• Home
• About
• Fly to Vegas for Free!

• Las Vegas News and Views
• Online Casinos
• Online Sportsbooks
• Playing Online
• Random Stuff
• Vegas Stories
• Vegas Tips and Advice

Subscribe

Las Vegas Monorail

The Las Vegas Monorail has been the subject of much mocking since it opened in 2004, however as it has grown it has become a useful mode of transport for getting around Las Vegas. It now runs from the MGM Grand at the South end of The Strip to Sahara at the North, with stations at Bally’s/Paris, Flamingo, Harrahs/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Centre and the Las Vegas Hilton.

There are plans to extend the monorail to run to McCarran International Airport - company executives are currently trying to obtain the half billion dollars needed for this.

The monorail runs from 7am to 2am Monday to Thursday, and 7am to 3am Friday to Sunday, 365 days of the year. Trains run approximately every 4-12 minutes, although usually every 5-6 minutes in peak time, and you can travel the entire route from the MGM Grand to the Sahara in less than 15 minutes.

Tickets for the monorail are as follows: Single Ride - $5, Two Ride (can be shared) - $9, Unlimited 1 Day Pass - $9, Unlimited 3 Day Pass - $40. Surely it would just be better to buy three 1 Day passes? There are also specials for Nevada residents, as well as a 6 ride ‘Party Pack’, although I’m sure you can get better parties in Las Vegas than on the monorail. Tickets can be bought at vending machines at each of the stations and also online.

Las Vegas News Round-Up February 10th

A quick round-up of news and events happening in Las Vegas in the last week or so:

First off, I read an article on the Boston Globe about trouble outside the Clark County Marriage Bureau between workers from the various wedding chapels in the city. This is actually an on-going issue, as I remember reading a piece in a newspaper over here in England a couple of years ago. It was quite an explosive read talking about death threats and the suchlike.

The Boston Globe’s article briefly mentions this, but also talks about the hassle people suffer when leaving the Marriage Bureau, from handbillers trying to persuade the couple’s to use the services they are promoting. It has led to scuffles and even more serious incidents between these workers.

Now this is hardly news that handbillers are hassling people, it happens in most major and even smaller tourist areas, and of course the strip itself is plagued by the ‘Strippers to you’ workers, but I think the major issue here is that obviously a wedding is supposed to be a special day, and that these activities are doing nothing to help it be so.

If you hadn’t heard, Cher announced she was leaving retirement to start a residency at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. I have already written a post on this here.

There have been heated debates over plans to draw water from rural Nevada(CNN). This is an issue which affects Las Vegas probably more so than any other country in the Western world, due to the desert climate coupled with the massive growth in both the resident population and visitor numbers.

Finally, MGM Mirage announced that it expects 4th Quarter profits to be lower than previously stated. This is due mainly to the costs involved in opening new resorts.

Cher Signs Up to Las Vegas Residency

Cher has announced that she will be coming out of her retirement after 3 years, to take up a residency at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Her performance will take part in the 4,300 seater Colosseum Theatre, with 18 dancers and aerialists as well as of course fabulous costumes, video and special effects.

The run will last for 200 shows over 30 months and alternates with performances from Elton John and Bette Midler, starting from May 6th for a month followed by a return in August. Ticket prices will range from $95 to $250 for the 4 time a week show.

Cher herself has been quoted as saying: “I started in Vegas at Caesars so I’ve come full circle,” the 61-year-old said. “I’m back, and I plan to give my fans the best experience yet.”

This is great news for Las Vegas, as yet another superstar performer graces the city surely to appear on the massive advertising billboards and screens after Celine Dion’s residency finished back in December.

Playing Online Slots

As regular readers of this blog will probably know, poker, blackjack and craps are my games of choice, although recently I’ve started to set aside some time to play online slots. The great thing about slots is the chance to hit a massive jackpot at any time without relying on a prolonged good run needed for most other games.

The biggest benefit of online slots as opposed to those in a real casino is that you will always be able to get your game of choice. No more fighting with old ladies to try and get your favourite game! There is a massive choice of online casinos to play at, most with a very wide choice of slots games. Also most online casinos offer sign up bonuses which are much easier to clear when playing slots than other games, and if they identify you as a slot player then you can expect to receive further regular promotions.

If you haven’t played slots before no need to worry, they are quite easy, but just to get some experience you can start on penny slots which as the name suggests start from as low as a penny to play. They will give you a chance to see how the games work before you think about moving up to higher stakes, where of course the rewards increase.

If you are ready to dive right in at the higher stakes then be sure to check out online casinos who have progressive slot machines. These are the ones where the jackpot increases continuously offering sometimes ridiculous amounts to be won on just one spin of the reels, just like Megabucks in Las Vegas.

