2010 Vegas Year in Review

Happy New Year's, Vegas fans!

As I look back on 2010, I have a lot of good Vegas memories and some scars to remind me that Sin City is one tough town. Here are some of my favorite highlights from this past year, in no particular order:

• CityCenter: This is one groovy, high-end property with art sculptures, swanky bars & restaurants, Viva Elvis Cirque show, and a dark casino. Good times.
• Birthday Blowout Bash: I turned a milestone age this year, and I celebrated with family and friends in Las Vegas. The first night of my trip, I had a few cocktails at Bill's Gamblin' Hall and then... well, the rest is somewhat fuzzy. I do recall having to call my wife to help me find my way back to the room. Good times.
• Cosmopolitan: The new property, not the drink. I have not been there yet (if you have, let us know what you think!), but it looks nice and I plan to go there on my next trip.
• Increased visitation: While gambling revenue has not rebounded quite yet, there are more and more people visiting Las Vegas these days. Slow but steady increases are good news after a few years of negative numbers.
• Harrah's becomes Caesars Entertainment: Meh. Let's see what happens.
• Might as well Jump at the Stratosphere: A new attraction at the Strat temps visitors to jump off the building. I think they strap a bungee cord or parachute to you or something.
• Gillies at TI offers mechanical bull: You can ride it, or you can watch cowgirls wearing little more than their boots on it. Ah, I love legitimate theater.
  
• Simplifying Las Vegas new website, 2011 electronic book versions available on Kindle, Nook and as a Flipbook: Gotta plug SLV. It's been a great year, thanks to you all!

I'm looking forward to 2011. My New Year's resolution is to continue providing great content, fun, and news to readers.

Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2011!
Viva,
Mike

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

Vegas Giveaways!

Hi Vegas fans,

As February winds down, I hope you will partake in my scavenger hunt for your chance to win a Vegas luggage tag. I've given one away for the last 18 months. These hand tags come with a plastic tie to fasten to your favorite bag. I have one on my duffel bag, my suitcase, and my laptop bag, which I throw around quite a bit, but the tag still looks great.

Also, you can win a free t-shirt if you cast your vote in my poll to determine which show I should see (Wayne Newton or Viva Elvis at Aria) in March. Right now, Wayne is in the lead, but the King is closing.

I hope you enjoy the fun stuff, the free stuff, the informative stuff, and the goofy stuff on the site. It's a lot of fun writing and researching Vegas, and I appreciate your participation and your feedback!

Viva,
Mike

Elvis Presley and Las Vegas

Hi Vegas fans,

Today is Elvis' birthday. He would have been 75. It's still hard to believe sometimes that he's been gone over 32 years. Maybe that's because when I walk the streets of Las Vegas, it's like he's still alive. He left his mark everywhere in the city. He performed a few separate stints at the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton) between 1969 and 1971.

And as much as Las Vegas changes, you can find bits and pieces of the memory of Elvis everywhere. Like the small statue of Elvis above the clocks in the Hard Rock Cafe. Like the Elvis impersonators. Like the new Elvis Cirque du Soleil show at Aria. Just to name a few.

I miss some of the fun stuff that bore his name. Like Elvis-A-Rama. Like the free photo you could get with Elvis outside of the Imperial Palace. Just to name a few.

And I miss Elvis. My tribute to him and the spirit of my favorite city remains in my signature. And it always will.

Viva,

Mike