Vegas Days Gone By: Der blaue Engel

If you're sightseeing along the more rundown stretch of East Fremont's old motel sector, you want to check out what remains of the Blue Angel Motel at 2110 East Fremont. The sign was designed by none other than Betty Willis, who was also responsible for the look of the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign at the south end of the Strip, as well as the short-lived Moulin Rouge (the first integrated club in Vegas). At one point there was talk of demolishing this locally-revered landmark to make room for new development, back before the recession took hold, so as always with Vegas you want to grab a look while you still can.

Photo Opportunity at the Rio

While you're exploring the Rio, check out this chance to get your picture taken at an actual World-Series-of-Poker-used table sitting on a mountain of chips. Re-enact a bracelet moment with your favorite hand. (Mine's a 9-4, "double suited" as Daniel Negreanu would out it.)

Everybody's A Star

Did you know Las Vegas has its very own walk of fame? On the sidewalks along the Strip, you can find stars dedicated to Vegas icons from Elvis and Sinatra to Wayne Newton and Liberace. In front of the MGM Grand, the selection is heavy on Latin superstars, including Vicente Fernandez and Los Tigres del Norte. There's even a star for "Cindy Doumani, Showgirl and Humanitarian." If you get to the Brenden Theaters at the Palms, you'll find a separate selection of stars who've received tributes there, everyone from Michael Jackson to Vegas film festival supporter Dennis Hopper.

Still Standing

Vegas and its record for keeping historic landmarks around being what it is, there may not be that many structures still standing that were built 70 years ago (even though the oldest surviving structure built by Americans of European ancestry is still here), but off East Charleston and Maryland Parkway you can find the historic Huntridge Theater. And since the Las Vegas Centennial Commission recently awarded a cool million to a group hoping to buy and preserve it, its prospects look better than they have since the state filed a suit against the current owners.

In fact, we're full of happy news on the historic preservation front today. According to the Las Vegas Weekly, it looks like the beloved neon sign at Davy's Locker, farther down Maryland Parkway, may see the light of night again. And the Erotic Heritage Museum is set to re-open this very weekend, June 7, with new management and new exhibits! Again, the Las Vegas Weekly has all the details. Things are looking up for this town.

Photo Op at the Riviera

So, if the Las Vegas sign is the number one photo destination for Vegas visitors...is this the second? Here at one of the entrances to the Riviera is this bronze monument to the stars of Crazy Girls, the long-running topless revue at the venerable casino. Apparently it's considered good luck to rub the statue as you head for the tables. From the look of things it's a wonder these poor girls have any butt left. One day I listened to a couple of art student types praising this work for its tribute to the female form in all its splendid variety, particularly in the gluteus region. (Sorry, I can't even hear the song title "Londonderry Air" without snickering.)

Photo Op at the Vegas Sign

If there is one obligatory picture every tourist in Vegas needs, it's one standing in front of what is surely the most famous single sign in the world, the one that greets northbound drivers on Las Vegas Boulevard as they hit the outskirts of the Strip (technically, and ironically, not actually part of the city of Las Vegas). The design is by Betty Willis, whose work is immortalized in the Neon Boneyard, and who left the design in the public domain as a gift to the city and the world...and to every manufacturer of Vegas souvenirs everywhere. If you're considering manufacturing anything that would look better with the Las Vegas sign on it, knock yourself out.

Until 2008, thrillseekers took their life in their hands dashing across Strip traffic to get near the sign, but now there's a parking lot in the median so you can pull over to grab the money shot. The only entrance is on the southbound lanes of Las Vegas, a little ways south of Russell Road. You can try to find a slack time to strike your pose, but otherwise you'll wait in a long line to get on the grassy knoll beneath the sign, because in addition to the carloads of shutterbugs, tour buses stop here regularly with a load of passengers. Others are content to stand off to one side and grab their pictures and/or selfies from a respectful distance.

If you want to be at a really respectful distance, there's always the replica sign on Boulder Highway, although unless you snap a shot as you drive by, you really would be taking your life in your hands trying to run up to it.

