October 31, 2017

It's hard to blog from the Pacific Time Zone.

Sorry to get such a late start, but this is not a late start for me. I'm in Las Vegas...

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... doing some family reunionizing.

I'll still be blogging. Don't worry. But it will be Pacific Time Zone blogging.

78 comments:

Henry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Henry said...

Thus the marriage of Paul Shaffer and Barge Cleopatra.

Henry said...

Or Paul Shāffer, as the poster has it. I guess he's really annoyed at people rhyming his name with gaffer. Or laugher.

SDaly said...

Except for the opportunity to take interesting photographs, Vegas seems to me to be the least-likely place for a an Althouse trip.

zipity said...

Looks like Althouse might be staying at the same hotel my wife and I stayed in for the Photo Marketing Association convention back in 1998. The Luxor. They don't have elevators in that black glass pyramid, they have inclinators.

Have fun Meade and Ann.

mezzrow said...

I know where you are. Post a picture of your bathroom. Try the gelato.

Bob Ellison said...

They should not be running those fountains in such an arid zone.

rehajm said...

Do you have the time? Classic Vegas.

Elizabeth said...

As a West-Coaster, I always look forward to waking up to all my favorite Back East bloggers (note: in California, even Nevada is considered Back East). When I visit the East Coast, waking up early is not nearly so much fun.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Bellagio?

Quayle said...

Today's pic is not from Luxor. Today's pic is from Bellagio.

Quayle said...

Looking east, I might add.

Laslo Spatula said...

Watch out for the transsexual hookers.

They look like a chick, but they have cocks.

Unless you are looking for that kind of thing.

In that case, go ahead.

I am Laslo.

Levi Starks said...

Be sure and make the trip out to Mount Charleston. There's a great hike waiting at the top.

DKWalser said...

I used to love Las Vegas and Reno, with all their heavily discounted, hotel rooms, fine food, and entertainment. Of course, everything was heavily discounted in the hopes of attracting people to come and gamble. Since I don't gamble, it was nice being someplace that subsidized my lifestyle.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

My iPhone automatically converts "Bellagio" to "Hellacious".

Levi Starks said...

And if you do the Death Valley loop, there's a little cafe in Shoshone that's right out of the 50's

mccullough said...

What Happens in Vegas Gets Blogged. Where are the photos of Meade at the craps table?

Ralph L said...

I suppose a 40 story hotel doesn't cost that much more to build than a 20 (and less per room?), but it's odd to think of these giants all jammed up together surrounded by miles of desert. If they want to keep their guests from wandering to other casinos, they ought to spread them out more.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Cibollaaaaaaaaa!

Original Mike said...

Ugh.

Kevin said...

It's hard to blog from the Pacific Time Zone.

But it's much better for watching sports.

tim in vermont said...

Flying to be in Las Vegas, what's the third whammy going to be? Maybe spend the day trapped in a time-share pitch?

Paddy O said...

The story about the drifting sailors gets more complicated. They had an EPIRB, they just didn't turn it on. Among other problems with their story.

zipity said...

I don't know how they can afford to build those huge hotels and casinos.

I've never met anyone who has lost while gambling in Vegas....

Sydney said...

That's a beautiful photo.

Henry said...

@Paddy O -- the Guardian also has a massive takedown. You get the sense that the Coast Guard kind of wants the Navy to put them back on the boat and let them drift some more.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle said: “We asked why during this course of time did they not activate the Epirb.

“She had stated they never felt like they were truly in distress, like in a 24-hour period they were going to die.”

Carr said the coast guard made radio contact with a vessel that identified itself as the Sea Nymph in June near Tahiti, and the captain said they were not in distress and expected to make land the next morning. That was after the women reportedly lost their engines and sustained damage to their rigging and mast.


tcrosse said...

Sin City is a good place to take a holiday from Virtue Signalling.

Kevin said...

Now Andy Dick is in trouble. Is anyone surprised?

"The Hollywood Reporter was not able to reach any of the alleged victims, however, two sources detailed Dick’s inappropriate behavior, which included groping people’s genitals, unwanted kissing/licking and sexual propositions of at least four members of the production. It’s unclear if those involved were actors or crew.

Late Monday, THR spoke to Dick, who confirmed he was let go from his small role in the film. Though he vehemently denied groping claims, he said it's possible that he licked people and he confirmed that he did make advances on others."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/andy-dick-fired-movie-sexual-harassment-claims-1053162

pacwest said...

Is the picture from the Bellagio?

Bob Ellison said...

Vegas. Once went there on a business trip and saw a person. One guy said, "That's a shman!"

