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.

Fashion Show Mall

North and Center Strip are full of high-falutin' shoppin' options these days; Crystals at City Center and the Bellagio and the Wynn offer high-priced outlets like Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton and a Ferrari showroom. But if you're on a more modest budget or homesick for the kind of shopping experience that your hometown mall offers, there's always the Fashion Show Mall, under the big UFO-shaped thing (they claim it's a Cloud) up towards the northern end of the Strip, between Treasure Island and the Trump.

It's anchored by familiar names like Macy's, Nordstrom, Dillard's, Nieman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. If you can locate the Concierge Desk, you can pick up a coupon book full of discounts for food and shopping (and it's bound, Ace Double style, back-to-back with a similar coupon book for the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian across the street). The two-for-ones and other discounts for the food court and other dining locations (including a Jamba Juice) are especially good values.

They call it the Fashion Show Mall, by the way, because there really are fashion shows held on a runway down the center of the mall on weekends. We were lucky to be there for their Christmas spectacular, featuring this fetching but really odd use of showgirls.

Vegas Days Gone By: The Western

On our last visit to the El Cortez, I looked out over the balcony and said, "Hey, look, it's a casino I haven't visited yet. How did I overlook it all these years?" But it was something of a mirage. (Just not, you know, The Mirage.) The "BINGO" sign for the Western Hotel and Casino keeps flashing 24 hours, as does a portion of the "Cocktails" sign, but like the "Girls! Girls!" sign that lights up outside the late lamented Library on Boulder Highway, it's deceptive. A sign behind the chain-link fence informs us the Western, owned by the same group as the Plaza and the LVC downtown, has been closed, apparently for a while now.

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.

Not-So-Super Sunday Entry

Since I find myself in the best place in the world to watch the Super Bowl, this entry by all right should have been about where I decided to take in the game: Caesars? South Point? The free viewing parties at the Gold Coast or The Orleans? The Bronco Bar on Boulder Highway? Larry Flynt's Hustler Club's "Super Pole Day"? A friend's house like when we watched the Saints win here a couple of years back? Instead I came down with a cold and was confined to my bed, not that watching the Broncos go down in ignominy would have given this Colorado transplant reasons to celebrate.

Before that, though, we went about town collecting on various match plays and free play we wanted to use up before the end of this trip. Rather than shell out a buck at McDonald's, we decided to see how much comp we had at one of our favorite off-strip joints. It turned out we had enough between us to get one order of chicken fried steak and eggs and split it. Our waitress was so disheartened to see that we could only afford one meal between us that, obviously assuming the worst about our financial straits, she offered first to let us use whatever points she had on our card, and then to let us have the last three-dollar tip she had picked up. (Don't worry, she got a nice tip instead.)

This town is famous for separating visitors from their money, but you can also encounter remarkable acts of generosity, kindness and selflessness, not to mention the many people in the gaming and hospitality industries here that have gone out of their way to give us their absolute best.

Laugh if you will, but I would make a case that Las Vegas has become one of the great international cities. Visitors flock here from every corner of the globe; all the world-class chefs want to open restaurants here (although they all want to eat at a Thai restaurant in a little strip mall on Sahara); world-class entertainers all want to perform here. There are world-class museums here. Some of the facades may be fake reproductions of other cities, but there's nothing phony about this city's credentials.

All this may help explain why I've accepted a job offer in Las Vegas and plan to move here shortly, although I'm sure the real reason is so I can continue to gather material for my blog.

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.