Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog is fine for Pennsylvania, but hereabouts, we have Mojave Max, a desert tortoise. This was the 20th year for the Mojave Max Emergence Contest, in which Clark County students from kindergarten to fifth grade, after studying Mojave Desert ecology, submit guesses on when Max will emerge from brumation (the reptilian brand of hibernation) and his burrow in Las Vegas' Springs Preserve. Max's appearance signals the start of springlike weather in southern Nevada. The students who accurately predict the day receive a year-long family membership to the Preserve, a family pass to national parks, and a laptop computer; the students' class also wins a field trip to the Preserve. The earliest Max has emerged was February 14, the latest April 17. Max emerged yesterday, March 30, at 1:28 p.m. Welcome Max and spring!
The pop hits from Billy Joel, Elton John, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and others song-writer-pianist-vocalists make a new 90-minute mini-residency, Greatest Piano Men, in the Donny & Marie Showroom at the Flamingo. Three piano players and a live seven-piece backup band combine for a high-energy greatest-hits-style musical revue at 7:30 or 10 p.m. (depending on the night) Tuesday through Sunday, with an additional 4 p.m. show on Saturdays. Tickets start at $45 and are available for shows tonight, plus on April 3-7, 9-14, and 16-21.
Zippy's, the 52-year-old Hawaiian restaurant chain with 24 locations on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, has announced where it will open its first mainland restaurant in Las Vegas. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant and bakery, plus a 12,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, will be built on vacant land purchased by Zippy's at the southeast corner of Badura Avenue and Montessouri Street, just south of the 215 Beltway between S. Buffalo and S. Rainbow. Originally scheduled to open at this time, Zippy's will debut a year from now. The restaurant chain is known for its Hawaiian take on chili (its signature dish), fried chicken, oxtail soup, saimin, loco moco, mahi sandwiches, and Zip Pac bentos, and is open 24 hours a day.
Tonight at 8:30 p.m. to honor the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour, the outdoor lights at MGM Grand, New York-New York, Caesars Palace, the Venetian, and many other hotel-casinos on the Strip, plus the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, will go dark. The participating resorts join people and businesses around the globe in what's called "the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, our planet, and nature." Earth Hour began as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.
Edson Barboza is a -135 favorite over Justin Gaethje in today's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jack Hermansson is -140 over David Branch.
Cat's Meow, a happenin' karaoke bar located in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, is expanding for the first time to downtown Las Vegas. It's reported that the second incarnation of the 25-year-old Bourbon Street bar, which bills itself as "the world's number-one karaoke nightclub," will occupy a 10,000-square-foot space on the second floor of Neonopolis, with live streaming of the amateur performances. Cat's Meow Vegas is expected to open in June.
Despite losing last night's game to the Minnesota Wild 3-2, the Vegas Golden Knights made the playoffs after the Arizona Coyotes lost in overtime. Vegas is only the seventh team in the National Hockey League's 101-year history to make the playoffs in its first two years in existence -- and two of those teams don't really count. To find out why and for full coverage of last night's game, read Joe Pane's Knights on Ice post.
According to the video poker website vpFREE2, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur has opened a high-limit slot area in the location that was formerly the poker room, with 8/5 Bonus Poker in denominations of up to $5.
Nicolas Coppola, nephew of movie-director Francis Ford Coppola and better known as Nicolas Cage who won an Oscar for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas, got married here on Saturday to his girlfriend of one year, Erika Koike, an L.A. waitress. It's been reported that Cage and Koike were arguing throughout the licensing process and wedding ceremony and when he filed for annulment of the marriage yesterday, he admitted that they were drunk and. According to TMZ, which got a look at the paperwork, "[Erika] suggested to [Nic] that they should marry and [Nic] reacted on impulse and without the ability to recognize or understand the full impact of his actions." Well, they weren't the first couple to go through this and they won't be the last.
The decades-old Macayo's Mexican Restaurant location on E. Charleston Blvd. will remain open for the foreseeable future. The W. Sahara location has closed, but that restaurant was owned by a member of the founding Johnson family as a one-off and wasn't part of the sale of the six Macayo's restaurants in the Phoenix area. The E. Charleston location wasn't part of the sale of the Macayo's brand either, so it's still owned by the Johnsons, who also retain ownership of two restaurants in Arizona. It's still for sale, though the Johnsons have announced that they'll transfer the recipes to the buyer, who'll open a new restaurant in a new location under a new name.
The changes keep coming fast and furious at the renovating Palms Hotel-Casino. Bobby Flay's Shark seafood restaurant will open any day now, serving extensive sushi, sashimi, ceviches, tartares, and fresh fish using South American, Mexican, and Mediterranean ingredients. Greene Street Kitchen (GSK) has opened (a bit early). It's classic American fare, very expensive; prime rib $49-$99; escargot, carpaccio, and other starters $17-$75; potato dumplings $34, fried chicken $45, and steak Oscar $84; and wine by the glass from $12 to $60 and bottles up to $1,400. Entrance is via a door that looks like a cola vending machine in an old-time video arcade. Next door to the arcade is Side Piece Pizza, run by the GSK folks, which we've tried. The $6-$9 slices and $26-$30 pies are well worth the price.
One of our favorite tribute bands, The WHO Invasion, with sports handicapper Alf Musketa on bass, plays the Cannery Saturday night as part of a multi-act celebration the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock. The show starts at 6 p.m. and there’ll be ’60s-themed food and activities. Tickets are $20.
Despite the fact that two games were played earlier this month in Japan, today is considered opening day of the Major League Baseball season. The New York Yankees are the favorite (slightly over the Astros and Red Sox) to win in the American League at +275 and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to win in the National League at +400. The Yankees are the favorite to win the World Series at +600.
When it comes to live music in Las Vegas, Brooklyn Bowl at the LINQ Promenade is as unsung as it is popular and uncommon: a combination bowling alley, restaurant, concert venue, and private-event center that's not in a casino. Marking its fifth year in Las Vegas, Brooklyn Bowl has hosted a half-million showgoers at 900 concerts and 3,000 special events, with nearly five million frames bowled, more than 800,000 kegs emptied, more than 100,000 pounds of fried chicken (the Bowl's signature dish). Happy Anniversary, Brooklyn Bowl!
