Five Hotels in Vegas, part 3

Hi all, this is the third part of my tour of Las Vegas hotels and casinos, five at a time, and my general and completely biased thoughts on them. Some places I've spent a lot of time in, some places very little. Some places I like a lot, some places not so much.  My lame-o maps, BTW, are made by screwing around on google docs drawing.  They are pretty much the limits of my graphic design skills.

Traveling north on the Las Vegas Strip, starting today at the intersection of LV Blvd and Harmon Ave.  I'll also note what players' club the place uses.

1. Cosmopolitan (Identity) - I still think of this as a new place, and it kind of figures to be the last new place built on the strip for a while.  It's owned by a bank, not a casino company, and it wouldn't surprise me too much if the whole place got sold at some point.  But that's another story.
   The Cosmopolitan is absolutely an upscale place, and if money were no object I would love to stay there.  They got so many things right here, the place is just beautiful, and gets prettier the more time I spend here.  The place is essentially built around the Chandelier bar, which anybody who comes to town should stop by for a drink.  The fancy drinks are supposed to be awesome, since I'm pretty much a beer drinker I can't really say.   The Chandelier bar is also Cougar Central on the Las Vegas Strip.
   Holsteins Shakes and Buns is a great upscale burger and beer place, I described Holsteins earlier on my list of places I'll go .   Holstein's is also a nice place to watch the beautiful people queue up for the Marquee club, which is always interesting.  The restaurants are first class, and the staff is pretty nice.  I had a problem with a slot machine once and had a friendly and efficient slot manager take care of it for me.   Even though this is a very upscale place, I've never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome at the Cosmopolitan, despite being a first-class low roller.
  For all the things that Cosmopolitan gets right, they seem to have missed something about the casino.  Everyone loves the place except the gamblers.  Cosmopolitan gets the party crowd, the foodies, the five-star hotel seekers, but the gamblers just have not shown up.  The casino itself is nice enough, but compared to the rest of the place, it seems rather plain and generic. 

2. Planet Hollywood (Total Rewards) - Hey, this is where I'm booked for my July trip.  I've never stayed here before, but I've been to the casino.  The more I look at it, the more I like the place.  Maybe I'm just buying into all the hype since I'm booked there, but the rooms look great, and the place  consistently gets good reviews on a couple of websites I check.  I'm liking the restaurants, Yolo's, Pink's Hot Dogs, Planet Dailies.  Not sure if Cabo Wabo is my kind of place, but I've been to PBR Rock Bar for beer and apps and it's a good spot.  I have no real interest in the shopping mall, but might take a look at the Stripper Bar back there.  I'm thinking it will be a bit too tacky for me, but we will see.  Blondies sports pub is another place that gets good reviews, but I'm not sure I'll make it there either. 
   As to the casino, it's bright, it's loud, way overstimulating, it's everything a Vegas casino should be.  I haven't spent too much money here, just some VP and a bit of slot play.  Oh, and the go-go girls are super-hot.  The bars are a wee bit fancy, but not so fancy that I can't find a spot to fit in.  The Cougar count at the Heart bar was kind of high, and I did spot a few working girls hanging around the last time I was there.
  This is a place for the young party crowd.  Being neither young nor much of a partier, we will see how I do here.

3. Paris (Total Rewards) - It's just like the real Paris, only it's fake.  A nice place, very good restaurants, and people rave about the food choices here. For whatever reason, I just don't feel the "vibe" here, somehow the place just isn't for me.  Last summer, I was staying at Bally's, and had a view of the pool, which looked very nice but also very crowded. 

   The casino, like the rest of the place, is very pretty and overall a fun place to play.  It's a reasonably upscale place, but not ridiculously so.  The last time I was there, the hooker count at the casino bar was pretty high.








