greenie

This one (along with the 1 or 2 that I've seen before) came via email late on a Wednesday night before the weekend it was being offered. If you followed the "click here" link you were taken to a different page on their site that only asked how many rooms you wanted -- the date was pre-programmed. Since I had already booked my room I called HR and told them I was staring at a much lower rate by email, the gal pulled it up on the computer and pushed it through. She told me than whenever they do have these rates they limit it to 50 mountain view rooms and they usually sell very fast. We scored the same thing for the weekend of May 15th, we were already booked for Sunday night or something like $149 and then late Thursday an email offer of $89 showed up. Next time I see one I'll zap you a PM to make sure you're aware.

Echoing the above question... has Ra already abandoned Pleasuredome/house on Wednesdays (yet again) or is Rain actually gonna diversify?

Seems to me that it's pretty uncommon for most ANY jock anywhere to run a set that is 100% original mixes, no matter what kind of music is being spun. Hell, I couldn't even count how many times last weekend (let alone ever) I heard a DJ play the Max Graham "Owner of a Lonely Heart" remix... somehow I don't think Max gives a crap how many people "steal" it for their club gigs. Now, if DJ AM were releasing a commercial mix CD without crediting Z-Trip (or others) for using their remixed tracks, I can see a beef. More to the point, given how incredible the scene has been at BE this summer, I really could care less who is responsible for the music. DJ AM could be sitting in his booth, cig in one hand, beer in another with his feet up on the board, playing an entirely programmed set... but if the crowd is going off, what's the crime? Call me naive, but isn't the job of a club DJ to spin tracks that make the dance floor hot and the crowd happy?

masterweb -- will definitely give a shout next time in town. Honestly I can't imagine going for a weekend without at least one stop at OPM on Friday/Saturday. lalate -- don't try to make me out into a legend here... just a lucky bastard that knows how to take advantage of a good time! As for my stating "things said in the club" well, nobody knows my boy Andrew (and nobody here likely ever will, this trip was kind of like a dying man's last meal) and I did protect the names of the other innocents (not that I can remember all of their names anyway)... only reason I remember so many of the statements is b/c Andrew and I kept repeating them all week out in the desert, half in disbelief half to make sure we'd never forget. I really don't care if people wanna give me shit for making claims or boasting or whatever. It was a mind-blowing weekend for myself and much of it would not have been possible if not for keeping in mind similar reviews/comments/stories from others on the board. And believe me, there was certainly a lot more shit said at the clubs that didn't make it anywhere near my review.

I never would have thought that last weekend (June 17-20) would top the last few Mem Days that I've done in LV, but it managed to be epic and probably my best ever. I think the nightlife has hit a level of popularity and maturity in Vegas that it really doesn't matter what weekend you hit, it's gonna be big so long as you want it to be... and if you can do it without the extra crowds and costs of a three-day weekend...

I hit it last Saturday night and it was fantastic. Not packed wall to wall, but the quality of the crowd, music and overall vibe was outstanding. See my review of June 17-20 for more info.

