Tag: Las Vegas

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Las Vegas: MGM Resorts International Will Begin Charging For Parking This Spring

This could represent a BIG shift in traffic to the Las Vegas Strip.

MGM Resorts International will break from a long-standing Las Vegas tradition and begin charging customers to park at the company’s Strip resorts as part of a $90 million strategy to “expand and enhance” the company’s parking infrastructure.

The parking fees will go into effect sometime between April and June the company said in a Friday statement, which also announced plans for a $54-million, 3,000-space parking structure MGM will construct near the northwest corner of the Excalibur.

Construction of the new parking facility is scheduled to begin later this spring with completion scheduled in the second quarter of 2017.

As part of the program, MGM Resorts will charge parking fees at all its Strip resorts. The company operates nine Strip developments, including the CityCenter complex, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Circus Circus. The Signature Towers and the Crystals and Mandalay Bay Place shopping malls will be exempt.

Overnight guests utilizing a self-park facility will pay $10 or less. Las Vegas locals will be given a grace period for free parking after the program begins and can maintain their free-parking status by enrolling and earning privileges through M life, the company’s customer loyalty program. Nonresident guests can also earn free-parking status through the M life program.

MGM Resorts called the parking fees “moderate” when compared with similar fees in other “high-demand” tourist and convention markets, such as New York, Los Angeles and Orlando.

I’ll be curious to see if (main competitor) Caesars Entertainment follows suit, and if it impacts how locals bring their friend to what properties on the Strip.

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Las Vegas: The Neon Museum

I finally made it, after almost 12 years of living in Las Vegas, to The Neon Museum.

Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment.

The Neon Museum campus includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is available for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.

Very cool hour-long guided tour explains not only the design and architecture of the rescued signs, but also how the evolution of the signs tells much of the progress of Las Vegas and how tourism has changed over decades.

I was a little surprised that most of the neon signs don’t actually function, but the story-telling and landscaping lighting for the Boneyard makes up for it.

I’d definitely recommend to residents and visitors alike. Make sure you go at night when the lighting is moody and fun; and also, unlike me, go when it’s not 30 degrees out 🙂

Click on the pics here to enlarge. Bigger is better don’t you know.

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Music Video: Adam Lambert Drops “Another Lonely Night” In Las Vegas

From Adam Lambert’s album The Original High we get the new single, “Another Lonely Night.”

Ruminating on the idea that everyone is lonely in life even if you have beauty, or money, or the spotlight.

Of course, I love that the video is set in my town of Las Vegas, AND there’s a male stripper featured. In addition to others, we follow him on his way to work, watch him earn a pile of money being adored and objectified by women at a work.

But when he returns home, it’s just him, the cash and his puppy.

If someone wants to send me his address, I’ll be happy to visit him 🙂

From Lambert on the approach to the video: “When the lights turn off and the costumes get put away, many struggle with the feeling of loneliness. I wanted to paint a picture that wasn’t necessarily happy or sad, but showed the entire range in between.”

I’m not so sure the song itself rises to the level of Lambert’s first single from this project, “Ghost Town,” which I loved, but his vocals are definitely on point.

I do like the direction and storytelling here, though. Director Luke Gilford takes his time leading us down lonesome lane.

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National Coming Out Day In Las Vegas

I make a point of “celebrating” National Coming Out Day every year on The Randy Report. I feel honored that over the years, readers have reached out to me and come out to me because they found this blog.

I’m always stoked that Las Vegas does a whole weekend event for NCOD, and this year is no different. There are events of all kinds to celebrate coming out, awareness of the LGBT community and civil rights movement.

Via press release:

National Coming Out Day Weekend in Las Vegas is a celebration with special events at locations throughout Las Vegas and a street festival or block party in the LGBT area known as “the Fruit Loop” at Paradise Rd. and Naples Dr. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH:

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY CABARET
Time: 6PM
Location: Paul Harris Theatre at UNLV
In collaboration with UNLV Spectrum, Theatre Student Collective, and the African American Student Association for Theatre and Film; a cabaret in honor of National Coming Out Day. Expressing the stories of those who’ve come out to us, our own coming out experiences, our future coming out hopes and fears, and our thoughts/emotions related to coming out through song, spoken word, public speaking, monologue, scene, dance, etc.