4. Bally's (Total Rewards) - If your Dad got to pick your hotel, he would probably pick Bally's.  It has clean, comfortable rooms, a fine if rather plain pool, good bars, a big and somewhat nondescript casino, a couple of good restaurants.  Tequila Bar and Grill might not have the best tacos on the strip, but I'm pretty sure they have the best two dollar tacos on the strip.  I'm a big fan of the sportsbook here, like the rest of the casino, the decor is pretty forgettable, but it's bright and I like that it is somewhat separated from the rest of the casino.  There is a nice little bar there, and it's a comfortable spot to watch a game. 
   I stayed at Bally's last summer.  My check in was late, and I was told there were no more smoking rooms available, so they put me in a suite for the night.  People like me don't get to stay in suites very often, and boy was it nice.  Big living room, two bathrooms, a hot tub.  It was sweet.  After one night there I was back to reality, which was a south tower room.  The south tower is the older part of the hotel, but there was nothing wrong with the room. It was slightly bigger than most rooms, the toilet worked, the TV worked, the bed was comfortable, the shower was hot.  That's pretty much everything I need in a hotel room.  I had a nice view of the front door and the strip, it might have been a great view if I was higher up. 
  Maybe the best selling point for Bally's is that it is an affordable place with a great location.  Seriously, Bally's might have the best location on the strip.  For the price.

5. Bellagio (Mlife) - If Bally's is your Dad's casino, Bellagio is the place for your Mom.  On my first trip, I had heard of the fountains and thought it seemed kind of lame.  When I saw it, I was amazed.  It really is that cool.
  Anyway, the Bellagio has everything your Mom would love.  A somewhat sedate crowd, a big, splashy casino, first class rooms.  The restaurants and bars are all just a bit fancier than they need to be.  There is a conservatory and botanical garden there, which is a nice way to take a break from the craziness of the strip for a little while.  Bellagio is a huge property and a bit confusing to walk around in. Overall it's a bit fancy for my taste.  Nice place though.
  There is a tram way in the back of Bellagio that will take you to Aria and down to the Monte Carlo.  It's free and a cool way to get a different view of the city.

So there are my five for today, bringing my grand total up to fifteen.  Stop by again sometime.

Places I'll go in Vegas, part 4

This one just came on my radar, but it looks so good I had to put it on my list.  I need to add some new things, nobody wants to fall into the rut of just hitting the same places over and over again.  I don't know how new this place is exactly, but it's new to me!!

Public House at the Venetian.  The Venetian is a great place to walk around, it really is a beautiful property, and I've always found it less pretentious than it appears to be.  The last time I was in town, I had a great lunch at First Food there, a terrific spot with a nice view of the strip.  It was pretty empty when I was there, and there was a great bartender who let me try a couple of local beers they had on tap.  I'll probably stop in there too, but Public House has really caught my attention.  The Venetian is certainly a high-end place, but they do have a few restaurants that are very good and don't have outrageous prices. 

Looking over the menu at Public House, it is certainly fancier than your average pub food.  They call themselves a "Gastropub", which I really think means slightly fancier pub.  They also advertise that they have "Nevada’s first certified beer cicerone – the equivalent of a wine sommelier."  I think this means that the staff knows their way around the beer taps.  I love craft brews, and like to try the local brews when I travel, so I often ask for recommendations from the barman.  I'm guessing the people here can help me out.  Keep the flair bartenders, please, give me someone who knows what "hoppy" means.

So, if you are keeping track, or planning on stalking me, here is the list so far.

1. Holsteins Shakes and Buns at the Cosmopolitan
2. Mob Museum downtown
3. Margaritaville at the Flamingo
4. Public House at the Venetian

Five Hotels in Vegas, part 2

The second part of my personal and biased guide to Las Vegas, working northward on the LV Strip.  I will give random thoughts on the hotels/casinos, accompanied by a crappy map I made on Google docs, five places at a time, posted on no set schedule whatsoever.  I'll also note what players' club the property uses.


1. New York New York - (MLife) - I like this place a lot, and considered staying here, but since my MLife account has apparently been cancelled, it (and all the MGM properties) were crossed off of my list.  I would not have booked here in the end anyway, as the pool is currently closed for construction, and I can't be bothered crossing the street to go for a dip.
   There is a lot to like at NYNY, they have a great food court with many non-standard options.  Nine Fine Irishmen is a pretty good fake Irish pub, the can draw a decent Guinness, which is surprisingly hard to find in LV. Coyote Ugly is a good time, despite also being completely fake.  It's Vegas, everything is fake, just go with and have a good time. I like the decor too, it's fun.  Good active vibe. 
   The casino is big and kind of confusing, more than once I've had a hard time finding my way back to LV Blvd.  Might be related to the above mentioned well-drawn Guinness, but not entirely.  The place is just big and confusing.  I haven't dropped too much in the casino here and probably won't in the future, as I once found a semi-rude craps dealer.  It's funny how one guy at a craps table can spoil my view of a giant casino, but there it is.
  The round bar in the middle is a fun spot to play a little video poker and watch the crowd.  The hooker count there, however, is a bit high.
  In addition to the regular forms of Vegas-related vice, I'm also a bit of a roller coaster nerd, and the one at NYNY is pretty good.  Not the greatest ever, and it has long lines, but it is a good time.

