|
July 30, 2004
When you gotta go...
Someone sent this photo of a public restroom on to me. I'm not sure
where this is, but I'm not sure that I would ever use the facilities. Well,
maybe. Actually I have seen restrooms similar to this in nightclubs in Los
Angeles. It seems a bit more difficult to use on the street though.
Click here
to see the inside view.
posted by
Andy
7:30pm
|
 |
July 23, 2004
What did you do this weekend?
Brother R. flew his Comanche out to Las Vegas this weekend. Since everyone
in my household took two weeks to go to California and get out of the
heat, his company was very welcome as always. We tried to do more than the
usual gambling that people do around here, so on Saturday we decided to drive
down to Hoover Dam.
Of course, we looked like tourists, with cameras in hand. Plus, what locals
would be crazy enough to go to the Hoover Dam in July? Oh, it was only about
111 degrees in the shade. Actually, while my timing may be a bit off, this
is the first time I've been down to the dam, and I plan on going back to
take my wife and daughter. Mom is trying to schedule a trip out here in October,
so that may be a good time for a re-visit, since I know she would enjoy the
trip, and of course there won't be any eye-popping heat to deal with. About
the dam... I've read many stories, seen a enough documentaries, and looked
at lots of photos over years, but seeing it is well worth it. I also came
back feeling somewhat better about our current drought situation. While the
photos of Lake Mead show how low the water level is, a tour guide did offer
a few interesting facts. While the lake has what is called, a white "bathtub
ring" that shows the water level down almost 100 feet, the normal level is
actually in the middle of that line. He went on to say that ,while we
are experiencing a particularly long drought, it has happened before,
and that when winter precipitation in Rockies are normal, there is actually
a surplus of water for the cities that use the Colorado River, even
with the explosive growth in Las Vegas. I took it as a little good news.
Let's just hope for a good snow pack in Rockies next year. The tour
guide was very helpful, and said if you have any more dam(n) questions just
ask. This is a joke, that was made popular from Chevy Chase's movie
Las Vegas Vacation, but I get the feeling it's the tourism
workers (if not the actual laborers) on the dam that started these
dam(n) jokes.
After experiencing the heat from our dam tour, we decided to head back to
Boulder City for a cool libation.
Just a mile or so outside the dam area, tucked in between some rocky hills,
is the Hacienda Hotel Casino.
We walked in and went straight to the bar. I won't write we went to
the bar because R. said he liked the shorts the girl was wearing behind the
bar, but I just did. Of course we started playing video poker. R. is
a little new to this, so I tried to help. He still lost. I came out
$2 ahead, and had a free beer. I like the location of the hotel because of
how remote it is. Actually it's dam close, and yet isolated. After going
into the Hacienda, I remember reading about how the hotel may be torn down.
If I remember correctly, the land is leased by the BLM and the lease
may not be renewed because it is a vital habitat for the Bighorn Sheep,
and other desert wildlife. So the very reason why I liked the place, is the
reason why it should go. It doesn't belong there, and there's plenty of other
casinos around. Take it down. Boulder City has plenty of watering holes for
the thirsty dam visitor. Overall, we enjoyed the entire dam experience. We
went on back into town, and our luck never got much better, so R. wanted
go home, rent a few movies and bake cookies. I laughed so hard, called him
a California Girly Man, and insisted he buy a box cookies. Are we getting
old?
posted by
Andy
4:30pm |
R. checks the fuel for any water. |
The Lake Mead Side. Down about 95 feet from the high mark,
although the high mark is about 45 higher than normal. |
Traffic over the dam. This is the time to drive over since,
due to security concerns, a bypass bridge is currently under construction,
and driving across will be a thing of the past. |
 |
A Little Talent
Here's a model of the Sydney Opera House more than one million times smaller
than the actual structure. This is very nice. I used to have quite an extensive
collection of these kind of collectibles. That is until my wife said "When
are you going to put something on this dusty shelf!" as she sprayed the
Pledge and began to wipe it down.
posted by
Andy
3:55pm |
Swinburne University of Technology's center for micro-photonics
have constructed a
model of the Sydney Opera House, seen in this undated photo, that is about
half the
diameter of a human hair. With dimensions of 64 x 38 x 41 micrometers, or
more than
a million times smaller than the real Sydney structure, the model was built
from a hybrid
material of glass and polymer by firing intense laser light into the matter
in a liquid state
to create what to the human eye appears as an almost imperceptible dot, but
under an
electron microscope it contains the detail and the beauty of the iconic Sydney
harbour side structure. (AP Photo/Swinburne University, ho) |
Tour De Lance
What else can be said about Lance Armstrong that hasn't been said already.