One ticket sold in Wisconsin matched all six numbers in last night's Powerball drawing to win an estimated $768.4 million, the third largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. It was also the first Powerball winner in 2019; the previous win was last December 26. The cashout option is approximately $477 million. Seven tickets matched all five white balls, but missed the red Powerball number, for million-dollar prizes; two other tickets that included the $1 Power Play option, matched all five white balls and won $2 million.
If you want to see the popular 61-year-old R&B balladeer best known for the song "Sweet Love," you'll have one more chance in Las Vegas. On the final leg of her farewell tour, Baker will perform five shows at the Venetian Theater: May 31, June 1, 5, 7, and 8. Tickets start at $49.95.
The Las Vegas City Council has rejected a proposed ordinance to legalize cannabis-consumption lounges in the city on the grounds that it needs more time to study the issue and hear testimony from opponents. The Clark County Commission has also voted down so-called "marijuana social-use venues" in order to await further direction from the state, which is in the process of setting up a Cannabis Compliance Board to issue regulations for Nevada’s marijuana industry. An alternative to lounges has been proposed by the proprietor of a pedicab business downtown: Passengers of the three-wheeled cycles, on rides of two to ten minutes, could be allowed to partake in public without subjecting people nearby to the smoke and aroma.
The NoMad pool will open on Monday April 8 on the third floor of Park MGM; the Pool Restaurant serving an all-day brunch with a menu based on the one at NoMad Restaurant. The following Friday, April 12, the pool party, called Jemaa, will debut with three different DJs hosting the first three days. (Jemaa is the main market square in old-town Marrakech, Morocco.) If you're a local, you can get into Jemaa for free until noon.
More information has come out about the lone perfect bracket left in the NCAA basketball tournament. If you want to follow along, the picks for the eight Sweet 16 games are Gonzaga, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky. For an in-depth summary, go to NCAA.com.
Las Vegas will experience the warmest day of the year today with the high temperature hitting 80 for the first time. Tomorrow will be almost as warm, with a high of 79. Temperatures above 70 are predicted through the weekend.
All 16 favorites ("chalk") in this year's NCAA college basketball tournament's Round of 32 won their games. It was the first time the chalk went undefeated since 1985, when the number of tournament teams was increased to 64. Fifteen of the 16 favorites have won the round three times (1991, 1995, 2009), but this was the first clean sweep. Though 11 of the games were won by double digits, the favorites were 10-6 against the spread.
One of the two perfect brackets referenced in this space yesterday survived the entire day and goes into the round of 16 with a perfect 48 winners, the first time that’s ever been done. The remaining 15 picks haven’t been disclosed that we’ve seen, but we’ll put them up if they are.
If you've heard of it, but never tried it, you can get a wealth of information on today's Question of the Day page about the practice of tipping a front-desk clerk to try for an upgraded room. Our own answer is just the start; the comments from people who've tried it are particularly instructive. Check it out.
South Point is dealing -105 on all NCAA tournament games. The reduced pricing will run through the championship game and is for “straight bets only,” which could mean sides and totals, but is likely sides only.
Right on the heels of the reopening of the sports book at the Strat Hotel-Casino, two new related venues have also debuted there. BLVD & Main Taphouse is a 6,000-square-foot brew pub next to the sports book that serves food slightly more sophisticated than typical sports-bar fare, such as stone-fired flatbreads ($14-$18); barbecued short-rib sandwich, buffalo Reuben, and crab roll (all $16); beer-brined organic chicken ($18) and wood-fired salmon ($22); and fondue ($22). A couple dozen local and regional craft beers, including three by BLVD & Main's brewmaster, are on tap and commissioned art by local artists adorns the place. Next to the Taphouse is the View Lounge, which overlooks the casino and new William Hill race and sports book; the large bar has 50 beers on tap and 24 bartop machines.
Tenors of Rock, the show starring five classic-rock-crooning Australians that has spent a couple years at Harrah's (we reviewed it in the July 2017 issue of the Las Vegas Advisor) closes tonight. But scarcely missing a beat, the show reopens next week at the Sin City Theatre at Planet Hollywood, which is more like a bar with a stage than a showroom (it's on the second floor behind the poker tables). It'll be crowded and loud, but at least the tenors are landing on their feet.
According to NCAA.com, there were two perfect March Madness brackets left – from millions tracked at ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, Fox, and Sports Illustrated -- going into today’s games. After 40 games, it’s the longest anyone has ever gone with an intact bracket, beating the previous record of 39. The odds of having a perfect bracket through all 63 games are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. The two are in agreement on all picks today except the Buffalo/Texas Tech game, so at least one will be eliminated going into the round of 16.
Legalized sports betting will be front and center tonight with television coverage on two high-profile shows. First will be a segment on "60 Minutes," which airs at 7 p.m. Then, directly following at 8 p.m., the first of a four-part docu-series called "Action" will air on Showtime. While there's not much information on the direction of the "60 Minutes" piece, it's been reported that "Action" shot 400 hours of footage, mostly in Las Vegas, over the past six months, focusing on the lives of professional sports bettor Bill Krackomberger, handicapper Kelly Stewart, bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, sports betting tout “Vegas Dave” Oancea, an illegal bookie, and a host of others throughout the 2018 NFL season, culminating in the Super Bowl.
At a recent meeting of the Las Vegas Economic Club, a University of Michigan professor of sports management suggested that southern Nevada's new focus on sports might one day lead to a summer Olympics. He stated that Las Vegas is one of a few cities around the world that is capable of hosting an Olympics; when the 65,000-seat Raiders stadium is completed, the city will have at least 20 Olympic event venues and it could easily provide housing for 16,000 athletes. The little matter of gambling would probably preclude the International Olympic Committee from taking Las Vegas seriously as a host city, but hey, weirder things have happened.
