We were downtown Las Vegas this past weekend and they have characters walking around, like Batman, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Gumby, and lots of others. Are they "panhandlers" or homeless people? They ask for donations after you take pictures of them. Even have a drummer playing on everything but the kitchen sink.

OK, now that you mentioned Summerlin (in QoD 2/5/2011), what’s up with "The Lakes," NV, which seems to be an official post-office designation, yet isn't it really just Las Vegas? CitiBank credit card bills have been addressed "The Lakes, NV" for decades.

What's the latest news with Lake Las Vegas? They certainly have had their ups and downs.

Any suggestions for places to go as a single person for Valentine's Day, or an anti-Valentine's celebration? I received an email about the M Resort's Singles' Weekend Party but have heard nothing else from other spots.

How far must one drive to purchase a lottery ticket in any direction? Which is the fastest or easiest drive and can you provide directions? What types of lottery tickets are available? With Nevada in dire need of funding, what would be required to start one here?

Are any of the casinos offering special commemorative chips for the Year of the Rabbit?

In your QoD of Feb. 1st, you mentioned 12 or so cities or townships, but did not say anything about Summerlin. I see signs on Highway 95 for the exit to Summerlin Parkway and a large sign welcoming you to the city of Summerlin. I think this was a planned community of the late Howard Hughes who also named it Summerlin in honor of one of his grandmothers.

Our group of 10ish has been meeting in Vegas for the Big Game for the past 16+ years. With all the new and different things going on, it's hard to keep up on where the hot spots are to view the game and have fun... Any insights?

For years I’ve seen a sign on Paradise Road that welcomes people to the "Town of Paradise." I’ve always wondered about that (and every time I see it, I start singing that Eagles’ lyric, "They call it Paradise, I don’t know why. You call someplace Paradise, kiss it goodbye"). Can you enlighten us about the Town of Paradise?

In your "Today's News" feature on December 9th, you said the monthly win was up for downtown’s 19 casinos. Try as I might, I can only think of 15 or 16 (I can't remember for sure how many little slots only joints there are on Fremont Street). Could you please list the 19 downtown casinos?