NCOD STREET FESTIVAL
Time: 8PM
Location: Fruit Loop – (Paradise Rd. & Naples Dr.)
Celebrate with our LGBT community in the Fruit Loop amongst local businesses FreeZone, Get Booked, Piranha Nightclub, Quadz and Club Unity.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11TH:

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
Flex Las Vegas – 3pm-7pm NCOD Sing-A-Long Sunday Sing along with you favorite music videos.

Badlands Saloon – $1 Drinks for anyone who is coming out.

The Phoenix – NCOD Chili Cookout.

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Giveaway: Ricky Martin ONE WORLD TOUR U.S. Premiere In Las Vegas

This Tuesday, September 15th, the forever hunky, handsome and uber-talented Ricky Martin launches the US leg of his sold out ONE WORLD TOUR  in the City of Entertainment, Las Vegas!

Via press release:

The show for the tour is completely new and has been designed for a demanding public, with a great production, an incredible stage, elaborate choreography and the set-list includes both classic and new hits from his latest album “A QUIEN QUIERA ESCUCHAR”, the tenth studio album by Martin that debuted at number one in the charts and has reached TOP 5 with three of his singles including: “Adiós”, “Disparo Al Corazón” and “La Mordidita”.

I have two pairs of tickets to giveaway for the American premiere here in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood, courtesy of FlyLife Inc.

If you want to be considered, leave your name and email address in the comments below. Two winners will be chosen at random Monday afternoon at 3pm PST.

Even if you don’t live in Las Vegas, enter to win and, if chosen, give me the name of your favorite Las Vegan to gift the tickets to 🙂

IF you aren’t chosen, you can check out available tickets at LiveNation by clicking here.

Ricky Martin – One World Tour Dates
September
15 – Las Vegas – Axis at Planet Hollywood w/ Ha*Ash
16 – Reno – Grand Sierra, Grand Theater
17 – Oakland – Oracle Arena – w/ Ha*Ash
19 – Los Ángeles – The Forum – w/ Ha*Ash
20 – San Diego – Viejas Arena – w/ Ha*Ash
23 – Tucson – Anselmo Valencia Amp
24 – Albuquerque – Sandia Casino
26 – Phoenix – Comerica Theatre – w/ Ha*Ash
27 – El Paso – El Paso County Coliseum – w/ Ha*Ash
29 – Hidalgo – State Farm Arena – w/ Ha*Ash
30 – Houston – Toyota Center – w/ Ha*Ash

October
1 – Laredo – Laredo Energy Arena w/ Ha*Ash
3 – San Antonio – Freeman Coliseum w/ Ha*Ash
4 – Dallas – Gexa Energy Pavilion – w/ Ha*Ash
8 – New York – Madison Square Garden – w/ Wisin
9 – Washington – Eagle Bank Arena – w/ Wisin
11 – Chicago – Allstate Arena – w/ Wisin
14 – Montreal (Canadá) Bell Centre – w/ Wisin
15 – Toronto (Canadá) – Air Canada Center – w/ Wisin
17 – Atlantic City – Boardwalk Hall – w/ Wisin
18 – Uncasville – Mohegan Sun Arena – w/ Wisin
21 – Durham – Durham Perf Arts Centre
22 – Atlanta – Philips Arena w/ Wisin
24 – Miami – American Airlines Arena – w/ Wisin
25 – Orlando – Amway Center – w/ Wisin

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for entering. FYI – I sent the names in to the NY based PR company who offered the tickets to pick names so I wouldn’t be involved in looking “partial.”

In that I know some of the entrants I didn’t want the responsibility of choosing, or even picking the names out of a hat. I figured a third party who didn’t know anyone would be better 🙂

The two winners this time were Rocky Rowley and Greg Chase.

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Co-Hosting Valley View Live Today

I had a great afternoon sitting in as a guest co-host for Las Vegas’ top rated afternoon talk show, Valley View Live! on ABC13.

I’ve been on the show a few times before as an LGBT expert, and recently the producer asked if I’d like to come in for a whole show and talk about not only The Randy Report, but current trending topics. I’m a fan of the show – watch it every day – and the ladies who host the show regularly are friends I’ve made over the years.

Dao Vu, Megan Telles and Rikki Cheese are all excellent hosts and news anchors, and boy do they make all of this look easy for the viewer at home.

We had a great time, which flew by. If you never caught my online radio show The Candi & Randy Show, you know I do like to talk. The ladies were happy to let me, but kept us all on track.

Here’s just a part of the first segment; I’ll try to get the others up in a bit.