M Resort celebrates its 10th anniversary with a fireworks show tonight. The display will be choreographed to music audible from the pool area. The show begins at 8:30.
Palace Station's Brass Fork Kitchen and Bar is now open in the space previously occupied by the Grand Cafe. The 194-seat coffee shop is open 24/7 and includes a full-service alcohol (Bloody Marys $9-$11, boozy shakes $13, draft beer $6-$7) and coffee ($5-$6) bar and pastry shop. Breakfasts range from $7.99 (waffle) to $18.99 (steak and eggs), lunch $8.49 (Caesar salad) and $8.99 (cheeseburger) to $18.99 (steak sandwich), dinner $9.99 (chicken parm) to $19.99 (steak frites).
An article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal discusses the possible reasons that visitation to Las Vegas declined to a four-year low in 2018. It cites three back-to-back drops in the number of annual visitors in the last 50 years: 1980-81, 2008-09, and 2017-18. The first two were caused by severe recessions, but the third was in the midst of a booming economy. Reasons given for the current deflation include the mass shooting, fewer major events, the absence of the huge CONEXPO/CONAgg convention (which returns in 2020), the strength of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies depressing international visitation, and competition from other states where gambling continues to proliferate, including the explosion of sports betting. The article also focuses on resort and parking fees, but quotes a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesperson. "'We believe it is premature to state that resort or parking fees are directly resulting in a net decrease in overall visitation.' However, she did not say whether the LVCVA has asked visitors about whether they are making fewer trips to Las Vegas because of the fees."
A Maryland gambler in Las Vegas for March Madness hit the royal flush at a Mississippi stud table at Bally's on Wednesday. According to Caesars Entertainment, he's now among the more than 830 players who have won more than $1 million at Caesars properties since 1987.
A new North American beauty pageant, Miss Marijuana, has been announced. Since the contest opened last week, more than 5,200 hopefuls have signed up online. If accepted by the pageant according to its rules, contestants will upload photos and profiles to be voted on by the public. The 53 women with the most votes will compete in the final contest in Las Vegas at a time and place to be revealed later. The winner will be crowned the world's first Miss MJ and receive $25,000 and a car.
The Vegas Golden Knights are sizzling hot. Last night at T-Mobile Arena, they shut out the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets by a score of 5-0. Backup goalie Malcolm Subban stopped all 20 shots he faced for his first NHL-career shutout and first three-game winning streak in games he started (Marc-Andre Fleury is out with a reported lower-body injury). With this current run, the Knights have closed the gap for home-ice advantage in the first playoff round between them and the San Jose Sharks to five points with eight games to go in the regular season; they play the Sharks on March 30 at San Jose, which should be a doozy. Read all about last night's win in Joe Pane's Knights on Ice post.
Donny and Marie Osmond have announced that their long-running show will come to an end on November 16. The duo commenced their residency in September 2008, booked for a six-week engagement, but the show proved so popular, it was extended out to 11 years. In 2013, their venue at the Flamingo was renamed the Donny & Marie Showroom in recognition of their success.
The Petrossian piano bar and lounge off the lobby at Bellagio and the Baccarat lounge that fronts the baccarat pit will close at different times this year for remodeling. The Baccarat will be out of service between May 28 and sometime in the fall; the Petrossian renovation will start on August 26 and be completed in early December.
First-time homebuyers looking for an affordable house without steep competition will have the best luck in Tampa, Florida, and second best in Las Vegas. The online real-estate giant Zillow (which, by the way, stands for "zillions of pillows") ranked the 35 largest U.S. housing markets based on where first-time buyers, nearly half of them Millennials, should have the most success finding a home with a low median home value that requires a smaller down payment, strong forecasted appreciation, high inventory-to-household ratio, and a high share of listings that close after price cuts. Las Vegas was followed by Phoenix, Atlanta, and Orlando; the worst market was San Francisco, followed by Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
With the tournament starting today, Duke is the favorite to win the NCAA basketball championship at +250, followed by Virginia (+475), Gonzaga (+500), and North Carolina (+680). Defending champion Villanova is +10000. The long shot is North Dakota State at +750000 (7,500-1).
When the Hard Rock completes it transformation into Virgin, it will also join the Curio Collection by Hilton. Curio is Hilton's "soft" brand,"
a collection of more than 30 hotels in seven countries that use Hilton's reservation system and participate in Hilton Honors, but also retain their individual branding. The Virgin Las Vegas will be Curio's largest property, with 1,500 rooms and 110,000 square feet of meeting and events space.
Galaxy Theatres is introducing the world's first Sony large-format technology at its nine-screen multiplex that will open on April 5 at the Boulevard Mall. The dual-laser 4K system will project movies on the largest screen in Las Vegas: 40 feet tall and 70 feet wide. The large-format auditorium will also feature powered reclining seats and motion simulation, "providing subtle movement, smooth rolling, and vibration. Viewers can customize their experience with intensity control." A full bar and quick-service café round out the amenities for the Galaxy Theatres Luxury+ Boulevard venue.
This time, it's the Las Vegas Strip itself. A three-year, five-phase, 5.7 mile project from the 215 Beltway to Sahara Avenue whose total cost has yet to be estimated, will begin in June with a $33 million upgrade of the north Strip. The whole boulevard will be resurfaced, traffic signals will be upgraded with LEDs, water lines will be replaced, and pedestrian enhancements, sidewalk and curb repairs, and roadway widening will be implemented where needed. Most of the work will be done in the early-morning hours to reduce congestion; a minimum of one lane will be open each way when workers are on the job and two lanes when they're not.
Along with Memphis and Sacramento, Las Vegas leads the U.S. in job creation. In 2018, 33,000 jobs were added to the Las Vegas labor market, an increase of 3%, which is double the national average. Finding a job, according to a local economist, is the number-one reason people are relocating to Las Vegas. And those jobs include construction, health car, and professional services, not just hospitality positions.
