Vegas Travel News

Alan Mendelson reports on Best Deals, Best Buys and Your Money

In this pretty straight forward site, Alan Mendelson gives regular updates to all that is happening in Vegas. recent headlines included-"Palazzo Grand Opening Concert", "How Vegas and Gaming Might Change in 2008", "The Shoppes at The Palazzo Announces Lineup of Stores."

No graphics, just info (and we can never get enough Vegas info).

Visit LV New Years Countdown

Visit Las Vegas New Year's Eve Countdown is a guide to everything to do with New Year's Eve, Vegas style. It has a schedule of events, a huge countdown timer and fireworks pictures from past New Year's Eve in Vegas.Here's the link-
Visit Las Vegas New Year's Eve

Pocket Vegas

Pocket Vegas from Hunter Hillegas has links to Vegas info maximized for display on your cell phone, PDA, or iPhone.

From the site-
"Las Vegas Information For Your Cell Phone or PDA

Imagine this: you are in Las Vegas at Bellagio and you want to know if the Italian restaurant there is any good. In the olden-days you would need to find a computer and bring up the ever-trusty RateVegas.com and look it up... Well, no longer! As many folks these days have cell phones that can surf the Web or even BlackBerries that can do even more, we have developed a special version of our database for mobile phones and small screens.

Getting started is very simple! On your mobile phone or PDA, just use the built-in browser to go to the following URL:

http://cell.ratevegas.com

That's it! You will be taken to our special mobile site where you can look up the details on all your favorite Las Vegas hotels, restaurants and other attractions.

Las Vegas On Your iPhone!

There's no doubt that the iPhone is a great mobile platform. While the full Web site runs great on iPhone, we've developed a special interface that is optimized for the screen and works the way you would expect it to. Bookmark the following on your iPhone and get great Vegas info all the time:

http://www.ratevegas.com/iphone/

Vegas TV from LVA

Here is a link from Anthony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor in which they list in chart form, daily television programs that feature or include Las Vegas in some way shape or form. It's a good way to feed that Vegas fix when you miss the place.

From the site-
"How popular is Las Vegas and gambling? Just take a quick scan of all the programming built around them on this page. We list everything from dramatic series to poker tournaments, from travel specials to sit-com cameos. Check your local listings for the channels and to verify times."

Here's the link-
Vegas TV from Anthony Curtis

Vegas Videos

Vegas Videos brought to you by Mark Adams of VegasTodayandTomorrow. Mark Adams and Hunter Hillegas of RateVegas and TwoWayHardThree have two of the most information packed Vegas sites out there in my opinion. You can rest assured that any offering from these two guys is going to be first rate and worth a view.

In this Vegas Videos page from Mark Adams, there are three videos-

From his site-
ABOVE THE STRIP

ABOVE THE STRIP is a video which combines footage from a daytime helicopter ride around the Las Vegas strip on October 2nd 2007, with renderings of the construction projects down below.

STRIPMORPH

STRIPMORPH is a timeline-morphing of four photos of the Las Vegas Strip taken from the Stratosphere in 1995, 2004, 2005 and 2007. I cropped, tweaked and fussed with the photos so they would be similar enough to create this effect. Interestingly, the biggest change is between 2005 and 2007 due to all the recent construction on the north end of the strip.

In the video, you can see how much construction and destruction has occurred between 1995 and 2007.

NEONCITY

NEONCITY is the first in a series of short videos capturing various neon signs in Las Vegas. I shot all this footage in the wee hours of 9/10/07.

This series is primarily designed to archive the live motion of signs which may soon be removed and may never be restored. While newer signs are featured, things change so rapidly in Vegas, one never knows what will be torn down next. Remember the original Treasure Island sign, it was only about twelve-years-old when it was removed.

Here's the link-
VegasTodayandTomorrow Videos

Fly Las Vegas

AeroTech Specialists "Fly Las Vegas" website offers a glimpse into some spectacular arial photography.

From it's website-
Welcome to AeroTech Specialists Inc.

"AN AERIAL PHOTO IS WORTH A MILLION WORDS"

Our goal is to provide up-to-date aerial photography throughout the Southern Nevada,
Las Vegas area, with a focus on construction activities underway.

