June 7, 2007
Las Vegas is in love with its mobsters. Even though anyone who has ever read the slightest tidbit of Las Vegas history knows that Bugsy Siegel didn’t found the place, he gets the credit. And not only that, he gets the glory and romance. The most commonly repeated cliché in Vegasland is, “Things were so much better when the mob ran this place.” ... Continue reading »
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As President's Day weekend draws to a close here in Sin City, I feel like heaving a big, "Whew!" And I didn't even go to the All-Star Game, celebrate Chinese New Year's, get married on Valentine's Day, attend the MAGIC show, spend a three-day weekend on the Strip, or go hear Barack Obama give a speech. I didn't even take today off, but I still feel as though I've run some sort of gauntlet. If the last three days didn't bring a record number of visitors to my fair city, it sure felt that way. I've even heard it described as a "perfect storm" of a weekend. 
Super Bowl has come and gone once again, leaving millions and millions of dollars behind in the city that will never be its host. It's amazing to me that Las Vegas reaps all the benefits of the most popular football game of the year without contributing a cent to its production. And not only is Sin City exempt from underwriting any Super Bowl costs, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (of "What Happens in Vegas" fame) isn't allowed to buy even one minute's worth of advertising during the television broadcast... 
What? 
Las Vegas: The Last Bastion of Smokers' Rights. That's how I thought of it when I came here in 1997 when I was doing publicity for a smoking cessation campaign sponsored by Nicorette Gum and the American Cancer Society. While I didn't feel as though I had to wear Kevlar as I handed out literature and spoke to reporters in front of city hall, I did have the distinct feeling that I wasn't particularly welcome. If you can't smoke in Las Vegas, the message was, there's something wrong with the world... 
Easily the number one question I get asked by people who don't live here is, "How do you stand the heat?" It's a good question, but there's another one on my mind right now. It goes something like this: "What the !#%@!! is all that water gushing down my driveway?" Somehow, I never dreamed I'd be dealing with a pipe leak caused by a hard freeze in the land of endless summer... 
I just read (in 
It's easy to give up belief in one Santa, but dang near impossible to deny the existence of 4,000 of them. Well, maybe it wasn't quite 4,000. The final tally has yet to be verified. But however many men, women, and children actually showed up in their official five-piece St. Nick suits on December 9th for a 5K run (or 1-mile walk) through downtown Las Vegas, it definitely qualified as... 
The Stardust's days are numbered. In a month, the doors will close, and soon it will vanish in the grand style accorded to such icons. Old Las Vegas casinos never fade away, they go out with a big bang. In the meantime, the Stardust is playing host to many a big bash. I've had the pleasure of attending two... 
"In a state where sin, debauchery and corruption are commonplace, it takes a lot to get people talking." That's how AP reporter Angie Wagner kicked off 