Check out free March Madness seminars tonight and tomorrow. Starting at 6 p.m. tonight, several sports betting personalities will be on a panel in Club Madrid at Sunset Station. The event starts at 6 p.m. and there will be free pizza and soda. Tomorrow, South Point hosts “Betting & Buds,” featuring Brent Musburger and several others from the VSiN broadcasting team. The event will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Grandview Lounge and Budweiser products will be sold for $1.
The American Gaming Association estimates that nearly one in five Americans will place a wager on the college basketball tournament this year for a total handle of $8.5 billion. Roughly $4.6 billion will be spent on nearly 150 million brackets filled out by 40 million players. Another $3.9 billion will be bet via a bricks-and-mortar sports book, at an online sports book, with an illegal bookie, or between friends.
The tournament could attract $400 million in betting at legal sports books nationwide, with $300 million in Nevada and $75 million in New Jersey, according to the analysts for TheLines.com.
Sadelle's at Bellagio sells bagels for $3 apiece. Bagelmania (855 E. Twain) sells a dozen bagels for $15 and they’re superior in both quality and selection to Sadelle's. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a dozen at Bagelmania are just $6.95 (58¢ per). If you call ahead (702-369-3322), they’ll take your order and have it ready when you get there.
An interesting profile of 50-year-old Derek Stevens is appearing in Michigan Today, the alumni magazine for the University of Michigan, from which Stevens graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1990 (he received his MBA in finance from Wayne State in 1994). The piece recounts Stevens' first trip to Las Vegas when he was 20; afterwards, he switched his major from engineering to business. When he graduated U of M, he joined his family's auto-supply business, traveling to Las Vegas for trade shows, where the "sports fan and math guy" fell in love with sports betting. In 2006, Stevens relocated his family’s investment portfolio to tax-friendly Nevada and bought into the Golden Gate downtown. He and his brother Greg bought Fitzgeralds out of probate in 2011 and are now building the 777-room Circa on a full city block across from the Golden Gate. The article concludes by suggesting that Stevens' time as a bartender in Ann Arbor "groomed him for his current line of work."
Tomorrow night's Powerball drawing will be for around $550 million, with a lump-sum cashout of $335 million. It's the 11th largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. The run-up to the Powerball prize started on December 29 at $40 million; since then, there have been 23 consecutive drawings without a winner.
In the never-ending roadwork around the Las Vegas Valley, two new projects starting today will cause traffic congestion downtown. A $20 million street-improvement effort will take place along Third Street between Charleston Boulevard and Bonneville Avenue and require 13 months to complete. A $5.5 million project along Sixth Street between Bridger and Stewart avenues will take nine-plus months. While construction is restricting traffic, alternate routes include Main and Commerce streets, Las Vegas Boulevard, and Seventh Street.
In true St. Patrick’s Day style, the luck of the Irish was with a guest from Hawaii who, after playing Monopoly Millionaire for just five minutes, hit the million-dollar jackpot. The total jackpot came in at $1,029,527.13.
The rooftop penthouse that occupies the entire 58th floor at Palms Place condo tower has been listed for sale at $15 million. Owner Phil Maloof, whose family opened the Palms in 2001 and completed the condo tower in 2006, listed the property for $38 million in 2014. The interior encompasses 6,230 square feet, with three bedrooms, five baths, workout room, DJ loft space, and private elevator; the outdoor space covers 25,000 square feet that wraps around three sides of the tower with a capacity of more than 500, hot tub for 15, a commercial outdoor kitchen and giant theater screen. The homeowners association fee is $4,481 per month.
The landmark guitar sign that stood in front of the Hard Rock Cafe at the corner of Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road from 1990 to 2017 has now been completely restored by the Young Electric Sign company and is the newest attraction at the Neon Museum. The massive guitar was the very first Hard Rock Cafe guitar sign in the world, became the symbol worldwide for the Hard Rock brand, and appeared in numerous Hollywood movies, including "Honey I Blew up the Kid" and "Vegas Vacation." The restoration was funded from a sizable number of small donations and fundraising efforts are ongoing to support the maintenance and care of the sign.
The Bellagio was hit with another robbery last night, when a single armed man attempted to rob the poker cage. He was shot by police while trying to escape and later died. One police officer was shot and is recovering; there were no civilian injuries.
Look for St. Patrick’s Day parties all over town today, including big celebrations at Emerald Island, the D, and the LINQ Promenade. Check out our Vegas With An Edge round-up for more St. Patty’s options, including a list of Las Vegas’ non-casino Irish pubs.
For the first time in many years, a new hotel-casino has been announced for the Las Vegas Strip. An Israeli hotelier plans to build a $350 million resort, Astral, across from Mandalay Bay on property currently occupied by a Motel 8. The hotelier, Asher Gabay, and a partner bought the vacant motel last July for $7.4 million. Astral will feature 620 rooms, a four-level underground parking garage, a sky lobby on the 32nd floor, a nightclub, and a rooftop pool with a dayclub. The Motel 8 has reopened and is expected to operate until spring 2020 when construction begins.
Bellagio has unveiled a new floral exhibit in the Conservatory off the main lobby. The spring 2019 display highlights the beauty of spring in Japan, with two traditional Shinto-shrine torii gates, a row of cherry blossoms, two red-crowned Japanese cranes, and a towering replica of the Osaka Castle, one of the most iconic and historic castles in all of Japan, which will host the 2025 World Expo. The Conservatory is free and open 24 hours a day; the Japanese Spring exhibit will remain until June 15.
A project to widen seven miles of the 215 Beltway between Decatur Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue begins Monday evening. One lane in each direction will be added at a cost of $11 million; the project is scheduled for completion in October. One lane each way heading in the opposite direction, between Decatur and Interstate 15, will be added starting in the summer. That project will cost $25 million and take eight months to finish.
Paymon’s Mediterranean Café & Lounge on Maryland Parkway has closed. This was the original Paymon’s that has operated for 30 years. The Paymon’s at 8380 W. Sahara and 8955 S. Eastern remain open.
