Happy Halloween!

Hi Vegas fans,
For kids, today is probably one of the most fun holidays of the year. It goes kind of like this... Christmas, birthday, Halloween.

It can be a fun holiday for adults, too, although some don't like to admit it. I mean, we're not supposed to get dressed up in costumes and dance around like goofballs, right? Wrong! Las Vegas has the right idea about Halloween:

Step 1: Devise a clever get up, disguise yourself with a mask, or become someone you've always wanted to be (a washing machine, "The Situation," Elvis, a sexy nurse, etc.).

Step 2: Gather with friends or go to a club

Step 3: Partake in a few adult beverages.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3. Several times.

Vegas and Halloween go hand in hand. Much like Vegas, Halloween allows you to step outside of your everyday life.

But regardless of where you are today, consider donning a fun costume and going out to a party. You don't have to do something elaborate. One year I went as static cling (pinned socks and underwear to my clothes).

And speaking of fun... Simplifying Las Vegas 2011 is almost complete. I have a little more work to do, and then you can buy it as a flip book on my website, as a Kindle book, or as a Nook book. I'm very excited about the new versions!

Viva,
Mike

Las Vegas Memories and Regrets

Hi Vegas fans,

I've been thinking lately a lot about how Las Vegas has changed over the past 20 years. I'm glad I've seen so much during that time, but I've also missed a lot, too, thinking that "I'll get around to it next time"; sometimes next time doesn't happen because it's gone.

Things I'm glad I saw before they closed (in no particular order):

• Elvis-a-rama: cool Elvis museum, complete with a purple Cadillac and a few jumpsuits. Closed in 2006.
• Folies Bergere: great show at the Trop. Showgirls, feathers, energetic routine... couldn't ask for more - classic Vegas show. Closed in 2009.
• Desert Inn: easily the classiest casino ever to grace the Strip. I stepped foot in it a few times before it closed, although I never stayed or played there, so it's not like I got a chance to sink my teeth into it. Closed in 2000.
  
• Stardust: my favorite casino for gambling. It just had an old-school atmosphere and good, inexpensive blackjack ($2!) with great rules. The dealers were friendly and it was really easy to get around the floor. Great restaurants, too. Closed in 2007
• Liberace Museum: had so much stuff it was housed in two buildings. I'm not a fan of his music, but boy the museum was fun and full of information. It's closing today, and I'll miss it.
• Free picture with Elvis in front of Imperial Palace: my wife and I had ours taken about seven years ago. It was a great snapshot right in the heart of the Strip. Then we walked down to the casino cage to get the picture. They stopped doing this a few years ago, right around the time Harrah's purchased the casino.
• The old pirate show at Treasure Island: before it was Sirens at TI, there was a cool battle between pirates and the British navy. The pirates won, of course (only in Vegas to the bad guys come out on top to the cheers of the crowd), and it was a great show for adults and kids. As Vegas returned to a more Sin City atmosphere, the Brits went away, and the pirates took their boat. The half-naked women took the pirates' old boat, and the pirates had to beg for mercy from the Sirens. It's not the same.

Things I wish I had seen before they closed:

• Siegfried and Roy: I'm not much into magic, but I hear this show was outstanding, especially in its earliest days. Closed in 2003 after one of the white tigers attacked Roy.
• Free picture with $1 million at Binion's: used to be a cool mil display that used $10,000 bills (very rare). Now, you have to pay to have your picture with the dough (or sign up for free slot play or some other catch), and they use hundreds, twenties, and singles. Not the same.
• Vegas World: from all descriptions, this would have been my kind of place. A weird space theme, good gambling, and general goofiness invented by Bob Stupak before he built the Strat. I didn't need to miss it, either, because I was there while it was still open. Dang. Closed in 1995.
• Free Aspirin and Tender Sympathy sign: a really cool sign and a subject of the Las Vegas Advisor's Question of the Day, which I answered in November 2008. I never saw the sign "live," which was moved to the Neon Museum's Boneyard circa 1996.
• Bikini Bull Riding at the Frontier: I tried, but the bull was broken. Then they closed the Frontier for good. So, I've gotta hit Gilley's at TI because they have one, too.
  

I'm noticing that my regrets list is shorter than my happy list. I guess that's a good thing.
What do your lists look like???
Viva,
Mike

Simplifying Las Vegas Now Available on Nook

Hi Vegas fans,

I'm happy to announce that Simplifying Las Vegas is now available as an e-book on Barnes and Nobles Nook e-reader! It took me a little while to figure out the formatting, but I think it will be a really good fit for my book. The Nook allows for html tables, so you can see all of the information in its original format, much like you see it on the website.

I hope you enjoy SLV as a e-book, either via Kindle, Nook or as a PDF on my website. Thanks for your continued support!

Viva,
Mike

New Las Vegas Travel Guide Electronic Book Venue

Hi Vegas fans,

Good news - Barnes and Nobles is now allowing us self-publishers to upload electronic books via its Pubit venue. It's a lot like Amazon's program for Kindle. I am currently working on getting Simplifying Las Vegas in the right format. It's a bit challenging because my Word document has a ton of tables, hyperlinks, and other elements that make it difficult to translate into an electronic book. So, I've gotta work on the html code to make it work. It's a time-consuming process, but well worth it. You'll hear from me (probably see me jump up and down) when I finish it.

In the mean time, I'm also working on a PDF flip book for the 2011 version of Simplifying Las Vegas. This is an easier conversion. However there's a ton of research that goes into each year's edition, so I have a little more work to do before I publish it.

This is an exciting time for authors, especially for travel writers who can publish and then update it on the fly when information changes. That's typically the case in Las Vegas, so I feel very, very lucky that I'm writing during a time when this technology is available to anyone.

I want to take a moment to say thank you for your continued support! I was a little concerned that interest dropped in September, but October is looking strong, and when I looked at my Kindle report yesterday I noticed that SLV has another fan in the UK!

If you ever have comments, suggestions or questions about SLV, Las Vegas, or publishing e-books, please let me know. I'm always happy to discuss these topics.

Viva,
Mike

Brief Reflections on Recent Trip to the Strip

Hi Vegas fans,

It's been a few days since my last trip to Vegas. So I've had some time to reflect, replenish, and remind my boss how great I am so that I can get a raise to make up for the money I lost. Ha. It's ok... it was a good trip anyway. I got to spend some time with my friend, Steve, who had a rougher trip than me. Undoubtedly, we will return again, hopefully victorious. Or at least break-evenous.

Some observations from my recent trip:
* The Stratosphere, though cruel to me and Steve, is still my favorite place for $5 blackjack in Vegas.
* Sports betting is fun but can be so heartbreaking when your bet loses by 1/2 point.
* It's good to have dumb luck sometimes. I bet a 3-game parlay (my beloved Virgina Tech Hokies, Kansas State, and NC State Wolfpack). I misunderstood Steve, and we wound up betting all three teams to win outright instead of betting the spread. Oops. It wound up working out, and we won more than if we had played the spread!
* M Resort is kind of outta the way, it's big, and it's fancy. Good $5 blackjack and craps, though there's not much excitement there.
* Plenty of "party pits" or gaming pits with scantily clad young ladies. While you're looking at the girls, look out for bad rules at the table games near these, too.
* There's still lots of fun things to do when you need a break. I loved the Bellagio conservatory (free) and the Fine Arts Gallery ($15 admission). What a great way to spend some time on a vacation!

See my pictures on my Facebook page or on my Flickr account.

Can't wait to go back!
Viva,
Mike