Saturday, February 23, 2019

E-293: Icahnic Evil



Random Vegas 
3 years after the 1993 Dunes implosion destroyed one of the most iconic strip marquees in Vegas history, the Neon Museum nonprofit was officially launched after 16 years of planning.  One of their goals, prevent anything like that from happening again (VegasSeven.com) 

Twitpic of the week 



What most people don’t realize, is that, like most things, snow in Las Vegas isn’t the same as it is everywhere else.  It’s better.  Here, it's just mother nature's contribution to the spectacle.  And just like the decorations on display promoting whatever random celebration is going on that week, the following week, you’re unable to find a trace of the past.  Watching snow fall here is just as magical as it is everywhere else without any of the residual issues that come with a prolonged winter season.  @NickyFurmage shared our favorite picture of snow falling around the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign this week.  I was hoping for a great picture of Luxor covered in snow but unfortunately all that were shared looked like they were taking with a Motorola razor flip phone.

News

Posted by 360 Vegas at 8:19:00 AM
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Saturday, February 16, 2019

E-292: It's Magnets, Keren


Random Vegas

To draw traffic to his casinos during traditionally slow times, Jackie Gaughan, best known as the owner of the El Cortez, would give out up to 70,000 boxes of candy on any given holiday; Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 
Twitpic of the week



Magical.  I can think of no better way to describe it.  I don’t bemoan the evolution of Las Vegas. It’s that creative evolution that drew me to the city in the first place.  It’s the lack of creativity currently being showcased that disappoints me.  I’m the last person to criticize the excitement of using new technology. That being said, knowing what all of these LED signs can do, I look forward to the time when they stop being used as giant TVs playing an endless loop of commercials and start getting creative like the neon signage of old, showcased this week by @Summacorp a la Stardust Circa 1959.  However I fear this may be similar to the endless conversation I have with my beloved wife. Attempting to show her all the bells and whistles, shortcuts and efficiency enablers available on her apple devices only to be disregarded and scolded for not allowing her to utilize them in the way that works for her.  Shaking my head in defeat, I’ll never understand the resistance to better.   

News

(Thanks @GamblinMcGoo)
Posted by 360 Vegas at 5:21:00 AM
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Saturday, February 9, 2019

E-291: Liquor Up and Down



Random Vegas 
All the custom videos advertising the rebranded name “The Strat” have something gold in them, a call back to their new owners, Golden Entertainment (Vital Vegas) 

Twitpic of the week



There isn’t enough massive signage at the street level.  Like signage so close you could jump up and touch it with your hands.  Then again, I imagine that’s exactly why you can’t find signage you can touch anymore.  While Neon lights don’t get hot, they weren’t the only source of exterior illumination utilized in the Fremont signs of yesteryear, shared this week by @TonyIllia, flashing lightbulbs do get hot.  And while I think the generations of the last 40 years have cornered the market on lawsuits resulting from being stupid, just like sex, recent generations didn’t invent stupid.  Signs like these are the reason why I visit the Neon Museum so often.  There’s something about being surrounded by massive signage that reminds me just how small and insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things.  And yet, all those signs were made by people.  So maybe we are a little bigger than that.



360FHE

Posted by 360 Vegas at 6:23:00 AM
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Saturday, February 2, 2019

E-290: The Betty White Affair




Random Vegas

Like Cosmopolitan, due to Luxor’s unique design, it has been a popular place for people to commit suicide.  The most infamous of which was in 1996.  A 23 year old women climbed over the ledge of the 26th floor of the atrium and jumped, landing near the long line to the buffet at the property, causing her body to “burst”.  A hazmat team was bought in to clean up the mess as rumors that the jumper had AIDS spread and social ignorance at the time began to cause panic.  Luxor offered free counseling sessions with a therapist to guests who saw the incident.  The idea of installing Plexiglas on the corridors was entertained to prevent something like this from happening again.  However the fire department informed them it would violate fire code as it would trap smoke in the hallways outside guest rooms.  Another idea was adding wire screens to catch jumpers but that idea was eventually nixed as the nets were not only unattractive, they were distracting and gave a haunting reminder of why they were there. (Book - Super Casino) 

Twitpic of the week 


Come on man, seriously.  Seriously?  @Vegasphotograph just sees and thinks differently from the rest of us.  Rain in the desert is uncommon enough but mix that with Vegas signage and those that love the city can’t whip their phones out fast enough to catch the neon reflections everywhere.  But a picture of the Stratosphere reflected in drops of water is some next level shit.  Reflections in fucking drops of water.  As I reflect on this picture, I feel like it’s a great representation of how my love for this city has evolved since moving here.  Similar to how the love for a spouse evolves and grows deeper than one could imagine over time, living here has given me the opportunity to move beyond the feeling that I only have 5 days or however long I’m staying to enjoy the city as much as possible before I have to go home and transitioned to enjoying every single aspect of it I can possibly think of, further deepening my appreciation for it.  While I’ll never be half the photographer this guy is, I can only hope I write with the same askewed view. 

News

Posted by 360 Vegas at 7:05:00 AM
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