AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Free Las Vegas Free Newsletter Since 1999

Archive for January, 2011

January 26, 2011

Access Vegas Insider Vibe January 26, 2011

January 26th 2011 Posted to Las Vegas Newsletter

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Serving Las Vegas Visitors and Residents Since 1999

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Seasonal Vegas Information
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Sunny, sunny, unseasonably warm, upper 60′s F for the past week… you shouldn’t know that it was snowing somewhere. Every fall, I remind people to book a winter vacation here because about the time you are fed up with the cold, we’re breaking the bonds of our very short winter season. This fall when everyone is thinking “holidays” you need to be thinking “book late January trip to Las Vegas”.

Don’t take my word for it! Look at what Rhumbar (Mirage) looked like the past two NFL Playoff Sundays:

Rhumbar

Live From Las Vegas – This past Wednesday night, we enjoyed a first-hand look at a live taping of Vegas Video Network’s Pub Crawl program. Hosted by David and Alicia Ivy, it is an excellent show, tons of fun, this week had great reports on Todd English P.U.B. (CityCenter), “Secret” pizza place at Cosmo, Joe’s Stone Crab and lots more.

Most fun if you watch weekly live at 8 PM Pacific on Wednesday nights: http://www.vegasvideonetwork.com/live (make sure to get into the chat, I often do) but fortunately the shows are also archived at http://www.vegasvideonetwork.com/our-shows… and also available via RSS and iTunes. Check it out!

Vega$ Available On DVD – Some of may remember the late 1970′s TV series Vega$ which was both set here and shot here. Season 2 has now been released on DVD (Netflix has it). If you are a regular visitor, this is worth watching just to see what The Strip and downtown looked like and how much has changed!

Stop In For A Grand Slam – If you are a Californian headed out of town, barely got out of your room in time, on the road, hung over, and hungry (that’s never happened in Vegas before)… The new Denny’s at Primm is offering a $3.99 Grand Slam (includes two buttermilk pancakes, two bacon strips, two eggs, and two sausage links) through the end of March 2011. Also something to keep in mind if you are taking the Primm Outlet Mall Shuttle to go hit the deals for a few hours. Primm’s hotel, resort, and the mall are all part of the same complex.

Bringing Your Baby To Las Vegas – Maybe it is just me, but over the past year I’ve noticed more and more pregnant women in Las Vegas. Not an inordinate number, but I’m seeing it. In particular, I’m seeing their significant other taking photos of them proudly displaying their baby bump next to oft-photographed locations around The Strip.

Actually, I can’t fault this idea. Once you have Junior, a trip to Vegas is probably going to be out of the question for a while. And with Las Vegas as a popular city to celebrate a 21′s birthday, a child can look at the photos for a look-back at their very “first” trip to Vegas!

One More Week – Victor Royer’s gaming column resumes in one more week. We have them in hand, but not yet prepped. Our bad.

Enjoy This Issue!

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Rick Ziegler

Las Vegas Show Review

B – BeatleShow Tribute:
Love Letter To The Music, Performers, and Legacy

There are few places (outside of the UK) that celebrate and have as much history with the Beatles as Las Vegas does. From some of the original hotels the Fab Four stayed in to lavish spectacles that celebrate their music, one may assume that “Beatlemania” can be best covered by only one show. That’s where fans of John, Paul, George and Ringo can learn that there is a lot of Beatles love to go around.

Disney’s The Lion King And Mandalay Bay Deliver New Deal 2 Good 2 Be True – 2/2 package includes 2 tickets to THE LION KING and 2-nights stay at Mandalay Bay for only $200! Disney’s THE LION KING and Mandalay Bay invite guests to enjoy the best new deal on The Strip now through February 28, 2011. The world’s No. 1 musical and Las Vegas’ premier four-star resort join forces to create this amazing 2/2 offer – 2 tickets to THE LION KING and 2-nights stay at Mandalay Bay for only $200.

Hopping Into The Year Of The Rabbit, Colorful Dragons, Lions, Rabbits To Fill The Forum Shops At Caesars This February To Celebrate Chinese New Year – To celebrate Chinese New Year and welcome the year of the Rabbit, The Meadows School will perform the traditional dragon parade throughout The Forum Shops at Caesars. The cast of singers and dancers includes 120 Meadows students – 60 from kindergarten and 60 from fifth grade plus the school’s very special guests, founder Carolyn Goodman and her husband Mayor Oscar Goodman.

Tickets For 10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament At Shadow Creek In Las Vegas Now On Sale – Tournament Offers Public First-Time Access To Exclusive Golf Course – Tickets for the 10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), hosted by ARIA Resort & Casino at Shadow Creek, are now on sale. The premier celebrity golf event will make its Las Vegas debut March 31 – April 3, giving fans the opportunity to watch four days of competition with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. This also marks the first time that Shadow Creek – one of the country’s most celebrated golf courses – will open its doors to the public.

