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Another immersive experience has opened in the Lighthouse Artspace in the Shops at Crystals in Center Center. “Immersive Disney Animation” is a 50-minute presentation along the lines of immersive Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci, digital museums in which you're surrounded on all sides, including the ceiling and floor, by larger-than-life high-res images, plus state-of-the-art audio. The Disney show lasts for 50 minutes and encompasses 45 animated movies. Tickets are $45.99 inclusive and the show is scheduled to run through September 3.
Two Las Vegas chefs are finalists in the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards for 2023. Oscar Amador of Anima by EDO and Kaoru Azeuchi of Kaiseki Yuzu are vying for Best Chef Southwest, encompassing Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Two chefs from Oklahoma City and one from the Navajo Nation (New Mexico) are the other finalists. Anima by EDO is a tapas place out on W. Russell near S. Fort Apache. Kaiseki Yuzu is a Japanese restaurant featuring sushi and kaiseki-style (multi-course) meals on Spring Mountain Road in Chinatown. In addition, Garagiste Wine Room is a finalist for Outstanding Bar; this is a national category and Garagiste is vying for the title with wine bars in Kansas, Texas, Seattle, and Hawaii. The finalists will be announced on June 5.
The Life Is Beautiful Festival, which invades downtown Las Vegas September 22-24, has announced its lineup of headliners and acts. The Killers are the big name, along with Kendrick Lamar and, we're told, Kim Petras, Omar Apollo, Khalid, and electronic duo Odesza. Another couple of dozen performers are also on the bill. Of course, we don't recognize any of them and you won't either, though the attendees, paying $380 for the three days, probably will. We do like some of the names, such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Biig Piig, Cigarettes After Sex, Honeyluv, Yung Gravy, Vandelux, Purple Disco Machine, The 1975, and of course, the unforgettable Jockstrap. Tickets are on sale now.
Today is opening day for Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros are the favorite to win in the American League at +330 and the Atlanta Braves are the favorite to win in the National League at +370. The Astros are a +700 favorite to win the World Series.
Demolition equipment attacked the Cable Center Shops, Boulevard Food Court, and Fatburger on the east side of the Strip between Harmon Avenue and the Showcase Mall to make way for a three-story 300,000-square-foot dining, retail, and entertainment complex. It's all just south of the shuttered Hawaiian Marketplace, which is also slated to be razed. No completion date for the new complex has been announced, but at least the process has begun.
Recent storms in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado raised the snowpack to nearly 160% of normal, an increase of 8% over the past week. All the excess runoff through July will, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations, be used to recharge Lake Powell, upstream from Lake Mead; the water level in Powell is down 78% from full and Glen Canyon Dam is generating less than 60% of its peak-power potential. Lake Mead is at 72% full and can still generate 5.3 billion kilowatt hours, a mostly full load.
That didn't take long. The news that signs had gone up at the Strat parking garage, indicating paid parking was in the future, broke just a couple of days ago, but without the when or how much. So we queried the Strat on Facebook and got the official details. You're seeing it here first! Paid parking will go into effect for the guest garage and valet beginning Monday April 3. To self-park Mon. through Thursday, you'll pay $6 for the first four hours, up to a max of $12 for 24 hours. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you'll pay $8 and $15. Valet is $18 Mon.-Thurs. and $20 Fri.-Sunday. And we went back and confirmed that the first hour is not free, nor is there any special dispensation for locals.
According to the National Weather Service, so far, 2023 is the coldest in exactly 50 years. The average high temperature since January 1 has been 58.5 degrees; the last time it was lower was in 1973, when it was 56.5. The record coldest first three months of the year were in
1949 at 53.6 degrees. The high temperature this year has been above 70 degrees only five times, compared to 26 times last year; last year also saw 80 degrees or higher on four days and 90-plus on two during the first three months. Temperatures in nearly three out of four days in 2023 have been below normal and four out of 10 nights have dropped below 40. The month of March is also the coldest since 1973: an average high temperature of 62.5, compared to 60.7 five decades ago. Last year, the average high was more than 10 degrees warmer than this year at 73.1. And the cold continues; the high temperatures over the next 11 days will be in the 50s once, the 60s eight times, and the 70s only twice.
Lotus of Siam, widely considered the best Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, will open a fourth location in Henderson West, a mixed-use project going up at St. Rose Parkway and Bermuda Road, by the end of next year. It will be the fourth location for Lotus, following the one that opened late last year at Red Rock Resort. The original restaurant opened in 1999 in the Commercial Center on E. Sahara just a few blocks from the Strip; a second location opened on E. Flamingo in 2017.
Signs have gone up at the Strat parking garage that seem to announce paid parking will be instituted in the near future. The signs don't indicate the fees, but they do list the hours: one rate for 0-4 hours, another for 4-24, and others for 0-4 and daily Friday to Sunday. We'll keep an eye on this and report further when gates go in, fees are publicized, or something else happens.
The next in the occasional series of Oscar's Dinners, "Old Vegas Comes to Life," has been scheduled for Wednesday April 26. Retired defense attorney and former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will tell stories of Las Vegas and the Mob in Oscar's Steakhouse, the second-floor domed restaurant at the Plaza downtown that overlooks Fremont Street Experience. This evening, dubbed "The Bill of Rights Is Not a Technicality,” starts at 6 p.m. with a cash bar, continues at 7 with a three-course dinner and wine pairing, and winds up with the 83-year-old Goodman doing his thing. Tickets are on sale now at the Plaza website for $175 apiece.
Singer, songwriter, and TV personality Kelly Clarkson will headline a mini-residency, “Chemistry … an Intimate Night with Kelly Clarkson," at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood this summer. The dates are: July 28 and 29; and August 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18, and 19. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. PT. And Madonna, who announced one show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday October 7, then added a second on Sunday October 8, has now tacked on a third on Thursday January 18, 2024. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
We don't know how many total tickets have been or will be sold for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but surely they're in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. We do know that 1,800 general-admission tickets were on sale for $500 each and they sold out quickly. Now, F1 has announced that it will offer more GA admissions, with a catch: People who buy them won't have a direct view of the race. Instead, they'll get access to a "one-of-a-kind watch party" somewhere on the Strip. According to the press release, "This event will allow fans to enjoy the excitement of race weekend, together with live music and entertainment acts from celebrated artists, at a cost-effective price point." When the cost-effective price point is revealed, we'll pass it along.