A Rainy Day on Fremont Street

Here's our big tip for the day, and it's a safety tip! If you're crossing the courtyard on your way to the El Cortez after it's just rained, watch your step. Those bricks are real slick after they get some rain on them. I'm guessing rain in Vegas isn't something the planners thought they'd encounter frequently, but we got quite a bit at the end of February. Since I had to go downtown anyway and visit the post office, I was on my way to the El Cortez to cash in a coupon for a Free Gift that expired after the end of the month. Turns out I had my choice of a deck of cards or a pair of dice. This would have posed quite the dilemma if the El Cortez hadn't been kind enough to mail me two coupons, the other of which is good through the month of March, so I could go back any time for those dice. Today, even.

On a rainy day it's natural to seek cover, so I headed for the canopy overhanging the Fremont Street Experience. On my way I passed the notorious Heart Attack Grill, which makes the news every now and then when a diner suffers an actual heart attack after downing one of the Triple Bypass Burgers. None of that for me! Well...maybe I'd try that chili bacon dog one of these times. And hey, freebie hunters, look: "Over 350 Lbs. Eat Free!" And Vegas is just the kind of town where you can make that dream come true. Starting right here, I'd imagine.

Next stop: The free slot pull at Binion's. You could win $2500! You won't, but you could. In any case you'll get a sheet of coupons, one of which is good for a free Las Vegas keychain from the discount clothier in the back, past the Player's Club. While you're there you could check out the racks of t-shirts and sweatshirts in the $12-$15 range. And as long as you're at Binion's, you get one chance per day to have your picture taken with a million dollars. How often do you get your picture taken with a million bucks? If it's more often than this, you don't need my advice about making money. They say it's half an hour before you can pick up your picture (in its nice souvenir holder) at the Player's Club desk, but I figured I could still kill that much time and have an hour for the drive to my office, so I soldiered on. (By the way, the Four Queens also has a free slot pull. They also have a Tix 4 Tonight outlet where you can scope out the new issue of Vegas2Go or 24/7 for the latest coupons.) 

Next I popped into Mermaids and bellied up to the counter at Nathan's Famous, where you can still order a deep-fried Twinkie (God bless America), although I was there to order the All-American Hot Dog with onions, $1.35 tax included. By the way, Mermaids, like La Bayou across the street, has drawings every hour for cash, where you could win $50, more or less. My advice: Show up first thing in the morning, when you may well be the only one in the place. Those are pretty good odds. I checked the winner's list once and the 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. winning tickets were consecutive ticket numbers.

On to the D, where I'd earlier valet parked my car. The D used to be Fitzgerald's but has undergone a youth-conscious makeover. Gone are the shamrocks and barley; now, at night, the dealers morph into young women in skimpy black fin de siècle dance hall girl outfits, and others clad in bikinis dance on bartops to that pounding beat. Nothing wrong with that, but by day it's still more of your typical casino ambience. I was there to use another coupon that expired after February, this one for a $10 match play. I was lucky enough to find an empty blackjack table where the dealer had just shuffled, but before she could deal the first hand some doofus sidled up, pulled out $100 in chips, and proceeded to play three hands...all badly, never hitting his 13 or 14 when the dealer was showing an Ace or face card, which no doubt contributed to my losing my match play and the next couple of hands for good measure...then got up and left. Great. I stuck around for a few more hands, won my money back, broke a $5 chip when I cashed in so I could tip the dealer (and the valet guy when I left), and took my leave.

Then back to Binion's to pick up my photo. On the way I passed these guys flipping and spinning ad placards in the air. There's always free entertainment on Fremont, but you never know what you're going to get. It can't be Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert every time. By the way, as I was driving away. I saw Wolverine and Capt. Jack Sparrow heading for Fremont to hit up the tourists. You never know who you'll run into on Fremont Street.

As I was headed back to my car, I surveyed the Slotzilla, the world's largest slot machine, installed at the end of the street. Not a big fan, as it and the receiving station for the zipline across Fremont which is also in the works partially obscure what was once an unobstructed view of the entirety of the Fremont Street Experience, the street-long LED display which runs different light and music spectaculars throughout the night. It was something to stand at one end of the street and be able to take in the whole panorama in its entirety. Well, the best view is probably somewhere in the middle, really.

