Ka - Originally Published 2010

Someone reading this is thinking to himself, “Ka?  Why would I spend good money to watch some French Canadians jump around?”

You should do it because leap they do, as well as a lot of other incredible things like fly and sword fight.  The stage alone is worth the price of admission.

Now, I would love to show you some of the pictures that I took during the show.  But I can’t.  Because I didn’t take any.  They wouldn’t let me.  And even if I could have, they would have come out cruddy because it’s a huge theater with a lot of movement.  I don’t think that the Coolpix could swing it.

What I can show you are pictures of the Ka bar.  You see, this is Vegas, not Broadway.  They drop the pretenses in Vegas and know that there are going to be some real chazzers in the audience.  Yup, you can get a giant drink and then head into the show.

All cynicism aside, this was a great show.  I think my wife spent her money well and I would not hesitate having her spend some more on a future Cirque Du Soleil show.

Hash House A Go Go - Originally Published 2010

Vegas prides itself on going big without any hesitation.  Buffets, big margaritas, remember those Rosewood Grill signs?  It’s easy to get over saturated with the whole “big” thing.  If this ever happens, I recommend heading over to the Hash House A Go Go.  Quite honestly, the size of the food there is jarring.

 On our most recent excursion to Las Vegas found us taking breakfast at the Imperial Palace location.  After seeing the size of the portions, we opted to share an omelet and get a pancake to go.  If you’re not a professional competitive eater, I would recommend going this route.

 Call me jaded, but bigger does not always mean better.  How was it, you ask?  It was pretty good, says I. 

City Center - Originally Published 2010

The City Center can be accused of showing up a little late to the party.  By the time the last bolt is turned, it’s supposed to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $11 billion to construct.  Yes.  That’s billion.  With a ‘b’.

Whoever lined up the dollars for it was not a populist.  This is a facility that’s built for two kinds of folks.  Those that are rich, and those that want folks to think they’re rich.  Crystals, the retail heart of the city center is filled with couture stores.  What does that mean?  It means they have a restaurant shaped like a phallus, but don’t look for an Orange Julius. 

While it is off to a somewhat shaky start with the state of the economy, if it can hang in there it should be primed to be the place to be once everything stabilizes and folks start spending money again.

Pinball Hall of Fame - Originally Published 2010

Tim Arnold is a man who loves pinball.  So much so that he opened the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

The Pinball Hall of Fame is housed in a nondescript warehouse just off the Strip.  Don’t look for flash.  The flash is all back on the Strip.  This place is about pinball and that’s it.

The facility is lined with hundreds of machines from the early days of gaming until the present.  All of them are in wonderful working order.

I even managed to find my old nemesis, Black Knight.  This was the first fifty-cent pinball machine I ever played.  Even though we haven’t encountered one another since an afternoon at PJ Pizzazz in 1983, he still proved to be a worthy adversary.  Bring plenty of quarters and keep an eye out for some of your favorites.

Fremont Street Experience - Originally Published 2010

Being a preservationist in Las Vegas must be maddening.  This city prides itself on the fact that it continues to reinvent itself.  As a result, anytime something starts showing its age, it gets blown up and rebuild.

However, if you are looking for a little bit of Vegas’ past, the place to head is downtown to a street known as Fremont.  Fremont boasts some firsts in Vegas.  This is where the first hotels and gambling licenses were.  The action on the strip came later. 

In the interest of steering some of the foot traffic back downtown; a few years back one section of Fremont Street became the Fremont Street Experience.  The street is closed to motor vehicles allowing folks to wander from casino to casino.  Also installed is a jumbotrom that plays themed shows throughout the night.

Fremont is a good place to wander if you’re a little more budget conscious.  The night we were there, we found plenty to check out without spending a dime including a Boston cover band.  From what I understand, the casinos pay off more frequently and you can actually five five-dollar tables.  Why should be gambling be a rich man’s pursuit?

Another thing that may entice you to take a trip downtown are all of the classic signs on display.  The good folks over at the Las Vegas Neon Museum have rescued some great old neon works of art and have put them out for public view in downtown. 

We’ve encountered the Red Goose logo before.