Veranda.com, an online "authority on extraordinary design, decorating, outdoor living, luxury travel, and lifestyle," has a new page: "12 Must-See Places in Las Vegas for Architecture and Design Lovers." The subtitle, "Sin City has so much more to offer than just casinos and buffets," might be a little dated as far as buffets are concerned, but some of the selections are instructive. Of course, the Welcome sign is first and the bizarre Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and cockeyed Veer Towers are included; the author is obviously enamored of City Center. But some of the others, plus the interiors, are worth a two-minute scroll.
Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Tom Brady are friendly and have been seen together in Las Vegas on occasion, most recently at an MMA match and a WNBA Las Vegas Aces game last season. It was also strongly rumored that Davis wanted Brady to play for the Raiders next season, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion retired for good. Now, Brady has invested in the Aces, which were bought by Davis in early 2021. Brady commented, “My love for women's sports began at a young age when I tagged along to all my older sisters' games — they were by far the best athletes in our house." Details on what percentage of the team he owns haven't been revealed. The Aces won the Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA Championship last season and could be the favorite to win back-to-back titles.
Last night, during the 34th show of her 34 "Weekends with Adele" residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the 34-year-old singer announced that she'll be playing another 34 weekend nights between June 16 and November 4. The June shows will also be filmed and turned into a movie, so everyone can attend a silver-screen performance (for a fraction of the love price). According to Pitchfork.com, the new dates are: June 16, 17, 23, 24, and 30; July 1; August 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26; September 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30; October 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28; and November 3 and 4. Stay tuned for ticketing details.
The Tahoe Daily Tribune reports that the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe in Stateline, NV, is being sold by Paragon Gaming to Fertitta Entertainment. According to the Daily Trib, "Shortly after the close of the transaction, Fertitta will transform the Hard Rock into a Golden Nugget with a remodeling of the property planned." No price has been disclosed, but the timeline looks to be within the next seven to 12 months, subject to the usual approvals and conditions.
With two inches added to the total on Friday, this winter set a new record for snow in the high Spring Mountains. The 256 inches (21.33 feet) surpassed the previous record of 255 inches set in 2005. The ski resort, which usually closes in mid-March, will remain open at least until Easter Sunday, April 9, and could go longer if temperatures remain unseasonably cool.
Cory Sandhagen is a -160 favorite over Marlon Vera in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Holly Holm is -250 over Yana Santos.
TMZ.com reports that Gene Simmons has finally sold the mansion he bought in the hills of Henderson in May 2021. The Kiss front man and bass player paid $10.8 million for the house and a vacant lot next door for tax purposes, then put it back on the market only five months later after his family refused to move to southern Nevada due to the summer heat. He lived there by himself for a few months, then went on tour, and the 11,000-square-foot mansion sat mostly empty ever since. He initially listed the combined properties for $14.95 million, then dropped the price along the way; he ultimately accepted an offer for $11 million, which means that after upgrading the house, spending a reported $1 million on trees, and the transaction expenses, he lost several million. But that barely makes a dent in his estimated $400 million net worth.
The Boring Company has submitted new applications to Clark County for a proposed doubling in reach of the Vegas Loop. The new plans extend the network out to 65 miles of tunnels with 69 stations around the valley, from Blue Diamond to downtown and from Allegiant Stadium out to UNLV, where Boring has purchased 1.3 acres. It's an ambitious vision that, of course, will run into any number of financial, logistical, and regulatory challenges. But the Boring Company does think big. You can see the proposed map here.
The Concacaf Nations League 2022/23 Finals will be held June 15-18 at Allegiant Stadium. Concacaf is the Confederation of North and Central America and Caribbean Association Football, one of the six continental governing bodies for association football in FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, which consists of 209 members, making it the most prestigious sports organization in the world. According to the Concacaf press releases, the semi-final, final, and third-place matches will be played at Allegiant over that weekend. It will be the second Concacaf championship; the first was won by the U.S. in 2021. Tickets will be available to the public at 10 a.m. on Monday.
MSG Sphere has launched its hiring website in a bid to hire 3,000 "ambitious" people to help open the high-tech arena this fall. Full- and part-time positions include usher, retail, cook and kitchen worker, bartender, porter, guest-service representative, and security. Applicants should go to SphereCareers.com.
How much snow has fallen in the Sierra Nevada in northern Nevada and eastern California this winter? For one, ski resorts are digging out the chairlifts -- and not just the chairs, but the pulleys and cables at the top of the lifts. For another, three-story houses are completely buried, with just the chimneys sticking out in the daylight. With another 10 days to go in the official snow season and more snow in the forecast, it's already the second snowiest season since record-keeping began in 1946. The current 56.4 feet has surpassed the previous second of 55.9 feet set in 1982-1983, though there's still a long way to go to take the number-one spot of 67.7 feet set in 1951-52.
It's a big weekend in Vegas for Anthony (tune in to find out why), so the vlog is up and at 'em already. This one covers a lot of territory from all over the map. First up is Dream Hotel-Casino, under construction next to the Pinball Hall of Fame, which has hit a speed bump. Then A.C. and Andrew talk about March Madness, with a slew of details, including where to find discount pricing on sports bets. Then comes big news for blackjack tournament players: a new mini-tournament open to the public, the first Anthony can recall in at least a decade; A.C. tells some of his own tournament stories and has a number of tips on strategy. Andrew reports on his buffet comp at the Palms and airs the 40-second trailer for a new documentary, Advantage Player, and the Jackpot of the Week prompts a discussion on progressive jackpots. It's another great one!
President Joe Biden on Tuesday set aside more than 500,000 acres in southern Nevada by creating the state's fourth national monument, Avi Kwa Ame. The 506,814 acres centered on Avi Kwa Ame, which translates from the Yuman language as “Spirit Mountain,” is now one of the nation's largest tracts of contiguous land designated to protect wildlife habitat and cultural significance. For the whole story of this development, read our Question of the Day.
The first ongoing blackjack mini-tournament we’ve seen in more than a decade debuts today at the Downtown Grand. The weekly blackjack tournament starts at 3 p.m. every Thursday and there’s a $25 entry fee, with 100% of the money collected returned in prizes. Rounds are 10 hands and there’s a $25 rebuy if you don’t advance. It’s another good addition for the ever-improving DG.