And with that I'm off, $4.35 in tips and hot dogs poorer, but richer in cards, souvenirs, food and experiences. More coupons to use in March!

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Once upon a time, I was having dinner with some friends downtown at the Golden Gate, and after dinner we decided to take a walk around Fremont Street and the vicinity checking out the sights. While we were standing at a corner waiting for the light to change, I glanced down and something on the sidewalk caught my eye.

"Hey," I said to my friends, "there's something funny-looking on the sidewalk here."

I bent down to pick it up.

"Holy crap," I told them, "it's a $100 chip from the Palms."

"Are you kidding?" they asked me, or words to that effect. "Is that thing real?"

"As far as I can tell," I said.

Next day, on my way out of town, I stopped at the Palms to see if I could cash it in, and, yeah, it was a $100 chip from the Palms.

So, I found $100 just lying on the street. Now, nothing about this story makes any sense. The Palms is a good distance from downtown; how did someone manage to make it all the way to downtown with a $100 chip and then drop it on the sidewalk and leave it? More to the point, how did none of the street people and homeless straying occasionally onto Fremont, not even mentioning the hundreds or thousands of passing tourists,  happen to notice it and snatch it up before I did?

Which speaks to our moral for the day: Keep your eyes peeled. Once the sightseeing wonders surrounding you have begun to lose their charm, keep one eye on the ground. An old flame of mine moved to Las Vegas and said walking around town she would find all kinds of things: Coins. Bills. Chips. Watches. Jewelry. You name it.

My poker buddy took a break from gambling to have a smoke next to a slot machine, happened to glance down, and saw a $10 bill lying on the ground behind the machine. I myself found $20 lying on the floor of a casino bar in Colorado once. Finders keepers. On the other hand, I once noticed a $20 bill protruding from the slot of a machine, and I immediately alerted security. Taking someone else's money from a gambling machine in any fashion is against the state laws in that jurisdiction, and you don't want to be on camera breaking the law in a casino.

I used to have a little black plastic business card holder that I kept in my shirt pocket. While I was gathering my bags at the ticket counter at McCarran Airport, I saw my little black plastic card holder lying on the ground, picked it up, dropped it in my shirt pocket and forgot about it. Until later when I got home and realized I had two little black plastic business card holders in my pocket: Mine, and one in which someone had tucked away $300 in cash.

Ah, well. If you go to Vegas you should expect to drop a few hundred bucks.

Just the other day I found someone's business card lying in the driveway of the Strat. They're the special events manager at the Hard Rock, so I imagine I can impress some of the club chicks with it.

Now, at some point you may have found someone's discarded slot ticket for $.02, or $.03, or $.05, or even some munificent some between $.10 and a quarter. You may, like the original bettor, decide to toss it away. Good Lord, why? That's real money. I can imagine someone disgustedly tossing away the few cents which is all that's left of the $20 or $100 they stuck in a machine, but gambling is a very low-profit-margin activity, and every penny you can hold onto is contributing towards your bottom line. (You know those pros that count cards and use every other dirty trick they can think of at blackjack? You know what their edge against the casino is? About 2%. That's why they have to form teams that can make huge-volume bets, like in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.) Donald Trump says he bends down to pick up a penny if he sees one on the street, and I'm no different. You may not think it matters much to the casinos if people throw those 5-cent tickets in the trash? Multiply that by millions of casino visitors every year who are probably doing the same. It's making a huge impact on their bottom line; it's the same as if they left those coins in the machine along with the rest of their losses. Let it make an impact on your bottom line instead.

Wheel in the Sky Keeps On Turnin'

When I returned to Vegas late last year after many moons away, my big "What The Heck?" moment was catching sight of the big wheel going up near the Strip and Flamingo. The Skywheel, at 550 feet taller than the Big Eye in London, is anchoring The Linq, the new open-air shopping and dining (and wining) complex going up about where Bill's used to be. For an unobstructed view of it in all its glory, right now you can stop at Paradise and Winnick where we took this picture. (Because Vegas is all about the competition, someone's planning another, equally tall one at the South end of the Strip.) It just happened that our bus back from Laughlin was passing by the recent night that they were testing the Skywheel's  lights and its ever-so-slow revolution, so here ya go.