Robin Leach, long-time host of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," Las Vegas columnist, and local philanthropist will be remembered by a street named in his honor. A portion of Clark Avenue, which runs between the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, is now Robin Leach Lane, commemorating Leach's tireless support of the Ruvo Center. Leach passed away last August 24, a few months after suffering a stroke. It took only a little more than six months to dedicate the street to Robin Leach.
The projection for snowmelt in the Colorado River watershed has risen from 64% of normal in January and 74% in mid-February to 102% after the wettest March in recorded history, especially around the river's headwaters in Colorado. Officials expect the percentage to rise even further, up to a possible 130% within a month; if it does, it will be only the sixth year in the past 19 with an above-average flow into the river. In addition, it could forestall a shortage declaration for another year. That determination, however, won't be made until August, when Bureau of Reclamation officials announce their water plan for 2020.
According to the Regional Transportation Commission, the number of bus passengers along the resort corridor has decreased consistently over the past three years, with ridership revenues dropping 18% from October 2015 to December 2018. In the opinions of transportation experts, the rise of ride-sharing is only partially to blame; bus ridership around the nation has been dropping steadily for much longer. Still, if nearly one in five people aren't riding the double-decker glass-front Deuce buses along the Strip since the heyday earlier in the decade, it might be worth considering, especially if you can grab a front seat on the upper deck.
Is the Ides of March (today, March 15) unlucky? And where did the whole ides business come from anyway? You can find out about everything you've ever wondered (or not) about the Ides of March in today's Question of the Day.
The Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails opens today at the Cosmopolitan. Taking the place of the original Bond Bar on the casino floor, the old-fashioned three-stool barbershop provides services for men, the male match for the Drybar salon on the second floor. The shop has an extensive selection of aged whiskeys to go with "a grooming menu that ranges from clean and classic to wild and rebellious." And in what's become a Cosmo tradition, behind an unassuming janitor's closet door is a hidden Prohibition-style speakeasy with live entertainment in the evenings: DJs, bands, and karaoke on Tuesdays. The Brit band Bush appears tonight and Dennis Quaid & the Sharks will play on March 22.
It’s CG Technology out and William Hill in at M Resort. After CGT’s (formerly Cantor Gaming) 10-year contract expired in March, M announced that the sports book concession would be transferred to William Hill. A conversion of the book is currently taking place and Will Hill will begin taking bets in May, pending regulatory approval.
Earth-moving equipment has begun preparing the 63-acre site of the Madison Square Garden Sphere project off Sands Avenue near Koval Lane. It took six months after the groundbreaking to being construction on the 360-foot-tall 18,000-seat spherical performing-arts venue, which is expected to be completed sometime in 2021.
Only 2% of the more than 15,000 flights in and out of Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport in March were scheduled for the grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Three flights departed yesterday on time before the FAA grounded the plane. Only Southwest, United, and WestJet fly the two-year-old planes and have been impacted by taking them out of service.
The venerable tourist attraction near Red Rock Canyon and Spring Mountain Ranch State in the west valley will close this weekend after 61 years in operation. Bonnie Springs opened way back in 1958 as a full-size replica of an Old West mining town and grew over the years to include a kiddie train ride, petting zoo, horseback riding, motel, and restaurant-bar. A developer purchased the property from the children of the late founder, Bonnie Levinson, and plans to build 20 custom homes, along with a new motel, restaurant, and rustic events center. Many of the Old West artifacts will be auctioned at date to be announced.
Denise Coates, the 51-year-old founder of Bet365, took down a reported $339 million in compensation last year, breaking the previous UK pay record (for any industry) of $278 million established by Coates last year. Coates began as a cashier in betting shops owned by her father. After taking over the operation, she bought the Bet365 domain name for $25,000 on eBay in the late ’90s and transitioned the focus to online gambling.
Here's the list of bands that will play the Fremont Street Experience stage between Binion's and the Circa construction site this spring and summer: May 24 Good Charlotte; June 15 Nelly; June 29 Sugar Ray; July 20 Fuel, Toadies, and Sponge; July 27 Pop 2000 Tour hosted by Lance Bass, with O-Town, Aaron Carter, Ryan Cabrera, and Tyler Hilton; Aug. 17 Buckcherry; Aug. 24 Cheap Trick; Aug. 30 Wallflowers;
Sept. 28 Smash Mouth; Oct. 19 Muddfest with Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Trapt, Saving Abel, and Tantric. All concerts are free and start at 9 p.m.
The Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority has fast-tracked the underground transit system that will whisk riders from one end of the Convention Center to the other. By a vote of 10-3, the LVCVA approved the plan proposed by Elon Musk's Boring Company to build the express tunnels that will, pending completion, carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds. While the system can achieve speeds of up to 150 mph, the short distance from one end to the other, about one and a quarter miles, will limit the speed to 50. The cost of the project is expected to be between $35 million and $55 million. The goal is to have the Boring Company’s transit system fully operational in time for the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, but Musk claims it could be up and running as soon as the end of this year. We say: You don't need a big construction project to bore a tunnel. Just talk to it.
The same restaurant group that's opening New York-inspired Greene Street Kitchen early next month is launching Side Piece Pizza next week at the Palms. With a chef direct from Naples, Side Piece will take its place in the food court, which has been without pizza for some time. It looks a bit expensive to us, with slices announced at $5-$9 and pies $26-$30, but we'll see. Thursday to Sunday it'll be a good late-night pizza play, open till 4 a.m. And according to Eater Las Vegas, "In an only-in-Vegas twist, Side Piece will offer a true 'side-piece' food for free." We're not sure what that means, but we hope it explains the name, as UrbanDictionary.com defines "side piece" variously as a gal or guy you call up at 2 a.m. with no attachments; someone you can confide in about your significant other; or someone you can talk to when you don't have time for a significant other.
Formerly available to locals only, the Hard Rock’s Tuesday $1-oyster deal in the Oyster Bar is now available to everyone with a players card. You still have to buy a beverage, but beer goes well with oysters. The Oyster Bar is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Las Rageous returns to the Downtown Events Center for Las Vegas’ third annual heavy-metal music festival on Friday Oct. 18 and Saturday Oct. 19. Las Rageous 2018 attracted 20,000 attendees. The lineup of 2019 performers hasn't dropped yet, but the past two festivals have seen sets from Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle, Godsmack, Anthrax, Judas Priest, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, and dozens more.
