Just a heads-up in case you’re interested, the Lifetime Channel will be airing “Sex & Lies In Sin City” this Saturday, October 25th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

The movie stars Mina Suvari, Matthew Modine, Marcia Gay Harden and Johnathon Schaech and is about the true story of the murder of Ted Binion, a Las Vegas billionaire and gambling exec.

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Caesars Palace, which originally opened in 1966, is one of the oldest hotels on the Strip, and as we all know, that’s saying a lot!

Construction on the hotel began in 1962 using plans drawn-up by motel-owner Jay Sarno, who had $10 million lent to him that he wanted to use for a Vegas hotel. He chose a Roman theme and the name Caesars Palace (no apostrophe) because he felt it evoked images of royalty and regality, and he wanted to build a palace where everyone would feel like a king.

It officially opened in 1966 with Andy Williams providing the entertainment (including playing Julius Caesar in a play later that evening), and two days later Charo and Xavier Cugat became the first newlyweds to marry there.

A lot of Las Vegas legends have performed at Caesars over the years, including Liberace, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, David Copperfield, Frank Sinatra, George Burns and more recently Elton John, Cher and Bette Midler. Caesar’s Palace Coliseum was built in 2003 for Celine Dion’s show and is currently used by Elton, Bette and Cher.

Over the years the property has gone through many renovations as it’s expanded from 680 rooms with just one tower to 3,348 rooms in five towers (Forum, Roman, Centurion, Palace and Augustus)! A sixth tower is currently in the works and will add 665 rooms. The 23-story Octavius Tower will open in 2009 and will also add a ballroom facility and three new swimming pools.

Caesars Palace is also home to The Forum Shops, one of the more popular shopping destinations on the Strip, as well as Pure Nightclub and The Pussycat Dolls Nightclub. It’s also home to Las Vegas’s largest poker room which sits just off the casino floor and takes up 14,000 square feet.

Several celebrity chefs have set up restaurants at Caesars, including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, and Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill.

[image: flickr]

Post from: The Las Vegas Adventurer

[image: flickr]

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve been up and down Interstate 15, or as it’s more commonly called, the I-15! The I-15 is a transcontinental north-south interstate highway that runs through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Having grown up in northern Utah with grandparents in southern California, the I-15 was the fastest and most direct route for Thanksgivings, Christmases and Easters spent with extended family. The drive wasn’t terribly spectacular, usually starting obscenely early in the morning and ending late at night with a whole lot of flat desert landscaping in between, but we always got to the Las Vegas valley in full daylight and it was always a treat for my siblings and me.

Oddly enough, this city that I had no connection to and never in a million years would have thought I’d live in one day holds a lot of memories! I remember stopping at Strip hotels that no longer exist for lunch, bathroom breaks, and a chance to stretch our legs. I remember the hope of getting to stay at Circus Circus on our way back from California one trip, though in the end getting home faster trumped a night in the hotel!

If you’re traveling at night the interstate is fully lit, making the late hours a little more comfortable and secure. There is also ample space on the shoulder for car emergencies and other necessary stops (taking pictures of the Strip isn’t one of them!).

The speed limit is 65, though many drivers feel the need to go much faster, so be extra vigilant with lane changes! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people have to jerk back into the lane they just tried to leave because a speed demon has snuck up beside them.

The I-15 crosses with the US-95 junction at the Spaghetti Bowl interchange to take you into the more residential northwest areas of Las Vegas, and as far north as Carson City (via US 50), Reno (via I-80) and beyond.

The Las Vegas Interstate 15 corridor still offers a lot of great services for travelers, and it goes without saying that holds just as true now as it did 20+ years ago!

[image: wikipedia]

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From now until September 1 visitors to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum will get a unique perspective on crime solving: The CSI: Crime Scene Insects exhibit, which was put together by forensic entomologist M. Lee Goff, a consultant on the popular CBS show, CSI. Some of his cases have even been used as storylines on the show!

The exhibit contains actual examples of what crime scene investigators study when insects are present at a crime scene (bugs are referred to as the “cleanup crew”), and even includes a re-creation of a courtroom scene with taped testimony of forensic entomologists at trial.

The exhibit starts off with a taped greeting from both Goff and William Peterson (whose CSI character Gil Grissom is obsessed with bugs), before making the rounds to a live fly hatchery, as well as live beetle, termite, centipede, millipede and mite displays, all of which play a role in the decomposition process and provide valuable information to investigators.

Some areas might be a little too much for younger kids, though kids in second grade or older are encouraged to come by.

Las Vegas Natural History Museum
900 Las Vegas Blvd. North
(384-3466)
Open 9 am-4 pm daily through September 1
Tickets: $4 children ages 3-11; $8 adults; kids under 2 are free

[image: flickr]

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Driving over the Hoover Dam is a lesson in patience. The two-lane bridge connecting Nevada, Arizona and Utah is often clogged with traffic and has even become an economic burden on the states because the major commercial corridor simply doesn’t move quickly enough.

Over the last several years there have been lingering concerns of possible catastrophes involving vehicle accidents or terrorist threats that could hinder the dam and its facilities and threaten the water supply of several southwestern states.

Enter the Hoover Dam Bypass, a “twin rib” concrete arch bridge about 1,600 feet south of the current bridge and an improvement a long time in the making!

The project was revived and the design began in 2001 wherein the route, called the Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative, was also finally decided on. Construction began in 2005 and is expected to be finished in the last quarter of 2010. It will span 1,060 feet across the Black Canyon, 900 feet above the Colorado River.