Container Park

As part of the burgeoning art scene around the revitalized Downtown, the Container Park at 7th and Fremont stands as a shining example of green building. The scrap metal preying mantis that stands guard over the entrance shoots out great gouts of flame in the evenings, when on weekends it's likely to be accompanied by a drum circle. You can hear all this in the Pavilion Tower of the El Cortez across the street, so you might want to turn on the TV or listen to some music.

The buildings, all salvaged from shipping containers, house several well-regarded restaurants and bars, including Pork & Beans, Pig Ears BBQ and The Boozery. There are several galleries too; the Disney Fine Art is well worth a browse for art lovers of all ages. For the youngsters there are all the trappings of a real park and playground, especially a treehouse for the climbing.

It's The Best Deal in Town (But You Have to Go to Laughlin)

We were toying with the idea of extending our stay and hitting up Laughlin, on the scenic Colorado River, on the way out of town (we had a two-nights-for-the-price-of-one coupon from a couple of Laughlin hotels), but then I saw an ad in one of the local magazines: Call 702-360-8687 and book a free bus tour to Laughlin. You actually pay $5 for fuel, but that's still one of the best deals imaginable: not only do you get a four-hour round trip to Laughlin (think of your fuel savings), and six hours in Laughlin, you get a free buffet at the Trop, and $5 in free slot play there. So heck, yes, we took the bus instead. Their shuttle picked us up downtown at 8:30 in the morning and after picking up guests at various other hotels around town we were at their main terminal ready to board the big bus at 10 a.m. Our driver kept us informed and entertained as we stopped at the Las Vegas sign for pictures, and passed through the quaint towns of Noname, Calnevada, and Searchlight (home of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, woo). Billboards and ads made clear Laughlin is a happening place: upcoming headliners include Reba, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Willie & Family, Jo Dee Messina, Leann Rimes, Paul Anka, Paul Rodriguez, and Bill Engvall.

First stop: the Tropicana Express. First big tip: As soon as you get off the bus and get handed your voucher for the buffet and slot play, walk (if not run) as fast as your legs will carry you to the left past the hotel registration desk, then to your right and most of the way back until you come to the Players Club on your left. Get there before your fellow passengers have figured out where it is and you'll save a long wait in line. You'll need that time back later, because passengers start waiting in line of the buffet at 3 p.m., an hour before it opens; so you either wait an hour for the buffet to open, or you wait even longer to get into the buffet. Veterans, take note: Every fourth Wednesday, you and a guest are entitled to a free buffet here. The buffet was well worth the wait, and I made $3 off the free slot play, so as of this point the trip was only costing me $2.

Next stop: the Colorado Belle. Both here and at sister property the Edgewater, new members can get $5 in free slot play for signing up. I made $5 on my free play, so now I was $3 ahead for the trip. These properties show off the propensity of Laughlin casinos to host popular chain restaurants: at the Edgewater, for example, Coco's, Capriotti's and Krispy Kreme are all dining options.

Next up: the Wild-West-themed Pioneer. Here too you can get $5 free slot play; I earned another $5.25, so instead of costing me five bucks, I got the bus trip, the free buffet, and I came out ahead $8.25, which makes this surely one of the best deals if not the best deal in town.

Now, the Golden Nugget has a big sign advertising that they'll match any competitor's coupon for new members, but there are some big strings attached.

When we showed up, they told my poker buddy he couldn't use a coupon from the American Casino Guide because it had to have the player's name on it; when, on hearing this, I presented a coupon I'd torn out of a mailing from the Eastside Cannery, they said it still had to be attached to the mailer for it to be accepted there. A friend of mine has wondered if they'd also find a way to dodge any coupons from non-Laughlin casinos by claiming those aren't their competitors, even though I could have chosen to stay in Vegas and play there instead of coming to Laughlin and playing at the Golden Nugget. I'm actually curious to see what would have happened if I'd brought the mailer I had back in my room for a free room at the Ameristar in Black Hawk. In any case, they let us spin the wheel and we each won a perfectly nice travel mug instead of any free play. On the bright side, they have some beautiful walking areas, and dining options include Saltgrass Steakhouse, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Claim Jumper and Starbucks.

