{"id":8583,"date":"2012-03-07T15:01:23","date_gmt":"2012-03-07T23:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=8583"},"modified":"2022-11-13T06:19:11","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T14:19:11","slug":"vegas-gets-its-groove-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/vegas-gets-its-groove-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegas gets its groove back; “Zarkana” comes to Aria"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"In terms of quantity, quality and proximity, the Los Angeles Times<\/em> is the closest thing Las Vegas<\/strong> has to a major metropolitan daily. (Hell, the Sacramento Bee<\/em> puts the Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/em> to shame.) Indeed, the LAT<\/em> treats Sin City as a distant, less-virtuous suburb of the City of Angels. A recent spate of stories jibes with the current trend of cautious optimism in the Vegas casino industry. Admittedly, LAT<\/em> coverage focuses on our bargain-based appeal, but the perception of affordability is a reliable building block for tourism in Southern Nevada<\/strong>. For instance, the deservedly beloved El Cortez<\/strong> gets a lot of LAT<\/em> affection, especially for its Cabana Suites<\/strong>, the location of Sharon Stone<\/strong>‘s death scene in Casino<\/em>. Admittedly, if the rooms are “tiny” in the building’s newish, 64-unit configuration, I’d can only imagine how cramped they were when it was a 120-room motel. However, correspondent Christopher Smith<\/strong> gives them props for decor and value alike<\/a>. Smith also accords some backhanded compliments to the Plaza Hotel & Casino<\/strong>. Still, I wonder if Tamares Group<\/strong> couldn’t be bothered to paint over water stains on the casino ceiling, how much better could the place be? A less-jaded friend of mine paid the Plaza a visit right after its reopening and fled almost at once, so underwhelmed was she.<\/p>\n

Keeping with the bargain-conscious theme<\/strong>, reporter Mary Forgione<\/strong> enumerates 21 Vegas bargains costing less than $21 apiece. LVA<\/em>‘s own news desk — speaking of jaded! — hailed this as “a more imaginative list than is the norm.” Item #5, “Bird-watching at the Flamingo Hotel<\/strong>” isn’t nearly as good as it was before Gary Loveman<\/strong> banished all the penguins to Dallas<\/strong> but it’s both worthwhile and free. Still, that’s about as close to finding fault with the proposed itinerary<\/a>. Caesars Entertainment<\/strong>‘s Strip properties get quite a number of shout-outs but newer Xanadus are left out in the cold. Hipster hangout The Cosmopolitan<\/strong> rates no higher than #20 and Mandarin Oriental<\/strong>‘s tea lounge in the sky obtains the lone CityCenter<\/strong> accolade … albeit in the lofty #4 spot. (Springs Preserve<\/strong> gets #1 ranking.)<\/p>\n

\"\"Not only does the Pinball Hall of Fame<\/strong> nab an all-but-mandatory mention in Forgione’s list, it merits a breakout story all its own<\/a>. For instance, did you know that many of the proceeds go to the Salvation Army<\/strong>? I’m also reliably informed that the PBHoF is now in charge of the pinball arcade at the Riviera, which would be a smart move. My only concern is that the increasing popularity of PBHoF owner Tim Arnold<\/strong>‘s antique machines is that recent visits have found them to be malfunctioning faster than they can be fixed. Perhaps that’s why no casino (to my knowledge) has attempted a Slot Machine Hall of Fame, even though it would be surefire tourist draw, at least among older customers, one in which we could play Sigma Derby<\/strong> safe in the knowledge that it won’t be trashed the moment the machine breaks.<\/p>\n

Something else for nostalgists<\/strong> is the Big Retro Slide Show<\/em> of “ambassador of Americana<\/a>” Charles Phoenix<\/strong>. It kicks off a West Coast tour with April 6 and 8 performances <\/a>at The Orleans<\/strong>. Subsequent stops include San Diego<\/strong> and L.A. If the sight of fez-topped Shriners<\/strong> marching down Glitter Gulch<\/strong> strikes a chord with you, Phoenix’s traveling exhibit is required viewing. After all, nothing about Vegas is quite so hip as its history.<\/p>\n