  In a town that is almost completely fake, there are two real retired NYFD fire boats in front of the NYNY.  For a good while after 9-11, the fence in front of the boats was covered with T-shirts from fire departs from all over the U.S.  It was beautiful and I still get choked up thinking about it. 



2. MGM Grand - (MLife) - It's very big and very green.  Those are the first thoughts that pop into my head when thinking about the MGM Grand, the flagship property of the company.  There is nothing particularly wrong with this place, but it doesn't really do much for me.  I wouldn't stay here because the place is just too damn big.  Yes, I know, when you are in Vegas it's a long walk anywhere, but just getting around this place is a chore.

   They have very good restaurants here, but I've never actually eaten at any of them.  People love the pool, it has a party vibe and is often recommended as a good pool for kids, both of which mean that it's not a place for me.  The beautiful people are all over the place too, club girls, maybe a minor celebrity, and, as the night goes on, the working girls, who often smile at me while I'm sitting at the bar.  All are fun to watch for a little while, and over the years I've had a few good bartenders here.  I once sat at the small bar right off of the pedestrian bridge, the barman was from Boston too, I was the only one there, we talked about the Red Sox and he told me which girls walking by were club girls, which were cougars on the prowl, and which ones were hookers.  I can't tell the difference myself.
  I also like the sportsbook here.  Nice enough place to watch a game for a while.
  Outside of video poker and the sports book, I don't think I've ever gambled here.
  The monorail also starts here.  The usefulness of the monorail is debatable, bu that's a topic for another day.

3.  Monte Carlo - (Mlife) - Another MGM property I might have stayed at if not for my problems with MLife.  I actually really like this place, it hits the sweet spot between being pretty nice and unpretentious.  I have found five dollar craps tables here in the afternoon before, which is mostly what I play.  The buffet is very good and not too pricey, the Pub (it's just called Pub) is good too and has a "non-Vegas" vibe to it.  It's nice to sit at a bar once in a while and not have a VP machine in front of you, decent beer selection too.  I've been meaning to get to Diablo's Cantina for a while now, as it looks like a fun spot, but haven't gotten around to it yet.  Maybe this time.
  I guess I just like the layout of the place, it's comfortable for some reason.  I wouldn't describe it as downscale, but I never feel like I'm the skunk at the picnic because I'm wearing running shoes.  Oh, and I think they go-go dancers are the best looking around.  Yes, while in Vegas, I like to oogle go-go dancers.  It doesn't make me a bad person.
  I have a general plan of walking over here from the PH on my first night in Vegas and sitting at the front bar for a cold beer, some VP, and some people watching before the lack of sleep kicks in.
  There is a free tram that runs from the Monte Carlo, through Aria and up to the Bellagio.  Great views of the area from the tram.

4. Aria - (MLife) - Boy, this one will be easy, as I've barely spent any time here at all.

   The Aria is part of the City Center development, which is actually a few upscale hotels on the same property.  Since the Aria is the only casino-resort-hotel, I'll just stick to that one.
   It's amazing that this big, new, beautiful place right on the Las Vegas strip is so hard to get to.  There is simply no easy way to walk in.  It seems that they built it to be driven to rather than walked to from the strip.  The logic of that thinking escapes me.  If they are trying to keep me and the rest of the hoi-polloi out, they damn sure succeeded.  I've walked through the place once, the casino is nice and fancy.  Being one of the common people, I had no desire to play a slot machine, have a drink, or do anything else at the Aria.  As Judge Smails used to say, "Some people just don't belong."  I guess that's me at the Aria.
   Having said that, there are a few things that interest me.  Todd English's Pub looks very promising, and there is a lot of public art there, and I know there is a self-guided walking tour that I will take one of these days.  The buffet consistently gets good reviews, so I might hit it up for breakfast. 
  I'm afraid the Aria just isn't the place for me.