Former Miss Nevada Beauty Queen Arrested

Former Miss Nevada beauty queen, Katie Rees’ has been arrested and jailed, on charges relating to traffic offenses and resisting a police officer charge. The 23 year old is being held at the Clark County jail awaiting a court appearance this Friday, after being stopped whilst driving at around 3 am on Wednesday.

Miss Rees allegedly became aggressive towards a police office kicking out and throwing an elbow, although it is believed there were no injuries. She has been charged with speeding, driving with a suspended license, driving a vehicle with suspended license plates and failing to produce proof of insurance in addition to resisting a police office.

The former Miss Nevada 2007 was stripped of her title after racy photo’s of her were published, including simulated oral sex and a lesbian kiss with a friend while in a club in Florida. Miss USA co-owner Donald Trump stripped her of her crown after this, unlike the pardon he issued Miss USA 2006 Tara Connor after allegations of her using cocaine.

Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino on Fire

Big news today, as the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino caught fire! The blaze started from from the centre section of the hotel and spread across the roof with debris falling to the ground below.

The hotel is reportedly being evacuated, although it’s not believed there are any serious injuries, although some people have been taken to hospital for minor injuries such as smoke inhalation. 120 firefighters are believed to have been involved in dealing with the fire.

Fortunately it seems that this event has passed without any serious incidence, probably partly due to the much stricter fire codes in place since the 1980 fire at the old MGM Grand which took 87 lives.

Las Vegas Monorail Users Increase

The Las Vegas monorail saw a large increase in riders last year, with almost 8 million users, nearly a million more than in 2006. Unfortunately it is still not turning an operating profit from the fares received, and in fact this month had to use cash reserves in order to pay a schedule bond payment. It is estimated that these reserves will enable the monorail to run until 2010.

The operators are still trying to secure financing to fund an extension to McCarran airport, which I believe would be a great idea and would raise higher even still the amount of users the monorail has. Heck, even I might use it then!

Playing Golf in the Las Vegas Desert

My last trip to Vegas started at the end of November last year (so far away already) and I’d taken a few friends with me as I’d made some profit from them playing poker online. We’d done the usual gambling and drinking all week, and decided for our last day we’d try something different and play a round of golf.

We all play golf back in the UK, although not very often and not very well, so we were looking for a course which was not going to be too up-market and as such also quite cheap. We found one which was advertising $19 for a round, and so got a taxi from outside our hotel to there.

It was quite a way out, past downtown and a lot further still. Once we got there everything seemed fine, we got some clubs and a couple of buggy’s and of we went. The course was fine, a bit scruffy but then so were we, and we had a good game with some wayward shots and a little bit of buggy racing.

However then we finished and it was time to make our way back. We returned to the clubhouse and asked there if we could have a taxi called for us, only to be told ‘F*$king Hell, why is it always the last people who come in and need a taxi’. OK, so we decided to leave and find a taxi somewhere else, the only problem being that we couldn’t find one!

The area had some fast food restaurants and shops around, but no taxi’s. We called one and decided to eat while we waited. An hour later nothing had turned up. We tried another number, still no joy. Eventually we went to try and find a bus, which turned up after an hour or so and got us to downtown where we jumped straight in a taxi back to our hotel.

Altogether it took us 5 hours to get back to our rooms, half the time it would take to fly back to London Gatwick the next day!

The Deuce Las Vegas

The Deuce in Las Vegas has quickly become one of the more popular modes of transport. Launched in October 2005 the double decker buses provide an excellent service for both locals and visitors alike, running the length of the strip all the way to downtown Las Vegas.

It costs only $2 for a one way ride, or $5 for a 25 hour pass. Locals can also get a 30 day pass for a very good $40.

One thing I personally don’t like about the service is that the drivers will not move until everyone has sat down. This along with the often congested traffic means that the journey time can be excessively long. Having said that I have had some quite entertaining drivers who took it upon themselves to be comedians over the tannoy system.

$1 Michelobs and Margarita’s at Casino Royale

I always start my visits to Las Vegas with a trip to Casino Royale. I’m not sure exactly how it started, but I like to go there for the $1 Michelobs they serve at the bar. Now OK, I could just sit down at any table in any casino in Las Vegas and get a beer brought over for a dollar tip, but I don’t actually like to start gambling straight away.

Casino Royale serves this purpose perfectly. It is very small and so has a great atmosphere to soak up whilst sitting at the bar drinking cheap beers. Normally I’ll have 2 or 3 before moving on to somewhere else to start the proper business of gambling, with a happy alcohol haze enabling me to play the way I like.

Next time you visit Las Vegas, head to Casino Royale first and you’ll see what I mean.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Copyright © 2008 Las Vegas Freak · Revolution News theme by Brian Gardner · Log in