In January, those cute little African penguins that make their home in the Flamingo’s wildlife habitat are moving back to the Dallas Zoo, which has loaned them to the Flamingo for the past many years. No word on what Harrahs, which owns the Flamingo (and Paris, Ballys, O’Sheas, Caesars Palace and Imperial Palace), has planned for the space currently inhabited by the penguins. I’m not sure whether this should be considered a sign of other changes ahead for the Flamingo or not. Either way, this sucks. We always make sure to see the penguins at least once during each trip. They’ll be missed.

San Remo, that little casino that sits next to the Tropicana, just off the Strip, is closing on Jan. 2 for a little more than a month. It will reopen on Feb. 6 as the long-awaited Hooters Casino Hotel. Visitors will flock to Hooters for the one thing they are known for—chicken wings.

The Strat is permanently closing its rollercoaster on Friday, according to KLAS TV. The deconstruction will take three months. A new ride is planned for the space the coaster now occupies.

In this edition of the original Las Vegas podcast:

Direct download of the podcast: Five Hundy By Midnight 12/18/05 (33:17 min, 30.6 MB) or subscribe.

Info here.

In this edition of the original Las Vegas podcast:

Direct download of the podcast: Five Hundy By Midnight 12/11/05 (24:10 min, 22.3 MB) or subscribe.

In this edition of the original Las Vegas podcast:

Direct download of the podcast: Five Hundy By Midnight 12/4/05 (32:42 min, 30.1 MB) or subscribe.