There are a bunch of different categories to check out which are further broken down-

Categories:
	-Under Construction- Airports Cool Pictures Fremont Street Golf Courses Lake Havasu Lake Las Vegas Las Vegas Strip Laughlin Stadiums Arenas

Here is the link-
Fly Las Vegas

Las Vegas Chips

Las Vegas Chips is a photo site displaying Las Vegas Casino Chips with an extensive listing all broken down by name alphabetically. There is also an Excel spreadsheet with the values of the different chips. Simple and straightforward.

Here is the link-
Las Vegas Chips

Owners of Vegas Casinos

Here is a simple page from Nick Christenson showing who owns each Las Vegas Casino. It is basically a chart which gives each casino name, owner, stock symbol and notes when relevant. Nick is the same guy that brought us Las Vegas Casino Death Watch .

Here is the link-
Owners of Las Vegas Casinos

Make Your Own Vegas Sign

This is a fun little site that lets you customize your own Vegas sign. Not much explaining to do, but the image above was created in less than 20 seconds using it. Kitchy I know, but fun nonetheless.

Here's the link-
http://atom.smasher.org/vegas/

Vegas Lists

One of Hunter Hillegas' offerings, VegasLists.com is a fun and unique site to visit and participate in for any Vegas Lover. Hunter is never content to simply put forth a run of the mill information site. His sites always present Vegas information by pushing ordinary technology to bring in the person reading and encourages them to participate and collaborate weather it be commenting on his blog TwoWayHardThree, or adding lists to his VegasLists, its all about community and encouraging participation among fellow Vegas Junkies.

The most dedicated individual can only do so much adding to a particular site, but when you have a community of people with a common love and passion adding information, the results can be very powerful. Hunter's media empire is a testament to that theory. Props are in order.

About VegasLists.com- There are lists that cover just about everything you might want to know about Vegas inculding-

Best Las Vegas Web Sites (Hunter)	Best Place To Play 'Spot The Hooker' (Hunter)
Best Suites in Town (Mike E)	Most Overrated (Hunter)
Most Annoying Thing in Vegas (Hunter)	Secret Hideaways (Hunter)
Best Hotel Swimming Pools (Mike E)	Most Underated (sox)
Best Booze in Vegas (chuckmonster)	Best High End Hotels in Las Vegas (Hunter)
$1 Black Jack (Hunter)	Worst Stuff About The Venetian (Hunter)
Notable Las Vegas Bars (Hunter)	Lists That Someone Should Create (Hunter)

It also has a section where you can create your own lists, and save some of the lists that others have created in your favorites, a comments section, and a whole lot more.

I highly suggest you check this bad boy out.
Here's the link-
VegasLists

Vegas and Food

VegasandFood is one of the most useful Vegas research websites out there. It is written and photographed by a wonderful couple who take pictures of their dining experiences and have a vast collection of reviews available in their online database for you to check out. There is also a section of Hotel room pictures. I love these types of sites that are written by everyday folks like you and me and aren't the product of some big corporate marketing team. You get the real deal here baby, nothing sugarcoated.
From the blog-
"I'm a Japanese girl who loves Vegas and food. This blog is all about food at restaurant, at home, and Vegas trip with my husband and all the food and rooms we get for free."
Here is the link-
VegasandFood

Freemont Street Experience

A very cool website with flash video showing the Freemont Street Experience. A must visit site for all Downtown Vegas Lovers.
From the web site-
"About the Fremont Street Experience
There is always something going on at the Fremont Street Experience located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas on the historic street that started it all. The world-famous, one-of-a-kind entertainment venue is home to Viva Vision, the biggest big screen on the planet. More than 12 million lights in the Viva Vision canopy and 550,000 watts of concert quality sound pumped to speakers throughout the venue produce an incredible array of eye-popping imagery and heart pounding music. Viva Vision shows appear nightly on the hour beginning at dusk and are free and open to the public. The giant LED screen towers 90-feet above a pedestrian mall lined with unique retail shopping kiosks and two permanent performance stages. Ten legendary casinos line Fremont Street Experience with more than 60 restaurants and thousands of loose slots. Free concerts, special events, and roaming street performers entertain the nearly 17 million visitors who come to experience the vintage Vegas attraction each year."

Las Vegas Nightlife by Jeremy Womack

Here is the Blog brought to you from uber Vegas Nightlife guru Jeremy Womack.

Jeremy is in the know and features regular updates to the local Vegas nightlife scene.
From his Blog-
"I am a photographer. It's my job to bring you regular updates to the in's and out's of Las Vegas Nightlife. I work with magazine's like Las Vegas Weekly & Las Vegas Life. I am also doing something that isn't being done in the Las Vegas Nightlife scene, and that is photojournalism. Not only is JeremyWomack.com a great source to read about Las Vegas Nightlife news, but you can also see what it's all about through my eyes."

