Las Vegas Vacation Blog Blog

The newest downtown Las Vegas venture is now open. A ribbon-cutting ceremony ushered in the opening of Meet Las Vegas on Tuesday. Meet Las Vegas is a three-story, 30,000 square foot convention venue that sits on the corner of 4th and Bridger.

City leaders hope the facility will bring corporate events, trade shows and conventions to downtown Las Vegas. “We have so many things happening in downtown,” Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said. “The one thing that we were really missing, other than an arena or stadium, was a convention center.”

Supporters of the project view it as another step in the city’s ongoing effort to revitalize the area. “I think that what it shows people is that downtown has huge potential,” Meet Las Vegas CEO Dan Maddux said. “A lot of people, to a degree, have forgotten about downtown. There is so much room for expansion in growth in the downtown area.”

Former Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Chairperson Fafie Moore agrees. “This is the type of thing that our community needs, and it’s going to help us do the turnaround,” she said.

Andrew Leary runs his Super Cleaners dry cleaning business downtown. He sees potential growth in the area. “Just a few years ago, people were turned off about the idea of opening a business downtown,” Leary said. “I think the more the people can see downtown, the more they’ll appreciate it… Hopefully, (Meet Las Vegas) brings in more business, especially with conventioneers.”

With projects like Meet Las Vegas, Symphony Park, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and a new downtown city hall, Mayor Goodman says downtown is on the right track. “A lot of things are happening in an economy where, in other places, nothing is happening. We have a new city hall building that’s being built and great plans for the future,” he said.

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A wax museum on the Las Vegas Strip is unveiling a statue of President Barack Obama in a replica of the Oval Office just in time for Presidents Day.

The display was shown Monday at Madame Tussauds.

The museum says the Oval Office model is its only replica of the room west of the Mississippi River. It says the model of Obama standing behind his desk with his arms folded cost $300,000.

Obama is expected to visit Las Vegas later this week.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A wax museum on the Las Vegas Strip is unveiling a statue of President Barack Obama in a replica of the Oval Office just in time for Presidents Day.

The display was shown Monday at Madame Tussauds.

The museum says the Oval Office model is its only replica of the room west of the Mississippi River. It says the model of Obama standing behind his desk with his arms folded cost $300,000.

Obama is expected to visit Las Vegas later this week.

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World-class shopping in Vegas? Yes, among the scads of kitsch and Elvis memorabilia (looking for a piece of the King’s pillowcase?), there’s also the ne plus ultra from Cartier and Yves St. Laurent. The square footage in the Forum Shops at Caesars alone is the most valuable retail real estate in the country; bankrolls are dropped there as readily as on the gaming tables. It’s the variety of options that has pushed Las Vegas near the ranks of New York, London, or Rome: You could tote home a vintage slot machine or Lenôtre chocolates from the only place in the United States where you can buy them (at Paris Las Vegas, in case you’re salivating). You might start to think those darn casinos only get in the way of your shopping safaris.

Strip shopping malls take their themes to extremes: you can stroll along a Venice canal at the Venetian or traverse North African trade routes at the Aladdin. Most Strip hotels offer expensive dresses, swimsuits, jewelry, and menswear; almost all have shops offering logo merchandise for the hotel or its latest show. Inside the casinos the gifts are elegant and expensive. Outside, all the Elvis clocks and gambling-chip toilet seats you never wanted to see are available in the tacky gift shops. Beyond the Strip, Vegas shopping encompasses such extremes as a couture ball gown in a vintage store and, in a Western store, a fine pair of Tony Lamas left over from the town’s cowboy days. Shoppers looking for more practical items can head for neighborhood malls, supermarkets, shopping centers, and specialty stores. And to avoid the stratospheric prices on the Strip, shoppers not averse to driving a bit can find the same high-ticket items at lower prices at the town’s factory outlet malls.

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It’s not just a fad. The extension of Las Vegas’ vibrant nightclub and night-life scene to the casino pools that has picked up steam over the past few years is under way for the summer of 2009. The phenomenon, christened “day life,” is now one of the city’s hottest entertainment elements.

The season officially begins on Memorial Day weekend, but several of the bigger venues have already opened, including the Hard Rock Beach Club, MGM Grand’s Wet Republic, the Venetian’s Tao Beach, Mandalay Bay’s Moorea Pool and the new Daydream Pool Club at M – all accessible to the public (though there’s usually a fee to enter).

Among the 30 or so casino pools that offer some type of nightclub element, almost a dozen now allow topless sunbathing. They are Caesars Palace (Venus), Encore, Flamingo (GO), Golden Nugget, Green Valley Ranch (Pond), Mandalay Bay (Moorea Beach), Mirage (Bare), Red Rock (Cherry Cabana Club), Rio (Sapphire), Stratosphere (Beach Club 25), Venetian (Tao Beach) and Wynn (Sunset). Only Encore and Wynn are restricted to hotel guests.

