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AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

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October 6, 1999

Welcome to Access Vegas News and Reviews! This is the newsletter that talks about the Las Vegas attractions, dining, and shows that YOU really care about. This is not spam. If you receive this by mistake, unsubscribe information is at the bottom. Feel free to forward this to friends or repost it in Las Vegas forums, but only in it’s entirety.

This is the official newsletter of http://www.accessvegas.com Quality Las Vegas Tourist Information – Hotels, Casinos, Insider Tips, and more. If it’s about Las Vegas, it’s In-Vegas.Com!

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This Issue: THE ILLUSIONARY MAGIC OF RICK THOMAS

Curious about a restaurant, event, or other Las Vegas attraction that looks fun? Let us review it for you first! Suggestions are always welcome at: allvegastv@aol.com

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LAS VEGAS NEWS – of interest to tourists:

HOUDINI LIVES AGAIN – starring Dixie Dooley and featuring Houdini style magic kicked off with Mr. Dooley escaping a regulation straitjacket while suspended 80 feet above Fremont St. downtown. It was a impressive stunt, with the height alone providing plenty of tension. You can see a photo at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1999/Oct-06-Wed-1999/news/12094102.html and we have 2-1 coupons to this great show (reviewed next week) in our contest section. Discount downtown hotel rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-hotels-downtown.htm

99 CENT BUFFET – the Silverton Hotel and Casino is offering a 99 cent all-you-can-eat buffet every Thursday in October 1999 from noon to 9:00 PM. Silverton discount rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/rooms/las-vegas-hotel-reservations-strip-area.htm (Silverton link).

ESPN’S ESPY AWARD SHOW – is coming to Las Vegas after years in New York City. The show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on February 14, 2000. That is Valentine’s day and what an opportunity to take your significant other to Las Vegas and also have one of the greatest chances to see stars that you will ever get! Full story at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1999/Sep-24-Fri-1999/sports/12016077.html Tickets at (702) 474-4000 and MGM discount rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-strip-hotels.htm (MGM link).

ELLIS ISLAND PARTIES – this casino behind Bally’s (kitty corner to the Maxim) is holding an “All you can Eat and Drink” Octoberfest Oct. 22 and 23 from noon until 11:00 PM for only $10.00. This includes a variety of food as well as their microbrews. They also do this $10.00 event every Sunday starting at noon and every Monday starting at 5:00 PM. The events run until the end of the days football game(s). They are also having a Halloween Karaoke Costume party starting at 9:00 PM that night. Ladies will drink free from 9-11:00 PM and there are cash prizes for costumes.

NEW YEARS EVE LAS VEGAS ROOMS – are still available! Call Hotel Reservations Network at (800) 666-5268 for a free price quote! NOTE: You MUST stay on the line until you get a person. HRN is NOT booking these specific dates online. We will be leaving this notice up as long as rooms continue to be available, but they are starting to go fast.

WINNER! – Bruce Pobanz of Las Vegas was the winner of the Sahara Speedworld free passes.

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Quick Concert and Show Notes:

Want to see which shows are playing during your stay and book reservations EVEN if the tickets aren’t on sale yet? ShowVegas takes care of all your needs directly online! Search by dates at http://www.showvegas.com/svpricing.cfm?cscheme=5&amid=143

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October is often thought of as a magical month with Halloween. With that in mind, we are reviewing three Las Vegas magic shows this month: The Illusionary Magic of Rick Thomas, Houdini Lives Again staring Dixie Dooley, and the Steve Wyrick Magic Show.

FEATURE STORY: THE ILLUSIONARY MAGIC OF RICK THOMAS

Because of the length of other sections of today’s newsletter, this review will be on the brief side, but I can sum it up in one word: GO! This guy is good, and he won’t be doing an afternoon show forever. Use the restroom ahead of time — you don’t want to miss one minute!

The show opened with some very impressive bird tricks mixed with fun comedy, and segued right into a flashy illusion where his assistant Grace vanished right into his body.

Next came an audience participation segment with a 7 year old boy, whom he had some fun banter. The child then helped Rick pick a showgirl for the levitation trick. The showgirl laid down and was “put to sleep” by the youngster, after which the chairs under her were removed one at a time. After making here float back and forth to the amazement of the nearly packed house, Mr. Thomas replaced the chairs and let the youngster “awaken” the showgirl.