There are several categories along the right hand of the page which include- The Top 5 List, People in The Scene, DJ Spotlight and Vegas Nightclub Video Reviews.

Vintage Vegas Pics

This is a link to a thread on Vegasmessageboard.com/forums in which folks have posted their vintage Vegas photos. It is an amazing collection of photos. One thing that struck me in the photos was that excitement and happiness on the faces of the folks in different generations experiencing the wild newness and cutting edge that Vegas offered. I don't know if that last sentence made sense to you but it sums it up for me. Even though its a totally different generation with different haircuts and clothes, you could read that excitement on their faces the same way you read the excitement on the faces of people getting off the plane at McCarron today.
A particular Thank you goes out to someone that goes by the appropriate name "VegasAddict" who share some great photos from his grandparents collection.

Here is the link-
Vintage Vegas Pics

New City Vegas

Here is a message board for Vegas locals and people interested in Vegas in general. It is billed as-"Beyond the glitz - a peaceful place for Las Vegas locals"
Check it out and browse the different categories if it's something that interests you.

Here is the link-
New City Vegas

Harrahs Hotel Info

Brought to my attention from Elvis66 (Don) from the VegasRex forums is HetInfo.com
The best way to describe this site for someone like me that has no clue about such things as Harrahs "ADT" or "Prop Scores" is from the horse's mouth, so copied directly from it's site-

About Harrahs Hotels Info

"This site is not owned or subsidized by Harrahs Entertainment in any way, shape or form. It is owned by individuals that like visiting Harrahs Hotels, and is focused on making the player’s visits more entertaining. We are not here to scam or defraud the Harrahs system, but to share with one another our secrets on maximizing our value.

This site is not about gambling or gaming in any way, shape or form. We are merely a travel-aid for future visitors.

This site is dedicated to the travelers and players who visit the Harrahs chain of hotels and casinos throughout the world. Our primary focus is on those looking to maximize their entertainment dollar while minimizing frustrations and aggravations because of the lack of good, honest information on the web or in person."

The site explains Prop scores, ADT, Harrahs Total Rewards Program, and also has a Harrahs Offer Database.

If you plan on gambling at Caesars, Bally's, Paris, The RIO, Imperial Palace, or Harrahs, you owe it to yourself to check this site out.

Here is the link-
Harrahs Hotel Info

Vegas Deals Direct

Vegas Deals Direct is a blog listing current Vegas promotions on such things like Car Rentals, Flights, Food and Drink, Gambling, Shows, Tours, Vacation Packages, and Weddings.
It is a very simple and less is more kind of layout which I like (although you would never know it from my blog).
Here is the link-
http://www.vegasdealsdirect.com/

The Die Is Cast

The Die Is Cast is Davis G Schwartz blog in which he examines everything about gambling. From his blog- "

David G. Schwartz
has been praised as "gaming's leading historian" and is widely recognized as an astute observer of the many facets of the culture of chance. His first book, Suburban Xanadu, established him as an authority on gambling and related issues. His second, Cutting the Wire, considers the relevance of gambling prohibition in the Internet age. Roll the Bones, his third book, takes in the entire sweep of gambling history, from the dawn of time to the present day.

Schwartz was born in Atlantic City and worked in the casino industry there, specializing in security and surveillance, though he also had a formative early stint as Mr. Peanut. He's got a Ph.D. in U.S. History from UCLA and, since 2001, has been the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV, which means that he not only studies gambling, but also encourages others to do so. He's also taught a range of subjects, running the gamut from hospitality security to writing creative non-fiction, but mostly focusing on gambling and history. For his full bio, check out the media page.

Dr. Schwartz writes a great deal about gambling, and you'll find some of that here. There are also book reviews, lots of stuff about Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and even some writing about writing.

On the static, non-blog pages, you can learn about his speaking, writing, and consulting. Or, if you dare, browse the image galleries, wherein hides the collection that has made art critics weep, habitual gamblers shudder, and aesthetes of all stripes cringe: the world's largest digital gathering of casino carpet pictures. It's not for the overly-sensitive."

