For some reason I’ve yet to understand the famous statue of casino mogul and Las Vegas pioneer Benny Binion has been moved from it’s 20 year home at the corner of Casino Center Blvd and Ogden Ave. in downtown to a spot inside the South Point casino outside the equestrian center.
The only connection I can see is that that South Point owner Michael Gaughan is the son of Jackie Gaughan, long time cohort and friend of Benny and former owner of the El Cortez in downtown. I’m not sure whose idea the move was, only that the new owner of Binion’s, Terry Claudill , who owns the Four Queens downtown also, approved the move and Jack Binion, son of Benny and former president of the Horseshoe said it would be more appropriate at the new location and “it was a classy thing to do.”
I’m kind of sad about this actually. Anyone whose only discovered Las Vegas in the last few years only knows Binion’s as just another old casino downtown. They really don’t know all that Benny Binion has done for this town and the casino business in general. Many of the things we take for granted were started by him. He was the first to offer free drinks for gamblers, the first to offer limo rided to and from the airport for high rollers. Hell the Horseshoe was the first downtown casino to have carpet! He also had the highest gaming limits of any casino at the time. He once said he would take any bet, and lived up to his word.
But perhaps his greatest legacy is the World Series of Poker. Started in 1970 as just a game between some of poker’s top names it’s become the premier poker event on the planet. The first year only 7 people played and the winner was chosen by a vote! A far cry from the thousands that are in the tournamant these days.
The statue is just on display at the South Point now, with no plaque or signage or anything to pay tribute to the man that was such a huge part of the history of Las Vegas. Kind of sad really.
Keeping with the Mirage theme of my last post Las Vegas Mirage Volcano Under Construction here’s a couple of shots of the revamped aquarium behind the check-in desk in the main lobby.
The Mirage has been doing a lot to keep up with the times. Adding new restaurants, ravamping the buffet, opening the JET nightclub, and also upgraging the famous aquarium. It was a big deal when it first opened and after many years (like a lot of us!) was ready for a facelift. Here’s the finished product:
I finally got to see my first Cirque du Soliel show this week! Funny that all the time I’ve been coming to Las Vegas & also living here I’ve never had the chance to attend one.
We have 5 permanent Cirque shows here:
“O” at the Bellagio
Mystère at Treasure Island
KÀ at the MGM Grand
Love at the Mirage (in the old Sigfried & Roy Theater)
Zumanity at the New York-New York.
Also with the Criss Angel show opening later this year it’ll be 6.
We got tickets to see Mystère this past Friday night. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, not having seen a Cirque show before. The best way I can describe it is “performance art.” It’s quite a mix of acrobatics, music, lights & sound with a little comic relief for good measure. It’s really designed to be a real visual spectacle. Also the show is basically safe for all ages so there’s really no worry bringing the kids. Some of the other Cirque shows are more adult-oriented but Mystère was fine.
The really impressive part was how it’s all put together. The show it really thought out well and has a nice flow to it. There’s some great moments of gymnastics & the scenery constantly changes. It’s one of those things that’s tough to explain, you just have to see it for yourself!
One thing that I did appreciate is they use a live band with the show. Having been a musician myself for many years it’s good to see real people playing as opposed to using backing tapes.
I really enjoyed myself & I’m gonna make it a pact to see more shows now. It’s really a treat! I highly reccommend seeing a show while you’re out here. People always ask “Well what can we do besides gamble?” Go see a show! You won’t regret it!
Daredevil & 70’s icon Evel Knievel passed away yesterday at the age of 69. For those of us who grew up in the 70’s there was nothing more exciting that watching Evel make a jump on Wide World of Sports. Every kid, including myself, set up ramps & jumped their bicycle in the same fashion, or so we thought! Despite his legal woes & financial up’s & down’s, he was known at a man whose word meant something & took no shit from anyone.
He had several connections to Las Vegas. Most famous was his attempt to jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace on New Year’s Day 1967. The resulting crash almost killed him & was perhaps his most famous crash. Here is is on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGGCVE2lKY
His son Robbie Knievel attempted the same jump in 1989 and he was successful. He also made a jump between the two buildings of the Jockey Club in 1999.
Little known trivia fact: The footage of the crash landing was filmed by Linda Evans, star of the TV show Dynasty in the 80’s. She was married at the time to John Derek who was hired to Evel to film the event. Yes the same John Derek who had another blond wife named Bo. Perhaps you’ve heard of her? Maybe the number 10 rings a bell!
The fountains look a bit different 40 years later but they’re still one of the highlights of the Strip. I got out & snapped a quick cell phone pic today.
He also was a resident here for a time in the 90’s. He did promotion for the old Maxim Hotel in exchange for a penthouse suite. It’s now the Westin Casaurina for you trivia buffs. He was known for doing a shot of Wild Turkey before a jump (can you blame him?) so my business partner & I stopped by the Westin for a tribute to him. Here’s our shots of his drink of choice.
There was others doing daredevil stunts but none did it with more flair & style. If it wasn’t for him there’s be no X Games, no Jackass.
RIP Evel you were an inspiration to a generation. You’ll be missed.
I went to Dunkin’ Donuts the other day. Why is that a big deal you ask? Because we finally have them here in Las Vegas. For those of us like myself that grew up on the East Coast, we didn’t have Starbucks. We had Dunkin’ Donuts. Nothing like a healthy breakfast of coffee & a Bavarian Creme! And don’t get me started on the Munchkins! MMMM!
The coffee is really good too. It’s just plain coffee. No half decaf mocha frappachino whatever. They plan to open about 60 locations here in the next couple of years.
Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against Starbucks. They have about a million of them here. Hell, some of the casinos have THREE of them! Like a lot of people I came here from someplace else. It’s just nice to have a touch of things you’re familiar with.
Now if they can just open a Publix someplace here…
We’ve had some really nice weather lately and let me tell you, it’s been nice! It’s unseasonably warm, even had a couple of days we tied or broke record temperatures! I spent most of my life in South Florida & I’m not a big fan of winter. It’s supposed to cool off this week though, just in time for Turkey Day.
One of the different thing about living here is we basically have 2 seasons: Summer & Winter. Spring & Fall are basically a 2 week period inbetween 100 degrees & 50 degrees! I guess it’s time to get the jackets out!