Eat all day: Two more casinos have added a one-price, multiple-meals option to their buffets.

At MGM Grand, you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for $29.99, a whopping $28 off the rack rate for all three.

At Stratosphere, it’s unlimited access for $19.99 every day except Friday, when it’s $24.99. That’s a $21 saving on three meals.
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Toby Young, you sneaky thing.

Earlier this month, the “Top Chef” judge twittered that filming on the next season of “Top Chef” had begun in Seattle.

But Friday morning, after a “Top Chef Masters” session at NBC’s summer press tour, we heard otherwise. A series insider said Season 6 would be held in Las Vegas (as had been previously rumored).

Asked why Young would say Seattle, the insider shrugged: “That’s just Toby trying to stir up trouble.”

As long as the part about Tom’s beard is true — “Tom Colicchio has grown a huge beard! Looks like Joaquin Phoenix,” Young had twittered — all will be forgiven.

In other “Top Chef” news, Maria Elena Fernandez earlier blogged up some good “Top Chef Masters” scoops.

– Denise Martin

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NASCAR’s end-of-the-year festivities are leaving New York after nearly three decades for Las Vegas.

NASCAR, which announced the move Thursday, was lured by Las Vegas’ proposal that included reduced room rates and fan activities on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will be held in Las Vegas for three years, said Jeremy Handel, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority.

“The fans base here is obviously fantastic,” Handel said. “The race here every spring is one of the most popular races on the circuit.”

The annual banquet, which had been held in New York since 1981, will be Dec. 4 at the Wynn Las Vegas. It will cap a week of activities — like the “Victory Lap,” a parade of NASCAR’s top 10 finishing cars on the Strip — to celebrate the past season of racing.

“This is a great day for Las Vegas,” said Chris Powell, President of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “Las Vegas has proven itself to be a great motorsports attraction, both for locals and for fans from around the country and the world. NASCAR’s move to Las Vegas with the year-end awards ceremonies opens up many more opportunities to get the fans involved.”

The move is a welcome change for some.

“At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it,” racer Jeff Burton said. “We need something new and exciting. It needs something that’s built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that.”

A Sprint Cup Race is held each spring at the speedway and the city usually draws praise for several drivers.

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What is Earth Hour?  It is an event where participants around the world turn off their lights for one hour in order to bring attention to the problem of climate change, and to demonstrate action and commitment to finding solutions.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, they initially asked Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., of Las Vegas to participate.  Harrah’s kept the ball rolling and their enthusiasm caught on in a big way.  Now, Las Vegas is an Earth Hour 2009 flagship city, one of 10 flagship cities.  This year over 2500 cities in 82 countries, literally hundreds of millions of people, will be participating in Earth Hour.  Truly a historic event.  Happening on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Harrah’s properties, which include Caesars’s Palace, the Flamigo, and the Rio, among others, in Las Vegas will turn off their marquees, along with their lights, in observance of Earth Hour.  MGM Mirage and their extensive Strip properties will also follow suit.  Four of the most iconic symbols of the Las Vegas Strip, the Volcano at the Mirage, the Fountains at the Bellagio, the Luxor Beam, and the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign will be dark.

Other Strip area properties participating include the Venetian, the Wynn, Planet Hollywood, TI, the Stratosphere, the Riviera, the Palms, the Sahara, the Tropicana, the Hard Rock, the Four Seasons, the Las Vegas Hilton, Hooters, and the Gold Coast.  Off-Strip properties participating include Eastside Cannery, Arizona Charlies, J.W. Marriott, the Orleans, Sam’s Town, and the Suncoast.  Downtown Fremont will show their solidarity by showing a 3 minute video on Viva Vision, the largest television in the world, about Earth Hour, and having a countdown before going dark.  Non-gaming participants include local businesses, local government, and the planned community of Summerlin.

Really, anyone can and should participate if possible.  Simply turn off your own house lights and spend time with family and neighbors. If you do have to go out, here is a list of some things planned around the valley:

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Credit Insurance is a must!

Illusionists Siegfried and Roy gave a “final” performance Saturday in Las Vegas, one that included a surprise guest star: Montecore, the white tiger whose mauling of Roy Horn in 2003 effectively ended the duo’s career.

According to an Associated Press story, the duo performed a trick that placed Siegfried in a cage that was briefly covered in drapes. When Roy removed the drapes seconds later, Horn appeared on the other side of the stage, and in the cage stood Montecore.

The performance, at the Bellagio hotel and casino, was part of a benefit for the soon-to-open Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The two have not performed at The Mirage, the site of their 13-year run in Las Vegas, since Roy’s mauling.

The Bellagio performance will air Friday in a one-hour special on ABC-TV’s ” 20/20.”

The city of Las Vegas and all its vistitors will miss this great duo. Which las vegas shows compare to them?