Here is the link-
http://www.dieiscast.com/

Spy On Vegas

Spy on Vegas is where you go to see pics of the beautiful people in Vegas. Hotties galore at all the Vegas Clubs and events are featured by its band of roving reporters. I wanna know how you get that job! There are many categories of picture galleries from Sexiest Vegas Servers to Club Patrons, Events, Nightspots. You can see some smoking hot folks partying in the best nightclubs on the hottest nights. It also has lists of upcoming club events.

Here is the link-

http://spyonvegas.com/index.php?query=default

Old Vegas Chips

OldVegasChips.com is a site owned and operated by Pete and Chantal Rizzo. If there is a rare casino chip you want chances are they have it or know where you can find it. The site has about 30 different categories, way too much to list but it is very interesting.

From the site-"Collecting Casino Chips and Poker Chips is a Great Hobby! We have been collecting poker chips, casino chips, gaming tokens, & silver strikes for quite a few years now. We also sell the finest Las Vegas casino chips, poker chips, clay chips, hard rock casino chips, gambling supplies, and casino collectibles. Our poker chips for your home poker game come from the finest poker chip company. They produce poker chips and casino chips for casino games such as Poker, Roulette, Baccarat, Craps, & Blackjack. Let's not forget gambling supplies and casino supplies too! Our casino chips, Las Vegas slot club cards, and Las Vegas hotel room key collections are online for the world to see.Poker chips and casino chips are our specialty. Look at our Casino Chips For Sale, and Home Poker Chips - it is a great resource for anyone who is interested in Casino Chip Collecting. Looking to see Rare Casino Chips and poker chips? You came to the right place! We have on display: Sands casino chips, Dunes casino chips, Landmark casino chips...I am sure you get the picture now... Collecting casino chips and poker chips is the best!Please look to us for Casino Supplies, Clay Poker Chips, Casino Poker Chips, Poker Supplies, Casino Supplies, Casino Playing Cards, Casino Chip Trays, Playing Cards, Dice, clay chips, Hard Rock Chips, and of course limited edition casino chips. We also run Las Vegas Casino Chip and Poker Chip Auctions on Ebay as well! Las Vegas Chips are what we love to collect!Our poker chip cases casino supplies, and poker supplies are high casino quality. We have over 6 different poker chip cases and 4 pages of poker supplies and casino supplies! Home poker chips and casino poker chips can be found on 12 full pages! Whether it is Hard Rock Chips, pokerchips, poker supplies, clay chips, playing cards, or anything casino related - you know you will find it right here. Poker Chips are our specialty :) If there are any suggestions you may have - please e-mail us. We are constantly improving and upgrading due to our customer's input. This website is here because of you - and we thank you for your business and support!Old Vegas Chips is the place for Casino Chips, Poker Chips, Poker Supplies, Casino Chip Supplies, & Playing Cards.

Here is the link-
http://www.oldvegaschips.com/index.html

Vegas.com Spreads

On Vegas.com they have a page that shows the current spreads for the major sports at different Vegas Casinos. Pretty straightforward and interesting to see the fdifferent lines offered at the different spots.

Here's the link-
http://www.vegas.com/gaming/

Las Vegas Casino Death Watch

Las Vegas Casino Death Watch is a fairly simple site from Nick Christenson. It is devoid of fancy graphics but jam packed full of interesting news items pertaining to hotel/casino closings in Las Vegas.
There are three sections-
Preamble -- About this document.
Recent News -- The last year's worth of relevant news items.
The List -- Which casinos are being tracked, and what state do we think they're in?

From the site-"This is Nick Christenson's Las Vegas Casino Death Watch page. Here we track the hotel/casinos that we feel are most likely to close their doors in the near future.
This page focuses on the larger Las Vegas Strip and Downtown hotel/casino combination properties. We're not going to make quite the same effort to keep track of the locals places since unless their name has "Station" or "Coast" in it, they all look to us like they might close their doors at any time. Of course, these days there aren't that many locals joints that don't have "Station" or "Coast" in their names. Also, these properties don't tend to have the same sort of history associated with them that the more familiar names do."

