2 and 3, better known as Golden Gate and Circa

Random Vegas Mandalay Beach is 11 acres, has 2.700 tons of real sand and a 1.6 million gallon wave pool (@MandalayBay) Twitpic of the week Probably the best view of @mandalayBay I’ve ever seen.  It’s a shame this property is located so far south.  True, it has incredible views of north strip but it’s a hike to get any place else.  Here is where the Las Vegas monorail should have started.  Instead, we have retreated underground as plans for the Elon Musk, subterranean Vegas loop continues to progress.  Those plans include stops at the airport and virtually all properties on the strip.  It will even have a downtown station at Circa’s Garage Mahal. While it will help to elevate traffic concerns for the future, this progress will rob people of the experience of seeing the strip while in transit to your selected home away from home, if only for a weekend. News Dream Vegas dust devil  

More content from episode 407

Random Vegas Cirque du Soleil first played Vegas in a tent in the Mirage parking lot (theringer.com)   Twitpic of the week  It’s a view that does not exist anymore.  I mean the view still exists but most of the things you see in this picture, shared by @summacorp, are gone.  Yes, Treasure Island, Sahara, Circus Circus and Stratosphere are still with us but Treasure Island is now TI, new marquee and all and Sahara isn’t the same.  Frontier, Stardust, Silver Casino, Riviera and El Rancho...the sequel, are gone.  Whether Resorts World and Fontainebleau reverse the fortunes of north strip, remains to be seen.  For now, let's just revel in this otherworldly image of a time passed but not forgotten.   News Plaza Reimagined More Adele Diva Bullshit Peeping Trop Bonanza Shooting Diana, an Exhibition LeBron Vegas Service Charges Details Cheating at the Strat Discount Cabanas Fremont Expansion Hawaiian Marketplace closes      

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Random Vegas Harry Reid International Airport has had the best capacity recovery of any airport in the world,  reporting a 7% increase from June 2019’s 2.6 million seats when THAT was the highest percentage of the worlds 20 busiest airports. (LVRJ) Twitpic of the Trip It’s a view I’m thrilled I was able to have @360Vegas Vacation 11 before we lose the iconic property that started the greatest revolution in Las Vegas gaming.  Virtually everything we have in Vegas today is thanks, in some part, to the Mirage.  I’m sure people who loved the Sands felt the way I feel about losing the Mirage, specifically that volcano.  While a guitar hotel does sound cool it doesn’t add an “only in Vegas” attraction.  The more market continues to gentrify itself the less special a place Las Vegas will become.  Despite still drawing crowds whenever it starts going off, some say this icons lifespan has come to an end.  Doesn’t matter if we agree or disagree with that, the fact of the matter is that we are going to lose her.  Sadly

Random Vegas The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preservice and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signage (Neon Museum) Twitpic of the week Was it the concept or the fact that it was run by a man who lived in the grey area between truth and misrepresentation? Bob Stupak would refer to it as technicalities.  Vegas World, shared in all her low rolling glory by @deadcolletti, showcases everything the Nevada gaming industry didn’t want associated with the city.  Try as the might, the only thing that would get Stupak out of the market was his own ambition to build Stratosphere, residing in the space were Vegas World used to exist. News Elvisless Weddings