With all the nightlife connected to these mega resorts in Vegas, seemed to me worthwhile to post my hotel thoughts after the recent trip... curious what other people's experiences have been in similar circumstances... or entirely different ones for that matter. For the record, THEhotel is my #1 choice. Provided they have a rate I can afford. (or I'm on a client's dollar ) MGM Grand: Fri & Sat nights Check-in: around 5pm, at least two dozen people working the front, no line. Valet: Extremely busy but very fast and professional. Bell staff: Outstanding. Handled 9 items (incl. 2 cases of wine and soft-sided portable bar) with kid gloves. Tipped $15 after cart was loaded to have them take it up to the room for us -- we had to hit the pool right quick after all -- and although I thought we skimped on the tip a bit, when we got the room they had hung our garment bags and arranged the rest nicely in the room. When we checked out, tipped another $15 in the room when the cart was loaded, and by the time we got downstairs our car was waiting for us and the bellman packed it expertly. Calling bullshit on: Closing their pool so damn early (7pm), especially shutting down the bar and lazy river at 6pm. Don't these fools realize that it was the summer solstice? And poolside service from the waitresses is so slow that the ice in your drink is mostly melted by the time they bring it to you. ALSO: similar to closing the pool early, all of the good restaurants close early, with last seatings all at 10:15-10:30. On a Friday? Are you kidding? Comments Zipping down 15 near Valley of Fire my phone zinged... an old buddy from my clubbing days in Beantown was in LV for the poker series and had a block of rooms comped at MGM Grand and was able to hook us up with a suite for two nights (another of his friends was either eliminated early or arriving late, I forget). We were booked in a standard room at THEhotel for these nights, but figured whatever cancellation they would charge us would be worth a free suite at MGM... but who woulda guessed, big up to THEhotel who didn't charge a dime for cancellation despite our canceling at 5pm on the day of check-in. As for the MGM, certainly it's a nice place and convenient with all the good stuff downstairs (esp. Teatro, Emeril's, Craftsteak and Centrifuge) but I've always thought the rooms were average given the price. But lemme tell ya, the Bungalow suites are fantastic. Must have been about 700sf with a HUGE bathroom and big living room area. Ideal room for a pair of guys looking to set up a good spread in the room, especially for inviting folks upstairs (more below). Hard Rock: Sun & Mon nights Check-in: around 2pm, three working the desk, no line. Had initially reserved the $69 limited Rehab rate through their website; asked about upgrading to a room with a pool view and they gave it to us for an additional $25 (total, not per night). Sweet deal considering we were on the 7th floor, dead center to the main pool on Rehab Sunday. Valet: Fast as can be. One thing I love about HRH valet is that when they bring your car around, they pump up your stereo. Bell Staff: Weak. Despite a $20 tip, bellman scowled at our remaining case of wine and portabar. Then he told us we'd have to go to the room first and then call down for our bags. I can understand this routine at many hotels, but this shouldn't be the case at HR especially when the driveway was empty and staff was looking for something to do. Sorry for not being a rock or porn star, buddy. Naturally we wanted to head to Rehab as fast as possible -- especially as we were having a few hangover shakes and needed to get the booze flowing again -- so we didn't put up a fight. After an hour or so at the pool took a break to go upstairs, called down for the bags and it took at least 30 minutes for them to bring the bags up. Calling bullshit on: Bell service, obviously. Table games that use chip colors that are not only non-standard, but hard to quickly distinguish from one another. Even the dealers often couldn't tell the difference between two-chip $30 and $50 bets. And these bastards still don't let you surrender in blackjack. ALSO: I can understand that AJ's isn't open on Sunday and Monday nights, OK. But why the hell does Pink Taco stop seating at 10pm on a night when BE goes off? Comments: Despite the negatives above, they are crushed when it comes to getting a room on Sunday at HR. Prime pool view of Rehab and quick take-a-break access from Body English? Hard to put a price on that, really. I've done the Rehab/BE combo when staying elsewhere and the back-and-forth is a drag. I'm also a real sucker for the double-doors, nothing like letting in the air when the evening cools down (not to mention survey they pool). And of course the rooms are nicely done, and it never ceases to amaze me how many ladies are just dying to check out what the rooms are like there... and try on the robes...