Rita Rudner Welcomed To Her New Home At The Venetian In Fabulous Style – Rita Rudner was welcomed to her new home as the newest headliner at The Venetian in grandiose style today, complete with a red carpet arrival covered with pink rose petals. Wearing a red Valentino dress and pink and purple fur coat, Rita emerged from her limo to a delightful scene of singing gondoliers, Streetmosphere performers and cheering onlookers. Rita jumped on the bell cart with her bags in tow and was wheeled onto the red carpet and into the lobby for more surprises. Photo Credit: imagesofvegas.com/ISPhotography

Simon At Palms Place Mixes And Mingles With The Ultimate Anti-Valentine’s Day Celebration: The Simon Singles Soiree – Forget the disenchanted dinners, phony cards, ugly roses and candy… For this Valentine’s Day, you don’t need Cupid to have a great time. Simon at Palms Place is throwing the ultimate unconventional Valentine’s Day party, its Singles Soiree. The Soiree is for the unattached to defy the holiday’s typical traditions by being social with great food, delicious drinks, and friendly activities such as combating a heart-shaped piñata. You never know who you will meet. . .Prizes will be given away throughout the event including gift cards to Sunset Tan, Drift Spa & Hammam and Palms Casino Resort.

Celebrate Chinese New Year At Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens – Dramatic Display Welcomes Year Of The Rabbit Now Through March 5 – Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens invites guests to celebrate Chinese New Year – Year of the Rabbit, with a unique display replete with symbolic meaning and tradition. A serene sanctuary guided by the ancient practice of Feng Shui – the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy – is on display now through March 5. The majestic centerpiece of this exhibit is a 35-foot Chinese Junk Boat with a 38-foot mast inspired by traditional 15th century fishing vessels. Making its debut at the Conservatory, the boat was created using teak, mahogany and cedar by Daniels Wood Land, Inc. – which is best known for building full-scale replicas of The Black Pearl for Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise.

The 2011 Miss America Pageant From Las Vegas Increases Ratings By 49% On ABC! – The Miss America Organization announced today that the 2011 Miss America Pageant, which aired from 9 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, drew ABC’s biggest non-sports audience in the time slot since April 2009 and easily placed second to Fox for the night. The announcement of the 90th Anniversary Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, a 17-year-old from Nebraska and one of the youngest winners in the history of Miss America, kept ratings growing through the night despite the gridiron competition of two NFL Divisional Playoff games.

The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas Celebrate Chinese New Year 2011 -Festive decor and traditional dragon dance honors Year of the Rabbit – The Venetian and The Palazzo will ring in the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit with an authentic dragon dance with firecrackers and festive decorations featuring a 16-foot, 1,000-pound animated rabbit in the atrium gardens of The Shoppes at The Palazzo with handcrafted silk hanging lanterns and orange trees representing good luck and fortune.

Death Valley Explorer Tour by Tour Trekker TourDeath Valley Explorer Tour by Tour Trekker Tour – Experience the beauty of the largest national park in the contiguous United States – Death Valley. Highlights include Mercury, former home of atomic weapons testing, and venture into the fascinating ghost town of Rhyolite, home to rustic ruins from the past as well as the Goldwell Open Air Museum.

Click To Book Death Valley Explorer Tour
by Tour Trekker Tour Now!

What We’re Watching – Vegas Videos You’ll Enjoy

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Comments(0)

January 18, 2011

Access Vegas Insider Vibe January 19, 2011

January 18th 2011 Posted to Las Vegas Newsletter

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Serving Las Vegas Visitors and Residents Since 1999

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Seasonal Vegas Information
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! We’re back after an unusual two-week break. We needed time to recover from our New Year’s Eve hangover, recover from watching my Oregon Ducks lose the BCS game on a fluke play and last second field-goal, organize a number of newsletter and site improvements which we’ll be implementing over the next few weeks.

Hopefully, we’ve escaped the grips of winter here finally. Temps are flirting with 70 F all week, and Martin Luther King Day (last Monday) we hit a record high of 74F. It was really nice to spend Sunday afternoon sitting outside in back of the house enjoying some sunshine and NFL football on TV.

Speaking Of NFL Football (as to not confuse our 25% international readership with your football), casinos and bars have already been releasing their Superbowl party plans. Of course, they have to call it the Big Game (or something similar) as the NFL really doesn’t like Las Vegas (long story) and will most likely sue any venue using the trademarked name of the event to promote a party. You can go check out Las Vegas Superbowl Parties and Events 2011 if you are thinking about being here for the “Big Game”. Unless you have a ticket, being here is more fun than being in the host city!

