No, nothing special happens in Las Vegas just because it’s Leap Year. Maybe some extra money is bet on “29″ at the roulette tables but that’s about it.
One of the perks of living near a master-planned community but not in a master-planned community is that you get to enjoy amenities like a neighborhood park without having to pay hefty association dues. Exploration Park was built by Focus Property group as a community center for Mountain’s Edge residents but I get to enjoy it too.
The park features several play areas for children based on their age. One is modeled after an Old West town but scaled down and kid-sized. There are volleyball and basketball courts and large fields of grass where dogs and soccer players run freely. The coolest attraction has to be the trails that wind up and down the large peak that dominates the park. It’s a challenging hike to the top but you are rewarded with views of the entire Vegas valley if you make it.
Exploration Park is located on Buffalo Drive just south of Blue Diamond Road and directly across from the Mountain’s Edge Visitors’ Center. Read more about the park in the LVRJ.
A Las Vegas location for Kona Grill opened with lots of advertising (“You’re Kona love it”) last fall. We recently visited with a group of friends and were lucky enough to try many selections from the menu.
With a name like “Kona Grill” one expects island-style and grilled foods so there are staples like Macadamia-nut chicken, seared ahi and several cuts of steak to choose from. But the menu really surprises with its unusual juxtapositions. For example, traditional Margherita and topped with garlic-shrimp in the pizza section. Or Basil Pesto Linguine and Pad Thai under noodles. Perhaps the menu is most aptly described as “Pacific Rim fusion” exemplified by my choice of entre: Big Island Meatloaf. It was a big slab of “Angus beef, sweet Italian and Andouille sausage, served with a mushroom ragu, white cheddar mashed potatoes and wok tossed vegetables”. Very good and very filling.
You can visit Kona Grill in the Boca Park shopping center in Summerlin.
Kona Grill
750 S. Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89145
(702) 547-5552
Most people visit Las Vegas in the middle of the summer when temperatures are the hottest. Few realize that it gets pretty cold in the high desert. My observation after living here for one winter is that the cold season stretches from approximately Halloween to Valentine’s Day. So pack your sweaters and coats if you plan to visit. Don’t be one of those tourists shivering in shorts and t-shirts!
Two friends where in town this week and they were looking to play a round of golf. I don’t play golf so I was not much help with recommendations. There were several websites they checked to find a golf course but none were very good. These sites either lacked comprehensive listings or did a poor job showing actual locations. So I decided to make my own compilation of Las Vegas Golf Courses.
This map charts all golf courses and golf clubs in the Las Vegas metropolitan area (Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City). Click on the blue icon for more information about a specific location.
Las Vegas has been named the fattest city in the nation for the second consecutive year by Men’s Fitness (article from USA Today since Men’s Fitness has not updated their site — get with the program dudes). The magazine factors in “sports participation rates, time spent working out, number of parks, average commute time, television viewing rates and legislative health initiatives” in their annual determination.
I believe this unfairly penalizes Sin City and does not properly account for the alternative physical activities we Las Vegans enjoy. For example, playing craps for 5-6 hours is quite tiring – especially after a half dozen Stoly-tonics.
Seriously though, I think the survey is skewed towards recent additions to the city: gluttons and degenerate gamblers from LA and NY who come to live it up. These folks don’t last very long (about 6 months or until their money runs out). Most of the Las Vegas natives or long time residents I have met are thin, leathery-skinned individuals.
Cher will begin performing at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace starting in early May. She will be doing over 200 shows in the next three years. Tickets start at $95.
“I started in Vegas at Caesars, so I’ve come full circle,” the 61-year-old performer said in a statement. “I’m back and I plan to give my fans the best experience yet. I think everybody knows I only do things in a big way.”
Cher joins Bette Midler who starts her stint as Celine Dion-replacement at the end of this month.
According to MarketWatch, a group of investors has plans to re-develop the historical Moullin Rouge. There will be a new hotel, convention space and casino built on a budget of almost $1 billion. The site is located on the troubled west side of town so this project could help revitalize the area.
The Moulin Rouge Hotel has an important place in Las Vegas history:
“The Moulin Rouge opened on May 24, 1955, built at a cost of $3.5 million. It was the first integrated hotel casino in Las Vegas, perhaps in the nation. Until that time almost all of the casinos on The Strip were totally segregated—off limits to blacks unless they were the entertainment or labor force.” — Wikipedia
Part of getting settled in a new city is rebuilding your network of trusted health care providers and this is not an easy task. In LA, I visited four dentists before finding one I liked. So imagine my dread when I chipped a filling doing battle with a crab leg (no, it wasn’t worth it) and needed to see a dentist pronto. Fortunately there are a dozen dental offices within 5 miles. In fact, there is an unusually high number of houses of pain in the valley (more on that later).
I went to Town & Country Dental since because the dentist is Vietnamese (gotta support my peoples!). The office is located conveniently near the corner of Warm Springs and Durango in the shopping center near Sonic. The waiting area is nicely decorated and everyone there is helpful and friendly. It is very family run business that excellent family dentistry.
After a check-up, a cleaning and having that filling replaced I am confident in recommending Dr. Phan Nguyen to anyone in the area. He was courteous, professional and did a fantastic job. I will be back in six months for a routine exam.
I asked Dr. Phan why there seemed to be so many dentists in Las Vegas. He told me that in previous years there was a shortage of dentists in the area. The certification process was relaxed to make it easier for dentists to practice in Las Vegas and many have come to serve the growing population.
Town & Country Dental
7225 S. Durango Dr. #102
Las Vegas, NV 89113
(702) 558-8696
300,000 football fans are expected to watch Super Bowl XLII in Las Vegas this year. I honestly don’t see the draw: sure it’s fun to watch the game with a couple hundred rabid fans but all the sports books are crazy crowded and it’s tough to make a bet or find a place to sit.
The casinos are expected to take in a record $100M in wagers this year. Sounds like a lot until you consider that many estimate total Super Bowl gambling will top $10B (most of it illegal and unregulated like office pools). On top of that, with the Giants winning outright (the spread was Pats -12) it looks like the sports books had a tough weekend.
But don’t feel too sorry for them. The brilliant Vegas business model comes through again: tonight I saw hordes of jersey-clad Giants fans giving back their Super Bowl winnings and more at the card tables. Viva Las Vegas!