Another immersive "digital museum" is on its way to Las Vegas. This one reproduces all 34 of the 500-plus-year-old frescoes painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome. Life-size representations of Michelango's famous sculptures, David, Moses, and Pietà, are also part of the display. The 25,000-square-foot attraction is on the third floor of the Shops at Crystals at CityCenter in the space that previously hosted two “Immersive Van Gogh” attractions, which is next to the “Princess Diana & The Royals” museum; the Sistine Chapel attraction comes from the same team. It opens on April 24 and tickets start at $32, available here.
Following in MGM's footsteps, Caesars has introduced an all-inclusive package available at Harrah's, the LINQ, and Flamingo. Unfortunately, this one pales in comparison. Whereas MGM's is for two nights at $330, Caesars is for one night at $200, but only for one guest; each additional guest is $100 per night. Sheesh. And while MGM is offering three meals a day, the Caesars deal is for two. MGM's gives you two tickets to two select shows and Caesars' is good for "bottomless" well drinks, house wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages at select bars (heavy drinkers will get more value out of this one). Two tickets to the High Roller observation wheel and 20% cabana and daybed rentals the LINQ's pool round out the package. You can book here (though good luck with Caesars' asinine booking engine).
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports this afternoon that Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley has a Zoom call scheduled with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver next week, during which she plans to propose a 20-acre vacant lot downtown for an arena for the putative Vegas team the league is considering. The lot is located near City Hall and the World Market Center and is owned by Blackstone asset-management group. So the city is officially throwing its hat into a ring that has seen more than a fair share of ups and downs, with at least four proposed sites either dead or in abeyance.
The James Beard Foundation yesterday released the finalists for their 2026 chef and restaurant nominees. From a slate of 14 Las Vegas semi-finalists announced in January, three nominations made the cut. For Best New Restaurant, Tamba is Vegas' representative; this is a highly acclaimed, upscale, contemporary, Indian fusion restaurant located in Town Square known for its modern take on traditional flavors, live-fire cooking, and a dedicated raw bar. Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa is up for Best Chef Southwest; Casa Playa is an upscale coastal-Mexican restaurant at Encore. Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf is also a finalist for Best Chef Southwest; Howard, a semifinalist in 2024, is known for live-fire cooking, sustainable ingredients, and a "neighborhood-cookery" approach that has made Sparrow + Wolf a popular industry hangout. The winners of these awards will be honored at the James Beard Award ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
How many weather records were set in March? Let's count them. First, between March 18 and March 30, Las Vegas saw 12 consecutive days of record heat, all the high temperatures in the 90s. To show how unusual that was, between 1937 and 2003, 66 full years, March had one -- not two, not three, but a single -- March day that surpassed 90 degrees. One day, March 25, hit 98. Second, the median daily temperature was 73 degrees, an astounding 12.2 above the typical median and 6.3 degrees higher than the previous record of 66.7 set in 2015. Also, 2015 was the last time Vegas experienced 0 inches of precipitation, like it did this year; the monthly average is nearly a half-inch. And it wasn't just March. February was the second warmest month on record in Las Vegas and January was the fifth. And it wasn't just southern Nevada. According to the Weather Service, upwards of 1,100 daily records were tied or broken throughout the country, most in the west. So far, April is back to normal, whatever that is anymore.
We use the term “trailer casino” to describe a space that offers temporary gambling to preserve a company’s gaming license. Typically, these spaces are in a trailer or even a tent. We don't know what structure Bally’s is using for its trailer casino, but the company is running one on the site of the former Tropicana from 9 am to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow.
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel for the headline, April is a gorgeous month weather-wise hereabouts. It's dry and mostly sunny, with daily high temperatures rising from around 74 degrees on April 1 to around 82 on April 30 and lows ranging from 52 to 61. However, after March, all high-temperature bets are off. A record high of 99 degrees was set on the 24th in 2012, the 27th in 2000, the 29th in 2013, and the 30th in 1981. A record low of 31 degrees was set on the 2nd in 1975 and the 3rd and 4th in 1955. Typically, April is the second driest month of the year, receiving an average .15 of an inch of precipitation; June is driest with .08.