Sorry it took me so long to get to this... after splitting Vegas after lunch on Tuesday, my buddy Andrew and I de-toxed (well, make that "other-toxed") in Bryce and Dinosaur before rolling back home. And it was such an incredible weekend I figure it deserved a proper writeup, if only so I can remember it all down the line. In summary: LV treats me better and better and better with every trip. Without question a mind-blower of a weekend, probably my best ever. Now if only I can figure out which names and digits match which night. Special thanks to: Ben (and Bill) @ Mecca Entertainment Tony, Benny and Tiffany @ LALate Larson @ Teatro DJ Masterweb @ OPM the entire staff of Body English :: FRIDAY NIGHT first night in town, ready to sweat to some slammin house from Glaude 8pm: MIX Cover: none Crowd: Beautiful. I mean gorgeous. Good looking, 25-40 y/o folks dressed to the nines. Plenty of room to move around, no problems finding room to stand by windows, but far from being empty. Male/female and single/couple ratio both felt about 50-50. Music: Kinda mellow, pseudo-progressive. just the right vibe. Staff: Exceptional. Very professional and extremely social. Drinks: Stiff. Average prices. Greenie: "They really need to add a serious dance floor to this place." Andrew: "What's the deal with the monochrome bathroom? Or am I just that stoned?" 10pm: Emeril's Reservations? Don't believe the hype that says weekends require a week (or more). Maybe necessary if you want to eat at 7-9pm. We walked up at 10pm and they sat us right away. Food: Excellent. Service: Average. Waiter and support staff did not address the small things -- pouring additional glasses of wine, clearing & cleaning table between courses. At their prices, especially in this town, service should be nothing short of exceptional (see N9NE below). Cost: Somewhat expensive, mostly worth it. Some menu items appeared overpriced but most seemed priced about right. If you know wine, there are some outstanding bottles that are priced much more reasonably than others. On average though, I think they're gouging a touch. Calling bullshit on: Waiter trying to rush our dinner selection claiming the kitchen was ready to close, while right behind him the hostess sat new tables and told them the kitchen was still open for at least 20-30 minutes. Greenie: "Andrew, I swear, If I hear one person shout BAM, you're paying." Andrew: "If I never ate here I'd think Emeril was a hack, because the food from his cookbooks and TV shows sucks." 11:30pm: Centrifuge (MGM) Cover: none Crowd: Mixed, packed in, loud and partying hard. A lot of 'em running back and forth to their friends in line for 54. Ratio 40/60 M/F, ages 21-50. Music: All over the place from rock to hip-hop to house, mostly mainstream, but loud and party-driven. Staff: Fast service at the bar, extremely sociable. Might have something to do with their getting up and dancing on the bar and tables every now and again, especially when patrons dance and holler with them. Drinks: Average mixes... but you can't beat free drinks at the bar (play very slow, cheap, video poker). Greenie: "What the hell, even in Vegas they feel compelled to play "Started" instead of "Retarted?" Andrew: "I just got three drinks in half an hour for the cost of tips and a dollar in video poker. I love this town." Boise Girl #1 "What do you mean 54 sucks? Why should we go with you to ICE instead?" Boise Girl #2 "Can you really get us into ICE for free?" 12:30am: ICE Cover: none (napkinnights list) Crowd: Just right for this place. Hip-hop lounge was packed, arena about a quarter full until shortly after 1, when Glaude came on. By the first time the smoke blasted, arena was about half full. Within a few minutes of the smoke clearing, arena was packed but still plenty of room to dance. Felt like lots of regular clubbers/househeads, knew Glaude and his tracks. Ratio 60-40 M/F in the arena, fur room was 30/70 M/F. Music: Slammin' house in the arena, hip-hop in the lounge. Glaude worked the crowd hard and it responded well. Arena VIP tables were packed. Staff: Average. Drinks: Stiff. Limited selection. Average booze, expensive water. Greenie: "Saturday and Sunday we focus on women. Tonight it's about throwing it on the floor. Fuckin' Glaude, man!" Andrew: "Hard to hook up when everyone faces the same direction. I'll be in that pink bubble room." Boise Girl #1: "Wow, that smoke machine is incredible!" Boise Girl #2: "Um... where can we go to get high?" Glaude: "Make some fuckin noise, yeah!" 4:00am (thereabouts): Drai's Cover: I think $20. Not sure. Swung $80 or $100 at the door to get me and Boise #2 in fast. Crowd: Typical diverse, across-the-board, mostly young group. Beyond that can't recall much about the ratio. Wasn't paying attention to too many other people, to be honest. Music: House. Some unique drops and progressions from the DJ. Staff: Exceptional service, friendly servers. Drinks: In the past, very stiff. I was um... sticking with water. Boise drank something, said it was "scrumptious." I swear that's what she said as I suddenly had this image of Dorothy in Oz. (Kansas, Idaho, whatever) Boise Girl #2: (upon entering) "Holy shit this place is packed." Greenie: "bbbbbbzzbzmmmmzbzbmmmmzzzzzz" Friday, sometime after dawn: Zuri (MGM) Crowd: Holy crap, this lounge was bumping. Ratio about 50-50. Young. Lots of people looking for the late night hookups... and most people seemingly well on their way. Boise Girl started dancing on a table and faux-stripteasing for me and it didn't seem out of place in the least. Music: Mostly rock. I think. I vaguely recall the entire lounge screaming along to AC/DC at some point. Can't remember anything else to say, just that Boise and I were at Zuri for a good amount of time, met a lot of people, really good time. :: SATURDAY NIGHT we really thought this would be our low-key night in between ICE-Friday and BE-Sunday 6pm: Shadow Cover: none Crowd: About half full, some couples but mostly singles, ages about 30-55, ratio 50-50. As usual, quiet group focused on the shadow dancers. Music: Mellow/ballady crap. Even a twangy country tear-in-by-beer tune. Ugh. I didn't recall the music here being this bad. Staff: Average. One bartender was damn good with his juggling (or "flair" or whatever), but the other two were clumsy and dropped a lot of shit. Yes, that means I wasn't watching the dancers 100% of the time. Drinks: VERY Stiff. Below average prices. Andrew: "Wow. She is perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect." Greenie: "Just wait until Rehab." 