Here is the link-
http://www.jetcafe.org/~npc/gambling/casino_death_watch.html

Las Vegas Focus

Las Vegas Focus news is a blog about weekly events that are happening in Sin City. It's pretty basic and stripped down without alot of clutter but effective listing of what is going down. Here are the ctegories- Boxing Comedians Events Golf Holiday Event Implosions Las Vegas Las Vegas Hotels and Casinos New Projects Nightclubs Promotions Restaurants Shows Sweepstakes Tournaments Transportation

Here is the link-
http://www.lasvegasfocus.com/news/

A2Z Las Vegas

Links? You want links????? Well A2ZLV.com provides them in spades. Thanks to Grifster from the Las Vegas Advisor forums for passing on the link to A2ZLV.com

Hotel Ratings, Hotel Promos, Buffet Reviews, Conventions, Transportation, Golf, History, Webcams, Shows, you want it? You got it right here.

The site is well laid out, simple to navigate and pretty straight forward. A great resource.

Here's the link-

http://www.a2zlv.com/

Vegas Freebie

Thanks to mikuaraman from the LVA forums for the site that asks "Are There Free Things to do in Las Vegas?"

Not only do they ask, but do they ever deliver an answer.

From VegasFreebie.com-"Yes! There are a lot of things to do for free in Las Vegas. Casinos are competing with each other to attract customers. To lure people into their casino, they are willing to spend lots of money on free attractions. This is one of the things that makes Las Vegas the greatest place on earth to be entertained without spending any money.
We have compiled a list of freebies so that next time you visit Las Vegas, you can take a break from gambling without pulling out your wallet. We have lists of all of the attractions sorted by locations and sorted by category.
We also have a section listing free transportation in Las Vegas.

Here's the link-

http://www.vegasfreebie.com/

Las Vegas Weekly

The website for the Las Vegas Weekly is a treasure trove of what is hip and happening in Las Vegas currently.

It bills itself as "THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS // ENTERTAINMENT // CULTURE + EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS" The informative calendar of what is going on around town is a must read just before anyone is going to fly off to the promised land.

There is News, Arts and Entertainment, Restaurant Reviews, A Beautiful People Contest that you can vote in, an Everything That Matters Today section which gives the lowdown on huge events happening today, Party Schedules, much too much to list here.

There you have it, check it out.

Here's the link-

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/content/index.php

Sparky's Las Vegas Links

Sparky's Las Vegas Links is run by Sparky Goldstein. A Jack Russell terrier from fabulous Las Vegas. Sparky has an impressive list of Las Vegas Links and deals to check out. It's a whole lot to get through but there is certainly something there for everyone if you have the patience to wade through it all. Sparky's owner is a frequent contributor on the Las Vegas Advisor Forums. He is very knowlegable and is usually helpful if you have a Vegas question you need answering, find him over there.

Here's the link-

http://members.cox.net/sparky-dog3/

Lucrative Pain

Today's link is a blog by Christina a Las Vegas massage therapist (not the happy ending kind). Funny or sad that you have to qualify that she is legit, but in fairness when you think Las Vegas and massage I bet more folks are thinking they are the happy ending type.

Anyway she has a decnt blog in which she talks about her adventures and misadventures in massage therapy and its a pretty good read. A whole lot less salacious than the Flirtatious Distaster Blog but a good read nonetheless.

From her Blog-"Certified and Licensed Massage Therapist working on the Strip...madness ensues!"

Here's the link-

http://lucrativepain.blogspot.com/

Vegas Hotel Room Pics

Have you ever been trying to decide where to stay but want to get an idea what the rooms really look like? Not the promotional pics, but ones taken by real people. Well Rob LoBue from lvcasinoinfo.com has this page devoted to pictures of most Las Vegas Hotel rooms.

Here is the link-
http://www.lvcasinoinfo.com/hotelrm_pics.html

The Strip Podcast Blog

Here is a good source of Vegas news brought to you by ubergay Steve Friess and his partner Miles. Steve and Miles do excellent reporting and have interviews with Vegas icons like Steve Wynn and just about every major Vegas player.

Steve is currently at the center of the controversy surrounding an article that he did for the Sunday Telegraph in London about the Planet Hollywood grand opening. The Man behind the relaunching of Planet Hollywood, Robert Earl didn't like the headline that was attatched to Steve's piece and called him personally to chew him out You can read about that drama here- http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2007/11/robert-earl-hates-me-column.html

Steve and Miles do a great job covering all the latest happenings in Vegas and the podcst they do is very entertaining as well.

