Question of the Day - 20 January 2008

If there’s one thing that Las Vegas is known for it’s excess, so it’s no surprise that the city holds a whole bunch of records for being the biggest, longest, tallest, and most expensive, although Macau, which has already overtaken the Las Vegas Strip in terms of gaming revenues, is beginning to give us a run for our money in other areas of the superlative department these days, too.

• When the MGM Grand opened in 1993, it was the largest hotel in the world and remained so for many years. Today, the property has approximately 5,044 rooms and suites (with rooms going in and out of service and suites dividing and joining, it’s always a tough number to pin down definitively), but that’s no longer enough to be the largest. The mantle passed first to the Ambassador City, Jomtien, Thailand, although the vast number of unoccupied rooms there always lent credence to the accusation that they expanded spuriously just to be world’s biggest. If so, they got what they deserved when, in December 2006, the title passed to the First World Hotel, part of the Genting Highlands Resort in Malaysia, which boasts a total of 6,118 rooms. MGM Grand’s expansions have kept it in the #2 spot, while Ambassador City’s slipped down to #5.
• Another record that Las Vegas no longer holds is largest casino floor, which also belonged to the MGM Grand once upon a time. At 178,000 square feet, it’s long been dwarfed by the 340,000 (and growing) square feet of Foxwoods, which has now itself been eclipsed by the Venetian Macau’s staggering 550,000-or-so-square-foot casino floor, which is home to 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables.

Okay, so those are some of the records we don’t hold anymore and we may no longer be home to a Guinness World Records Museum, but here’s a selection of miscellaneous records that we can claim as our own, presented in no order whatsoever.

• At 30 stories and 29 million cubic feet, Luxor boasts the world’s largest atrium, which can comfortably accommodate 13 Boeing 747s. It’s also home to the world’s most powerful light beam (42.3 billion candle power).
• The Stratosphere Tower is home to the world's three highest thrill rides -- the Big Shot, X Scream, and Insanity the Ride.
• The California Hotel & Casino downtown holds the record for the longest verified roll of the dice, performed by Hawaiian Stanley "Golden Arm" Fujitake, who, on May 28, 1989, clocked 118 rolls in three hours and six minutes before sevening out.
• Generating sales of $1,400 per square foot, the Forum Shops at Caesars is the world’s most profitable retail center and home to the Tourneau Time Dome, the world’s largest watch store (17,5000 square feet housing some 8,000 timepieces from 100 watchmakers.).
• The race and sports book at the Mirage took the largest bet ever placed on a Super Bowl game in 2004. The $4.8 million wager was on the St. Louis Rams to win outright against the Patriots. It lost.
• Leo, the MGM Grand’s 45-foot-tall 90,000-pound lion, is the largest bronze statue in the U.S.
• The Las Vegas centennial celebrations downtown in 2005 featured the world’s largest cake. The seven-layer, 20-inch-high, 102-foot-long, 52-foot-wide 130,000-pounder consisted of 24,000 pounds of flour, 18,000 pounds of sugar, and 130,000 pounds of eggs, and more than a hint of miscommunication. Yes, the giant gâteau, which was delivered from Sarah Lee’s North Carolina baking facility in seven refrigerated semi-trucks, was thought to be a generous donation from the doyenne of desserts. Sarah Lee company officials, on the other hand, explained that they’d merely intended to offer the cake at a bargain $95,000 discount price. An unfortunate committee worker ‘fessed-up to being responsible for the mess-up and the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee had to eat the bill. The cake, on the other hand, was lalargely consumed by the grateful residents of North Las Vegas’ pig farm (my, what an eclectic diet they have – cake one day, Jack O-Lanterns the next, not to mention the steady stream of buffet leftovers).
• The world’s tallest chocolate fountain (14 feet high) is found in Bellagio’s Jean Philippe Pâtisserie, while the property is also home to the world’s largest glass sculpture -- Dale Chihuly’s Fiori Di Como -- which comprises some 40,000 pounds of hand-blown glass flowers and can be viewed on the ceiling of the lobby.
• The largest single golden nugget is, appropriately enough, to be found on display at downtown’s Golden Nugget. The 61-pound 11-ounce "Hand of Faith" is on display in the North Lobby.

• The biggest ever slot machine jackpot was hit on a dollar Megabucks machine in April 2003 at Excalibur. The $39,710,826.36 winner was a 25-year-old software engineer from California, in town to watch the NCAA basketball tournament.

• The world’s largest permanent circus is at ... you guessed, Circus Circus, where you can catch it every half hour from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.

• The Las Vegas Hilton boasts the world’s largest free-standing sign. The 279-foot-tall sign on Paradise Ave. features over six miles of neon and fluorescent lights, a total surface area of more than 70,000 square feet, and is 40 feet thick. A larger sign that previously stood at the same location was blown down during a severe wind storm, but the replacement is still big enough to retain the mantle of world’s largest. The Hilton was also the venue for the world’s largest buffet, which took place on March 28, 2006, and featured a record 510 dishes served to 848 guests.

• With its $2.7 billion price tag, Wynn Las Vegas holds the record for being the world’s most expensive resort. Other non-casino Las Vegas records include:

• At $7.8 billion CityCenter is the most expensive privately funded construction project in U.S. history.

• Sapphire is the world’s largest gentlemen’s club.

• Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States.

• With its 12.5 million lights, the Viva Vision canopy over Fremont Street is the biggest big screen in the world

• Last but not least, Bonanza Gifts (2460 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) is almost certainly not the "World’s Largest Gift Shop," in spite of its name.

• Finally, in some late-breaking news, next Saturday there may be another record to add to this list, when Harrah's Las Vegas attempts to make history as 1,700 members of the Red Hat Society try to break the Guinness World Record for "Most People in a Chorus Line."

  The stunt, designed to promote the arrival of HATS! the musical, which opened at the property Jan. 12, will kick off at 11 a.m., with the world record attempt taking place at 11:30 and spanning a half-mile or so of the Strip, from Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon to the Carnaval Court at Harrah's. We'll let you know what happens.

  If successful, we hope they get to keep the title for a while. Major Oscar Goodman's proud assertion last December 1 that, "Once we've grabbed the title, we'll hold onto it forever," proved to be a little premature with regard to downtown's bid for the Most Santas at One Gathering. With 7,269 registered participants, Las Vegas did indeed attain this title, but kept it only for one week. On Sunday December 17, more than 13,000 Santas gathered in Derry, Northern Ireland, to claim an official new Guinness World Record.

  If you know of any records we've missed, please feel free to drop us a line.

  
  Hand of Faith
  That Cake
  Luxor Largeness
  Best of Rest

Serendipity 3, the New York eatery that now has a location at Caesars Palace, holds the Guiness World Record for the most expensive dessert, which can still be ordered (48 hours notice is required). The Golden Opulence Sundae is available for $1,000 and comprises five scoops of Tahitian vanilla ice cream, rare chocolates made from Venezuelan cocoa beans, exotic fruits, and a 23-karat edible gold leaf. 05/26/2009 May 26, 2009 N.J. Woman Sets New Craps Record: Move over, Stanley "Golden Arm" Fujitake, there's a new champ at the craps table. Saturday night, Pat DeMauro made a $100 buy-in at a Borgata craps table, in Atlantic City. Four hours, 18 minutes, and 154 rolls later, she finally relinquished the dice, having set a new dice-shooting record. A novice player, DeMauro told a reporter, "I was learning the game as I went along." Borgata execs rewarded her victory with Dom Perignon, dinner, and a comped suite. How much did DeMauro win? "It was a good night," she said.