Briefly noted: Aquarius is on the same APlay player's card program as the Silver Sevens (and the Golden Mardi Gras & Golden Gates back in Black Hawk, Colorado). The Regency is a litlte slot joint attached to a restaurant, with no players card program. The River Palms is on the same player's card program as the Trop. We had to head back for the buffet line before checking out Harrah's Laughlin, which we assume is on the same Total Rewards program as every other Caesar's Entertainment property, and it was simply a massive oversight that we bypassed the Riverside, which might very well have proffered up more free slot play, and which was sorely missed because once on the road I discovered an old Riverside ashtray, which subsequently slipped out of my backpack and broke. It might take years before I get my hands on another one. Especially since I don't smoke.

Why We Love The Silverton

Take Dean Martin south of Tropicana and just keep going, and you'll come up on the Silverton to your left. With its rustic lodge motif, and a huge Bass Pro Shops next door separated by an interior waterfall, this is one of our favorite Vegas casino resorts. A big aquarium greets you as you enter, with glass alcoves you can stand in to replicate the underwater experience, and the occasional mermaid gliding by. Speaking of which, the Mermaid Bar is decorated with big porthole-shaped tanks of floating jellyfish. If you have kids, they could find hours of amusement here. If you don't, you could. They get some big-name entertainment in their showroom, too; my friend Steps insisted we make a return visit to Vegas solely because she saw Randy Travis was going to be appearing here. They have an equestrian center here that can hold rodeo events, although I personally haven't taken in any.

When I signed up for my player's card, I got a nice ceramic pitcher as a welcome gift. When I brought my poker buddy along, he quickly comped a free buffet for earning a minimal number of points; in fact after playing just a couple of sessions of blackjack, we earned so many comps we could both get free buffets for two days in a row! Their Seasons buffet is no slouch either, with as wide a selection of sushi as I've seen, peel-and-eat shrimp that met my poker buddy's high standards, and, on Hawaiian luau day, a roast pig. (They have several other fine restaurants as well.) They also upgraded both of us from Silver membership to Gold...and remember, my buddy had only been

a member for a couple of days! On our most recent visit this morning, we were pleasantly surprised when we swiped our player's cards at a kiosk and discovered we each had between $15 and $25 in free slot play, and another $9 to $19 in points that we also used for free slot play (although we could as easily have used it for food or shopping). Don't think the money we won didn't come in handy, either. The Silverton takes really good care of its players.

If that's not enough, the cocktail servers will bring you complimentary Starbucks coffee if you ask. What more do you want?

How About Free Music? Mickey Gilley is finishing a three-night stand of free shows at his namesake club at Treasure Island, tonight (Saturday Feb. 1) at 7:30 p.m. Sorry for the late notice, but I had to scramble to find the latest issue of the Weekly. Speaking of which...

On A Sadder Note: City Life, one of Las Vegas's free alternative weeklies since 1996, announces that this week's issue will be their last. In a crowded landscape that includes the Weekly, Neon, and Seven, it must have been tough to survive in today's fragile economy.

A Quick Look Around Caesar's Palace

When Jay Sarno built Caesars in 1966, it was the great-granddaddy of all the Strip's spectacular themed casinos, and through the years has remained obsessively true to that theme (at least until recently converting one tower to a Nobu Hotel).  Literally everywhere you turn are statues and decorations to remind you of the glory that was Rome.

The day after Christmas, these decorations at the valet entrance remind you who won.

Speaking of valet, I believe this statue is supposed to represent one of the Caesars valet attendants. I say that because he was captured moving at their actual speed.

Take a good, close look at some of those statues up front, and you'll see they're authentically aging and weathering. (As always, you can click on the picture for more detail.)

I believe this one represents Emperor Pointius the Helpful.

In an alcove, a nice little sculpture garden.

Inside the Sea Horse Bar.

An elegiac reminder of some of Caesars' own history: Joe Louis ended his days as a greeter at Caesars Palace. Now his statue is tucked away in a corner.

And with that I'll bid you "Ave and Atque." Hail, Jerry!