From the site-"
THE STRIP PODCAST GUYS
Las Vegas, NV, United States
Steve Friess is a podcaster and Vegas-based freelance journalist who writes regularly for USA Today, The New York Times, Newsweek and many others. He's also co-host of The Petcast. Miles Smith is Executive Producer of KVBC-TV, Channel 3, in Las Vegas. Miles and Steve are a couple who also co-host The Strip Podcast together. "

What Brian Thinks

Here is a site by a guy named Brian that has hotel reviews, food reviews, a pretty active forum, and random Vegas stories. A good place to spend some time researching all things Vegas. The forum seems active with knowlegable Vegas folks contributing. So go check em out and leave a comment if you like what they are doing over there.

From the site-"So Who The Hell Am I, And What's With This Site?
Vegas is now run by lawyers and advertising executives.
Like a used car dealer, these are the same guys you’ve seen in every other profession who try to take everything they can from you, while giving you as little as they can in return. These are the same guys who would prefer to spend money on advertising that TELLS you something is good, rather then actually making it good.
Like you, I'm just a guy who likes to go to Vegas. I don't have any special connections, I don't get comp’ed the best of everything, and Dennis Rodman doesn't invite me to parties. Like you, I don't get to go to Vegas as often as I'd like, so when I'm there it really bugs me to spend money and time on something that doesn't rock.
That’s why I made this site.
You can learn from my mistakes, and benefit from my experiences. This site is nothing but my opinions; take them for what they're worth, and use them however you like.

Here's the link-
http://www.whatbrianthinksaboutlasvegas.com/

Flirtatious Disaster Blog

Here is an interesting blog from a nice young lady from Las Vegas. Her Recurring Lesbian Dream entry is particularly entertaining and worth a bookmark IMHO.

From her profile- "A long time ago I fell in love. Gave myself to a boy and broke his heart. Guess I didn't learn the 1st time and did it again. Now I'm older and wiser (hopefully) and looking to smile everyday and shed no more tears. Love is a crazy thing and I don't want it! I'm a tainted soul so watch out! I might DO U good!! "

Enjoy her interesting stories.

Here is the link-

http://www.flirtatiousdisaster.blogspot.com/

This Ain't Iowa

First link of the day today is to a must listen to podcast of NotIowa.com. In the Wednesday November 28 episode Tommy Dutch, one of the hosts gives a recount of his first trip to The Green Door (a Vegas swingers club). He gives vivid details about how the whole place is set up for all you freaks or curious folks.

About the Show-
Originally a strictly Las Vegas podcast, the show has changed format and now covers a variety of topics including Sin City.
This Ain’t Iowa is produced three times a week and encourages all fans of the show to participate.
Monday:A sports show from a Las Vegas perspective. Anyone who gambles on sports, plays poker or wants to stand a chance of profiting on their next Vegas vacation should tune in.
Wednesday:Generally the show with the least content and the most entertainment value. Pop culture is always discussed, but usually the hosts get sidetracked and wander into random and strange conversations.
Friday:A show for anyone who visits Vegas, which nearly maintains the structure of the original program. The guys review all things Las Vegas and always conclude the show with a story that proves “This Ain’t Iowa.”

Here is the link-

http://notiowa.com/

LV Casino Info Property Maps

This Site has just about every Las Vegas Casino property map available for download in Low- Res, High-Resolution , and PDF form. If you want to know where everything is laid out within each property, this is the spot to find it. After reading about the owner and man behind the scenes at this site, Rob LoBue I knew he was just like me, obsessed, LOL.

From the site-"I have built LVCasinoInfo.com for several reasons. First, it helps "get that Vegas fix!" In between trips, it is a great way to keep up with what is going on around town. Second, there are so many Vegas sites out there that are practically worthless and are nothing more than giant ads for some room reservation service. There are only about 3 of them that are worth a damn. Even some of the casinos' own sites are woefully weak. Since this web site is a one man show by a guy who actually has a real job that pays my bills, I will give you my straight opinion (after all, I am a New Yorker) as well as the opinions of others who have actually been to these hotels and restaurants. The website includes a wealth of information, including Property Maps from virtually every casino on the strip, room photos from a wide selection of different hotels and loads of pictures taken of landmarks around town."

A very valuable site to have bookmarked for every Vegas lover for sure. Thanks Rob for the clean cut, layout and valuable information.

Here is the link-
http://www.lvcasinoinfo.com/propmap1.html

Mecca Entertainment

This is a pretty simple website but as a reference for the Las Vegas Partier there is simply no more valuable link listed. Mecca Entertainment is Bill Le's VIP hosting company. He has the connections to get you into the very best Vegas Nightclubs on the hottest nights. You tell him what type of nightlife experience you are looking for and he and his crew of friendly hosts will make it happen.

