September 23rd, 2008
I happened to be downtown a couple days ago checking out what was going on and was pleasantly surprised to see they opened up a new lounge inside Binion’s.
It’s called Benny’s Bullpen Sports Bar & Cigar Lounge and it’s located along the back wall of the old original Binion’s section. They did a nice job of it. It’s closed in by some brick walls and some nice glass. The bar had been there for years but the new space is really nice.
As the name says it’s a cigar bar so if you’re a cigar smoker it’s a great place to enjoy a nice smoke. Also they have several nice flat panel TV’s to catch the big game on.
They also moved the sports book to a new location right next to the bar. Before it was a really old school one with a handwritten board just like the old days. Now it’s a state of the art electronic one with places to catch the action and it’s right next to the revamped Keno room.
It’s nice to see them still honor Benny Binion’s name with the new room. As most old time downtown visitors know Benny’s Bullpen was a room upstairs where different events were held, most famously was the World Series of Poker when it was still held downtown. Up until 2005 the event was finished up there.
The whole event was staged there in 2004 and I tell ya, there wasn’t a inch in the whole casino there wasn’t a poker table! The fire marshall actually almost shut the whole event down because there was so many people. I remember headed over to see the action and it was a long wait to get into the Bullpen. In 2005 as a tribute they held the final 3 tables of the WSOP downtown before the entire event moved to the Rio in 2006. If you’ve seen any of the WSOP action when Joe Hachem won in 2005 win that was the last time it was held inside the Bullpen.
I’m not sure what will become of the old bullpen space upstairs but hopefully it’ll be something worth of it’s legacy in Las Vegas history.
As I’ve mentioned here before I always loved the place and I’m glad to see the new owner making strides to return Binion’s to it’s former and deserved glory.
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September 20th, 2008
Just a tip for your upcoming trip one of the main runway at McCarran airport will be closed starting November 1 for six months. They’re going to be doing a major refurbishing and resurfacing what’s called 25 L and/or 7 R depending which way you come in. It’s one of the runways that run east-west.
I’m writing about it because there’s a chance it might affect incoming traffic a little bit. If you’ve flown into here a few times you might notice sometimes you come in and leave on different runways. Depending which way you come in from and which way the wind is blowing determines which runway you take off or land on. The one that’s closed is the main landing runway.
Also if you’re like me and like to watch the planes take off and land from the viewing area over on Sunset you’ll just have to be patient because the viewing will be limited due to the closing. Unfortunately there’s no viewing area for the other set of runways.
It’s a fairly common thing for airports to rehab runways like this. Due to the stress of the huge weight of planes runways have to be built a lot stronger than a regular road.
Hopefully your flights won’t be affected but it’s something to keep in mind for your next trip! Happy flying!
Filed under: Misc., Vegas | 2 Comments »
September 17th, 2008
The famous “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign at the south end of the strip is finally getting it’s long-awaited parking lot. It’s always been one of the most visited and photographed sites of Las Vegas. Thousands of people get their picture taken there, people get married there, and I’m sure all kinds of other stuff happens!
But access to the sign has always been a pain, and somewhat dangerous. It’s just located in the median on south Las Vegas Blvd. with no real parking. Some just park in the turnaround in the road, and used to use the parking lot at the old Klondike and ticket building, which are both now gone so that’s out of the question. Either way it’s on a very heavily travelled part of town and finally the city has agreed to build a small parking lot.
They proposed it a while ago but this week construction finally began. It should take a few weeks and I’ll keep you guys updated on it’s progress. I agree it’s sorely needed and will make your Vegas trip a little safer!
Little trivia: The person that designed the sign never got the design trademarked and it’s ok for anyone to use the design and/or a variant of. That’s why you see a ton of businesses using some version of it.
There’s also two other smaller versions of the sign. One is headed into downtown just north of the Stratosphere on Las Vegas Blvd and the other is out on Boulder Hwy near Sam’s Town.
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September 13th, 2008
Hello to my great readers! I hope that you get some good Vegas info from my site and hope it’s useful to you. If you have any feedback or questions for me please let me know I love to hear from you. Write me at marksvegas@gmail.com!