5. Planet Hollywood (Total Rewards) -

After putting way too much thought into it, this is the place I am booked for in July, and I am so looking forward to it.  CET (Total Rewards), actually seems to like me, unlike MLife, and appears quite happy to take some of my money.  I actually haven't spent much time in this place, but I like it.  The casino is bright and lively, the spirits flow, and the food options (Pink's Hot Dogs, Planet Dailies, Yolo's, and Earl of Sandwich) fit in with both my taste and my budget.  I might even spring for dinner at the Strip House if I'm feeling it.  Oh, and rumour has it that the Heart Bar at PH is Cougar Central.  I'll let you know.
   I'm not a shopper, but the Miracle Mile shopping mall attached to PH has some good food and drink options as well.  I'll check out Blondies, which gets good reviews as a sports bar.  I'm not a cowboy by any stretch, but have sat at PBR Rock Bar before. When I  first saw the sign for the place, I thought PBR stood for Pabst Blue Ribbon - like I said, I'm not a cowboy. Good service and you can sit outside and peoplewatch on the strip. Cabo Wabo is there too, but that's not so much my scene. 
  I know that the crowd at Planet Hollywood might be a bit too hip for me, but, like the hipsters in my neighborhood here in Boston, they will just have to deal with it.   I just hope I can get a chair by the pool.

So there are my five for now.  Stay tuned, if I live long enough the list will get finished.  Eventually.

The worst casino in Vegas just got a little worse

Many years ago, I used to like the Las Vegas Club.  I liked the gambling, I liked the sports memorabilia, I liked the Great Moments restaurant upstairs, and the friendly staff.  I liked the bar with cheap drinks and good bartenders, where you could sit for a while and watch the crowd on Fremont Street.  Later I liked the R & B singers in the back lounge.

Alas, all those things are gone now.  Every time I visit, one more piece has disappeared.  The bar is still there, but nothing else, and the staff generally seems like they would rather be somewhere else. 

I just found out that Tinoco's Restaurant is closed.  It was a very good place, crammed into the back of a very bad casino.  The room was bright and pleasant, the portions were big, and the price was good.  I'm not saying the food was the best in town, but you could tell that the people at Tinoco's cared about their product, their restaurant and their customers.  Everything the Vegas Club seems to have lost interest in.  And now Tinoco's is gone.

The Vegas Club is owned by the same people who own the recently remade Plaza across the street and the recently closed Western Casino on the far end of downtown Las Vegas.  The Vegaschatter website has speculated a bit that the Vegas Club might be in line for a makeover as well.  They also noted that the hotel portion mostly seems to be closed.  All the activity by the owners on the three properties makes me think that the owners maybe actually have a plan.  Maybe.

As of right now, the Vegas Club casino has one thing going for it: location.  It's on the corner of Fremont and Main, surrounded by the newly remodeled Plaza, the expanding Golden Gate, and the never-ending luau that is the California.  Maybe they will sell the place, although I can't imagine who would buy it as it is. 

The sad fact is that the place is falling down, and no one seems to give a crap.  Not too long ago, the same could have been said about the Plaza and the Western.  The owners fixed the Plaza and closed the Western, so I'm guessing some kind of change is coming soon for the Vegas Club. 

Maybe.

Five Hotels in Vegas, part one

Having nothing particular to write about today, I thought I would just start a walk across Las Vegas and give my random thoughts on the hotel/casinos I've been to.  I've spent a lot of time in some, barely any time in others, so I'll just throw out the things I liked or didn't like and general impressions.  I'll also note what player's card is used in each different place.

Just for structural purposes, I'll go five hotels at a time, starting on the south end of the strip and generally working north.

1. Hooters - (Owl Rewards) - I've actually stayed here twice.  It's very cheap, and has a decent location. But yes, you get what you pay for.  Rooms are standard and a bit run down.  Pool is OK,  a bit small, but the pool bar is a fun place.  Actually, all of the bars are fun.  As you would expect, the place is downscale, casual, and unpretentious.  Never ate at the actual Hooters restaurant on site, but I've had a couple of good breakfasts at the Mad Onion restaurant there.  Nice cheap crap tables.  The place has new owners, if someone were to drop a bunch of money to update the place, it would be a good budget option.  I might go hang out there again, but I think I'm done with staying there.

