You guys watch for podcast crashers next week!
Bmo and Tommy are on the piss!

I’m not sure why bacon is so popular right now but poker blogger Al Can’t Hang has a bacon story contest going on right now.
http://alcanthang.blogspot.com/

http://taobacon.blogspot.com/

Also

The Vegas Club downtown had free parking when I was there on a Monday in July.

Wishing you a great time in Vegas. Sure will be hot down there, so drink lots of water!

Chris

It may be easier to park in Paris and walk south.

Dan

In regard to the shops at PH, there is quite a lot of outside work going on at Miracle Mile right now. Round the clock work putting up what looks to be a very cool exterior. As far as inside, still the same and rather empty. Most people there were in restaurants, but few in the shops that we saw.

Listening back to my call, I note how I said park in the shop’s valet if “you are going to the casino or restaurants”. Didn’t even mention that one might actually be going shopping!! Tim, we are of like mind on that one.

Thomas

Was not so sure the Hilton being shown as the cutting edge of Vegas either.

Have a good trip T&M – dont go wild on those tiles.

Book Review: Las Vegas Little Black Book

Authors: David deMontmollin and Hiram Norman

Published by Justin, Charles & Co, 2005

Price: $11.95

238 pages

The Little Black Book portends to be and most probably is “the very
first frank, opinionated, smart and savvy guide to Vegas written
specifically for groups of men”. It´s written by David deMontmollin,
“star of the Travel Channel´s hit show American Casino” and Hiram
Norman, “a seasoned L.A. screenwriter, webmaster and true Las Vegas
aficionado”. With names like this, you´ve certainly got to be savvy to
score in LV. And scoring is what this book mostly is about.

The book contents 11 chapters, with advice on planning, accomodation,
dining, gambling, daytime and nighttime diversions and gentleman´s
clubs. There are itineraries and there´s basic information about most
of the places mentioned, mostly only a phone number and not even
adresses, let alone prices, cover charges or opening times. No maps
save for one or two very basic ones.
There are some charts which rate hotels and gentleman clubs.

The layout is pretty nice, with a good, readable typeset, not too much
text on one page and quite a few boxed texts with “classic Vegas
mistakes” or “if money is no object” info.

The writing style is rather disastrous. Those guys come across as
first class jerks. The first chapter is entitled “24 hours in Sin
City” and follows a typical day in the life of philantropist, epitome
of cool and general all around great guy David deMontmollin. “He lives
and breathes casino”. “Reminiscing about the night before, he knows it
will be hard to top it, but for him, Vegas just keeps getting better”.
Today he´s running three(!) events at once: an audition for gogo
dancers, a bikini photo shoot AND a blackjack tournament. But fear
not, it is amazing “how he is always in control and maintains his
cool”.

Fortunately, the book cools it a bit after this chapter and there is
quite a lot information that is good advice. Obviously, the American
male group headed for Vegas is rather stupid, though, as the book
feels the need to hammer down even most trivial point (yes, it pays to
plan ahead, we get it). Apart from all that redundancy, there is very
little you haven´t already read here in some form and I´m pretty sure
there´s not much new to be learned here for guy group pros like Hog or
singlemalt. The book also seems to have a hard time making it mind up
about whether it´s a cheat sheet for cheapskates or advice on how to
live it up. The “money is no object” part isn´t very helpful (you
know, flying first class is a lot nicer than coach !).

There´s a lot of opinionated reviews one can disagree with, but most
of the info is solid.

I enjoyed reading the book rather more on an entertainment level than
that I´ve learned so much. Still, if you´ve read some basics before,
this is an enjoyable read.

Informational content: 5 out of 10
General reading fun : 7 out of 10

Busting Vegas: A True Story of Monumental Excess, Sex, Love, Violence, and Beating the Odds by Ben Mezrich

Sun, Sin And Suburbia: An Essential History Of Modern Las Vegas by Geoff Schumacher

Super Casino: Inside the “New” Las Vegas by Pete Earley

The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America by Sally Denton

The Last Honest Place in America: Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas (Nation Books) Paperback by Marc Cooper

No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas’ Stratosphere Tower Hardcover by John L. Smith

The Grit Beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real Las Vegas Paperback by Hal Rothman

Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond Paperback by David G. Schwartz

I looked on the internet and yours is the first non-publicity review that I saw.

Caveat Emptor.

Have a great trip.

Dan

BTW don’t some of the VP pay tables pay more for a Royal on a max coin?

Dan

Dan

Have fun in Vegas!

You can park for free Downtown at Main Street Station.