\"\"Another rapidly proliferating form<\/strong> of Vegas attraction is the firing range. Machine Guns Vegas<\/strong>, tucked behind the Strip, is a new, upscale rival to the Gun Store<\/strong>, a popular shooting gallery out near Pecos Road<\/strong>. It’s also a new version of high-end “nightlife,” complete with waitresses but with automatic weapons in lieu of bottle service<\/a>. Of course, given the number of high-stress jobs in Las Vegas, there may be quite a number of locals lining up to work off their John Rambo<\/strong>-sized aggravations. It might not please certain casino moguls to read the New York Times<\/em>‘ Adam Nagourney<\/strong> describe Trump International<\/strong> and Wynncore<\/strong> as relics of an era that already “seems almost quaintly outdated” but many will find a kernel of truth in that. There’s even a Vegas angle<\/a> to the decline of contemporary journalism into ‘factiness’ and ‘truthiness.’ Post-modern academics may see merit in John D’Agata<\/strong>‘s fanciful What Happened There<\/em> but it glories in precisely the sort of misinformation that we labor to dispel at Huntington Press<\/strong>. But if you’re attempting to digest D’Agata’s prose, perhaps you could wash it down with a few beers from Tenaya Creek Brewery<\/strong>. Its fame is spreading … well, at least as far as Arizona<\/strong>, where Phoenix New Times<\/em>‘ was moved to rhapsodize<\/a> about Tenaya Creek’s suds, “perfectly clear liquid, [atop which] an inch of cream-colored froth rests like craggy mountains<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

Once “Vegas” becomes synonymous with “good microbreweries,” then and only then will we be one of the great cities of the world.<\/p>\n

Parlez-vous “Zarkana”?<\/strong> Although the traveling Cirque du Soleil<\/strong> show Zarkana<\/em> won’t open at Radio City Music Hall<\/strong> until D-Day (running through Sept. 2), you might as well wait a while to buy tickets and see it in Vegas<\/a>. Today, CdS confirmed rumors that Zarkana<\/em> will fill the gaping void to be left at Aria<\/strong> when Viva Elvis<\/em><\/a> shakes its last pelvis next August. Cirque will have less than two months to install, fine-tune and preview Zarkana<\/em> but it’s a show that’s built to tour — despite “huge programation”<\/a> — which is a theoretically less cumbersome proposition that having to configure a show to fit a specific venue (and vice versa). It can go into the Aria show “as is” and MGM doesn’t have to cover an eight or nine-figure production budget. While there may be a despairing soupir<\/em> or three about MGM Resorts International<\/strong> importing yet another Cirque product, give MGM execs credit for speedily “fixating” a situation that would have left CityCenter utterly show-less. Let’s just hope Jim Murren<\/strong> doesn’t cut a deal with Sheldon Adelson<\/strong> to afflict us with Zaia<\/em>, which recently bombed in Macao<\/strong> and accordingly got the vaudeville hook.<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object>
\nMeantime, Mystere<\/em><\/a> rolls happily along at Treasure Island<\/strong>, bulked up with the addition of a couple of numbers from ill-fated Zed<\/em>. One of these is a big routine involving a large troupe of trapeze artists, which was pretty hit-and-miss when seen last weekend. Still, Mystere<\/em> continues to be an entertaining paradox: It’s the oldest Cirque show in Vegas yet somehow never gets old.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In terms of quantity, quality and proximity, the Los Angeles Times is the closest thing Las Vegas has to a major metropolitan daily. (Hell, the Sacramento Bee puts the Las Vegas Review-Journal to shame.) Indeed, the LAT treats Sin City … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98,65,109,60,34,80,56,66,18,42,51,4,7,140,62,11,10,119,12,32,47,9,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8583"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27460,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8583\/revisions\/27460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}