An early-spring storm yesterday pelted the valley with a sizable amount of rain and dumped more snow on the Spring Mountains. Las Vegas and vicinity received an average of around .4 of an inch; the historic average for the entire month of March is .59 of an inch. Up in the mountains, Lee Canyon Ski Resort registered three inches of snow. The snow total for the season now stands at 235 inches, nearly 20 feet; with another lucky-21 inches, the all-time record of 255, set in winter 2004-2005, will be broken. By comparison, a total of 80 inches fell up at Lee Canyon last winter.
South Point is dealing -105 on all NCAA tournament games through to the championship game for bets on pointspreads only, no totals. The -105 pricing is also offered at Rampart, along with CasaBlanca and Virgin River in Mesquite, all of which are South Point-affiliated books.
Is she bigger than Adele? Gaga? BTS? It's possible. Taylor Swift plays two shows at Allegiant Stadium this Friday and Saturday and all 80,000 seats sold out almost immediately after being announced. Relatively few tickets are available on the resale sites and at last check were starting at around $350 for Friday's show and nearly $600 for Saturday's; the highest prices for the best seats are around $16,000. Unless you're attending, definitely avoid the stadium vicinity those two nights. Speaking of Adele, she'll make the last two appearances of her residency at Caesars on the same nights. And for the geezer set, John Mellencamp performs at Encore Theater on the same nights, while Foreigner starts a mini-residency (through April 8) at Venetian Theater on Friday. Of course, for college basketball fans, the March Madness Sweet 16 West Region games will be played here on Thursday and Saturday. Phew!
Just announced is an "exclusive" Las Vegas Grand Prix Vista package from the rooftop of the Cromwell. The three-day party "will be attended by F1 legends and celebrities, with live concerts, free-flowing champagne and a curated grazing menu." It kicks off at 5 p.m. on Thursday to watch the first two Practice sessions and ends in the wee hours. It starts again at 5 p.m. on Friday for Practice Session 3 and a qualifying event, then continues at 7 p.m. Saturday on race night with pre- and post-entertainment. The food consists of canapés, cheese stations, and sweets (you might want to eat dinner before you arrive). The total package, including a 10% service fee and 9% live-entertainment tax, costs $5,990 per person.
Rent.com's monthly report for February found that Nevada was among seven states that experienced a decrease in the median statewide rent, down 1.88% from January. Only Idaho at -2.98% had a higher decline. Nevada was followed by Washington (-1.81%), Minnesota (-1.4%), Virginia (-1.33%), Massachusetts (-1.07%), and Colorado (-0.30%). The national median rent was $1,937 in February, the lowest number since February 2022 ($1,904). Rent prices peaked in August 2022 at $2,053, after rising above $2,000 for the first time in May. Rents in the Las Vegas area have a long way to fall before returning to pre-inflation levels, but historically, when the U.S. sneezes, Nevada catches a cold. Could this be a canary-in-the-coal-mine indicator?
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports this morning that construction of the Dream Hotel-Casino has come to a "full stop." Apparently, the developer owes upwards of $30 million for work already done and that time is needed to finalize further financing for the project, which should be "in two to four weeks." So far, expenses have been covered by company cash and the owners are "working on a $400-million-plus funding package." Ground was broken for Dream last July. The five-acre $500 million 20-story 531-room property was announced in early 2020, but it took 30 months to clear all the hurdles involved in its location on the east side of the south Strip right next to the airport. The completion date was supposed to be summer 2024, but now, we'll have to wait and see.
Here's the link to a 40-second trailer for a documentary about advantage play that's currently in production. The 41 seconds give a good look at Advantage Player; also, at the 27- to 28-second mark, you'll recognize one of the APs who was interviewed extensively for the film.
Are you planning, thinking about, or even just dreaming of moving to Las Vegas? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes on this web page, which lists the best suburbs (meaning outside the city limits) in the valley. Of course, Summerlin tops the list and three others are pretty broad (North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City), but several might be new to you. This site has a second page with more neighborhoods that's also worth a quick scroll to narrow down your search.
A story in yesterday's Las Vegas Review-Journal pegged the number of people who attended events at Allegiant Stadium last year at 1.7 million. The top five events were four Raiders' home games and the Soccer Champions Tour game between Madrid and Barcelona, all attracting between 58,871 and 57,147 fans. The biggest concert was the BTS show on April 16 attended by 51,664. In total, the 15 concerts in 2022 attracted just under 655,000 people, while for Raiders' home games, it was just under 500,000; the rest came to other pro sporting events (337,765), 157 private events (88,757), and UNLV football games (80,419). Further, the number of out-of-town visitors who attended an Allegiant event smashed all original projections; for Raiders games, it averaged 65% and for the Notre Dame-Brigham Young football game in October, it was 87%. All in all, it's apparent that Allegiant Stadium has been beneficial for the Las Vegas economy.
The new XFL's Vegas Vipers pro-football team squeaked out a 35-32 victory in yesterday's game at Cashman Field to finally place a 1 in the Win column in front of the 4 in the Loss column. But before you break out the Champagne bottle, their opponent was the Orlando Guardians, now 0-5. Coach Rod Woodson was pleased with the offense, which scored five touchdowns and extra points, and frustrated with the defense, which "needs a lot of corrections." Still, a crowd of nearly 6,100 enjoyed the win.
A feature article by long-time Las Vegas food writer Heidi Knapp Rinella for Desert Companion, Nevada Public Radio's print wing, asks the buffet question, whose answer is, as always since the shutdown, a mixed bag. "All You Can't Eat" quotes several sources, among them: an associate professor at UNLV's College of Hospitality who suspects they might return; Frank Fertitta, CEO of Station Casinos, who says the locals-casino buffets were definitely loss leaders, so they decided to "narrow it down to the restaurants that were the most popular,” "popular" of course being corporate-executive speak for "profitable"; and our own Anthony Curtis, who continues to bang the "let's-wait-and-see-what-happens-when-the-casinos-start-to-feel-an-economic-pinch" drum. One thing's certain. The buffets at the Fremont and Aria won't be back; they've been replaced by food halls. And the beloved Feast buffets at Station Casinos won't be back; they're all being replaced by other dining options.
According to Teslarati.com, a site dedicated to Elon Musk ventures, the Boring Company is making progress in digging a new tunnel between the Convention Center Loop and the Westgate next door. The tunnel should be completed sometime in "the second half of April" and the station will be completed by mid-September. As covered in a News item a few days ago, the Vegas Loop transported its millionth passenger last Tuesday.
Kamaru Usman is a -250 favorite over Leon Edwards in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Rafael Fiziev is -260 over Justin Gaethje.