2. Tropicana - (Trop Plus Players Club) - A few years back, new owners put a lot of money into fixing this place up, and boy did they do a fabulous job. The theme is "South Beach", but I've never been to South Beach so I don't know if it works or not.  I like the casino, it's bright and fun.  The cafe by the pool is good, prices are a bit steep but portions are huge.  People seem to love the pool, I've never been to it, but it seems like a hip party pool where the beautiful people hang out.  Thus, it's not a place for me.  Overall, a pretty fun place.  Good cocktail service.  I actually wanted to stay here when I went out this summer, but couldn't get a good enough price.

3.  Excalibur - (MLife) - An MGM property.  Originally built to attract families, now has go-go dancers and a male stripper show.  I ate dinner at the buffet once, was no terrible, but not very good either.  A lot of kids walking around, which annoys me a bit.  I found a 5 dollar craps table here once with some great dealers and had a very good time.   If I go back here, it will only be because of the memories of the good times I had at the craps table.  Free tram to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

4. Luxor - (MLife) - Another themed property owned by MGM.  Alas, once you get inside, it's damn hard to find any evidence of that theme, making the coolest building in Vegas from the outside remarkably generic on the inside.  This was actually the first place I ever stayed in Vegas, but I really can't think of anything there that would bring me back.  Not that it's a bad place so much, but.........uninteresting.  Free tram to Mandalay Bay and Excalibur.

5. Mandalay Bay - (MLife) - The classiest place on the south strip.  I love their breakfast buffet.  Once I was wolfing down my third plate there (I like to get my money's worth) and the Miss Universe contestants came in.  8:00 in the morning, they were wearing high heels and the sashes.  Boy, those girls sure loved that omelet bar.
  This place is a bit too hipster for me to spend too much time in, but I like the Ri Ra Irish pub, when I was there last there was a great Irish band from NY playing.  The Burger Bar gets great reviews, I might make it there someday, I've tried before but the line is always out the door.  People on the Tripadvisor forum consistently say this is a great pool to bring your kids to.  Which makes me not want to visit the pool.
  Whenever I'm there, there seems to be a big convention of some kind.  Overall, this is an awesome property, but a bit too upscale for a simple man like me.

Well there's numbers 1-5.  When I'm inspired to do 6-10, I'll keep moving up the strip.

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.

Places I Will Go in Vegas #3

Well, I'm still a good ways away from my July trip out to Sin City, and maybe I'm over planning, but I am ready to reveal spot number three on my lame-o Vegas trip.

Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo. I'm no Parrothead, although I can really rock a God-awful Hawaiian shirt.  I've been to the restaurant, the food is overpriced and generally OK, but the drinks are good and the view is fantastic.  Mostly, what is drawing me to the place is the Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar.  I like me a good bar.

I'm mostly a beer man, but the drink menu looks promising.  They have "flair" bartenders, which I find mildly entertaining. 

As I said before, I like bars.  The 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar, like so many good bars in Vegas, is open 24 hours.  In Las Vegas, on vacation, with my body clock stuck on Boston time, I've been known to indulge a wee bit before lunch.  So, maybe this is a place for me.  Either way, I'm looking forward to finding out.

So, to update, here is my list so far:
1. Holsteins Shakes and Buns
2. Mob Museum
3. Margaritaville Casino

Stay tuned, see how things change.

   *picture stolen from Margaritaville website

Oh, the Places I'll Go, #2

This is item numero dos on places I'm planning on visiting during my July trip to Las Vegas. 

The Mob Museum - It seems like it took forever to build this place, but apparently it's ex-mayor (and ex-mob lawyer) Oscar Goodman's dream come true.  People seem to be saying it's worth the trip.  Hey, it won't be the first time in Vegas history that the mob livened up downtown.

I really have no idea what to expect, and I'm certainly no mafia-groupie or anything, but it actually looks pretty cool.  I've scheduled this for my travel day (also known as my sobering-up day).  I have a late flight and generally plan to just hang around downtown for the day, and this seems like a good way to kill a couple of hours before hopping on a plane and heading back to my real life. 

