Las Vegas Travel Guide
5/09/2008 at 2:32 PM
Tags: Missed Connections, Celeb Travel, Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Movie Set Travel, Bars, Restaurants, Karaoke (all tags)
This weekend's major movie release "What Happens In Vegas" promises to kill off the entire tourism trade to Nevada's largest city. Once people get the idea, however malformed, that an innocuous trip to Vegas could get you hitched to Ashton Kutcher without possibility of parole, no one will ever want to visit Sin City again!
Actually, even a movie this execrable probably can't keep people from going to Vegas. So, have fun, go mad and meet a cutie at one of these hot spots:
Hofbrauhaus :: It wouldn't occur to us to try to pick up hot guys at a German/Bavarian restaurant--sauerkraut breath is a killer!--but maybe if they're German and nude... 4510 Paradise Rd.
Ghost Bar :: HotelChatter has spotted Paris and Tara Reid at this rooftop club at the Palms, but you can meet regular people (and Canadians) there too. 4321 W. Flamingo Rd.
Krave :: Its reputation as an LGBT hot spot precedes it, but if you like drag karaoke, relatively cheap covers ($10 in Vegas is like 10 cents anywhere else) and "gorgeous" girls with pink hair, you'll enjoy it too. 3663 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]
· Las Vegas Hotels [HC]
[Photo of Vegas in the '50s: avaloncm]
by egw
5/05/2008 at 12:30 PM
Tags: Casinos, Gambling, Restaurants, Sex (all tags)
Why are we not surprised that this news is out of Vegas? Caesars Palace is starting up summertime lunch-and-booze service at its Italian restaurant, Rao's. But rather than just have grilled food outside, the place is stepping it up with bocce courts and some Bocce Bellas, ostensibly hanging out to help you with your game.
The food menu is on the simple side, channeling that barbecue vibe with sausages, burgers and chicken wings. The specialty drinks sound a little sweet for our taste, but you can't really go wrong with pitchers of sangria.
The bocce bar menu is set to be a seasonal thing, starting this Thursday and running until just after Labor Day. And, yes, we have a gratuitous photo of the Bocce Bellas after the jump.
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by pbb
4/17/2008 at 4:37 PM
Tags: Table Crashing, Las Vegas, Restaurants (all tags)
What the world looks like when you get off the Palazzo tasting tour.
We were fortunate enough to get invited to the Palazzo Las Vegas last week to check-out the hotel scene. But as with most hotels these days and especially in Las Vegas, the hotel is often not about the hotel. It's about what else is at the hotel.
And aside from the gambling, the Palazzo has a ton of other distractions and ways for you to spend your cash, whether you won it at the blackjack tables or whether you're just burning your paycheck.
While the Shoppes at the Palazzo definitely caught our eye (hello, massive Barneys department store!), there are 12 restaurants to indulge in. We tested a few of them out. Be prepared to leave your calorie-counting ways behind.
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Related Stories:
Table Crashing :: Where Tom and Katie Eat
by juliana
4/11/2008 at 2:50 PM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Night Clubs, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell (all tags)
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest and acerbic judge Simon Cowell were caught trysting at the Wynn Las Vegas. And by trysting we mean they were partying at the hotel's nightclub Tryst.
Seacrest apparently scored time off from his nine other jobs to hang with Cowell and celebrate the two-year anniversary of the club.
We've been to Tryst quite a few times, and it's one of our favorite nightclubs in Sin City because it's rather small compared to other Vegas clubs. Plus there's a grotto outside underneath the man-made waterfall (Wynnfall?). And, gals, don't forget to ride the stripper pole in the corner.
Of course, it's Vegas so you still get a mix of bachelor/b-rette parties, stripper wannabes, meatheads and Middle America types who decide to visit a nightclub for the first time ever. If you're looking to avoid the touristy Vegas crowd, go on either Sunday or Monday nights when the locals who work on The Strip like to release their inhibitions.
Related Stories:
· Tryst Nightclub [Official Site]
· "Let's Pretend We Didn't See Paula Fall Down" [Gawker]
by juliana
3/28/2008 at 10:00 AM
Tags: Movie Set Travel, Gambling (all tags)
21 is the story of six brainiacs who put their smarts to the test in Vegas, and took the town's casinos for millions in the 90s. Based upon fact, this week's pick is perfect for the card sharks.