Thomas’ show doesn’t let up! He is known for his exotic tigers, having 2 nearly extinct white tigers. “There are 100 of them; Siegfried and Roy have the 98″ he joked. He brought one of the full grown tigers onstage in a cage, and in the blink of an eye, turned the tiger into his assistant Grace. He then introduced us to a 4 month old tiger cub, letting members of the audience pet the cub and noting that the cub will end up around 750 pounds when it is full grown.

After escaping the spikes of death which threatened to crush him (quite a spectacular escape), he engaged the audience in a little comedy before placing Grace in a box and twisting her head in numerous circles, only to have her emerge in one piece.

After this followed an audience participation segment with a couple where he took the man’s watch, “accidentally” had the man’s wife break it, only to bring it back to life in one piece from the inside of a sealed can. Not only was the watch in one piece inside of the sealed can, but it was set to the time the gentleman had earlier specified.

The finale is incredible! We won’t wreck all the fun except to say that Mr. Thomas seemed to teleport himself through thin air, and two tigers appeared out of nowhere in a spectacular lights and explosions display.

Having seen all 4 of the Fox “Masked Magician” specials, I was honestly expecting to see average magic and having a pretty good feel for how the tricks were accomplished. While a couple of illusions were of the stock variety exposed on the Fox specials, for the most part I was left with my jaw dropping in awe and amazement.

Speaking of kids, this is one you should take them to if you do bring them to town. Children as young as 6 and 7 were in the audience enjoying every minute of it, and the little bit of “adult humor” tossed in a couple of times was of a tasteful variety only caught by adults. There was no nudity, and while costumes were sexy, none were overly revealing. Click for show price and times.

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We were swamped with letters regarding kids in Las Vegas. We have tried to publish a good representation and only “signed” letters are published. Some letters were edited for space, but not content or context. For those newer to the newsletter, read our take on this subject at http://www.las-vegas-news-reviews.com/99-06-24.htm and our list of non-gaming Las Vegas activities is at http://www.accessvegas.com/activities-entertainment-kids.htm

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Colleen Stalberger writes:

>My husband and I go to Vegas as often as we can.  We have a 15 year old son that would enjoy
>some of what Vegas has to offer but we do not take him on these trips.  I don’t feel that
>Vegas is a place for children ever.  We stay clear of the Casinos that cater to children and
>do not stay at any the the “Family” Hotels.  We expect kids at Disneyland but Vegas is not
>where they belong.  You can’t walk around the streets without begin handed literature on X
>rated shows and magazines are on every street corner.
>
>Kids are great and we will enjoy taking our son when he is 21.  Until then he will have to
>make do with a t-shirt.

Dave Lenhart (Father of 2) writes:

>I realize that the natural tendency is to try and incorporate your children
>into a family vacation to Las Vegas.  However, you were quite correct in
>saying that most of the casino’s in L.V. recognize that the “big” money is
>made from married couples without children and single people.  I think that
>people get caught up in the idea that Las Vegas is a place for fun and
>games.  But one must realize that these are ADULT “games” that children are
>barred from playing.  I do agree with Bellagio management for barring
>children from the casino floor.  It’s not the appropriate place for them. 
>Trust me, there are PLENTY of places to go in L.V that children would have a
>great time(Circus Circus Midway/Wet and Wild/Stratosphere)  The important
>fact I want to make here is this, Las Vegas is an ADULT fun place that is
>not designed nor intended for children under 21.  Though the games may seem
>fun, there is a very real purpose for there existence, and it has nothing to
>do with the younger crowd.

Roy L.Flush writes:

>Greetings;
>I’ve just read a letter from a person who complained about not being allowed
>into Bellagio with their children.
>I am always amazed by people who want to bring their kids with them to
>Vegas.
>If these people go to a bar or lounge ,do they bring their kids there,too?
>If mom and dad go put to see an R rated movie,do they expect their kids to
>be allowed in ?
>I go to Vegas 3 times a year.I don’t want to see kids there,they have no
>business there and I am glad to see the casinos going back to”you MUST be 21
>to enter”policy.
>When my kids were young ,I would take the family to L.A.
>We took the kids with us to Disneyland,Knotts Berry Farm,Universal
>City,Magic Mountain and the San Diego Zoo.
>We left them with relatives when we went to Hollywood or Tijuana.
>Some places(Thank God!)are for adults only.