This hotel is so old that Mark Twain used to drink in the bar there -- when he was in his mid-20s. A post on OnlyInYourState.com covers the Gold Hill Hotel, built in 1859 near the first mines of the Comstock Lode. Still in operation today, it's definitely the oldest hotel in the state and is, for the most part, a forgotten piece of Nevada history. For example, Samuel Clemons, whose brother Orion was the secretary for Nevada's first territorial governor James Nye in nearby Carson City, began his journalism career in Virginia City, just up the hill from Gold Hill, and adopted the pseudonym Mark Twain while writing stories for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper. The whole tale is told in Twain's excellent book, Roughing It. Drinking in the Gold Hill's subterranean bar evokes that era. (And thanks to Canada Roy for sending the link.)
This week's YouTube is live and it's full of good stuff from Anthony and Andrew. The guys discuss St. Patrick's Day, the sale of 10 acres on the Strip, a mini "implosion" at Caesars, March Madness parties (and they go into the wild to South Point and the Palms), some bad buffet news that's not all that bad, and some further tales about the late great tournament-poker player Stu Ungar. But the Jackpot of the Week is a classic! Don't miss this monumental f**k *p -- and Anthony's explanation about something that everyone wants to know: Are the video poker draw cards dealt in order or randomly? Click the White Arrow for all this and more!
The Vegas Loop, which debuted with two tunnels and three passengers stations underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center around this time in 2021, has reportedly reached a major milestone: It transported its one-millionth passenger on the opening day of the huge Con Expo/Con Agg convention and trade show on Tuesday. That's pretty impressive (to us, anyway), considering that they've all been transported in four- or five-passenger Teslas. Still, with up to 60 cars running between the Convention Center stations and one at Resorts World across the Strip, the system is designed to handle 4,400 passengers per hour and they, obviously, add up over time.
The small round domed building that fronts Caesars Palace is being demolished this week in order to clear space for grandstands for the F1 race this fall. The Las Vegas Review-Journal quotes Heidi Sarno Strauss, daughter of Jay Sarno, who developed Caesars Palace in the '60s. She said that the rotunda wasn't in the original plan and called it "meaningless. It might have been used for storage. It was just aesthetics." The R-J real-estate reporter, Eli Segall, should have interviewed us about the rotunda, which in fact housed one of Las Vegas' original high-tech attractions. The "World of Caesar" opened in 1986 and cost $2.5 million, a hefty sum at the time for a small attraction. You can read our reminiscence about it in this recent Question of the Day.
An article in this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that a sandwich shop from Florence, Italy, that at least one journal has named among the best in the world, will open at the Sundry Food Hall at the UnCommons in the fall. All’Antica Vinaio, which means “At the Ancient Wine Merchant,” which describes the location of the first shop that opened in Venice in 1991 across from a wine bar, will feature "freshly baked schiacciata (skia-CHA-tah), the chewy Tuscan flatbread, a thinner cousin of focaccia; sliced meats like capocollo or Tuscan prosciutto; cheese that runs to Gorgonzola or stracciatella (mozzarella soaked in cream); produce like tomatoes or spicy eggplant; swipes of truffle or onion porcini cream; perhaps gusty basil or a jab of arugula to finish," according to the R-J. They'll be molto costoso, according to us; the menu for the two shops in New York list prices from $12 for the Caprese, basically cheese and a slice of tomato, all the way to $20 for the Toscana, with Tuscany salami and pecorino, plus truffle honey. The UnCommons is a mixed-use community (apartments, office space, restaurants including the new food hall, and entertainment) located at S. Durango and the Beltway.
Canadian superstar Drake has announced his tour dates for this year. The 29 shows will start in New Orleans on Friday June 16 and wind up in Glendale, AZ, on Tuesday September 5. The second-to-last stop will be in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena on Friday September 1. Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage will open for Drake. Various pre-sale tickets became available today at noon; general public tickets go on sale Friday at noon.
Frontier Airlines has announced that a number of its routes, including several that were recently launched, will be canceled. Started only last November, Frontier's daily flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International to Las Vegas will end on May 10. Also, the daily flights from Hobby Airport in Houston and Baltimore-Washington International to LAS, along with those from Reid International to Memphis International (four times per week) and Louis Armstrong International in New Orleans (three times a week), will be cut as of May 10.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual "Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study" for 2022 has been released and at 45 pages, it has a ton of statistics about who's visiting and how much they're spending. For the first time in its 48-year history, the Study expanded its interview pool to online surveys, nearly doubling the number of people interviewed (6,200). Here are some of the stats that caught our attention. The average age of visitors last year was 40.7, down from 43.2 in 2021, with 48% Millennials, 27% Gen X, 13% Gen Z, and only 12% Baby Boomers; the number of Boomers has been on a slow but steady decline since the pandemic shutdown. Similarly, the number of employed visitors increased from 71% in 2021 to 84% in 2022, indicating a decrease in retirees. The average gambling bankroll was $761.22, up from $718 in 2021 and $591 in 2019. And visitor spending was way up, indicating more money to spend and higher prices. Food-and-beverage spend was $527, up from $462 in 2021; shows and entertainment was $310, up from $177 in 2021; and local transportation was $190, up from $160. The average number of days (4.4) and nights (3.4) stayed in Las Vegas was down from 4.6 and 3.6 in 2021, but the same as 2018 and 2019 figures.
A story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, "Sunbelt Traffic Jams Are Frustrating Drivers and Threatening Growth," contains a chart that compares Las Vegas' percentage of people who drive or carpool to work. Las Vegas is highest on the chart at 85.9% of workers, just above Nashville at 85.3%. We're not sure if these are the highest in the nation; the rest of the cities surveyed (Miami 84.3%, Washington, D.C. 69.2%, San Francisco 62%, and New York 53.5%) don't include Los Angeles or San Diego. But there's no doubt that the vast majority of Las Vegas workers commute in their own cars.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has approved the sale of 10 vacant acres it owns formerly occupied by the Riviera. The buyer is paying $125 million for the property and plans to build a dining, entertainment, and retail center initially; a 500-room non-casino hotel is also a possibility. The buyer's group is headed up by the developer of the soon-to-open Project 63 between the Cosmopolitan and the Crystals Mall at City Center. The new group stepped in to buy the land after a $120 million sale to Chilean casino mogul Claudio Fischer fell through late last year.
Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood is undergoing a name change. The naming rights have been sold to Bakkt Holdings, a five-year-old company that "offers one platform for cryptocurrency, loyalty, and commerce." The venue will be called Bakkt (pronounced "Backed") Theater and Bakkt's crypto platform will, apparently, be integrated into Caesars Rewards. This is the fifth name change for the theater, originally known as the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, which opened with the old Aladdin in 1976. Zappos bought the naming rights in 2018, but it's been reported that Amazon, which owns Zappos, is in the process of dissolving the Zappos brand.
Country musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Keith Urban, in the middle of a residency at Zappo's Theater at Planet Hollywood that ends on July 1, has added eight more performances that will take place on November 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18. Pre-sale fan-club tickets are available now; general-public tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. from Ticketmaster.
The remnants of major storms moving east from the west coast have helped push the snowpack, officially known as the Snow Water Equivalent, in the Upper Colorado Basin to 142% of normal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That's up 8% from just a week ago. The long-range forecast is for dry weather for a couple of weeks, then a little more snow over the last few days of March. Measurements taken a day or two before or after April 1 are generally considered the peak of the snowpack season.
As part of the opening of his show at Resorts World on Saturday night, illusionist and extreme-stunt performer David Blaine apparently dislocated his shoulder when he landed badly after jumping from the top of a 90-foot scaffolding into a foam pit on the stage. Obviously in distress, some crew members tried to help, but when that failed, Blaine asked if there were any doctors in the house. Four MDs rushed onto the stage and after some effort relocated his right arm. Then Blaine got up off the floor and announced, "Wow. That hurt." This performer lives by the creed "the show must go on" and it did. According to people in the audience, he was still in pain, but also in good humor. He took a slight break a little later, then finished up. You can see some video of the before and after here on TMZ.
Air Force One flies into Reid International this evening, so that President Joe Biden can make an appearance in Las Vegas on his swing around the west. Traffic will encounter "significant disruptions," according to Metro police, on the major highways; you can expect slowdowns and/or hard closures between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the Airport Connector, 215 westbound, I-15 northbound between 215 and US 95, US 95 northbound from the Spaghetti Bowl out to Summerlin Parkway, and Summerlin Parkway in both directions. Between 7:30 and 8 p.m., the problems will be on Summerlin Parkway to US 95 and I-15 southbound. Tomorrow, Maryland Parkway from Tropicana to Russell and the Airport Connector will be closed from around noon to 1 p.m. If you're flying in this evening or out tomorrow afternoon, allow at least a couple of extra hours to get to and from the airport. Biden is here to "discuss the cost of prescription medicine," but when and where are unknown at this point.
Houston is the favorite to win the NCAA Basketball Championship at +525, followed by Alabama (+685), and Kansas (+980). The longshots are Texas Southern and SE Missouri State at +250000 (2,500-1). An estimated 68 million people in the U.S. are expected to wager $15.5 billion on the tournament, with sports betting now legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Las Vegas will host its first-ever tournament games, with the West Regional being played at Allegiant Stadium during the second weekend of the tournament.
Adele's string of weekend shows comes to an end on Saturday March 25, but rumors are circulating this morning that her people are talking to Caesars' people about another residency later this year. Of course, according to the British tabloids, the new dates are tied into the Grand Prix in November, which makes sense on one level: Anyone who can afford the least expensive F1 tickets ($1,500 apiece for the cheap seats) and room packages starting at $2,000 can no doubt shell out another couple thou to see a show. On another level, however, does Caesars need Adele to attract more visitors for that weekend? And how will they get to the show? Still, the reports say that the new deal could be worth one million pounds (about $1.22 million). Does that mean ticket prices will go even higher than the stratosphere they hit this time around? At Caesars? Through Ticketmaster? You make the call.
Spring arrived a week early at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The new showcase features a profusion of flowers and trees; a bright yellow sun, complete with a human face, surveys the scene from on high. The spring exhibit will run through May 20. To complement the Conservatory, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art also has a spring exhibit; 30 paintings and sculpture "connect to rejuvenation, humanity, and collective change."
In tonight's Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the favorite for Best Picture at -1050, with All Quiet on the Western Front the distant second favorite at +600. Brendan Fraser is -200 to win Best Actor for The Whale. Michelle Yeoh is -210 to win Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ke Huy Quan is the biggest fave of the night at -5000 to win Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once. And Jamie Lee Curtis is -105 to win Best Supporting Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead by one hour for Daylight Savings Time, which began at 2 a.m. this morning. The time change is especially significant for sports bettors who want to bet today’s early games.
Nevada's new Governor Joe Lombardo declared, then expanded, a state of emergency for almost all of northern Nevada due to a deluge of rainfall, precipitating floods, rockslides and avalanches, and damage to public infrastructure. Eleven of Nevada's 17 counties, plus the capital district of Carson City and tribal lands, are impacted. US 95 north of Hawthorne in Mineral County was closed for nearly 24 hours due to a landslide blocking the road (on a narrow stretch next to Walker Lake); it reopened late yesterday. If you're traveling north from Vegas, definitely check road and weather conditions along the way.
If you want to see what the race course and spectator areas could -- and probably will -- look like for the Las Vegas Grand Prix this November, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has published eight renderings. Four are exterior frames of the track, stands, and/or race cars whizzing by; the other four are interiors of hospitality spaces. They'll give you a good idea of how thoroughly F1 will recreate Las Vegas in its own image -- and why we won't be anywhere near the Strip that entire weekend. (Click on a thumbnail below the banner, then use the back and forth arrows next to the images.) In a related story, Sports Illustrated reports this morning that preparations for the race are already behind schedule.
This week's vlog is up and at 'em. Anthony and Andrew talk about the final details of Bally's rebranding into the Horseshoe and Anthony relates a story about Bally's marquee and 6-5 blackjack, discussing how bad that payout is in the process. They also get into a little Reno news and again, A.C. has a brief story to tell about the casino that's getting turned into a Vegas-equivalent megaresort. Will there be a Nevada lottery, as proposed in the current legislature? Anthony's taking the over on the earliest it could happen if it does: 2026. Then, he's excited by a historical (1980) Las Vegas video that's about as obscure as we've ever seen; he moved to Las Vegas within months of when it was produced. Finally, the Jackpot of the Week is a doozy -- an $8,000 hit off a throwaway $64 TITO on a $2 Triple Double machine. And check out the cash payout! Click and take it all in in a mere 15 minutes.
Petr Yan is a -250 favorite Merab Dvalishvili in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Alexander Romanov is -160 over Alexander Volkov.