I took this picture years ago before they started construction.  Pretty building, eh?



So if you are keeping track(and I can't believe you would be),  my list so far is:

     1. Holsteins Shakes and Buns



     2. The Mob Museum

Steve Wynn gets the high hat in Massachusetts

I vacation in Las Vegas, but I live in Boston, and I follow the developing casino business here pretty closely.  I don't pretend to know a hell of a lot about the business itself, but I find the whole process pretty interesting.

It's all over the news today ( Boston Globe, for one) that, after the anti-casino folks in Foxboro voted for a new board of selectmen, Steve Wynn and Bob Kraft gave up their plans for a resort-casino in that town.  I was pretty sure it was dead on arrival the first time I heard about.  OK, I'm not Nostradamus, anyone who knows that area could have figured it out pretty quick, but it's an interesting story for a few reasons.

Steve Wynn has made it pretty clear that his company is looking towards Asia for growth.  As far as I know, he has never tried to build a casino anywhere in the U.S. outside of his base properties in LV.  This shows that the eastern Massachusetts casino (there will be only one license issued in eastern MA) is a big prize, bigger than a lot of people seem to think.

The only other candidate for a license in eastern MA is Suffolk Downs, which is partnered with Caesars. I go up there to play the horses once in a while in the summer.  It's a nice spot, has plenty of land, and is on the subway line.  More importantly, the Suffolk Downs folks have the political clout to get the license.  This is Boston, this is Massachusetts, politics mean a lot.

This is good news for me.  If Suffolk gets the casino, it's a subway ride for me.  I can throw back a (comped) drink or two and not worry about driving home.  If its a Caesars property, I can build up my players club points for my trips out to the desert. 

Random thought: One thing I haven't seen anywhere in all the coverage is international visitors.  I see casino's popping up all over the country, but Boston will be the first international city to have one (as far as I can tell).  I can't imagine anyone flying from Frankfort to Cleveland to play craps, but I can't walk six steps in Boston without running into someone with an accent.  They will still come to see the city, but I'm guessing many of them will spring for a subway ride up to the casino as well. 
Boston also just started direct flights to Tokyo.  I just find it interesting.

Boy, this is fun to watch.

Ten good things about the Riviera

A couple of days ago, I posted a bit about the problems the Riviera.  But God help me, I'm an optimist. As I said in my previous post, I still like the place and visit every time I'm in town. The Riviera still does a few things right that keep bringing me back.  Here are ten of them.

   1. Good gambling. The new owners are promoting the place as a destination for "real gamblers", as opposed to a place for the high fashion, go-there-to-be-seen, nightclub crowd. They have good table game rules, and I've never had a bad dealer there. They also treat low-rollers (such as myself) with respect and welcome their business. This is not true of all places in LV.
    2. The Queen Victoria Pub - A real British pub. Well, OK, a fake British pub, but as real as anything in Vegas. I thought putting this place in was a great idea, and whenever I go, there is a good crowd(unlike in the casino), so maybe it's paying off for them. The Brits show up to watch the European sports, I show up because they draw a good pint of Guinness (surprisingly hard to find in Vegas), and because it's a relaxing place with great, friendly service. There is a niche here, and I think they did a good job of filling it.

   3. They have a good cheap food court. They also put in some cool old pinball machines here. If they put in some skeeball lanes I'd settle in for a few hours.

   4. It's next to the Peppermill, maybe the last good(not great, but close) restaurant/lounge on the strip. Believe the hype, it's worth the trip. Good food, big portions, decent prices, strong drinks, weirdo lounge decor, and a rare cast of characters make this place a real find.

   5.  The staff has always been friendly to me. This is a big plus.

   6. They send out a lot of comps if you have their players card. I get them regularly. I haven't used any yet, but one day they will get to me. 6.They have a bingo room. Bingo is not my thing, but a lot of people get terribly excited about bingo.

    7. They seem to have a good convention space. I know nothing about conventions and less about convention space, but it seems pretty big to me.

    8. They have a good (and affordable) comedy club. I'm a big fan of comedy clubs. Usually, I'd rather go cheap and see new faces rather than pay big bucks for a headliner.

    9. Roller Derby. Yes, roller derby. And I've heard the girls go drinking at the Queen Vic afterwords. Sipping a Guinness and watching a rugby game in a bar full of vacationing Brits and roller derby girls? How cool is that?