Virginia Calcagno writes:

>A few years ago I was playing roulette when I looked over my shoulder. A
>little boy was looking very sad while his father was losing at roulette.
>I wanted to ‘punch’ the father for exposing his son to HIS activity.
>The little boy should have been enjoying himself..after all it was his
>vacation too.

Kit Lindsay writes:

>Hello
>
>    Your newsletter was forwarded to me to enjoy this morning.  I read the
>letter of complaint about the Bellagio Hotel, and I have to say that my
>wife and I like the fact that no children are allowed in there.  I have
>always felt that children do NOT belong in a casino, and I remember the
>first time I was at the Crystal Palace in Nassau, Bahamas and I was
>horrified that youngsters were sitting at blackjack tables with their
>parents. This one child was egging his father on and really annoying
>every one else. I do not plan to go back there.
>
>    Back to the original subject, I actually don’t think children belong
>in Vegas at all. My wife and I go there to be in an adult area with
>other adults and we really get tired of the people that don’t control
>their kids and the general bad attitude of the kids that are there.  I
>applaud Bellagio for their policy, even if I am not a high enough roller
>to stay there. We usually stay at the Hilton or the Palace Station
>depending on why we are there. We are both in our 30′s and we have no
>children.
>
>    To the families that have children and want to vacation, I say go to
>Orlando. That is a place that caters to kids and the people that feel
>compelled take them on vacation.  You won’t find much decadence there.
>Leave Las Vegas (the adult playground) to the adults. Who knows, if you
>visit without your kids you might understand what I mean.

J.K. Williams writes:

>As for the Bellagio, I have been a guest there and thoroughly enjoyed the “adult” atmosphere.  I didn’t pay $400 >a night; I actually found a deal on their website and paid $89 a night and felt it would have been worth $400!   I >was treated with the utmost respect and found the casino and hotel personnel more than friendly.  And, when I >saw them turning away folks with children at the door, there didn’t seem to be anything rude about it.  They >simply stated that Bellagio didn’t allow unregistered children in the hotel/casino.  That’s not being rude, that’s >stating facts.  And I distinctly remember several signs about this on the walk up to Bellagio, so this family should >not have felt surprised.
>
>Enjoy your reviews very much!

Kristine M. Munn writes:

>        This is in reference to the letter to the editor about
>children in Vegas (specifically in the Bellagio)…
>
>        I agree with the stance the Bellagio has taken.  To begin
>with, I am not a kid fan.  I don’t enjoy going someplace where I have to
>tolerate a bunch of out of control, undisciplined, crying, whining, brats.
>Furthermore, a casino is no place for children!  What a horrible environment
>to subject our youth to.  It’s no wonder we have so many problems with the
>younger generations of today. 
>
>        I miss the days of old when Las Vegas was a glamorous place
>where folks got dressed up to go out and everyone put on their best show.
>If you want to be casual and go souvenir shopping go to the beach!  Las
>Vegas is a playground for adults – it’s not meant for children! 
>
>        Give your children something to look forward to when they
>are older – don’t give them everything now.  Take them to Disney World when
>they’re 12 and take them to Las Vegas when they’re 21!  I’m sure everyone
>would appreciate it.
>
>        If you have to bring your children to Vegas, there is plenty
>to do besides visiting the casinos.  There’s Red Rock, Lake Mead, Hoover
>Dam, shopping malls, amusement parks, museums, water parks, movie theaters,
>etc. etc.