Ben Campel (Jim Sturgess) goes to MIT and also needs to pay for it. He learns to count cards from Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) and the two quickly recruit friends such as Jill Taylor, played by Kate Bosworth, to join in, perfect the art, and take on Sin City. We hear it's a fascinating look at what actually happened, albeit some historical facts overlooked. Hey, it's a movie, they're never flawless.
In the spirit of gambling, we offer you some cool 21-related things to check out next time you're in Vegas. Just don't count cards - they'll ban you from the casinos!
Where To Stay:
Planet Hollywood Resort
The MIT boys hit the tables in the film at Planet Hollywood, where they score some major successes. While many of the casino scenes were actually filmed at the Aladdin and Venetian, check out PH for some authentic Vegas action. They've even got a "Pleasure Pit" where you can count cards, er, play blackjack and roulette at tables manned by women in lingerie. Book one of the Panorama Suites and get a 180 degree view of the Strip from your living room.
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by sedona
3/17/2008 at 4:26 PM
Tags: Las Vegas, Tourism Boards, Tourism Board Travel, Vegas Tourism (all tags)
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
You know the economy is going down the hole when Las Vegas needs to do a $12 million advertising campaign to attract more visitors.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has recently approved the "Vegas Right Now" campaign to run through June. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
The "Vegas Right Now" unveiling coincided with the announcement of a $20 million campaign by the Vegas.com Web site, called "The Vegas Experts." Those ads feature Vegas.com employees scouting parties, clubs and hotels on behalf of Web site users.
The goal of the campaign is to urge people to take more spontaneous trips to Vegas. As it turns out, arrivals and departures out of Sin City's McCarran International Airport is down, particularly amongst visitors from Southern California, a huge and important demographic. This is a pretty telltale sign that disposable income is not so disposable anymore.
A tourism official said the campaign will touch on the country's economic woes although he did not elaborate.
We say, there's an easier way to get visitors to come to Vegas again: Make hotel rates more affordable. Afterall, how many people can really take time off work during the week just to get the slightly cheaper room rates?
[Photo: HotelChatter Flickr Pool]
Related Stories:
Viva Vegas News [HotelChatter]
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority [Official Site]
Authority Pushes Impulse in Ad Blitz [RJ]
by juliana
1/14/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Jenna Jameson, AVN Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Atonement, Javier Bardem Is Scary (all tags)
Because of the writers' strike, this weekend's planned Golden Globes ceremony was reduced to a press conference and three hours of "The Night of Zero Stars" after celebs refused to cross guild picket lines. Apparently no one writes porn movies, because there were no pickets at the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas. Stars like Jenna Jameson hoped their films would be chosen out of the estimated 4,000 made every year to receive an AVN award.
Back at the Golden Globes, "Atonement" and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" took home best picture honors (in the drama and musical-or-comedy categories, respectively), Javier Bardem continued his murderous streak of artistic excellence and "Gossip Girl" was snubbed for best television series.
Related Stories:
· Jenna Shines at Porn Awards [Faded Youth Blog]
· Jenna Jameson's New Hot Spot [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]
by egw
1/10/2008 at 3:00 PM
Tags: Casinos, Travel Media, Gambling (all tags)
The Consumer Electronics Show is wrapping up in Las Vegas, which means all the tech geeks and fameballs are clearing outta town. That means it's up to you to find the cheapest blackjack tables and spend, spend, spend. And when you're playing the three dollar tables, you can play all night.
Temporary Gridskipper correspondent Jordan Golson took a C-note to the Sahara to see not how much he could win but how fast he could go broke. Turns out, not fast:
After six hours, I'm still up $52. I have to do something to break the monotony. I vow that if I am up $100, I'm walking away, and I start playing badly. Of course, I win...
After six and a half hours, the casino is almost deserted, save for my hugely bored dealer, the cleaning staff, and a busty young woman who called to me from the slots, "Hey handsome, come see me when you're finished," as I returned from the bathroom.
If the glamourous life of $3 tables and prostitute solicitation is for you, your best bet is at older casinos. The Sahara is one, Sunset Station is another. Also worth a try is Imperial Palace. Not into blackjack? The ever-shady Ellis Island Casino and Brewery has an off-menu $5 full steak dinner.
Related Stories:
· Dying to Lose in Vegas: The $3 Blackjack Death March [Gridskipper]
· The Sahara [Official Site]
· Sunset Station [Official Site]
· Imperial Palace [Official Site]
· Las Vegas Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ishane]
by pbb
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