Yikes! Haven't been to Vegas in a few years due to pressing personal families matters so this blog won't get much attention for another few months at least. Sorry about that, but you weren't reading this anyway!
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Apologies for the thin posting here at Las Vegas Blog, but I've been busy with several other online projects listed below. After I get my act together, however, I'll be back with the latest on my latest trip to Las Vegas in January 2012 where the CES 2012 Computer Electronics Show rocked the city with the latest in technology and gadgets.
I had a fairly pleasant and inexpensive stay at the historic Golden Gate Hotel in downtown Las Vegas and was even detoured by filming of the new Jim Carrey movie along Fremont Street. I also learned a bit more about the ravaged Las Vegas Real Estate market from an agent who explained how positive cash flow .
Here are the new projects
Retire USA Retirement Information
Retirement Blog
Travel and History Blog
US History Website
US History Blog
History and Civil War Blog
Also will soon be working on the Airport Codes site and the QuickAid Airport Directory
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Las Vegas Monorail to LAS McCarran Airport? Not ... yet ... but.... maybe....
The Las Vegas Monorail project can be considered a success or a great failure depending on your perspective. Although ridership has been under the projected levels and the system is struggling under a large debt load, millions have enjoyed the cheap, fast transportation up and down the Las Vegas Strip and to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
After about two years of negotiations and planning, the system was prepared to enter bankruptcy in an effort to reduce current debt payments which in turn was to enable the Monorail to enter "monorail phase II", an extension of the system to McCarran International Airport. However a November judicial decision has put the kabosh on that plan, the judge suggesting that implementation of the plan would simply push failure of the system out to a maximum of 2019 after which the hose of cards would collapse.
After about two years of negotiations and planning, the system was prepared to enter bankruptcy in an effort to reduce current debt payments which in turn was to enable the Monorail to enter "monorail phase II", an extension of the system to McCarran International Airport. However a November judicial decision has put the kabosh on that plan, the judge suggesting that implementation of the plan would simply push failure of the system out to a maximum of 2019 after which the hose of cards would collapse.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Jan 1, 2012
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Harmon Hotel at MGM CityCenter may be imploded
About.com has a nice explanation of the complicated situation at Las Vegas' Harmon Hotel where owner MGM has applied for permission to implode the building, citing structural defects that may make the Harmon prone to major damage during an earthquake.
However the builder is challenging this structural diagnosis and offering to re-engineer as needed to fix the problems. They claim that MGM is mostly just concerned about difficulties filling the new rooms in a downturned Las Vegas economy.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Macau vs Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world
Although it's hard to beat Las Vegas for variety and amazing resorts and casinos, Macau's gambling revenue simply dwarfs that of Las Vegas Casinos. Macau's annual gaming revenue stands at about 20 billion, with Las Vegas at about a third of that amount.
With the Las Vegas economy still reeling from the recession - hurting both the housing and the travel sectors, combined with the Asian economic explosion, it seems unlikely that Vegas will ever reclaim the fame of being the number one gambling hotspot in the world, but it's also true Macau is unlikely to attract north American visitors for some time.
More from the Las Vegas Sun
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Las Vegas Bargains on Twitter
Twitter is one of the best ways to track some great bargains in Las Vegas, especially in this summer of a LOT of great hotel and vacation package bargains. Obviously you should also be looking at a LOT of websites such as Kayak.com, individual Airline websites (a list of them is here), Expedia, Travelocity, and Tripadvisor. All these sites offer hotel and airline combo packages that are often (but not always) your best bet in terms of a bargain trip.
Only with careful searches can you uncover the very best bargains, as generally hotels would prefer folks to pay the "rack rate" or higher rates than the very best they'll be offering during specials.
Enter Twitter, which is often the source of great tips on bargains from individual hotels in Las Vegas. Here's a partial Las Vegas list on Twitter. Follow it for some information from Las Vegas folks and properties.
Also note that most of the Las Vegas hotels have Facebook pages and those will sometimes feature specials. Facebook and Twitter are a great way to get a fast response from many hotels as well.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Binions, Downtown Las Vegas, 2005
Few Las Vegas venues capture the colorful history of old Las Vegas as the old Binions. The hotel and casino are small compared with the newer mega-resort venues up and down the strip, and after near bankrupcy and sale to Harrah's in 2004 the venue is now resurrected as Binions Gambling Hall and Hotel http://www.binions.com/
History of Binions:
In 1951 Benny Binion reopened the Eldorado Club and Apache Hotel, naming the new venue the "Horseshoe Casino" and styling it as a riverboat.
Only a few years later Binion was convicted of tax evasion and served about 4 years in Leavenworth.
As a convicted felon Binion could no longer own the casino but his family had a controlling interest and he continued as consultant until his death in 1989.
In 1970 the World Series of Poker began at the Horseshoe and would eventually create the largest poker tournament series in the world.
Daughter Becky Behnen acquired controlling interest in the casino in 1998, but legal conflicts with the culinary workers and bartenders unions led Binions to near bankupcy, leading to a sale to Harrah's in 2004.
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