The fourth edition of our book Tax Help for Gamblers by Jean Scott, Marissa Chien, EA, and Russell Fox, EA, is back from the printers and ready to ship in plenty of time for the tax deadline. Tax Help is an indispensable resource, whether you’re a do-it-yourself tax filer or you use a tax professional. Offering solutions for recreational and professional gamblers, low and high rollers, table-game and machine players, this book covers the tax-related realities for online, international, and cruise-ship gambling, video poker, live poker, and daily fantasy sports. The book has current sample tax forms, a completely updated list of how individual state tax laws treat gambling, and many changes from the previous edition that reflect the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. For a limited time, you can take advantage of our special publisher’s offer of $15, including shipping — 40% off the retail price for a book with information that you won’t find all in one place from any other source.
Las Vegas Advisor subscribers, especially singletons who'd like to use 2-for-1 Member Rewards coupons, should check out yesterday's Question of the Day: "If a single person goes to the restaurant (not a buffet) and orders two entrées, is that covered by the 2-for-1 coupon?" You'll not only see our answer, but you'll get several great ideas from readers who've figured out some angles on it and left comments for everyone's benefit.
To launch his 10th year at the Mirage (and presumably making good use of his new $100 million contract), ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer Terry Fator introduces a completely revamped show this week. Fator says it's his largest show to date, with 24 characters making appearances, including newcomers Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin.
Now in its sixth year, the Las Vegas' annual blues music festival has outgrown the Plaza downtown and will move to the Hard Rock for the four-day festival, which will take place September 5–8. 2019. After selling out the past several years, the larger venue will allow this annual only-in-Vegas hotel-takeover event to accommodate more guests and feature larger acts. The initial lineup for this year’s Bender includes Robert Cray, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, Tab Benoit, and Ruthie Foster; more artists will be announced in the coming months.
An interesting roundup in the Las Vegas Review-Journal lists all the ways in which the "Las Vegas Transit Landscape Is Ready To Transform." With the population of Las Vegas and vicinity at 2.2 million, annual visitation of 42-plus million, and big developments (Raiders stadium, Resorts World, and the Convention Center expansion to the Strip) on the horizon, public transportation will need to keep pace with the expected growth. "Plans and proposals include an autonomous underground people-mover in the Convention Center District, light rail on Maryland Parkway, an autonomous shuttle program for the downtown Medical District, and a European-style tram along the Strip." All could relieve congestion on the roadways, which is already troublesome. The piece concludes, "The future of transportation in the city is closer than you think."
Maxie's Diner will open on Friday at the base of the High Roller observation wheel on the LINQ promenade in the space previously occupied by Canter's Deli. The eatery, brought to you by the same company that runs Smoked Burgers & BBQ at the Forum Shops, will have outdoor seating and be open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., but serve only breakfast and lunch. The menu is called "ostentatious," with such curiosities as cotton-candy pancakes ($14), pepperoni pizza omelet ($14), and peanut butter and jelly tacos ($12), along with bagels and lox, sandwiches, soup, salads, and boxed to-go breakfasts.
The 12th annual Las Vegas Film Festival will take place April 28 through May 5. The majority of the LVFF will take place in venues around downtown (Zappos is a presenting sponsor this year), though some will also be held at Brenden Theatres and Palms, which has served as home to the festival for the past couple of years. The lineup includes a mix of feature films and documentaries that have been favorites on the international festival circuit, plus Q&As with the filmmakers and casts.
The Starbucks in the Grand Bazaar Shops at Bally’s has closed. It was promoted as a Super Starbucks when it opened in 2015 with a stadium-style grandstand looking onto an oversized projection screen. It’s a second prominent closing for the shops, following the 4300-square-foot Redneck Riviera bar a year ago.
Death Valley received 0.8 of an inch of rain last Wednesday, setting a record for the day. It was also more than half the 1.5 inches Death Valley gets on average every year. In 10 weeks so far in 2019, Death Valley has recorded 1.79 inches of rain, beating the annual rainfall of each of the last three years. The main road through the valley reopened yesterday, but many other roads and campgrounds remain closed.
Tonight is the start of Daylight Savings Time throughout the nation (except Arizona and Hawaii), so clocks should be moved ahead one hour. DST runs from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November, which this year is Nov. 3.
The Las Vegas Lights United Soccer League team opens its second season tonight at Cashman Field with a 7:30 p.m. kick-off. Single-game tickets start at just $15 and season tickets are $200 for the 17-game home schedule that features creative pre- and post-game celebrations.
Get 50% off all meals today at the new Bok Bok Chicken at 6572 N. Decatur. It’s the fourth Las Vegas location for the restaurant that serves Mediterranean cuisine and rotisserie chicken. On Saturdays, children 12 and under get a free kids meal with each adult meal order.
If you've seen a lot of heavy-duty colorful off-road racing buggies, cars, trucks, and motorcycles zipping around downtown the past few days, you probably gathered that Las Vegas' own Mint 400, a.k.a. the Great American Desert Race, takes place today and tomorrow. Launched in 1968 and made famous by Hunter S. Thompson's coverage of the 1971 event in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the Mint 400 is the largest and most important off-road race in the world. Upwards of 600 race teams from 27 states and 17 countries will compete in 20 classes of vehicles, including motorcycles for the first time since 1976, on a 120-mile loop from the edge of Las Vegas to the state line at Primm. Five massive spectator areas along the route are expected to host nearly 40,000 off-road race enthusiasts.
Las Vegas native Jimmy Kimmel has announced that he'll produce five episodes of his late-night ABC talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live," in Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in early April. The shows will take place April 1-5, with "top-flight" celebrity guests from the Vegas scene. The shows won't be broadcast live; contrary to the show's name, it's taped the same afternoon of the broadcast, which will start in Las Vegas at 4:30 p.m. on April 1 and 2 and 3:30 April 3-5. Tickets for all five dates are available, free, at 1iota.com/Show/893/Kimmel-in-Vegas.