I will admit that I had my doubts that he could pull it off, yet
again this year. Not because I didn't think he was capable (he's more than
proved that already) but because I thought the odds of him winning 6 straight
were too difficult. This guy really is an amazing story.
posted by
Andy
3:25pm |
 |
July 21, 2004
No Moore Ronstadt?
What many people don't know is that the Aladdin has a new owner waiting in
the wings to take over the failing property, so Linda Ronstadt will be
welcomed back. Ok, let's put political differences aside. If you are from
the left, would you be offended by Ronstadt if she came out supporting Bush?
If you are from the right would you have been okay with it? It all depends
on what hat you wear, and this whole thing is a clear demonstration on how
split we have become. I don't mind what Ronstadt did, but then
again, chances of you finding me at the show are, well they're not very
good. My problem here is that, if I were to go to her show, I would not expect
any
political
espousing. There are many shows that I have been to, that I expected
political views to be put forth on the stage, but not Ronstadt. I think this
is where the problem comes from. I think there should be a time when
you could go out and forget, at least temporarily, all the political rhetoric
of an election year. I suspect most people at the show in Vegas last
Sunday were expecting that kind of escape as well.
posted by
Andy
9:20pm
Lane Ends, Merge Right!
First MGM wants Mandalay, now Harrahs wants Caesars. I don't like these
mergers, but they never run the idea by me. I would feel
uneasy
if I were an employee of one of these giants - soon to become mega-giant.
Most of these resort casino/hotels have what is called a "no re-hire" policy.
So let's say you are working for Harrah's, and say for some reason
(possibly through no fault of your own), you are let go. No problem. Cross
the street and start working for Caesar's the next day. Next thing you know,
your old boss is your knew boss! Now what. I don't like megalopolies! Evidently
Wall
Street isn't crazy about it either. I just don't think they are practical
for the long term. Hey, I'm all for making money, but as the larger a corporation
gets, the less the practice of logical business common sense. Once again
I will go out on a limb and predict (assuming it passes the anti-trust
evaluation) they will spin off properties soon enough. Why? because
there will be a manager that will see profit in it. While, if instead they
stayed the course, and gained greater market share by vigorously competing
instead of a quick buck through buy-outs, the bottom line in the long term
would be healthier, and they would have maintained, and even built upon a
more loyal work force. When will the big corporations get it, and stop
overlooking the importance of an effective and empowered work force? They
never will, because the buck has to made fast, as the CEO says "don't tell
me it's a re-building year! What have you done for me today!"
Plus, I'll miss Carrows restaurant. The little property on the strip has
been used as a pawn by by MGM to keep NY,NY from expanding close to
Monte Carlo. When I first moved here I did wonder why this
small property on the strip survived. If the MGM/ Mandalay merger goes through,
so goes Carrows. It will no doubt be replaced by a walk bridge to connect
NY,NY with Monte Carlo.
posted by
Andy
8:31pm |
 |
 |
July 11, 2004
Settling In
When I moved to Las Vegas I really didn't have any gainful employment lined
up. In my line of work, I felt comfortable in landing on my feet. Plus, I
do have some side work I do with For Seniors Only. I did
have my sights on one particular company to work for though. Purposely, I
don't talk much about my work on this 'blog, or on any other 'blog for that
matter. First of all, I never find it very relevant, and secondly, working
in the corporate world, doing so could land you in some trouble. So I just
stay away. But I'm a bit excited right now. I have recently accepted
an offer for employment by the very company that I had my
sights on since before I relocated to to Las Vegas (it took a while).
I'm not going to mention the name of the company here, but I will say
that this is an exciting time for me right now. For those that know
me, and for those that read this 'blog with some regularity, know that
I have been in the advertising game for about fifteen years now.
Most of these years have been spent in print advertising, and dare I
say it, in the junk mail business. Yes, I am partly responsible
for your mailbox being overloaded with advertising material to the point
of the rivets popping. It's not all my fault though, and I did spend a number
of years as an account executive with yellow page directories (ok I
can mention them - Pacific Bell/SBC Smart Yellow Pages, and now it's time
for a side story regarding yellow pages). I worked as
Dilbert (of comic
strip fame) for a while. Really, I did Dilbert's job. Dilbert, (as most may
not know) was an account executive at Pacific Bell Directory, well at least
his creator Scott
Adams was. Adams worked in the San Francisco office for a while, even
after the comic strip was launched actually. I started working there about
six years after he left. The story around the office was, that he was
always pinning up comic strips about the office and all around his cube,
and after he started to get published, his manager gave him the green
light to pursue his new endeavor, while he kept his job at Pacific Bell.