Forbes has ranked the 50 states for the expense of owning a car and Nevada is tied for first most expensive, right up there with California. Both states scored 100 our of 100 in the analysis that combined gas prices, car-repair costs, car-insurance rates, and monthly auto-loan payments. Nevada placed third for highest gas prices ($4.24 per gallon), sixth for a year's worth of insurance ($3,342), and 10th for monthly auto-loan payment ($582). Seven of the 10 most expensive states are in the west (California, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, New Mexico, Washington, and Wyoming), while six of the 10 least expensive states for car ownership are in the Midwest (Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio). New York is the most expensive for full-coverage car insurance ($4,769 per year).
Colorado-based Century Casinos has been approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to purchase the Sparks Nugget for $195 million. For that price, Century buys the operations and half the real estate. The other half is being retained by Las Vegas-based Marnell Gaming, which has owned the Nugget since 2016, having bought it for an undisclosed price from the Ascuaga family. Century owns and operates two casinos in Colorado, two in Missouri, one in West Virginia, and four in Poland. The 1,400-room Nugget will become Century's flagship property, with its nine restaurants, 700-seat showroom, and convenient location (literally) under and around Intestate 80 in downtown Sparks. The Gaming Control Board passed on its unanimous recommendation to the Nevada Gaming Commission, which is expected to rubber stamp the transaction at its meeting on March 23.
What will almost certainly be the largest convention of the year comes to town next week. ConExpo-Con/Agg, a triennial gathering of the construction industry, has been held in Las Vegas every three years since 1996; the last time it was here in 2020, the final day was canceled due to the arrival of the pandemic. Still, it attracted 125,000 attendees and this year's show is expected to be even bigger, with an anticipated 130,000 (CES in January had 115,000). The show runs Tuesday through Saturday and will occupy nearly three million square feet at the Convention Center and Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
The second round of tickets for the Las Vegas Grand Prix to the public two weeks from today, Friday March 24 at 10 a.m. PT. But hopefuls who signed up for the priority-ticket list by donating to the the Las Vegas Grand Prix Foundation will get their early shot at tickets on Wednesday March 22 at a time to be announced soon. the vast majority of these tickets are good for three days of access to one of a half-dozen "zones" along the race course with varying degrees of included food and beverage. The $15,000 Paddock Club tickets are sold out and prices for the Private Suites, designed for a minimum of 106 guests are, uh, private. Skyboxes are going for $10,000, with three Koval Zones at $8,000, Main Grandstand and East Harmon $2,500, MSG Sphere $2,000, West Harmon $1,500, and General Admission (standing room) $500. According to F1, this ticket phase will sell out all the remaining on-track tickets.
The Raiders' annual rummage sale will be a big one this year. It will take place at the warehouse for Raiders Image, the retail chain that sells Raiders' apparel, headwear, accessories, and collectibles. The warehouse is located at 5525 Polaris Ave. across from the southwest gate of Allegiant Stadium and the clearance sale will be held March 17-19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shoppers can select from 20,000 units of officially licensed Raiders-themed merchandise at discounts as high as 70%. It will also be the first year that UNLV team items will also be sold at discount prices.
Alaska-based startup Northern Pacific Airways has announced that it will launch its service with one round-trip per week between Ontario, California, and Las Vegas. The inbound flight (cleverly numbered 777) will fly on Fridays, the return trip (#888) on Sundays, thus cherry-picking the busiest times and remaining competitive in airfares ($93 each way so far). Ultimately, NP expects to fly Asia routes out of Anchorage, but for now, it's an alternative to Southwest for a Vegas weekend.
"The priciest item on your next hotel bill might not be the room, but a posh slice of poolside shade and privacy." So starts a story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, which goes on to reveal that cabana upgrades, along with online reservations and dynamic pricing, have "upped the ante during peak travel periods." Prices quoted in the article range from $400 per day at the beachfront Hotel del Coronado just outside San Diego up to $1,200 at Loews Miami Beach Hotel (for two-story cabanas with air conditioning, showers, and an ocean-view deck). Of course, that's just for rent; food, drink and tips are extra. Cabana prices rose 5%-50% last year and "show no signs of easing this year." The story ends with a couple who rented a cabana at Caesars for $750 a few years ago and have reserved one at Mandalay Bay at $550 for the day over this coming July 4th week. They reserved in February, estimate they'll spend another $100 per person on food and drinks, and say that cabana prices are "outrageous," but they pay without hesitation. Why? “Without shade in July, you’re going to die. It’s that simple.”
Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas compound and bird and animal sanctuary has been put on the market, listed at $3 million. The eight-acre estate, located on Valley Drive just east of Decatur, was built in 1954; S&R bought it in 1982 and it was known variously as "Little Bavaria" and the "Jungle Palace." Over the years, the illusionist partners acquired three parcels around the original homesite and to the 8,750-square-foot main house added three guest houses and two detached studios, a 10-car garage, several pools and cabanas, a bell tower, six electric gates, and a maze of walkways for their menagerie of pets, from swans to lions. Last year following Siegfried Fischbacher's death from pancreatic cancer, the house was sold for $1.8 million. You can see a half-dozen photos of the property on Fox5Vegas.com.
The 39th-annual International Pizza Expo, the pizza-industry’s leading event, returns to Las Vegas March 28-30; thousands of pizzeria professionals will convene here for a trade show, educational sessions, and national competitions. The welcome event, Pizza Expo Tailgate Party, is open to Expo attendees and the general public and will feature two dozen of the best pizza makers in Las Vegas and beyond and a chance to sample their wares. For a $45 tax-deductible donation to Slice out Hunger, a charitable organization consisting of 550 pizzeria members that produces pizza-themed events and campaigns to fight food insecurity, Tailgate Partiers will get all the pizza they can eat, plus prizes, DJ music, and more. The event will take place on March 26 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and limited tickets are available at sliceouthunger.org.
The Sands Regency Hotel-Casino, which opened on the outskirts of downtown Reno in 1970, has been rebranded; it’s now called J Resort as part of owner Jacobs Entertainment’s modernizing of the 53-year-old property. Jacobs bought the property in 2017 and has pledged to invest up to $1 billion in the total remake. Phase 1 renovations now under way will result in an expanded and remodeled casino, two new restaurants and one lounge, and a digital-art wall. Phase 2 involves adding a rooftop swimming pool and spa, a sports-themed lounge, and an Asian food and gaming venue. Beyond that, there are plans for a 150-foot-high zip line, 6,500-seat outdoor amphitheater, 3,500-seat showroom, 400-seat dinner theater, expanded pool area, and 100,000 square feet of conference space. Three new hotel towers will add 1,200 rooms to the existing 750. If all the plans come to fruition, the J Resort will rival the megaresorts of Las Vegas.