New Year’s Eve In Vegas! – Since this is our first newsletter of the New Year, longtime readers know what to expect: 1. I’m going to tell you how great the fireworks were and how much more exciting our party is than some 60 second ball drop, 2. Tell you that it was warmer here than New York (oooops on that one… for the first time in my memory, we were colder), and 3. Lament that the only reason the U.S. doesn’t see us as the New Year’s Eve Capital is because midnight Eastern time is only 9 PM Las Vegas time.

Now… we did post a link last issue where you could watch the entire 2.5 hour live/local streaming show covering everything: The Strip, Downtown, the crazies, the clubs, the fireworks, you name it. If you tuned in and caught the stream, then you KNOW how amazing it is here compared to other celebrations around the country. If you forgot to tune in (or fell asleep watching that boring ball drop on national TV), we’ll do a re-run for you. We don’t have permission to post the entire show, but we did find KLAS-TV’s complete fireworks coverage (click to view):

Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Fireworks Video
2010 – Ringing In 2011

What We’re Watching – We debut a new section this week called What We’re Watching. When we started this newsletter in 1999, streaming video wasn’t a factor and most people still had dial-up connections. Times have changed, and so have we!

The mission of this newsletter is to sift through huge piles of Las Vegas information (so that you don’t have to) and only present the best for you. We’ll now be doing this with video. Hate to click on a YouTube video that looks interesting only to find out you wasted your time? That won’t happen when you enjoy videos we select to pass along.

Welcome New Readers! – Since we took a two week break from publication, almost 600 of you have subscribed and are completely new to our newsletter. We’re happy to have you on board! This isn’t quite a normal issue as we’re doing a lot of “housekeeping” but stay subscribed and next week you’ll get a true taste of what being and AccessVegas.com newsletter member (subscriber) is all about!

Also returning Next Week: Victor H. Royer’s gaming column (a big reader fave) and fresh, weekly show reviews.

Enjoy This Issue!

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Rick Ziegler

Comedian Tim Allen Makes His Return To Standup At The Venetian Las Vegas In 2011 – After giving fans a taste in 2010, Golden Globe Award-winning actor and comedian Tim Allen returns to stand up in a big way in 2011 with a ten-weekend Las Vegas residency in the 742-seat Venetian Showroom. “We’re thrilled that Tim Allen has chosen The Venetian as his Las Vegas home,” said Chris Yancey, executive director of entertainment at The Venetian and The Palazzo. “Tim’s legion of ‘Home Improvement’ fans will now get the chance to see him do what he does best.”

Forum Shops Las Vegas Fabulous Fashion Briefs And Forum Firsts For 2011 – WHAT A YEAR 2010 WAS: As we set our sights on soaring to new heights in the New Year, a quick look back on what made 2010 such a great year at The Forum Shops at Caesars. This past year, The Forum Shops continued its winning streak as the premier retail, dining and entertainment destination with the addition of a variety of new retailers and restaurants including the largest H&M in the U.S., Las Vegas’ first P.J. Clarke’s and Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man. In addition, due to increasing sales and demand, a number of world-renowned retailers such as Burberry, Cartier, St. John, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gucci and Versace expanded or renovated their stores.

Golden Nugget Las Vegas Receives New Year’s Wish From Outer Space – Owner of the Golden Nugget, Tilman Fertitta, received a special call from friend and fellow Houstonian, Scott J. Kelly, commander of the International Space Station, Expedition 26, late last night. Kelly, who was at the time traveling 17,000 mph over Hawaii, wished everyone in the Golden Nugget’s Rush Lounge a Happy New Year over speakerphone during Frankie Moreno’s set. Photo of Las Vegas sent from space by Scott J. Kelly.

Celebrate Valentine’s Weekend At The Suncoast Showroom With The Scintas, February 11-13 – Popular Las Vegas entertainment family, The Scintas, return to the Suncoast Showroom Valentine’s weekend, February 11, 12 and 13, each evening at 7:30 p.m. The Scintas, Buffalo, New York-raised brothers Joey and Frankie, sister Chrissi and “Irish Scinta” Peter O’Donnell, entertain, surprise and provide an anything-but-typical performance filled with music, comedy and impersonations.

X107.5 Presents ‘Wing Off Wednesdays’ AT McFadden’s – McFadden’s Hosts Qualifying Rounds For The 2011 Wing Bowl Starting This January – McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and X107.5 presents “Wing Off Wednesdays” every Wednesday night starting January 12. The weekly competition hosted by Dave and Mahoney will give wing fanatics a chance to qualify in the second annual Wing Bowl Las Vegas and scarf down as many tasty tender wings as possible. McFadden’s will serve pounds of the best chicken wings in town to confident contestants looking for a chance to enter the second annual Wing Bowl Las Vegas. The top two wing eaters of each of the four nightly heats will earn a spot in the final Wing Bowl event on February 5 at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa and a chance at the $2,500 grand prize.