The long-time Italian restaurant at MGM Grand, Fiamma, will close on March 24. It will be replaced with another Italian restaurant this summer, but the specific when and what haven't been revealed.
Division of Gaming Enforcement regulators in New Jersey have ordered the return more than $90,000 in winnings from online accounts a California man funded and played off of from beyond the borders of the Garden State. It's believed to be the largest amount of money forfeited since Internet gambling was legalized in New Jersey more than five years ago. Regulators might also discipline the Borgata and Caesars Interactive, both of which allowed the Californian to gamble online from across the country. New Jersey employs highly effective geolocation technology to detect and reject "many attempts each day to gamble from outside the state."
Robbie Williams is a performer who isn't as well-known in the U.S. as he is in the UK and the rest of the world. In his 22-year career, the English singer-songwriter has racked up some impressive stats: He's the number-one British solo artist; 75 million of his albums have sold worldwide; 12 are UK number-ones; he’s the best-selling non-Latino artist in Latin America; his 2006 tour shattered records by selling 1.6 million tickets in a day; three billion people saw his performance at the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup; and he played to more than 1.5 million people on his latest stadium tour, which finished in Mexico City last November. Now he's appearing in the 1,500-seat Encore Theater for 14 shows: March 8, 9, 13, 15, and 16; June 19, 21, 22, 26, 28 and 29; and July 3, 5 and 6. A few last-minute tickets are available for tonight's show at $200-$350, while the few tickets for the remaining shows start at $395 and go up to $795.
According to a mention on PageSix.com, the New York Post's gossip website, the billionaire owner of Soho House International, Ron Burkle, is rumored to be talking to Caesars Entertainment about buying the Rio. Founded in London in 1995 as a private members’ club for people in the creative industries, Soho House has 23 private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, and spas in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Tinder, the dating app for Millennials and Gen Yers, has launched a spring-break feature that allows college students and others traveling to Las Vegas during spring break to identify themselves and see who else is traveling there for potential matches. Other spring-break cities on Tinder include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Daytona and Destin beaches in Florida, Acapulco and Cancun in Mexico, and the Bahamas. The feature is available through March 31.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority could soon be offering a contract to South African billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to build and operate a new-age subway under the Convention Center. Musk's Boring Company would install 16-passenger autonomous electric vehicles to run through three or four tunnels connecting various entrances to the Convention Center covering about a mile; the system would cost between $35 million and $55 million. Though the rides would be free, this first-of-its-kind transportation would be an attraction all its own. And if it's successful, the system could be extended along the resort corridor between the airport and downtown. If approved by the LVCVA Board of Directors, construction could begin as early as June, run concurrently with the Convention Center expansion out to the Strip, and be completed by January 2021 in time for the Consumer Electronics Show.
Los Angeles' popular Majordomo Meat & Fish, which has just received a James Beard Foundation nomination for Restaurant of the Year, will open toward the end of 2019 at Palazzo. It will be celebrity chef David Chang's second Vegas venue, along with Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan. Majordomo combines cuisines, such as Korean, barbecue, steakhouse, and noodles, with prices from $24 for crispy pork belly to $158 for a 45-day dry-aged Holstein rib eye. Majordomo will occupy the space formerly filled by Carnevino, next to the new Mott 32 Chinese and dim sum restaurant.
The ninth annual Great Vegas Festival of Beer will be held in downtown Las Vegas Friday-Saturday April 5-6. Motley Brews, a team of event planners and craft-beer enthusiasts, have been running this show since 2011; it's now the state's largest craft-beer festival. More than 500 beers will be available for sampling by the 10,000 anticipated attendees. Tickets range from $25 for general admission ($30 early-bird) up to $95 for the total tasting and food VIP package.
The big stars love Las Vegas. In the continuing parade of residencies adding dates, Cher, who begins year three of her "Classic Cher" residency next week, has announced six additional dates on the schedule: August 21, 23, 24, 28, 31, and September 1.
Twenty years ago, they used to be all the rage, but it's been about that long since a new motion-simulation attraction opened in Las Vegas. FlyOver Las Vegas will provide riders with a simulated flight experience over scenery and natural wonders of the American Southwest, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion and Arches National Parks, and Lake Tahoe. The FlyOver Las Vegas flight ride will feature a platform with six degrees of motion, a 52-foot spherical screen, and special effects including wind, mist, and scents. Construction is slated to begin later this year at an unannounced Strip location and the new attraction is scheduled to open in early 2021. It will be the world's third FlyOver attraction; FlyOver Canada, an eight-minute experience that costs $28 online or $33 at the gate, opened in Vancouver in 2013, while FlyOver Iceland will launch in Reykjavik this summer.
Dionne Warwick, 78-year-old singer, actress, and global ambassador, will appear for 12 shows at Bally's Jubilee Theater in April: 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27. Warwick is second only to Aretha Franklin as the most charted female vocalist of all time, with 56 of her singles making the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998 and 80 singles making all Billboard charts combined. She's most famous for "Walk on By," "I Say a Little Prayer," and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." Ticket prices range from $105 to $218.
With a little more than a month left to claim the jackpot, the sole winner of the largest lottery payout to a single winner in U.S. history, $1.5 billion, has stepped forward. The winner has elected to remain anonymous, which is permitted in South Carolina, and is taking the lump sum of $878 million. The winner will pay upwards of $325 million in federal income taxes and $61 million in state taxes for a net of "only" a little less than $500 million. Why did the winner wait so long? The shopkeeper who sold the ticket and receives $50,000 perhaps said it best: "That's a lot of money to manage."
The Nevada Department of Transportation has announced that Project Neon, the three-year, $1 billion, four-mile widening of Interstate 15 from the Spaghetti Bowl to Sahara Avenue will be completed on May 16, two full months ahead of schedule. The massive public-works project has added high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, improved and new on- and off-ramps, and upgraded connections from surface streets downtown. A completion celebration with food and entertainment is scheduled for that evening; stay tuned for details.
