December 4th, 2008
Well it’s that time again. The NFR’s in town for a couple of weeks. What’s the NFR you ask? It’s the National Finals Rodeo, one of the biggest events we have here in Vegas.
Now I’m a city guy and have never even been on a horse so I wasn’t aware of just how big a deal the rodeo was until I moved here. But for almost 2 weeks in early December the town is taken over by cowboys and cowgirls!
All the main events are held over at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus and there’s a ton of rodeo-related activities going on at all the casinos.
Even a lot of the casino staff get in on the fun and dress in cowboy attire! There’s a ton of country acts playing and more than one mechanical bull can be found!
A lot of people just come out for the party as the rodeo tickets are hard to come by. In years past ground zero for the party was at Gilley’s inside the New Frontier but of course those days are gone. However the owner of Gilley’s opened a new club called Stoney’s just a few miles down the road to the south and it’s not the place to be! It’s also nearby the South Point which has a lot of rodeo activities and also hosts a bunch of equestrian activities throughout the year.
So if you were in town this week and were wondering why you saw more cowboy hats & Wranglers & pickup trucks than usual, now you know!
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December 2nd, 2008
Thank you for checking out your favorite Las Vegas site. We report on the city you REALLY care about! Las Vegas!
When I was in the Forum Shops inside Caesars Palace taking some pics for the last USILV post about the FAO Schwarz Trojan Horse (missed it? check it out here) and realized that there’s an even better off the beaten path site to check out.
Inside Caesars and off the main casino is the full size recreation of Michelangelo’s Statue of David. Keeping with the Greek mythology theme of the casino it’s a perfect fit.
According to the plaque attatched it was constructed from the same Italian marble as the original and is an exact replica as far as size goes.
The statue really is big once you get up to it! It’s on an approximately 6 foot high solid base which only makes its size even more massive! I’m not sure how long it’s been there I’m guessing since the 70’s sometime as the casino’s been open since 1966.
One thing to keep in mind though - the statue is a nude so of that sort of thing offends you just be prepared!
You can find the statue in the Appian Way Shops just off the main casino.Head back past the casino cage and make a right past the slot machines and look for the stairs ahead. You can’t miss it from there! Here’s some pics:
Special bonus pic!
Just inside the front entrance is the more famous statue of Julius Caesar. It’s long been a tradition to rub his finger for luck and over the years it’s been rubbed to quite a shine! Again I’m just guessing it’s been ther since the early 70’s but I could be wrong. Anyone out there know for sure? Let me know!
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November 27th, 2008
The opening day for the new Encore casino from Steve Wynn will be on December 22.
After 2+ years of construction it will finally open its doors to the public on that night.
It’s being hyped already as a big deal and it’s not every day a major new casino resort opens on the strip. After seeing several project fall through and not evern get off the ground, to see one actually open and be completed is a good thing for us here.
Knowing his penchant for perfection I’m sure it won’t be like the “soft” opening last New Year’s Eve of the Palazzo where things were really rushed to open and some details were just not finished.
There’s a national commercial running now and Steve is once again on top of the building! Check it out:
Encore Commercial
In case you forgot he did the commercial for the original Wynn tower standing on the top as well. He’s really a brave guy to get up there and I don’t even wanna know what the insurance was on him that day!
Original Wynn Commercial
I’ll give you guys a full report after the grand opening and let you know how it is!
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November 20th, 2008
Time for another installment of cool and off-beat sites to see in my favorite place to be, Las Vegas!
This time we’re headed over to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace to see the huge Trojan Horse in front of the FAO Schwarz toy store. The store is part of the famous NYC toy store chain and is one of the most popular places to shop inside the mall.
It was closed for a while a few years ago when the company went into bankruptcy but reopened on Thanksgiving Day 2004 and has been open ever since.
Part of the theme of the stores has been larger than life toys and of course here in Vegas we have to be the biggest and the best!
Here’s some pics:
Special bonus pic: The famous Caesars Palace fountains at night. As much as has changed here on the Las Vegas Strip it’s good to see some things don’t change.
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November 17th, 2008
It was announced that this New Year’s Eve the fireworks display would be a little different this year.
In the past the fireworks were set off from the roofs of several strip hotels and the Stratosphere tower. Partly due to the Monte Carlo fire earlier this year they will be set off from ground level this time.
One big downside to this will be it’ll be a lot harder to see the fireworks from around the city. You’ll only get a decent view if you’re down in the Strip.
It’s never been a problem before but I guess the city would play it safe. So make sure you get your butt out here for New Year’s Eve and see it for yourself!
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