Starlet Angel Porrino Returns To Peepshow At Planet Hollywood Las Vegas – PEEPSHOW, Las Vegas’ hottest show and only striptease spectacular is pleased to announce Angel Porrino, Las Vegas local and co-star on the new hit TV series, “Holly’s World” on E!, has signed on to take over the role of “Bo Peep,” a modern woman who discovers her sexuality, during Holly Madison’s hard-earned vacation dates throughout 2011. Porrino will once again perform alongside a sizzling ensemble of sexy PEEPSHOW GIRLS.

Las Vegas Double-Decker Bus of the Stars TourLas Vegas Double-Decker Bus of the Stars Tour – This one-of-a-kind tour takes place on an original London double-decker bus where you’ll enjoy a performance a by celebrity impersonator. You’ll have the opportunity to interact, take photos and ride along with the celebrities, while enjoying the world-famous sights of the Las Vegas Strip.

Click To Book Las Vegas Double-Decker
Bus of the Stars Tour Now!

What We’re Watching

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Change is in the air (and I’m not talking about politics). After much reader suggestions/feedback and in-house discussion, we are making permanent changes to this section:

  • Many readers have expressed how difficult it is to search through old segments or find a post that interested them some time ago. Including the entire posts as part of this newsletter makes it impossible to do a specific search on them. If you search the newsletter archives, you’ll get anything ever included in the newsletter. Not specifically past reader comments and reports you may be looking for.
  • Because the posts are inserted in the body of the newsletter, web search engines don’t do a good job of indexing the information. This inhibits the rest of the internet from finding and enjoying the specific posts.The more people that find our information, the more subscribe. The more subscribers, the better our financial picture is (we are more attractive to advertisers) and the better job we can do bringing you information (which takes time which takes money). Especially since no one else essentially does this kind of Las Vegas newsletter, especially complimentary.
  • We often get great responses to posts in this section. Other readers chiming in. Which is great… for me. But of absolutely no help to you as readers never see the comments.

Hence…

The posts are going to go online. We’ll provide a link and a summary. In addition, we are going to (over the next few months) move every Members Mania post dating back to the beginning of the newsletter online. This will allow you to easily search for advise pertaining to what you want. Looking for comments on a certain hotel, buffet, or show? It will be tagged for easy search.

Note: We will still post short notes directly in the newsletter.

Placing them online will allow other readers to add their own comments, which helps everybody! Even though we live here and are on The Strip and downtown often, we can’t possibly do and see it all. Your comments are important and helpful!

Now… We’ve had some people complain that they will have to (gasp) actually CLICK to read the posts, and they don’t like that. We gave that quite a bit of thought and um… That is kind of the way this computer/internet thingy works. You click to open a program. Click to open an email. In our news section, you need to click if you want to read the details of a story. In the More section, you need to click to read a story. We also hope that you click to patronize our advertisers when you are making your Vegas plans.

If you get bored of us, you need to click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter. Lots of mouse clicking needed to use this internet stuff. We also figured that people who find clicking to read a post too much work will probably not unsubscribe as clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter would also be too much work.

Finally, we’ll start to be able to publish quite a bit more information as soon as we get underway with this new system. In the past, many great emails from readers simply never got published. Now, we can use them and you can benefit!

  • Riviera Las Vegas – Access Vegas Readers Love It! – Three different readers wrote with very nice things to say about staying at The Riviera (and tips to stay in the good rooms). If you’re thinking about staying at The Riv, wanting to stay in a hotel that feels more “old school” Las Vegas, or have stayed and want to comment, this is for you.
  • When Is Las Vegas Spring Break In 2011? Want To Avoid The Crowds… – Ah, Spring Break and March Madness and cabin fever setting in make springtime in Las Vegas the most popular time of the year to visit. If you want to make sure a spring vacation is enjoyable, you’ll want to click and read this one.

Greetings from the cold,snowy state of Maine! We just visited Vegas over Christmas. We arrived near the end of the RAINS!!! Imagine our surprise when we were greeted by hundreds of UMBRELLAS!! The sidewalks and casinos were full of people from many nationalities!! Many had children ,and grandparents as well!!

I attended the Nutcracker Ballet, EXCELLENT! The costumes were Beautiful and the dancers were Extraordinary!!! The only question I have is, Why the recorded music? In Maine we have a Live orchestra.

We always stay at Bally’s. The rooms are nice and you can’t beat the the location! many thanks for the GOOD time and enjoyable newsletter.Las Vegas we love you. We have visited at least a dozen times. The Cosmapolitan is Wonderful!!!

D. Cook

We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Comments(0)