I guarantee this is the guy you wanna call when you have a bachelor or bachelorette party to put together and you want to make sure it is a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Just ask for Bill

Here is the link-

http://www.mecca-entertainment.com/index.htm

LV Strip History

Thanks Marty for the link to Las Vegas Strip History.

Las Vegas Strip History is a site that documents the history of strip properties and what has sat on each hotel from the early days to present. It also has a whole section with links to various Strip maps. Pretty cool for the Vegas historian in all of us.

Here is the link-
http://www.lvstriphistory.com/ie/index.htm

McCarran Airport

Here is the Official website for the McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. It has plenty of info such as flight information incoming and outgoing, flight watch where you can see a flight on a map in real time, links to ground transportation, parking and travelling tips.

Here is the link-
http://www.mccarran.com/

The Deuce

Here is the link to the official site for "The Deuce" which is the double decker buses that travel up and down the strip. During slow traffic times taking the Deuce is a cheap way to see the strip. During Rush hour it can take well over an hour to travel from Mandalay to Venetian (I know from experience unfortunately) Anyway, the site has tours of teh doubledecker buses, route info, fare info, and an interactive route map.

Here is the link-
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/deuce/

Las Vegas Monorail

Thanks to Troy for reminding me to include some Transportation links.

The Monorail has a pretty slickly designed site. Even if you have no intention of riding the monorail the interactive maps on it's site list the route, hotels and nearby attractions. It is worth a visit just to check out it's interactive map.

Here is the link-
http://www.lvmonorail.com/

Trip Advisor LV

Thanks to Sheltie Lover from the Las Vegas Advisor forums for recomending the Trip Advisor Las Vegas site.

Trip Advisor has a ridiculous wealth of information including hotel reviews, dining, attractions, deals, forums, and maps all with detailed Vegas information. A great resource for any Vegas traveler.

Here is the link-

http://las-vegas-hotels.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g45963-Las_Vegas_Nevada-Vacations.html

All Vegas Poker

Thanks Aquaman from the thisaintiowa forums, for the link to AllVegasPoker.

From the website-"All Vegas Poker provides poker room reviews, tournament schedules, and news for poker players visiting Las Vegas, Nevada. Visitors are encouraged to contribute poker room reviews and submit trip reports to help make All Vegas Poker a quality resource for poker players looking for information about Las Vegas card rooms."

There is a complete listing of all poker tournaments in Vegas broken down into easy to read charts. A great resource for the Vegas Poker Player.

Here is the link-
http://www.allvegaspoker.com/tournaments.php

Vegas Taxicab Confessions

Thanks Pam for the link to Vegas Taxicab Confessions.

This is a similar site to the blog lvcabbiechronicles. Man these guys have stories to tell. It may not be the most glamorous job but reading the stories they encounter is a great way to pass time for any Vegas afficianado.

Here is the link-
http://vegastaxicabconfessions.blogspot.com/

Guide to Vegas on 25 Cents a Day

Thanks Marty for the link to The Big Empire Guide To Las Vegas on 25 Cents a Day. Vegas For The Cheap at Heart.

From the site-"Some people call it the City of Lights. We call it the City of Free Lightbulbs. Folks ask if you can live in Vegas on only one quarter a day and the answer is "absolutely," but you have to win a jackpot with it. Failing that, you can cut corners with the tips and tricks we've learned from years of living low on the hog (like near the teats)."

Here's the link-

http://www.bigempire.com/vegas/

NextShooter.com

Thanks Louis for the link to http://www.nextshooter.com/ which bills itself as "The Ultimate Las Vegas Craps Directory with Minimums, Maximums, and Table Odds for every damn casino in Vegas. Its pretty thorough with all kinds of craps info broken down into tables for each location in Vegas. I've yet to see a more comprehensive site detailing everything craps in Las Vegas.

Here is the link-

http://www.nextshooter.com/vegas

How To Beat The Casinos

Here is a blog from David Pom, who is barred from all UK casinos-

He shares his formulas on how to beat the casinos-

From his blog-
"Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog! Recently barred from all casinos in the UK, I've decided to share the information I've built up over 15 years of playing blackjack, roulette and all other manner of casino games with you - in the hope that you'll be able to succeed in beating the casinos! The tips, tricks, and information given in this blog will help you whether you're looking to beat real land-based casinos, online casinos, or alternative venues (i.e. cruise ships etc)."