One resort in our fair city marches on without having to resort to the Gouge and with old-time good gambling to boot. We identify it in the March issue of the Las Vegas Advisor (hint: It's on the cover of the newsletter on this website, if you know where to look). The issue also has extensive coverage of last month's Super Bowl prop bets; Las Vegas' best low-priced restaurants, the last $1.99 breakfast, and 54¢ bagels; two new rebate-on-loss deals; a $5.50 dinner buffet; and a hot new jiggle show with twofer tickets. Your online subscription is only $3.25 per month and comes with our Member Rewards Book; use just a few of the more than 120 coupons and you'll pay for your subscription and then some.
The Vegas Golden Knights cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks yesterday afternoon at T-Mobile. It was the second shutout in a row and Marc-Andre Fleury continues to lead the league in shutouts with eight and wins with 32; Fleury now has 436 career victories, one from tying Jacques Plante for eighth place in NHL history. Read all about the game and other fun stuff in Joe Pane's popular Knights on Ice blog.
Freshii, a Canadian-based healthy fast-food chain, will open its first Las Vegas location at the Palms food court. The chain was founded in Toronto in 2005 and since then has expanded to nearly 450 locations in North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. The menu consists of breakfast, salads and wraps, bowls, burritos, soups, juice and smoothies, froyo, and "coffii." No timetable has been announced for opening.
At the slightly belated one-year anniversary party of Hells Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace, owner Gordon Ramsay announced that the venue will host the upcoming 19th and 20th seasons of the smash Fox TV show of the same name. Shooting will begin within a couple of months. The 300-seat eatery has served more than 400,000 diners since it opened in January 2018.
The big race of NASCAR weekend is today's Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are the co-favorites at +550, followed by Brad Keselowski at +650 and Kyle Larson at +800. The race starts at 12:30 p.m., which means you should expect heavy traffic on I-15 up till then and again when the crowd lets out around 5 p.m.
The championship rounds of the USA Sevens rugby tournament are today at Sam Boyd Stadium, with play beginning at 11:00 a.m. The United States will play New Zealand in one semi-final, while Samoa meets Argentina in the other. The championship game will be aired on ESPN2, with coverage starting at 3 p.m. PST.
Lady Gaga's mega 2009 hit song "Bad Romance" has been included in the Bellagio Fountain repertoire. A new song for the Fountain show takes several months to complete and was added to the lineup one day after Gaga won an Oscar for best original song from her movie A Star Is Born. Cher's "Believe,'' the newest song before "Bad Romance," debuted more than a year ago. Gaga's hit runs for nearly five minutes and just passed a billion views on YouTube. The other current Fountain songs are "Luck be a Lady,'' "Hey, Big Spender,'' "Fly Me to the Moon,'' "Uptown Funk,'' "My Heart Will Go On,'' "This Kiss,'' and "God Bless the USA.''
Jon Jones is a -800 favorite over Anthony Smith in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Tyron Woodley is -190 over Kamaru Usman.
The Oyster Bar at Palace Station is running a $1 raw-oyster special Mon.-Fri. from 5 to 11 a.m. That’s right, it’s available in the early-morning hours only, which is also one of the few times you can actually get to the counter without waiting in line.
The USA Sevens rugby tournament runs today and tomorrow at Sam Boyd Stadium. Several games will be played today, with matches lasting only 14 minutes. In yesterday's play, the defending champion U.S. team went 1-1, beating Kenya and losing a close one to Argentina. A portion of the action will be televised today at 1:00 p.m. PST on ESPNews.
Spiegelworld, the production company behind Absinthe and Opium, have announced their third Las Vegas show, which will open on the second floor of Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian in September. The descriptions of and promo video for this show are as good as unintelligible, but as far as we can tell, it will combine Las Vegas' history of atomic tests and wild-west origins with "American's Got Talent" and what looks to us like Zombie Burlesque. Got it?
Another new suite has been unveiled by the Palms and it's a monster. Called "one of the world’s most opulent accommodations," the Empathy Suite Sky Villa was designed by British mega-artist Damien Hirst and Vogue's headline is "... The World's Most Expensive Hotel Suite." The suite encompasses 9,000 square feet on two levels, with two lounges, a theater for 52, a curved bar that seats 13, a dining room for eight, two massage rooms, a fitness room, and a healing salt room. An outdoor veranda features a cantilevered Jacuzzi. This is Hirst's first foray into hotel accommodations; he designed the furniture and six of his originals adorn the walls. The suite retails for $100,000 a night (two-night minimum), though it's reserved mainly for million-dollar players. At first, we thought the Palms was charging a $10,000-per-night resort fee, but on closer reading, it's a $10,000-per-night resort credit.
Planet 13, which bills itself as the world's largest cannabis store at 112,000 square feet, has announced a 4,500-square-foot expansion that will include a pizzeria and coffee shop/bistro. The eateries, which will open sometime in the third quarter of this year, are expected to generate additional revenues from recreational-marijuana customers and possibly attract non-users to the dispensary on W. Desert Inn Road near the Fashion Show Mall. The cafe and bistro will be run by the Arizona restaurant chain, Rickety Cricket.
According to the keynote speaker at the first-ever Las Vegas Global Sports Business Summit, a Las Vegas-hosted Super Bowl could have a billion-dollar-plus impact on the local economy. The projection is based on the 125,000 visitors to last year's Big Game in Minnesota, combined with the more than 300,000 people who jam Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend. It would be the first event in the city's history to achieve a 10-digit take.
Activity is finally visible at the 8.6-acre vacant lot east of the Palms at the southwest corner of Flamingo Rd. and Valley View Boulevard. When completed next year, the commercial center will consist of a 270-room non-casino Delta Hotel (a Marriott brand) that can rise as high as 24 stories, a 286-unit luxury-apartment complex, Walgreens, Chick-fil-A, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Del Taco, and Denny’s.