Janet O’Bryan writes:

>Las Vegas is a great place to take children if you (a) plan ahead, and
>(b) consider the child’s (or children’s) interests while you’re
>planning.
>
>I took my son, daughter-in-law and six-year-old grandson to Vegas for a
>week in April. Instead of staying at a casino hotel, we stayed at a
>condo off the strip. We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full
>kitchen. We grocery-shopped the day we arrived, buying only breakfast
>food, snacks and soft drinks. We had no intention of wasting time doing
>any actual cooking!
>
>Not only did we not run out of fun stuff for a kid (and his/her adult
>companions) to do, several activities will have to wait for a future
>trip (Red Rock Canyon, the Rio Parade in the Sky, Lied Children’s
>Museum, Circus Circus Adventuredome). We just ran out of time!
>
>Here’s what my grandson, Conor, saw in Vegas:
>
>MGM Grand Theme Park
>Mirage Volcano
>Pirate Battle
>Motion Simulation Rides at Luxor
>Shops at Excalibur
>Coca Cola and M&Ms exhibits
>Stratosphere Tower
>Star Trek Experience and Quark’s Restaurant
>Fremont Street (light show, parade, bands, shops)
>Natural History Museum
>Valley of Fire State Park
>Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden
>Hoover Dam
>
>You can see there’s a wide range here. Conor loved everything, including
>swimming in the condo’s pool. He was most disappointed about not getting
>to see Red Rock Canyon.
>
>I loving visiting Vegas alone, or with friends. When I do, I spend a lot
>of time gambling. Of course on the April trip I spent very little time
>gambling, but I enjoyed the trip a great deal, perhaps more than any
>other trip. I don’t mind that Steve Wynn doesn’t want children in
>Bellagio (in fact, I don’t blame him). I don’t think it would have been
>a highlight of Conor’s trip anyhow.

Editor’s note: We are going to close the book on this subject for now as I’m sure the running debate could go on forever. Whenever you hear the subject of children in 1) movie theatres, 2) fine restaurants, 3) airplanes, et. al., every single parent says “But my Johnny is a wonderful, perfect child who is well behaved at all times. It is other parents who can’t control their children.”

However, children do get tired and cranky. They run off. Just yesterday we saw a mother and a 6 year old watching grandma play a slot machine. The mothers attention was diverted for a moment, the child walked over next to grandma, and security swooped in. It only takes a moment to lose sight of your younger children, and you wouldn’t want that to be the last you saw of them. Security does their best, but more often than not they can’t swoop right in to catch a child running off or in an inappropriate area.

The glitter of Las Vegas attracts many transients and others with a “less-than-stellar” reputation. Bring your hubby or wife, leave the kids with grandma, and really enjoy the distractions that make Las Vegas one of the most romantic getaways in the world.

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Your input is welcome. Want to hear more about a subject? Don’t agree with something we said? Write us a “letter to the editor” at allvegastv@aol.com Guest article submissions are also welcome with full credit to you, your website, etc. if accepted.

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FREE CONTESTS:

Note: You may enter every contest, but only one entry to each. Please note the expiration date and only enter if you will be in town and can use them. The 10′th entry to each contest will be the winner (unless otherwise noted). Just sent a blank email to the specified email address — we’ll get your mailing address from you only if you win (you have 72 hours to respond or we pick another winner).

HOUDINI LIVES AGAIN – we have five 2-for-1 coupons to this afternoon show starring escape artist Dixie Dooley at The Plaza Hotel downtown. We will give these to the first five people who enter at (contest closed) NOTE: You must include your name and postal address for this one. Your info will not be used in any other way but to send the coupons to the winners.

CASINO LEGENDS HALL OF FAME – a pass good for up to 4 people to visit this spectacular exhibit at the Tropicana. You can read our review of it at http://www.las-vegas-news-reviews.com/99-09-15.htm Must be 18. Enter at (contest closed)

FOLIES BERGERE – we have a program from this long running Las Vegas show to give away. Enter at (contest closed)

SAMS TOWN BUFFET – this 2-1 coupon is good for any meal except Tue. and Fri. Seafood dinner nights. Must be 21. Holidays excluded. Expires Nov. 20, 1999. Enter at (contest closed)

LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL – anyone showing a Bank of America Check Card or Credit Card at any entrance gate on October 15 receives free entry.

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Have a request for a review? Boggled when you come to town and see the hundreds of dining, attraction, and show opportunities? Let us know what you’d like to hear about! Unlike the tourist magazines where all of the “articles” are really paid ads, we pull out our own wallet and give you the honest scoop. If you appreciate this service, please consider booking your rooms and rental cars for ALL destinations with us.

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New to the list? Back issues can be found on the web at:

http://www.las-vegas-news-reviews.com

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All contents copyright 1999 Ted Newkirk
October 6, 1999

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