7:00pm: Casa Fuente Cigar Lounge (Forum Shops) Description: They are the only lounge and/or store in the world to which Fuente has attached their name, and as such they offer a number of cigars that cannot be purchased anywhere else. Better still is that they have set up a wonderful bar with comfortable leather stools (as well as a patio area) in which to enjoy a fine smoke, with an excellent selection of single malts to choose from. It is also extremely well ventilated, thus making it easy for a non-cigar smoker to easily relax with a stogie-loving friend. If you can't tell, I really, really, really enjoyed this place... and I'm not a real cigar fiend (that's Andrew's department). Cover: none Crowd: Non-existent other than one middle-aged couple at the bar. Music: None. Zilch. Staff: Absolutely exceptional. All knowledgeable of their product and extremely social. All of them attend the annual Big Smoke and are passionate about good tobacco. Drinks: Healthy pours of quality single-malt for surprisingly low prices. Andrew: "I wish Hamilton's in NYNY was still around, but the selection here blows them away. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find the cigar you're smoking? That's perfection, baby. Ask anyone who knows, there are only a few Cubans that are any better than this. It really doesn't get much better. We have to come back tomorrow. And Monday." Greenie: "Just wait until Rehab." 9:00pm: Planet Hollywood (Forum Shops) Reservations? Surely you must be kidding. (yet we heard a lot of people asking about them) Food: Can't expect much from a chain-theme restaurant in the midst of chain-theme shopping. Food was as good as would be expected, and in large amounts. Drinks: The real reason we ate here. They have an incredible happy hour from 9-10pm, with very stiff well drinks going for $2. Service: Very fast and quite attentive, and our waitress made sure to bring us fresh cocktails without our having to ask. She clearly knew the program. Cost: Reasonable for food, exceptional for drinks. At least during happy hour. Calling bullshit on: All that crap on the walls and constant reminders of how much PH crap you can buy and take home. Greenie: "I can't believe there's going to be an entire resort full of this shit." 10:30pm: OPM Cover: none (thank you, DJ Masterweb) Crowd: Good looking crowd, felt like it was about 50-50 M/F but felt like it was 70% ladies... the rumors you may have heard are true, the early crowd at OPM is full of guys that either have no game or simply aren't liquored up to talk to the ladies, who are definitely looking for attention and some early dancing before the place gets packed. VERY friendly ladies here! Music: Straight up hip-hop, the best mix and true styles we heard all weekend. Not one crap track, not one questionable transition, mixed perfectly to build the vibe with the crowd. Kudos to Masterweb and company. Staff: Door staff: outstanding! Serivce staff, average. Drinks: Average strength and average price. Calling bullshit on: Having to walk to the front of Caesar's to get a taxi after leaving (and then wait 20 minutes in line). Tried both of the taxi stops at the Forum Shops and in both locations, valets told us we had to hoof it to the front because they "couldn't guarantee a taxi would stop here." This was despite our offering $5 to have them figure out a way to get us a taxi pronto. Greenie: "OPM seems to have a much better vibe now that Pure is in full swing." Andrew: (within 5 minutes' of conversation to every gal he saw) "We have a table at Teatro, wanna join us?" Most Ladies: "What's Teatro?" or "Where is Teatro" or "What music do they play?" Local Ladies: "if the crowd gets too much here, we'll definitely stop by." 1:00am: Teatro Cover: no cover, I think... we did a bottle (thanks to LALate for scoring us the best table location) Crowd: About half-full when we arrived, never got more crowded than that. Seemed to be about 40-60 M/F. Great group of club kids in the far corner throwing it down, and the dance/floor area always seemed to have nothing but ladies (most guys in the place hovered around the stage, like lions focused on a lone gazelle). We hung mostly at our table, especially as sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 a trio of ladies from OPM joined us. Music: Mostly house, but a little hip-hop and rock mashed in. Great beats that had both the crowd and the stage dancers moving at a solid pace. Staff: Larson, a VIP host for Teatro, gave us some of the best treatment I've ever received when buying bottles. Wasn't above clearing out the odd crumpled napkin or empty glass from our table, either. Nice touches. Our waitress was professional, although a bit aloof and unfriendly. Not what you expect for gal making an easy, sizeable tip. Drinks: Stiff, of course! (LOL) Bottle prices should have been lower, given that Teatro isn't yet the most in-demand club around. ($300 for a bottle of Sapphire) Calling bullshit on: Having to pay for bottles of water after dropping for a bottle along with a generous tip. C'mon! Greenie: "I love every inch of this place." Andrew: "We're kicking Vegas' ass tonight." Benny (LALate): "This always reminds me of the Gravitron ride." OPM Gal #1: "This is so much better than Tabu!" OPM