The fate of long-time Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr, benched for the last few games of a disappointing season, has been sealed; the Raiders' nine-year starting quarterback has signed a deal worth $150 million with the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Raiders applied the franchise tag to superstar running back Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage last season. The tag allows a team to bind one unrestricted free agent for one year under certain conditions. Jacobs can play out the year for $10 million; he and the Raiders can also negotiate a long-term contract before July 15. The Vegas Golden Knights acquired 37-year-old goaltender Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets two days after he was traded by the L.A. Kings. Quick, filling in for the VGK's two injured goalies, won his debut at T-Mobile Arena, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday. Finally, in the personal good-news department, Las Vegas' new "power" couple is Raiders All-Pro tight end Darren Waller and the WNBA Las Vegas Aces' guard Kelsey Plum, who got married on Saturday night. We wish them a long successful union.
The median price of a single-family house in Las Vegas, $424,995, remained unchanged in February from January's $425,000, a sign that the market is stabilizing after the buying frenzy over the past few years. The price is down 5.6% from February of last year, when it was $450,000. The all-time record price was set in May 2022 at $482,000. In addition, inventory is way up; last month, 4,665 single-family homes were sitting on the market awaiting an offer, nearly triple the number the same time last year. And of the houses that sold in February, only 40% had been listed for 30 days or less, almost half the year-over-year number. With mortgage interest rates rising since February, these trends are likely to continue.
Brightline, the company behind the $10 billion high-speed rail line between southern California and southern Nevada, has completed another crucial step in its quest to bring this project to fruition. Brightline has reached an initial agreement with the High-Speed Rail Labor Coalition, consisting of 13 unions that represent more than 160,000 U.S. railroad workers. The train will reach a cruising speed of 200 miles per hour, completing the 218-mile trip in just over an hour. According to Brightline, the fully electric emission-free system will be one of the greenest forms of transportation in the U.S. Construction is expected to commence before the end of this year and be finished in 2026 or 2027.
According to the producer of this 35 minute BBC video, "It was a film made on a whim. In Vegas for another project, I discovered they were celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the city (1980). The BBC agreed for me to stay on an extra week to make this 'Happy Birthday, Las Vegas' film. Not a masterpiece, but fun." And yes it is, especially for the look of this place 43 years ago, right when Anthony Curtis was turning 21 and arriving at his new hometown. Amazingly enough, it has only 638 views and one comment -- in other words, it's virtually unknown. And props to the producer for squeezing an extra week in Vegas out of his employers. Well done, old chap! And well done, Canada Roy, who found it and turned us onto it.
Interested in staying, or even just getting a gander, at the upscale suites at 17 Las Vegas hotels? From the Sake Suite at Nobu and the Wraparound Terrace Suite at Cosmo to the Crockfords Presidential Suite at Resorts World and the Sky Villas at Aria, the excellent ThePointsGuy.com travel website goes into a fair amount of detail, complete with photos and prices, on ore than a dozen of the top suites in town. It's a good way to decide where you'll splurge on accommodations when you hit the lottery, sell your startup to Google, come into an inheritance, or just want to pay to live like a whale for a night or two.
Another major highway construction project for Las Vegas has been scheduled. This one, which will cost $85 million and take 20 months to complete, will widen the 215 Beltway between Interstate 15 and Decatur Boulevard where, currently, 215 loses a lane and creates a long backup during commute hours. When finished, the Beltway will be a full four lanes in each direction from deep in Henderson all the way to way up in northwest Las Vegas. Construction is slated to begin in early July and shouldn't interfere too much with visitor trips, though it might impact traffic somewhat on I-15 at the extensive interchange at 215 slightly south of the city.
Nothing against Des Moines, of course, though when we googled "Is Des Moines a party city?" the first 100 results were for Party City, the retail chain for party supplies and holiday decorations. But according to Betsperts.com, a sports-betting site, Des Moines, Iowa, is the sixth top party city in the U.S., while Las Vegas comes in at number 11. For real. The survey is based on nightlife attractions, taxi fares, Airbnb rates, and casinos per 100,000 people. Thanks to the Airbnb rate of $128 per night, compared to Las Vegas' $240, plus the per-mile taxi fare of $2.08, compared to Las Vegas' $3.22, and despite its 21 nightclubs per 100,000 (Las Vegas: 43) and zero casinos (Las Vegas: 26), Des Moines' party-score total is 6.55, compared to Las Vegas' 5.95. Proving once again the old saying, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics." We can (almost) understand St. Louis at number one, Mobile (AL) at #4, and Fort Lauderdale (#8), Miami (#9), and St. Petersburg (#10), but Cleveland (#5) and Salt Lake City (#7)? Obviously, the Betsperts experts have never been to any of them.
Today and tomorrow are the last couple of days to weigh in on your favorite breakfasts in the tourist corridor -- the Strip and vicinity and downtown Las Vegas and Henderson. We won't tell you which restaurant is in the lead, though we'll give you a hint: It's not in a casino. But we will tell you the number-two vote-getter so far, which is also one of our favorites, the South Point Garden Buffet. Add your own top choices here; you can vote for as many as you like.
News site Stacker.com analyzed online house-hunting data ("cross-market demand from Realtor.com") to determine whence people might be moving to Las Vegas these days. Unsurprisingly, the most views originated in Los Angeles (a view share of 32.2%, nearly one out of three), one of the most compelling statistics we've seen that residents in L.A. and vicinity are looking to get out and many of them are considering Las Vegas; fully 26.2% of the viewers were looking to buy a house here. The second-most views came from Phoenix, a distant 4.3%, though 33.3% were looking to buy. From there, the views came from Chicago (4.2%/23.5%), Riverside, CA (3.9%/45.4%), and New York City (3.8%/22.5%). Washington, D.C., Sacramento and San Jose, Denver, and Dallas round out the top ten.
Jon Jones is a -180 favorite over Ciryl Gane in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Valentina Shevchenko is -1000 over Alexa Grasso.