There was one caveat however. His manager took some exception to the fact
that Dilbert's manager bore a striking resemblance to to himself.
Scott's manager required that he change the likeness in the published
version, however in the next issue, the likeness was only more accurate.
The official reason for Scott being let go is due to budget constraints,
however anyone in the office during that time would give you a different
account. Anyway, back to the main subject, after some yellow pages, and years
in junk mail, I finally landed something that offers me the opportunity
to work with publications that have a legitimate editorial department.
Oh yea, I did own a company in the mid '90's called Media Mix Inc.
Media Mix published more direct mail, such as the monthly
Community Shopper, but also included other hand delivered pubs
like a monthly newspaper called the Santa Clarita Sun, and a
quarterly magazine entitled the Santa Clarita Family Magazine.
These publications included editorial content, but they were mostly what
is refered to as advertorial, and content I purchased through various news
services. I did, and still do subscribe to AP News Service, as well
as various royalty free graphics providers, which still comes in handy
by allowing me the use of some graphics on this site at times,
without copyright infringement. My new assignment, involves heading
up marketing for a new newspaper product in Las Vegas. This is very exciting,
as this company currently publishes six core publications in Las Vegas including
the city's first daily newspaper, along with national and internationally
published magazines. This will give me an opportunity to work with some of
the largest ad agencies around the country, many of which are in New
York. The thing I like the best is, each pub has a very talented
editorial staff, and in terms of quality, each pub out classes anything
in this town, and rivals anything in any other major city throughout the
world. If you watch the the TV show Vegas, there's a good chance you will
see a cameo of some of the publications. I plan on mailing out
copies to family and some old friends (are you listening in Australia) if
I have an address. Yes, I am motivated! Wish me luck.
posted by
Andy
12:35am
July 9, 2004
I'm Still Here
Wow, it's been a long time since the last bloggie! I know what you
readers are thinking, just as well. Things have been a bit busy in the
"Bigger, Better, New'n Improved Las Vegas." That's how I think the
City and Chamber would like to promote the city since visitation and revenues
have once again reached and exceeded the levels of pre 9/11. Even more
exciting to the city's money makers is that Japanese visitors are reaching
the levels of the pre attack. This is a coveted tourist group. While the
Japanese do not tend to the gaming attraction, the retail segment is the
big winner with this vital piece of the consumer pie.
posted by
Andy
11:32pm
July 1, 2004
Drive'm Out on a Rail
At long last, the much delayed
Las
Vegas Monorail is scheduled to begin passenger carrying operations on
July 15th. Since my very first visit to this town, back in the early 90's,
I heard of the concept of a Monorail type transportation system that would
carry people up and down the Strip. This was back when Excalibur was
just completed, and there was no MGM, NY,NY, Luxor, Mandalay, Monte Carlo,
(new)Aladdin, Bellagio, Venetian, Paris, and the list goes on (you get the
picture). I remember when there was nothing between the Jockey Club, and
the Excalibur at all. If you where on the Strip, and wanted to go to the
corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd., you had to take a cab. Now it's
one big non stop row of casinos and hotels. Still, the thing about
visiting this town, where everything is larger than usual, some sort of mass
transportation is necessary to get around without driving, even if you are
going just one or two properties down the road. The new monorail should help
keep some tourists (some intoxicated) off the streets which will help,
but as much as the new system is a mode of transportation, I see it also
as a type of ride for the amusement of visitors. To ride the monorail
it will cost you $3, or $5 round trip, and the train can take
you from the MGM Grand to the Sahara (sorry Downtown). I think
the system would be much more effective if it serviced some of the local
communities near the Strip as well, thereby offering the hotel/casino employees
an alternative way into work each day. Hey, it could also help bring
more locals into gaming on the Strip as well. Of course service to the
Airport would be a no brainer, but I think the cab companies would
probably like to prevent that. I can see the new ad campaign already.
"Come, Stay, Play! And When You're Done, We'll Run You Out of Town on a
Rail!"
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:23am |
Las Vegas Monorail cars leave the Sahara Avenue station Tuesday
during a test run of the $654 million, 4.4-mile rapid transit system. The
monorail opens to the public July 15.
Photo by John Gurzinski.
|
|
|
.)