Gal #2: "I'm surprised they're not packed, it's incredible in here." OPM Gal #3: "How much do you think I need to tip the dancer to have her to join us for a drink?" Greenie: "I'm gonna pop up to the suite for a minute. Anyone else? The elevator is right outside the door." 4:00am (thereabouts): Centrifuge Comments: See above for other comments, but note that Centrifuge was going OFF at this time. Packed to the gills with party people, crowded enough that many folks hung on the outside of the bar. Andrew: "The great thing about video poker is you can't lose your shirt by playing it wasted." OPM Gal #2: "Lets do shots." OPM Gal #3: "No, let's do jagerbombs!" Greenie: "You guys need to hook up with my man Bill at Body English some night." ummmm 5am? 6am?: Drai's Comments: I assume another great finish at Drai's... I'll be honest, there's this little gap here where I don't remember a damn thing. Neither does Andrew or our two friends from OPM (no idea what happened to the third)... but we've got a few bar receipts. 8am: Rainbow Bar & Gril Comments: When trying to remember the finish to the evening, I don't remember leaving Centrifuge, nor do I remember arriving at Rainbow (and all things in between), but apparently we headed over here at the suggestion of a few folks at Drai's. This place really rocks for an after-after-party. See the comments below, as we remember our second night (morning) here a lot better. Andrew and one of the gals never made it, he says he has a fuzzy recollection of his gal thinking we were trying to take them to the strip club next door. :: SUNDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT originally intended as the focal party point of our weekend 2pm: Rehab Cover: none (we checked into the HR on Sun) Crowd: Much better than my last two Rehab trips (late summer 2004). Mind-bogglingly beautiful bodies, both men and women. Half the crowd oughtta be acting, modeling or dancing. What am I saying? Words cannot do this party justice... and no matter how many photos you see, it simply has to be experienced. Different: some pudgy dude running around in a full Mr. Incredible costume. Entertaining: not-so-subtle dry-humping along the pool ledge. Unfortuante But Still Entertaining: A good number of bombed individuals -- old and young, male and female -- being ejected before 3pm. Well done, morons. Music: Full range of hip-hop, rock and pop early, mostly house later. Staff: Very slow, horribly forgetful and clumsy (we saw one waitress spill drinks on 3 different guests). But extremely beautiful and quite friendly. Ah, the sacrifices we are willing to make. Drinks: Horribly overpriced and under-boozed no matter what you buy. Smart planning gets you around this hurdle surprisingly easy. Besides, no matter how good a party, getting hammered in the afternoon sun won't leave you much for BE that night. Calling bullshit on: Overweight people with no shame. Seriously. Do these folks feel somehow liberated or empowered by dressing in the same outfits (and worse, dancing in them) as their hardbodied poolmates? I'm no Adonis and believe that everyone should be welcome at Rehab... but in the words of Tim Meadows' Ladies Man, "yeah, well, that's disgusting." Andrew: "Um. Um. Um. Um. Um. Um. Um. Dude. Um. Um. Dude. Dude. Um. Wow." Greenie: "Just wait until Body English." 10:05pm: Mr. Lucky's (HR) Food: Surprisingly tasty. First time I've ever eaten at a casino's 24-hour restaurant and didn't feel sick. Service: We sat at the counter and received excellent service from our waiter. Some grumpy, 50+ old fart plops down two stools over and spreads out some work paperwork. His service from the same waiter... not so good... LOL! Cost: Surprisingly reasonable compared to its peers around town. Calling bullshit on: Pink Taco for having its last seating at 10:00pm sharp (yes, we begged and promised to order immediately, no dice). On a Sunday night with the line for Body English already going strong. I think Nobu was still seating, but sushi doesn't quite soak things up, if you know what I mean. Greenie: "Killer onion rings." Andrew: "I'll have a bloody mary, a steak sandwich, and a steak sandwich." [i[Waiter: "Extra primo good sir. I will put that on the Underhill's check." 11:30pm: Body English Cover: $30 for mortals. (thank you Ben @ Mecca for the VIP) Crowd: My 5th BE Sunday this year and in my opinion, the best crowd yet. Around midnight I swear the place was 30-70 M/F, and right up until closing whenever we were on the dance floor it was just a ocean of hot, sexy, sweaty women. I had my dancing game on like never before, stayed primarily near the stage. Couldn't even count how many women I danced with... at one point one of the ones on the stage swung her legs through the railing and wrapped them around my head... I shit you not... aside from quick trips to the bar for jagerbombs (and one trip back to the room), never really left the dance floor. Left me with both images and feelings that I can't get out of my head -- and hope I never do. Music: Mash-up leaning more towards hip-hop. I'm always amazed by how well DJ AM knows his crowds and gets them worked into such a frenzy, especially considering the DJ booth is so isolated from the dance floor. I could live without hearing Livin' On A Prayer, but going by the response of the women throughout the club it's no surprise he plays it. Awesome drops, transitions and layers. Staff: Exceptional, outstanding, brilliant, fast, professional and friendly. From door to host to bar, in my opinion the best overall nightclub staff in the city. Best restroom attendant, too. Keeps his realm spotless, doesn't crowd you, remembers your name and carries my favorite cologne (D&G Masculine, if anyone gives a shit). Drinks: The two S&Ts we had to start off were nice and stiff, and our jagerbombs were tall and well priced ($9). Calling bullshit on: Closing even when the place is