Now for the third entry in the Unique sites in Las Vegas series. (Here’s parts one and two in case you missed them.)
Did you know we have a piece of the Berlin Wall here in Las Vegas? A rather large one at that! It’s located in downtown Las Vegas inside the Main Street Station casino on Main Street just north of the Plaza on Fremont Street.
Quite fittingly, it’s in the men’s room and the urinals are mounted on it. No I’m not kidding! I’m not really sure of the how and why but it’s an authentic chunk of the wall, and a large one at that. It’s still got authentic graffitti on it and it’s a big tourist attraction for the hotel.
It’s a bit awkward though trying to get a picture of it. People look at you like you’re crazy taking pictures inside a bathroom! They really have no “rules” for checking it out but do take a peek inside if you’re with the wife/kids and they want to check it out. as it is the only bathroom on the casino floor. The casino is actually pretty nice. It’s got that “Old Vegas” feel to it and has a nice brewpub. If you’re a train buff it’s worth checkout out too as they have some real train cars on permanent display just to the south along Main Street.
Small bit of trivia about the MSS: (You know you love these) The scene in the movie “Casino” where Robert DDeNiro’’s car gets blown up was filmed in the parking lot of the MSS. It’s the beginning scene where he comes out of the door and later when they show the explosion and him getting taken away in the ambulance. Check it out here. The event really happened but the actual location was a Tony Roma’s along Sahara Ave. approx. a mile east of the strip.
Here’s some shots I got between, umm, “customers.” Enjoy!
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September 9th, 2008
It’s no secret that Las Vegas has been one of the hardest hit places by the latest economic problems we’re going through right now. We’re at or near the top in bankruptcies and foreclosures. But are things really that bad?
It depends on what side you view things from. As far as for residents go, yes things are getting bad. The boom is over and frankly, was overblown to begin with. A lot of people moved here from elsewhere in the last few years (including myself.) A lot came from California, mostly looking for a cheaper cost of living and having lived in Cali myself, I cant really blame them.
But what was lost sight of is what Vegas is all about. It’s a town based on gambling. Tons of people moved here and moved to suburbs that simply didn’t exist 10 years ago and worked in lost of new non-gaming jobs. A lot were in real estate and had a few good years. But when the bottom started dropping out they were in trouble. Add the people that got caught up in the house-flipping craze, which also had a good run but is now over. Now they’re stuck with 5-6 houses that lost half their value and can’t unload them. Plus there’s a ton of construction jobs that have simply gone away now that things have slowed down. That’s mostly the cause of the housing market downfall and job loss here. Vegas was just never supposed to be a city that families lived in quiet suburbs and didn’t do things related to what Vegas is all about.
Now as far as tourism goes, again yes thing are off. But not as bad as it’s made out to be. People are still coming. the numbers are a bit off but hotels are still at 90%-95% occupancy for the most part. The fuel prices going up has hurt things somewhat, making it more expensive to get here.
What’s really hurt things is no one’s winning. People always know they’re going to lose. It’s inevitable. Like the famous saying goes, “They didn’t build all these places from winners.” The casinos have tightened things up so much that your money just doesn’t last as long. You know that you’ll have some up’s and down’s but lately it’s mostly down’s. In the past at least you got felt like you got some entertainment for your money and maybe at least a chance to hit something. It’s pretty disheartening when you put $40 in a machine and it’s gone in 15 minutes! I know personally I’ve cut way back on what little gambling I did because I just got tired of losing. I’ve had a couple of times I was busted before the waitress was back with my cocktail! Nothing like a $40 Jack & Coke to kick off the evening!
So people are just spending their money on other things. With room rates getting lower, better bargains are available. The money that was spent at the tables and machines are now going to a nice meal and entertainment. The shows are still doing decent business and restaurants are hanging in.
Vegas is still a great deal if you know how to wisely manage your money. For that $100 you might have lost at the slots you can catch a great show or have a great meal. Or maybe upgrade to a better room. I’m not saying don’t gamble. Hell that’s most of the reason people come here. Just realize that your money is gonna go quicker now with less chance of “hitting it big!”
Filed under: Gambling, Vegas | 3 Comments »
