As football draws to a close in a few more weeks, we are now in the middle of the basketball season. Although I see no enjoyment in watching giant men run back and forth trying to stuff a ball in a net, millions of you love the game, so my first item will have your hearts racing.
Tickets for the 2007 NBA All-Star Jam Session are now on sale at the Mandalay Bay. The Jam Session will run from Thursday, Feb.15, to Monday, Feb. 19. I'm told this event gives families and fans of all ages the chance to experience the sights, sounds and action of NBA All-Star 2007 with more than 400,000 square feet of interactive basketball activities. If you're going to go, here are dates and times, as well as what it's going to cost (which in this case -- hard to believe -- is reasonable):
• 4 - 10 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15 and Friday, Feb. 16
• 9 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17
• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 18 and Monday, Feb. 19
Tickets are $20 for adults, 12 bucks for kids 3-12. If you want to bring your toddlers (under 3 years) they get in free. Seniors and military personnel pay $12.
'RACY' CLUB
There's no stopping the growth of clubs in Las Vegas, but this one is even racier than most. This new club doesn't have a dance floor, disco ball or DJ booth, but it does have unlimited food and drinks, VIP parking and unprecedented access to the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races on NASCAR Weekend, Nevada's largest sporting event, March 8-11.
The Blackjack Club will be on the third floor of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's new infield media center. It will give race fans a bird's eye view of the front straightaway, provide access to the pits and the new Neon Garage and give them a patio from which to watch the racing action.
"This is like putting a VIP suite above the pitcher's mound," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "The Blackjack Club will take the NASCAR experience to a new level." Passes for the Blackjack Club are available by calling the LVMS sales and marketing department at (702) 632-8254. All passes are good for all three days and include pit passes, Neon Garage access and VIP parking. Gentlemen (and ladies) "Start your engines!"
POLLY ESTHER'S HEADS TO STRAT
Over at the Stratosphere, Polly Esther's nightclub will open its first mega club in Las Vegas, which will bring all of its signature nightclubs under one roof. Opening is planned for next month. Polly Esther's combines four clubs, depicting four separate eras. The highly successful signature clubs of "Polly Esther's," "Culture Club" and "Nerve Ana" are popular throughout North America, so they tell me, although I can honestly say I've never heard of them. Of course I'm not one of the 20-somethings that frequent clubs.
Now maybe if they were talking about opening another Stork Club or Copacabana, I could relate. Anyway, Polly Esther's Las Vegas will also debut "Suite 2000," an ultralounge themed around this decade and specially designed for Las Vegas.
This new quad-club will allow guests to travel through time reigniting the feelings of their youth by moving from one club to another all in the same location. The facility will be one-story, 26,000 square feet, with a capacity for 1,300 people, and will feature state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, lighted dance floors, live shows and DJ music every night with frequent special events throughout the week.
The signature clubs of Polly Esther's, Culture Club and Nerve Ana will feature the trademark elements of the predecessors -- larger-than-life statues and murals of icons such as John Travolta and Sharon Stone, shrines guests can have fun with such as a Brady Bunch display where one can step into Alice's place, a "Back to the Future" DeLorean suspended from the ceiling, imposters such as Bill Clinton working the crowd, a Partridge Family bus converted into a bar, themed cocktails in every room and much more. Gotta admit, sounds like a fun place. The club will be located just inside the main entrance of the Stratosphere and each room will have different hours of operation and cover charge rates throughout the week. Rooms will be available for corporate events and private parties.
GOLDEN MOMENT
The Golden Nugget has completed its $100-million renovation, which included making changes in its restaurants, pool and other things. One thing that remains the same is the Hand of Faith, which has been a popular attraction for visitors from all over the world. In case you don't know, the Hand of Faith is the largest-known gold nugget on display in the world today. Discovered in 1980 near the Golden Triangle in Australia, the gold nugget weighs 61 pounds, 11 ounces, and is worth more than $425,000.
If you're thinking of stealing it, fuggedaboutit. I'd say your chances of getting it out the door before being gunned down were about a zillion to one. Not such great odds, especially for 425 grand. You can make a lot more by hitting a Wheel of Fortune jackpot and nobody's going to shoot you. Seriously, if you happen to be downtown, take a look and check out the rest of the resort. And have lunch or dinner at the Italian restaurant, the Grotto. Great food.
SUPER BOWL CHOICES
A few weeks ago, Charles Cooksey from Amarillo, Texas, sent me the following email:
"Lenny, We will be in Vegas Superbowl weekend but don't know if the NFL is letting the game be shown on big screens. Any suggestions on where to go to watch the game?" I tried emailing him back with my answer, but the email kept getting bounced back for some reason and as he didn't include a phone number, I couldn't call.
So, Charles (or Charlie, if that's what your friends call you) here is my reply: Yes, it will be shown on big screens, but like other years, there won't be any private parties unless some of the casinos want to challenge the NFL ruling. Depends where you're staying. On Strip, I'd say Caesars Palace or Wynn Las Vegas. Off Strip, the Las Vegas Hilton is the best, especially for screens and prop bets, but The Orleans is good as well. All depends what you're looking for -- down and dirty, a little upscale, type of betting, etc. Also, how high a bet they'll take if you want to lay down a lot of large on a single bet. Some of the casinos for Super Bowl will take a $50G-$100G single bet, but many restrict it to $10,000. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com.
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