still SLAMMING! Andrew: "You weren't kidding about this place." Greenie: "Oh. It is SO on." Unknown Gal #1: "You are the sexiest dancer in here." Unknown Gal #2: "Are you guys locals?" Unknown Gal #3: "Are you going to the Rainbow afterwards?" Unknown Gal #4: "How about a jagerbomb?" Unknown Gal #5: "Do you have a room here?" Unknown Gals #6-10: "Come have a drink with us at our table." I swear, it's all true... I've never had a night quite like this... makes me want to move out for good... and the above is only what I remember... After: Circle Bar Comments: Once again it seems I have a gap in my memory of the night (might be time to cut back on the jagerbombs and other party favors and save a few brain cells), as I don't really recall things coming to an end at BE nor do I recall spending any time at the Circle Bar. Which is an extreme shame because (it turns out) I met a few local gals and got their numbers. Anyway, According to Andrew: Crowd: Insane. Packed. Women everywhere. People still dancing. Drinks: Strong and flying. After-After: Rainbow Bar & Grill Comments: Just like the night before, the curtain of darkness lifted from my memory here. Maybe I ate something and came to, I dunno. Don't remember coming here, the first memory I have from Rainbow is Andrew and I sitting in a booth with 4 gals, two of whom we had danced with inside BE and the other two had just come from their waitress gig at another club. Crowd: Awesome range of people, all sorts of ages/characters/clothes/attitudes but everyone in a serious party mood. Ratio about 50-50 and the place was busy but not packed. The gals introduced me to a boatload of people, all locals. Everyone else I talked to were pretty much locals or from LA. The one non-LV/LA person I met (make that "remember") was somehow related to someone who works at Nobu. Music: Rock. Staff: Excellent. No surprise I suppose, locals serving locals. Drinks: Can't recall the drink strength, but I do recall being shocked at the incredibly low prices. One of the gals I was with told me they always run drink specials from about 4-8am Greenie: "Hey, you know, we have some really fantastic bottles of wine back in our room." All: "Right on, let's go." :: MONDAY NIGHT our mellow recovery night before hitting the road Tuesday 7:00pm: Viva Las Vegas Lounge Crowd: Mellow and older. A few gals that looked like pros, otherwise had the vibe of a bunch of people that are in town for business instead of partying. Such is the hotel crowd Mon-Thu at HR, I suppose. Music: Rock and hip-hop. Staff: Excellent, talkative, friendly. Drinks: Newcastles while (minimally) playing video poker Andrew: "Time for steak." Greenie: "Mmmm. Cow." 8:30pm: Casa Fuentue See above. This time we didn't smoke here -- saved 'em for later -- just had a cocktail. 10:00pm: N9NE Reservations? Not needed late on a Monday night. Most tables were filled but we walked right in with no wait. Crowd: Dudes, dudes, and more dudes. Businessmen and poker players. Food: Out-fucking-standing. Drinks : One of the best wine lists I've ever seen, with some exceptional bottles priced very well. And they made a damn, damn fine martini. Service: Could not possibly be any better. Attention to every detail, prompt, knowledgeable and professional. Very knowledgeable sommelier who enjoyed conversing with us before and after our selection. Cost: Extremely expensive but without question worth every penny. Greenie: "No dessert for me, thanks. I'll just die happy right now." Andrew: "Vegas, dude." Midnight: Ghostbar Cover: $10 but no charge for us thanks to the staff of N9NE Crowd: Very well-dressed and a bit mellowed out, ratio just about 50-50, ages from 30-55. Lots of older men with local pros. At midnight, barely more than half-full. By 1am only about a third to a quarter full. Music: Hip-hop with very occasional rock mash. Not sure who was on the decks but I really dug his selection and mixing... lots of semi-old school (late 80s, early 90s) urban hip-hop tracks that are very rarely heard these days... non-hit tracks from Black Sheep, Pharcyde, Brand Nubian, Casual. Sweet. Staff: Excellent, friendly. Slow night so they were happy to talk with me about the new Palms expansion tower (growing faster than you'd believe) as well as a number of non-touristy topics. Best of all, one of the bartenders was able to tell us the only place on the Strip that would still have live jazz at 2am. Drinks: Average strength... but a bit on the expensive side. Andrew: (sitting on a coach on the deck, smoking cigar, gazing at the Strip) "You mind if we stay here for quite a while? Greenie: "No problem. You mind if I stay on my feet and go meet some ladies?" 2:00am: Some lounge at Bellagio (next to Baccarat table room) Crowd: Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money. Tuxedos, gowns, fine suits and cocktail dresses. About 70-30 M/F, and the four of us were the only ones under 45 (maybe 50). Music: Classic, urban jazz. The sole reason we came here. Live band for about 45 minutes, then played over the soundsystem. Band was solid with a very, very tight piano player. Staff: Quiet but professional. Although we were dressed up in our fines, our age and lack of ties made us quite separate from the rest of the crowd... but the staff didn't treat us any differently. Drinks: Stiff but very expensive. Comments: A very nice, relaxing lounge. Bartender said that the live jazz band was a rare special, usually they just have a solo guy on a grand piano, but they had some VIPs that made a special arrangement. Nevertheless, nice feel to the place, definitely the classiest 24-hour bar/lounge that I've come across in LV. We came with a pair of 30-ish women we met at Ghostbar and it was a great place for quiet after-hours cocktails and conversation. We did walk by Caramel first and it looked dead, dead, dead. Can't wait for the next trip... looking at July 9th... rock on!