  10. The old school neon.  Every remodel or update on the strip means less of the classy old neon.  Maybe you haven't noticed.  Outside of downtown, the Riviera has the coolest of the old neon.  You'll miss it when its gone.

What's wrong with the Riviera?

Recently there was an article in the Las Vegas Sun about the Riviera investing a bunch of money to renovate, which, IMHO, is welcome news anywhere. 

I'm a regular reader (and sometimes contributor) to the Las Vegas board on tripadvisor.com, and every now and then someone asks about staying at the Riviera.  The board is quickly inundated with dire warnings and horror stories about the place, which seem to have the desired effects of scaring people away.  Even my Frommer's guide lists this place as "not worth your time or your money."  They officially have a "bad reputation".

I'll admit to having a soft spot for the place.  It's certainly "old school", after all the great movie Casino was filmed there.  I also have a particular annoyance at people who complain that "Vegas hates it's history" and "Big corporations are destroying Vegas", and yet never venture down to the places that are trying to hold on to "the old vibe".  But I digress a bit.

Some years ago, never mind how long precisely, I stayed there.  It was my second ever trip, and I found the place perfectly acceptable.  Even then it was long past hip, but I've been past hip for a while myself.  There was nothing about the place that really wowed me, but I don't remember anything being particularly bad either.  When I make my wee jaunts out to the desert paradise, I always make a trip to the old Riv.  And every time I go, it seems more dated, more rundown, and less busy than the last time, which makes me a bit sad.  Yes, I'm a bit of a weepy sap about such things, but the Riviera was where I learned craps, thanks to the helpful, polite and terribly patient dealers.  The staff, overall, was really great - friendly bartenders, helpful dealers, and the guy that hailed my cab and gave me directions to a couple of places.  After quite a few years, I remember the good service.  There is a lesson there somewhere.

Now back to the headline of my little post, "What's wrong with the Riviera?" 

1.  It's old.  Built in 1955, which makes it very old by Vegas standards.  Old isn't really a bad thing.  Outdated is a bad thing.  The Riv is outdated, and it takes a good bit of money to fix that.
2. It's run down.  Again, a lot of money can fix that.
3. It has a very bad reputation.  Vegas is a town where such things can change though - not too long ago the Tropicana, the Plaza, the El Cortez, and the Gold Spike had terrible reputations. All have made something of a comeback since undergoing big redevelopments.
4. The north strip is dead.  When I stayed at the Riv, Stardust, Circus Circus, the Sahara, and the Stratoshere were all within walking distance.  Now only Circus Circus and the Strat are left and the Strat is too long of a walk for many people.  The Fontainebleau and the Echelon sites sit half finished and will not be finished for years to come.  There is no foot traffic and no big money anywhere in the area.  This is probably the Riviera's biggest problem, and the one the new owners won't be able to fix.
5. The casino is way too empty, and the few people there are low-rollers. As a low-roller myself, I'm not complaining, and you can certainly run a good business if you get enough of them in the door, but that just isn't happening right now.

I'm still optimistic since the place has new owners, and maybe a bit of money to spend.  They've sold the sister casino in Colorado, so it seems like they are all in on Vegas.

Good luck to you fellas.  If you go away, the people who never visited will cry.

Is the old Sahara being rebuilt?

A while ago, there were a few articles noting that the owner of the old Sahara was looking for money to redevelop the place.  Yeah, right, I thought - who's going to throw millions at rebuilding the Sahara, smackdab in the fading wasteland of the north strip?

Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe.  I stumbled on an article in Bloomberg a while ago that the money is there, and the redo is on.  Vegaschatter has written quite a bit about it too, as has Two Way Hard Three and a bunch of other blogs.

I'm terribly sceptical by nature, so I'll believe it when I see cranes and trucks at the site.  Personally, I hope it's for real.  While the north end of the strip is pretty barren in spots, I don't think it's so far gone (yet) that it can't come back, and I'm not such a jerk that I'm trying to put a downer on a project that will bring jobs to LV. So I really hope it's true.

The cynic in me, however, keeps thinking of the "redo" that was promised (a few times) at the old Lady Luck, which still sits empty, ugly, and depressing downtown.