Perhaps it's best my grandmother didn't live to see this day: the Liberace Museum, located in the besequined showman's old stomping grounds of Las Vegas, is
closing, and that would have saddened her. Maybe it's time for all of us to brush up on our early
Liberace history. And let's hear the sparkling man, resplendent in gold, take
Mack the Knife through some changes. Farewell, Liberace.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 18, 2010 -
66 comments
Ugly Vegas Carpets Want You to Keep Playing. "Mathematician-philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said, “It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” This certainly rings true with Chris Maluszynski’s Las Vegas Carpets series, whose name explains it all. The photos draw out the psychology of Las Vegas through the simple observation of carpet."
posted by Fizz
on Sep 2, 2010 -
51 comments
Confessions of a Call Bear - "At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, he's a pretty big guy, though he "carries it well." His red hair is cut in a flattop, and he has a closely cropped beard, but he doesn't look particularly imposing." Rusty McMann is a 40something male escort.
posted by desjardins
on Mar 11, 2010 -
62 comments
2 July, 1958 - 13 March 2007. The
Stardust Hotel/Casino was
reduced to dust (youtube) at 2:30 am this morning.
Initially opened in 1958 as the first low-budget property on the strip (rooms cost $6 a night), it (and the Westward Ho nearby) has been demolished to make room for a 5,300 room $4B ultra-luxury resort named
Echelon, currently the second most expensive property development in Nevada (behind
Project City Center down the road).
One of the few remaining remnants of old Vegas, it was mob-owned/operated until at least 1984 (when the gaming commission levied a $3M fine for skimming), and is probably best known as the setting for the mostly nonfiction
book/
movie Casino.
Over the years, it could lay claim to having the largest casino, the longest pool, the most rooms (twice), the largest neon sign, the only drive-in theater, the largest fine ever levied by the gaming commission, and the most consecutive live performances by Wayne Newton. It was also one of the last properties on the strip to use the more expensive
metal-centered gaming chips.
Arrivederci.
posted by toxic
on Mar 13, 2007 -
39 comments
The Man Who Shook Up Vegas is a fascinating and relatively brief Wall St Journal article about Bob Stoll, a college dropout whose statistical wizardry seems to be forcing the $96 Billion U.S. sports wagering industry to jump through hoops. Even if you don't follow sports gambling at all, the article is a very compelling read.
note: since the wsj.com is subscriber only, link goes to a reprint of the article.
posted by jonson
on Jan 9, 2007 -
29 comments
The view (with humour) from two people who serve you drinks. One a cocktail waitress in
Vegas, the other a bartender in
Cincinnati.
posted by tellurian
on May 23, 2006 -
62 comments
The Day Las Vegas Shook What were
you doing at 11:45am on May 4, 1988? If you were a resident of southern Nevada, you'd remember. That was the day rocket fuel factory
PEPCON was wiped off the map in a series of 7 explosions, two of which measured 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale.
The explosions sent shockwaves across the valley, taking with it marshmellow cream from the marshmellow factory next door, denting garage doors miles away, and shattering damn near every window in Henderson. As the valley's 500,000 residents stood outside wondering what caused the explosion and the
massive plume of smoke, many speculated the Russians had inexplicably attacked Henderson. Miraculously, only two people died. PEPCON never operated another day in Nevada and moved to Utah.
posted by b_thinky
on Mar 4, 2006 -
37 comments
"Hi Jerks! Bender here. I just got back from the drinkin'est town in the known Universe: Las Vegas, Nevada- Earth. Check out these
photos and you will see what I mean!" from Bender's Las Vegas Scrapbook.
(Tons of pictures, big download alert) [via waxpancake]
posted by riffola
on Nov 10, 2003 -
18 comments
How to win at slots: Cheat "Carmichael is no two-bit slot cheat. Authorities have anointed him one of the best, a master inventor who conspired with an elite group of thieves to steal millions from casinos. "
posted by srboisvert
on Sep 15, 2003 -
16 comments
Bowling to Vegas! Four drunk bowling fanatics from Chicago are bowling their way across country....apparently for lack of anything better to do(looks like a couple of them are unemployed). Also, they're trying to restore dignity to the good old-fashioned Road Trip(and, of course, bowling). Why bowl to Vegas instead of fly? As
Mike says: "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Nobody has respect for the road trip anymore. Haven't you people seen
Fandango?" Follow their progress across country, and
buy 'em a round.
posted by 40 Watt
on Mar 14, 2003 -
7 comments
Only in Las Vegas... If you're considering an elopement to Las Vegas, but don't want the friends and family to miss out, the
Little White Chapel on the Strip now offers live streaming and on-demand replays of those touching moments when the Elvis impersonator goes into "Falling In Love With You". This is what the net was meant for.
posted by holgate
on May 14, 2001 -
3 comments