Wound up getting a FREE room at MGM this weekend (still shaking my head, not sure how) so I'll DEFINITELY be hitting up Centrifuuuuguguguugeueueeeeeeee very late both nights here... well, that is unless something truly special is happening at Drai's... any of youse that know me only through this (or another) board, as usual look for the stocky dude with spiked blonde hair (and now the roots are showing, I'm such a girl LOL) if not.. rock on folks, have a great weekend... party hard, party long, party right, party all fucking night.

Thanks to all (including PMs) for opinions on this... sounds like Skrib has been playing lot more house during his sets, but a couple of peeps that have seen him lately have said he's definitely attracting a lot of people to his shows that are going for the MTV image. Still worried about a shoulder-to-shoulder dance floor that isn't really heavy duty for the vibe. Over the weekend I also scored Glaude's new 2CD set and a live recording of a recent show and it's got me really pumped up to see him on TGIF, so starting to lean towards ICE on Friday and OPM on Saturday... and a lot of other good stuff before, after, in between, up, down and sideways...

Two of us comin in, at THE Fri-Sat and over to the HR on Sun. Only firm plans are Rehab/BE on Sunday, so keep me in the loop! Oh, and I'll totally be down for a little late night CENTRIFUUUUUGGGEEEEEE witcha.

Popping out next weekend with my best bud (former business manager of Mile High House, a producer/DJ collective) and we're looking to do things up a little bigger than normal. Only thing firmly planned is the Rehab/BE double on Sunday and stopping by Ice on either Friday or Saturday -- my boy is dying to check it out. Anyway, here's the rub: I love Glaude's sets, but I'm always up for investigating something different. Ice has Skribble booked for Saturday night, but I haven't seen him spin in a loooooong tme and I've got no idea what he's really up to these days. More importantly, I've got no idea what kind of crowd is following him. I've got this fear that he'll draw a crowd that only gives a shit about him because of his MTV connections. In other words, turn Ice into Rain for a night. Anyone, any thoughts/wisdom?

I went there not long after it opened. Wasn't nuts about it. Pretty place, mostly tables, music was a bit weak, tiny dance floor, crowd a little mellow.

These days, even Denver has the vast majority of shops you find in Vegas. We even have a Ferrari dealer. :snicker: Aside from being a magnet for the kind of people that love to spend all day shopping no matter where they are, I think the folks most drawn to Vegas for shopping are those from parts of the country that feel lucky just for having a Gap open nearby... in other words, those that live a few hours' drive (or more) from a city with more than half a million people. I'd bet you could say the same thing about people who go to Vegas purely for gambling, strippers/hookers, dining, shows, sitting by the pool, playing golf, whatever. It's one of the things that makes LV so amenable to so many; you're guaranteed to have easy access to something that isn't so convenient back home. Then mix in the fact that it's usually of high quality... hell, it's a wonder that the town existed purely on gambling and shows for so damn long.

I like the others but this one just sounds a little too much like a carpeted, mirrored club out of the Seventies or something. Maybe it's just because it reminds of a really tacky club in Waikiki called Rumors.

In terms of bringing groups into the state, sure. Vinyl has gone about 4-5 months now with at least one major act every week. Tiesto last Friday, Sasha on Mem Day Sunday (although I was in LV then), Digweed this coming Saturday... and Vinyl has a *sweet* sound system and booth in the main areana. There's been a real huge swing of support for trance/progressive out here in the past year, which had led The Church to follow suit pretty regularly on Thursdays; Tall Paul this week and Christopher Lawrence next week. As for Boulder though, the halcyon days are behind us... when I could walk down the street from my house and go underground at Soma to check out the same big names... hell, they use to pull in guys like DJ Dmitri and not even charge cover. [shedding a small tear] There's a "swanky martiny lounge" now occupying Soma's space, and every once in a while they pull in a decent DJ but it's just lost the old vibe. The life cycles of clubs and the scene never ceases to surprise me. For me it was about 2000 or so that the Vegas clubs really started bringing in the DJs that eventually led to my making an LV trip every 5-6 weeks, largely because the Denver scene was just lacking in terms of the music. There were some good desert parties and whatnot, but I'll be honest, I'm a whore when it comes to top of the line sound systems and a packed house. Soma was the beginning of a great thing, and as much as I miss its demise there's no question it helped show the way as now there's at least two big trance/prog/house nights every week, in addition to other great club events for other music (although true hip-hop is still a bit weak). Bringing this back to the focus of Vegas, I'm more addicted than ever only now it's less because the club experience is less about the music for me and more about the vibe, especially after hours. Denver may bring in the music, but the crowds will just never bring the scene they way they do in Vegas. (or LA, NYC, Chicago, Miami, London, IB... but none of those are a 9-hour drive away)

Taxis aren't that expensive from the airport, especially to the Trop, and especially-especially if it means you get out to the clubs that much earlier.

Ever since the first time I went to Light (and was completely turned off by the place), I've had this small dream of opening a club in LV called Dark Otherwise, whenever I've thought about what I would name a slick nightclub were I to have the cash, i've long liked: Velvet Blue Meridian Eleven Vinyl The last one was taken by a club in Denver that re-opened/re-invented itself about a year ago. I was kind of bummed at first that someone else took one of my dream names... but it's turned out to be my favorite local club, and they've gotten better and better every week. Another Denver club with a name that I think would be sweet in Vegas: The Church

Agreed with LA's comments on Light. Skip it. I love Drai's, but unless you're addicted to it I'd say only do it once, maybe hit Seven the other night. Either that or don't do full-on after hours on Saturday night; call it quits around 6 or so, power nap, and then get to Rehab by noon, by far the best regular pool party going. Actually, the words "pool party" don't really do it justice. Just go. And if you're not staying at HR, it's worth the cover. There should be no question about where to go on Sunday night. Body English. Technically speaking it is in the same physical space that used to hold Baby's, but trust me, you wouldn't know it otherwise. It is 100% different in every sense, if ever there was a shining example of how to re-invent a night club, BE has gotta be it. Of course, if you're a real machine (or simply have the right err, ingredients) then you can always try to pull off my favorite marathon, Sat 8pm to Monday 5am: Sat pre-dinner: Shadow (some say it's cheesy, but I just love their silhouetted dancers... yeeow) Sat dinner: Emeril's (MGM) Sat evening: Teatro Sat primetime: ICE Sat afterhours: Drai's Sun breakfast: Mirage buffet (normally I avoid buffets, but during a marathon it's critical to reload) Sun day: Rehab Sun pre-dinner: Mist (I love it in the early evening) Sun dinner: Isla (TI) or China Grill (Mandalay) Sun evening: Mix Sun primetime: Body English 33 straight hours of bliss, baby.