Cheetah’s Las Vegas Strip Club

*  Hours of operation: Open daily, 24 hours.
* Cover price:
o Drink Package: $29. Includes: Front-of-line admission, two drinks, VIP seating and complimentary transportation from your hotel to the club. Please contact (702) 384-0074 and ask for the manager on duty to arrange transportation. Package does not include lap dances or gratuity for dancers and servers. If arriving by taxi, there will be additional charges at the door.
o VIP Drink Package: $69. Includes: Front-of-line admission, two-hour open bar (Only well drinks, domestic beer and call liquors), VIP seating and complimentary transportation from your hotel to the club. Please contact (702) 384-0074 and ask for the manager on duty to arrange transportation. Package does not include lap dances or gratuity for dancers and servers. If arriving by taxi, there will be additional charges at the door.
o Bachelor package for 5: $450. Includes: Front-of-line admission for five (5) guests, three-hour open bar (Only well drinks, domestic beer and call liquors), VIP seating and complimentary transportation from your hotel to the club. Please contact (702) 384-0074 and ask for the manager on duty to arrange transportation. Package does not include lap dances or gratuity for dancers and servers. If arriving by taxi, there will be additional charges at the door.
o Bachelor package for 10: $850. Includes: Front-of-line admission for 10 guests, three-hour open bar (Only well drinks, domestic beer and call liquors), VIP seating and complimentary transportation from your hotel to the club. Please contact (702) 384-0074 and ask for the manager on duty to arrange transportation. Package does not include lap dances or gratuity for dancers and servers. If arriving by taxi, there will be additional charges at the door.
* Payment info: Cash and credit card.
* The Ladies: There are almost as many ladies as guys. If you can’t find one you like here, you’re obviously not serious about topless entertainment. On most weekends Cheetah’s features 500 girls in a 24-hour period.
* Skin Factor: Topless.
* Dances:
o Lap dance: $20.
o VIP room: Four dances for $100.
* Music: Variety of dance and Top 40.
* Alcohol: Yes. Drink specials from 6 a.m. - 2 p.m. include $1 beer
* Food: Free lunch buffet with two drink minimum purchase from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday - Saturday.
* ATM: Yes.
* Atmosphere: Nice, medium-size room, one main stage and five more throughout the club.
* Parking : Valet at the door. Free parking is questionable at best. I would rather spring for the extra couple of bucks to tip the valet guy than take my chances.
* Special Events: Lap Dance Happy Hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every day of the week. NASCAR Sundays feature free barbeque and drink specials.

Cheetah’s Review

Cheetah’s is one of Las Vegas’ classic strip clubs.

Filled with neon tubes and neon-illuminated dancers, Cheetah’s offers a full range of topless entertainment.

Cheetah’s has a veritable forest of stripper poles — ten metal rods spread across the main stage and side stages provide plenty of swinging room for the club’s hundreds of dancers.

The main room is set up in a party-friendly manner, with lots of chairs and lounge tables. At night, the place fills with revelry-makers — male customers and a fair share of girlfriends and wives tagging along for fun.

Just by Cheetah’s entrance lies the private G-Spot room, a swank, mirrored private room. It’s perfect for lap dances.

Off to the side of the main floor is the VIP area (bottle service is offered) and another mirrored private room.

At Cheetah’s, the sports fanatic can double up on his interest in the human form, be it uniformed or topless; there are numerous wide screen televisions on the main floor and at the bar.

Cheetah’s does take some inspiration from sports bars. Nonetheless, it’s filled with lots of gorgeous, scantily-clothed dancers.

And, oh yes, the infamous 1995 film “Showgirls” was filmed at Cheetah’s. You knew it looked familiar…

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher spent a romantic Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas with Sarah Larson, the ex-girlfriend of Oscar winner George Clooney, a Las Vegas newspaper is reporting.

“They were holding hands, definitely on a Valentine’s Day date,” a “spy” told Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The pair snuggled up at the Bellagio’s club The Bank, which bills itself as “the most desirable cosmopolitan nightclub in Las Vegas.”
The All-Pro linebacker, who once dated Paris Hilton, has been busy off the field with an ongoing custody battle with Tyna Robertson, a former stripper who was sued by “Lord of the Dance” Michael Flatley over making a false sexual allegation against him.

Urlacher, Clooney, Larson, Hilton and Flatley aren’t the only celebrities making cameos in this story.

According to Norm Clarke’s Web site, the eye-patch sporting columnist is “one of Las Vegas’s most notable and recognizable celebrities.”

Clarke describes himself as the all-seeing, all-knowing “eye-patched man-about-town.”

Another fun reason to visit Las Vegas is all the Celebrities you come across and sometimes get to meet and have a drink with. The town never gets old. I couldn’t imagine ranking any city as a better vacation spot than Las Vegas. =)

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