Here is the link-
http://beatthecasinos.blogspot.com/

Cheapo Vegas

Thanks to English Bob and AcerockollaUK for reminding me about a glaring omission- CheapoVegas.

CheapoVegas was actually one of the first Vegas websites that I'd ever spent time doing Vegas research. I have no idea how it wasn't in my original list of favorites. Anyway it's a must visit site for its humor and excellent "cheapo" reviews.

The site breaks down hotels, pools, buffets, poker rooms, sportsbooks and a whole lot more sprinkling plenty of humor throughout. This site is a must read even for the seasoned Vegas traveler.

Here is the link-

http://www.cheapovegas.com/index.php

Vegas Today and Tomorrow

Thanks to Elvis66 from the VegasRex forums for the link to www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com.

From the site-
"Vegas Today and Tomorrow is an up-to-date, comprehensive collection of current news, maps of Las Vegas, plans and renderings of proposed and future projects in the Las Vegas valley. The site is packed with over 1,200 photos on 150 pages of developments under construction as well as future and proposed projects."

The site owned by Mark Adams is very comprehensive and boasts some of the best Vegas maps going.

Here is the link-

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/index.htm

BigEyeInTheSky.com

Thanks to AcerockollaUK from the This Ain't Iowa forum for the link to BigEyeInTheSky.com.
This site features the panoramic photos of Ed Fink.

From his website-
"I'm Ed Fink, and these are my 360 degree panoramas. I believe I'm the first VR photographer in the world to do high resolution spherical panoramas from a helicopter. The 360 degree aerials are such a blast they're my main focus now, although I still shoot lots of ground-level VR, like crowd panoramas, building interior/exteriors, and even cars."

here is the link-

http://bigeyeinthesky.com/Default.asp?CID=Las_Vegas

VegasRetro

Thanks to MartyAllen from the VegasRex forums for the link to VegasRetro.com. Its a look at the work of Robert Scott Hooper who has taken some classic Vegas photos over the course of three decades. From the site- "Live show shots that move and convey the real excitement of the moment during a stage performance and multiple exposures on one piece of film , were created in the camera, long before Photoshop and computer manipulation. "

Here's the link-

http://www.vegasretro.com/about_hooper.html

Vegas Values Report

Thanks to AlanLeroy of http://forums.lasvegasadvisor.com/index.cfm?nocookies=yes fame for the Link to the Vegas Value Report from the American Casino Guide. Its a blog that details current Vegas deals from its "roving reporter" Scot Krause. The feed is listed below for your convenience so if you check back every so often you can see the latest deals listed at the bottom of our little blog.

Murraymints Vegas Photo Collection

Here is a collection of Vegas photos from someone that goes by Murraymints. I have no clue what Murraymints stands for, but the pictures provided are some of the best Vegas Photos I've ever seen.

here is the link-

http://www.pbase.com/murraymints

P.S Love Blog

Here is a blog I subscribe to, written by Pam. She is a regular contributor at the http://www.vegasrex.com/forums/ and her blog lists Vegas deals, reviews Vegas books, and has links to current Vegas Hotel Promotions which can save you dough on your next trip.

So swing by her site and leave her a comment, I bet she'd like that.

Here is her site-

http://www.psloveblog.com/

Frontdesktip.com

Here is a fun site that explains how to attempt the infamous twenty dollar trick (whereby you slide a $20 bill between your credit card and drivers license in hopes of getting a room upgrade).

It is a well laid out and simple to use site that explains how to attemt the twenty dollar trip and allows user comments that breaks down success rates at each Vegas hotel based upon those user comments.

You can click on each hotel to see what your odds are in pulling off a nice score on your next trip to the Holy Land.

http://www.frontdesktip.com/index.php

Some of the user comments are pretty amusing and it's a good way to burn some time.

The Who, Why, and What

I'm Joey and I love Vegas.

What may be strange is that I love researching and planning my Vegas trips almost as much as the trips themselves. Over the course of the past four years I have collected many usefull Vegas links which I've decided to share with anyone that has the same type of admittedly sick obsession with learning everything they can about the place.

If you would like to contribute, feel free to send along Sin City links that I dont have listed. My goal is to complile a running blog of new Vegas websites that we can review. Currently the links that were in my favorites are all listed in the right hand column. As we find new ones or if anyone suggests one to me we will list them here and provide a brief commentary about them.

Ready, Set, Browse!