Depends on who's headlining the night you go. Really big headliners (and/or a really big weekend) get there before 11 and you'll have a dozen or so 10 people in line (they do let people in right away, but in a slow-and-steady kind of way). Most Saturdays though, get there before midnight and you won't have complaints. For the last Roger Sanchez appearance there I arrived around 11:45 and couldn't have waited more than 5 minutes, even then I think it was mostly because one of the hosts was chatting me up in line...

We hit up Teatro on Saturday night, and there were definitely a lot of LA folks in the house that night as well. Of course, that's a pretty common thing for Vegas clubs on Mem Day. And I always have a knack for avoiding the club photographers. I've been told it's a good thing as my pupils are generally unfocused on photographs. Red Square (at Mandalay) Nice to go to for an early cocktail, try a few vodkas you've never heard of, but I don't think it's worth the trip. Once the line for Rumjungle gets longer, the lazy folks wind up going into Red Square and the bar just doesn't have that much room to mingle. One time I was there and they had the whole front area open for bar use, but the last two times I've been in there they put out ropes (ropes!) to separate the bar/standing/mingling area from more tables they've put out. Never been particularly impressed. Oh, and the service is pretty slow. I guess if you're staying at Mandalay it's a good place to start an evening off. Rain Bah. Of course the women want to check it out, everyone does, it still carries that MTV mystique to it. For a regular clubber I'd say yeah, it's worth checking out just so you know the deal there... but seriously, any club can host a party and have pictures of gorgeous people. Another perfect example is pics from Light. All that said, i've certainly wound up going to rain because the group of ladies I'm with are insistent on going... but I don't think anyone that frequents this board should make it a top choice.

Go back on a regular friday night for Gladue. Get on the list in advance, you'll pay no cover and have the time of your life -- I've been 5 times and the crowd has always been the perfect size and mix of people.

Oh yeah, been there, man. I feel ya. DarkVixen, 4 comped bottles is definitely a sweet deal. But is having someone pour a shot for you really such a rare thing? If that's what passes for impressing the local ladies these days, I may just have to pack up the wagon and move out there for good...

re: Zuri at MGM Grand I think this is the bar you're talking about... somewhat in the round, with lots of curtains and leather charis, yet still open to the casino? My friends and I often hit this bar around 3-4AM, either after leaving a club elsewhere or before heading for afterhours (or as a stop in between). Some of the most um... unexpected acquantainces I've had in Vegas, I've met at Zuri. Definitely agreed that it's a great crowd in there late night. We wound up there over the weekend... sometime late Friday light, actually... would have been close to 4... lord knows, I may have bought you a drink. Something about my challenging my friend to do a lapdance (which he did) and my buying two dozen shots (jager bombs, maybe) for that end of the bar... oh hell, not sure if I want to remember all of this. Well, if a stocky, spiky-blonde-haired guy shoved a drink in your direction, um, that was me. re: Tangerine Didn't make it to Tangerine on this last trip, but I've hit it up on more than few Wednesdays going back to last fall, and have never been run into overcrowding like you described. Not disagreeing here, just suggesting that perhaps hitting this place on its busiest night of the week in the Memorial Day buildup isn't the best way to review the club. This weekend we hit Mix, ICE, Pure, Tabu and Teatro, and I wouldn't judge any one of them based on how they were this weekend. With the exception of Pure, they were all a very different experience from how they've been on previous visits. All that said, no doubt that Tangerine turned some people off this weekend (I met a few gals at Ice who said similar things) other places did set you straight, and I'm certainly right with anyone else that doesn't like a club crowd that you can't even move through. Feh. Overall, such is life of the clubs... the best spots can never stay that way forever, and it's great to hear you got a solid hookup at OPM... my recent experiences there is that it seems like its one of the few (relatively) longer-running places in LV that is interested in providing good service to the clubber instead of the tourist. Anyway, great writeup, always love to read about other folks' experiences, especially someone in the biz...

No doubt a sick weekend in the desert. My fourth time out there on Memorial Day in the past five years and by far my favorite. The clubs were sick, but the crowds inside were really great this year. Either that or I've grown remarkably tolerant (maybe I'm just a quicker, mellower drunk). Also helped that I was able to get a room at TI for less than a third of what I had originally booked it at... guess there was some serious vacancy in town at the last second. Drove home the full 9+ hours with only filling and dumping stops... was just in a daze with all the beats and beauties in my head from the weekend. Coming back mid-June, fourth trip of the year and it's not even July 4th... LV keeps getting better and better for me! Can't wait.