ArtNet.com is reporting that a national touring exhibition of 50 monumental artworks from Burning Man will make its first stop in Las Vegas next month. The exhibit, called "Transfix," will consist of "50 festival-style, interactive, kinetic, illuminated artworks, including pyrotechnics" and take place outside Resorts World. Originally presented during the pandemic as a COVID-friendly event at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York to support artists of large-scale festival art (Transfix pays the artists a rental fee), the sponsors collected the pieces from warehouses around the world, one of which is five stories tall, another 10,000 square feet. "Works will be on view in a sprawling 200,000-square-foot outdoor venue, with two-story viewing platforms to experience the monumental art from multiple vantage points. Exploring the entire maze-like exhibition is expected to take about two hours," according to ArtNet. Transfix opens on April 21 at Resorts World and is expected to run at least through September; tickets go on sale on Wednesday March 15 and start at $59.
Bellagio has announced the availability of tickets to its Fountain Club spectator area for the Grand Prix. This is the VIP area in the grandstands between the Strip and the water show, where the cheap seats sold out quickly. For your $11,247 per person, you get a "three-day enhanced race pass," which includes access to the club space built into the grandstands, plus unlimited food and beverage from such MGM Resorts chefs as Mario Carbone, David Chang, Michael Mina, Masaharu Morimoto, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who'll rotate over the three days. Meet-and-greets with F1 ambassadors and access to indoor club space and rooftop hospitality areas round out the package. Notice that hotel rooms are not included; those cost extra. But the press release assures that "Fans can book accommodations at MGM Resorts’ portfolio of rooms and suites, which are walking distance from the circuit."
If you guessed MGM National Harbor, directly across the Potomac River from Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., you're better at guessing games than we are. The six-year old MGM property, according to the American Gaming Association, was the highest grossing casino in Maryland and the top-grossing casino in the U.S. outside of Nevada, even beating out all Atlantic City casinos. It took in $884.46 million in slot and table revenue in 2022, 15% higher than 2021. In addition, the Baltimore-D.C. gaming market is the third best in the U.S., behind the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City. National Harbor has a 300-room hotel and is located in a dining and entertainment district near the Gaylor Hotel and Convention Center, which accommodates many major conventions and conferences. The AGA ranked Resorts World in Queens, New York, as the second highest grosser, Borgata in Atlantic City as third (our first choice), Encore Boston Harbor fourth (our second), and Live! Casino and Hotel outside Baltimore fifth.
Jiffy Lube, the presenting sponsor of this Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is hosting a meet and greet with 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano today from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Jiffy Lube located at 10440 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson (a long block south of St. Rose Parkway). In addition to meeting Joey, race fans can take photos with the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang show car and test their skills in a race simulator.
This is NASCAR Cup Series weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and as is traditional, 40 or so tractor-trailers hauling racers' cars and equipment and festooned with sponsor advertising stage at South Point, then roll up the Strip starting at 6 p.m. escorted by police. They take a left on Sahara, continue to the I-15 onramp northbound, and finish making their way to the Speedway. It's quite a sight and lots of race fans turn out; it also delays, though doesn't divert, traffic during the parade.
After a wet and cold first of the month, the weather has settled into its typical mild March, which means pool season is starting to get under way. The Boulevard pool at Cosmopolitan and the main pools at the Mirage were scheduled to open yesterday, while many others are opening this weekend and next. If you're visiting this month, be sure to bring your bathing suits to soak in some Vitamin D after the long dark winter.
The next few days in Las Vegas will be big and Anthony and Andrew discuss NASCAR weekend, including the Hauler Parade up the Strip, plus a UFC fight and the start of the casino pool parties, even though it actually snowed again here this morning. Anthony also answers a few questions about the LVA Member Rewards Book from last week; he then talks about the plan just announced to bring the Rio, once the coolest Vegas hang, back to its former glory (including the possibility of the MRB stadium on the property) and touches on the opening month of the Sphere to kick off the Grand Prix and Super Bowl. And speaking of the Grand Prix, you can learn about Bellagio's just announced Fountain Club, its VIP seating on the Strip, for a mere $22,500 a couple (hotel room extra). Finally, find out how the Jackpot of the Week, though a sweet dealt royal, is the gambling gods' way of razzing the winner. All with the click of the mouse on the world-opening arrow.
It's a NASCAR, UFC, pool party kinda weekend and Vegas is the place to be!
Thanks to a series of storms over the past week in the Colorado River watershed, February's snowpack totals have recovered from a dry first few weeks of the month. Currently, the snowpack in the region is at 101% for the entire season that runs through April and 133% of the 30-year average; National Weather Service hydrologists are calling it "probably the wettest year we’ve had since 2011.” Better yet, more storms are predicted for early March, which will add to the snowpack total. Last December, the Bureau of Reclamation projected that Lake Mead would drop 26 feet from its level at the time; now, the prediction is that the water level will fall 14 feet.
In general, March is more of a lamb than a lion month weather-wise. Average Las Vegas temperatures in March start out a bit cool and rise steadily, but not too high. From an average high of 66 degrees on the 1st, temps top out at 74 on the 31st. The lows go from 47 to 52. The record temperatures can be much more extreme: 92 is the highest (set on the 21st in 2004) and 19 the lowest (set on the 2nd in 1939). March historically has the second highest rainfall during the year at .59 inches. This year, however, is different. Today, the high temperature is expected to barely hit 50, around 15 degrees colder than typical, with snow hitting some parts of the valley floor and up to two feet accumulating in the mountains, rain pelting the city, and a high-wind advisory in effect through tomorrow morning. But the lion will roar, then go back to sleep; starting tomorrow, things return pretty much to normal.
Silverton appears to be positioning itself as Las Vegas' birthday-celebration central. On any day of your birthday month (Thurs.-Mon.) with a reservation, you can drink for free in the casino's Shady Grove Lounge starting at 4 p.m. It looks to us, from the ad under Promotions on the Silverton website, that you must bring at least two other people with you and you can bring up to 12. Your guests can enjoy drink discounts: $2.50 Pacificos, $3 domestic bottles, $4 drafts, $5 house wine, and $6 well drinks. For reservations, call (702) 927-6664 during office hours or email gina.garcia@silvertoncasino.com at least one day in advance.
The Macau government has announced the end of the COVID mask mandate in outdoor areas and mask wearing indoors is at the discretion of the businesses themselves. Shortly after the announcement, all six casino companies in Macau dropped the mask mandate for both visitors and employees. However, a spot check yesterday by InsideAsianGaming.com found that most visitors and employees continue to wear masks in the casinos, which is still mandatory when taking public transportation.