When the project is finished the original Hoover Dam pass will remain in service but only to provide access to the dam and facilities, not for US93 traffic.

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Sadly, there aren’t many hotels in the valley that allow our fuzzy friends! Non-service animals are not allowed on casino floors, so none of the popular hotels on the Strip allow them.

There are a few, though, and if you’re determined to travel with your four-legged family members, check out the hotels below. As always, it’s always a good idea to call ahead first to double check their policies and fees as well!

Days Inn
707 Fremont St.
(702) 798-0728
$20 refundable deposit; pet cannot be left unattended

Hawthorn Inn & Suites
910 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson
(702) 568-7800
$15 fee for pets 25 pounds and under; $25 fee for pets over 25 pounds

Hawthorn Suites
5051 Duke Ellington Way
(702) 739-7000
$100 refundable deposit

La Quinta Inn
4288 N. Nellis Blvd.
702-632-0229
No pet fee

Motel 6
195 E Tropicana Ave.
(702) 388-1400
No deposit; accepts pets under 20 lbs.; pet cannot be left unattended

Residence Inn by Marriott
3225 Paradise Rd.
(702) 796-9300
$50 nonrefundable deposit, plus $10 extra per day

Rodeway Inn
167 E. Tropicana
(702) 795-3311
$100 refundable deposit

Super 8 Motel
4250 Koval Lane
(702) 794-0888
$15 per day fee; pets allowed in smoking rooms only

[image: sxc]

Post from: The Las Vegas Adventurer

Image details: Woman Raising Arms to Sun served by picapp.com

Well, today it’s HOT, HOT, HOT! Our temperatures over the next two days are predicted to break some records (107 today, 105 tomorrow!). Locals know this because it’s been all over the news for the last few days, but how would someone just flying into the valley look it up?

Your first stop might be weather.com, and while it gives a pretty comprehensive menu of options (ten day forecast, hourly forecast, etc), it always seems to be a few degrees off when it comes to official reports (which, let’s face it, once you get past 90 a few degrees just don’t make much of a difference!). You can use a city name or a zip code to look up specific areas. The zip code for the Strip is 89109.

Another good site I check almost as often is the National Weather Service Forecast Office for Las Vegas. It gives you a ten-day forecast for days and nights, which is useful when you have evening activities. This site is great for official watches, warnings, advisories and outlooks. As you can see, we currently have an Excessive Heat Warning and Fire Weather Watch in effect.

Lasvegasweather.us is more of a fun site than a practical one – it’s designed to give visitors a better understanding of the patterns and climate of Las Vegas. You can input the dates you want to check and see what the average temps look like. For example, from now until October 1, our normal high is 105, and our normal low is 79.

Make sure you check out my tips and ideas from last summer for keeping yourself safe in the heat!

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[image source: wikipedia]

The Excalibur Hotel and Casino opened June 19, 1990 with an Arthurian-legend theme at a cost of $290 million. The outside castle facade is said to be modeled after the castle in Carcassone, France.

The famous Tournament of Kings show is a permanent feature of the resort and features simulated medieval jousting surrounded by dining guests. Other restaurants also have Arthurian names like the Roundtable Buffet, Sir Galahad’s Prime Cuts, The Steakhouse of Camelot, Village Food Court, and Regale Italian eatery.

Other popular attractions include the adults-only Thunder From Down Under, a medieval-themed wedding chapel, a pool, and a spa.

Excalibur Hotel & Casino
3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
1-877-750-5464

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[image source: wikipedia]

The Luxor Hotel opened in 1993 at a cost of $375 million and was the city’s first fully-themed mega-resort as well as the largest building on the Strip. The Ancient Egyptian themed resort has 4,407 hotel rooms and is named after the city of Luxor in Egypt. The light at the top of the pyramid can be viewed from space!

A theater and 2000 more rooms contained within two towers were added in 1998, and in 2007 the majority of the public areas were renovated, with most of the Egyptian themed decor being removed and replaced with sexier, adult-themed motifs.

LAX, a popular LA nightclub, opened a branch at the Luxor in 2007. Chriss Angel has also filmed several episodes of his Mindfreak TV show at the resort. It’s now rumored that he will take part in a new Cirque du Soleil show this year. The resort also has one of the three Las Vegas IMAX theaters and shows a rotating number of films.

Popular restaurants include Luxor Steakhouse, Fusia, and Pyramid Cafe.

The Luxor has appeared in Mars Attacks!, Chriss Angel’s Mindfreak, and Fear Factor.

Luxor Hotel
3900 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
1-877-386-4658

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[image source: wikipedia]

New York-New York Hotel & Casino opened January 3, 1997. Its New York City theme is one of the more detailed on the Strip, and the skyline of the outside facade includes the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

A pool out front represents New York Harbor, a half-scale (150 ft) replica of the Statue of Liberty, and replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Ellis Island, and Grand Central Terminal.

The main casino area inside is named after Central Park, and meeting areas, bars, and eateries are named after other New York landmarks and neighborhoods.

New York-New York is home to Zumanity, an adult-oriented show (18-and-over only!) and the third Cirque du Soleil show on the Strip. The Master of Ceremonies for the show is Joey Arias, a drag queen hailing from New York City.

The popular ESPN Zone, Gallagher’s Steak House and Coyote Ugly Saloon are also located in the casino.

After the September 11 attacks residents and tourists left t-shirts, flowers and other mementos along the fence around the Statue of Liberty. It was a touching tribute and was left up for quite some time before being moved inside as a permanent memorial.

New York-New York
3790 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
866.815.4365

Post from: The Las Vegas Adventurer