w/ Josh and Tony This week, we are drafting our favorite Vegas Movies.  The game is simple.  Pick your favorite Vegas movies. The trick is we are all drafting from the same pool of movies and a movie is only available to be selected by one person.  This is NOT a list of the best movies set in Vegas nor is it a game to select the most valuable movies.  There is no score, there aren’t winners or losers.  This is just a chance for us to talk about some of our favorite Vegas movies for whatever reason we come up with ..read more

Random Vegas The Fountains of Bellagio are not the first dancing fountains to exist in Las Vegas.  The original debuted in 1955 at the Royal Nevada.  They were simply called the Dancing Water’s and consisted of 4,000 jet streams and lights revolving and swaying in sync with waltz music.  They could accomplish heights has high as 50 foot.  The attraction was universally liked however the Royal Nevada thought they could offer this show instead of headliners.  The property struggled and closed 3 years after it opened. (The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the Amer ..read more

360 Mail Bag is our opportunity to address your feedback in a causal conversation between friends ..read more

Random Vegas In 1968, Las Vegas could lay claim to the 3 tallest electric signs in the world.  The Dunes at 180, the Frontier at 184 and the Stardust at 188 feet tall    TwitPic of the week How can you not be proud of that collection of properties?  Specifically, it feels like MGM treats @LuxorLV and Excalibur like unwanted commodities.  Which is funny because they bought Mandalay Resorts, one of the most profitable gaming companies in history, with a portfolio that primarily catered to the middle class.  Since then they’ve sold off Circus Circus and threaten ..read more

Okay.  Let’s start by addressing the Elephant in the room.  Las Vegas was racist.  Really, really racist.  Not Alabama bad but Las Vegas was known as the “Mississippi of the west” and I’m certain it wasn’t a compliment ..read more

Random Vegas Nick Mazzolo.  You may not know the name but you certainly know his work.  Nick was cast as a table games dealer in 3 blockbuster titles.  Rain Man in 1988, Casino in 1995 and Vegas Vacation in 1997. TwitPic of the week In a picture that looks like it was taking on the pool deck of the Plaza years before it existed, this picture, shared by @FSELV definitely captures the best the Las Vegas Club ever looked, years before her transformation into a faux baseball stadium on the roof.  All of Fremont strip was sexy as hell during the 60s, before Golden Nugget ab ..read more

I’ve said this before: if I had a time machine, I know exactly what I’d do with it.  No, I wouldn’t steal a sports almanac or try to get my parents to kiss at the big dance. I’ve already graduated high school, so I wouldn’t use it to pass my history final, either. No, I would head back in time at 88.8 miles per hour to the Copa Room at the Sands in 1960, to see the greatest show one could see for $5.95. Dinner included. Like many of you, I have a decidedly romantic view of “old Vegas.” A time where women were ladies and comps were truly comps. When men wore hats (thanks for nothing, JFK ..read more

Random Vegas Tropicana’s nickname was the “Tiffany of the Strip” because it was said to be the shape of a necklace when viewed from an arial perspective. TwitPic of the week This is another property I have an irrational affinity for.  Like the Fontainebleau today, the Landmark was a project that stalled for almost a decade before it was completed.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t finished by someone who had a passion for her and therefore she struggled.  Once it did open it was no longer the tallest building in the city so the cache of that concept was lost.  But still, something ..read more

The Tropicana was a unique property in the evolution of Las Vegas.  While ownership was consolidated all over the city, it managed to remain independent, relatively speaking.  When older properties on the strip were imploded so new projects could replace them, Tropicana remained and instead was reimagined.  Step inside and it was clear this was not another Super Casino. The property was able to capture the charm of old Vegas while evolving to keep up with modern tastes.  The perpetual David to the corporate Goliaths that dominate the strip landscape, Tropicana stood as a be ..read more

Nothing special is probably a very good way to describe the Royal Nevada. Not that it wasn’t nice or well located, it just wasn’t memorable. Think Monte Carlo Vegas and its luxury on a budget theme. Mix that with the opening of 4 new Vegas properties in 1955 and the answer to the question is yes, Vegas was over built ..read more