Years ago. Long before the T and Q got added to the ridiculous acronym that has only political affinity, and no natural affinity.

cf said...

Welcome to the West, ms. Althouse.

Waiting to get my fix this morning caused me to muse on my 21st Century morning news habit.

I was a newspaper addict back in the golden Era of print journalism 1970s-2004. What a fine business model it was! Classified advertising was the funding engine. It paid for deep, consistent shoe-leather journalism, attendance at every boring council meeting as well as enterprising investigative projects.

It is stunning to contemplate the loss of depth of that model for the citizens of the nation, what we have now for news is the thinnest veneer of the depth that once was standard back then.

I have grinned lately that my substitute for a daily morning fresh off the presses and delivered printed "first draft of history" is now from a gaggle of incredibly prolific, dependable volunteers!

My Newspaper for 2017:

Front page = instapundit, first thing, my home page for a decade
Features, context, opinion = Althouse, and really just these two are as broad as I need to go for my morning fix
Not yet enough? = Twitter fleshes things out, usually my third site opened, and Drudge polishes it off if I am hungry for more.

So thanKS for posting today, ann, I had to move out of order, my world is now set back in place.

Michael K said...

They look like a chick, but they have cocks.

Unless you are looking for that kind of thing.

In that case, go ahead.


Or if you are Hugh Grant.

chickelit said...

mccullough said...
What Happens in Vegas Gets Blogged. Where are the photos of Meade at the craps table?

...shooting his dice past the come line...

JRoberts said...

As a logistics kind of guy who worked for a few years as a meeting planner, I've always been amazed at the scale of Vegas. MGM Grand has 5,000+ hotel rooms. If housekeeping spends 20-30 minutes per room each day cleaning, how many maids does it require for one hotel to do a full turn around during a standard work shift? What's the laundry capacity for all those towels and sheets?

Now, multiply that by dozens of other mega hotels in that small area. Wow!

MountainMan said...

Photo from the Bellagio. Nice hotel. Beautiful lobby and public areas. My wife and I prefer the Venetian, has really nice rooms, like a small apartment. Have also stayed at MGM, Aria, Mirage, and Treasure Island, but would always take Venetian if available at a good price.

cubanbob said...

The restaurant on the top of the Paris hotel is very good and the view at night is beautiful.

Jon said...

CF: Me, too except I don't do Twitter...

chickelit said...

Last time I was in Vegas I shot machine guns at The Gun Store with my son. Things have changed.

cubanbob said...

MountainMan said...
Photo from the Bellagio. Nice hotel. Beautiful lobby and public areas. My wife and I prefer the Venetian, has really nice rooms, like a small apartment. Have also stayed at MGM, Aria, Mirage, and Treasure Island, but would always take Venetian if available at a good price."

If you are staying at the Venetian better to stay on the opposite sides, either the Palazzo or the Venezia Tower.

chickelit said...

@Althouse: I, for one, will miss your annual report of trick or treating in Madison.

Ralph L said...

Michael K, that was Eddie Murphy. Grant's was cis-female, IIRC.

Ralph L said...

Darrell posted this last night but missed the lede:

Antifa and NAMBLA join hands--on crotches

Kate said...

Paris has a wonderful breakfast on the ground floor terrace looking across to the Bellagio fountains.

FullMoon said...

Forty one comments as I type and no mention of massacre. Any news in local media?

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

If you are staying at the Venetian better to stay on the opposite sides, either the Palazzo or the Venezia Tower.

We stayed at the Palazzo last week in a suite that was larger than my first house was at 1400 sf, and it was around $300 a night. (Was a work junket so not our problem but still amazing.) It had its own exercise room, haha. The shower was not a simply a shower, but rather a hydrotherapy tank, and it has completely ruined me for all other showers in my life. My toddler spoke highly of the bubbles in the huge jacuzzi tub. Was fun to stroll through the mall and throw coins in the canal; my only gripe is the casino (which I understand makes the whole thing affordable) and the completely disgusting indoor smoking.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Forty one comments as I type and no mention of massacre. Any news in local media?

When I was there last week, the scene was still crime taped off and had posted cops keeping lookie loos out.

Bill said...

My earliest memory of Vegas, as a third-grader: in 1967, a woman in a purple fishtail dress and TALL beehive hairdo walking through the lobby of the Sahara. Indelible.

tcrosse said...

When I was there last week, the scene was still crime taped off and had posted cops keeping lookie loos out.

They have just now allowed attorneys for those filing civil suits to examine the site.
Otherwise, crickets.

rehajm said...

But it's much better for watching sports.

Yes. I'm too old for 8:30PM NFL starts. I used to enjoy NFL with Sunday breakfast. The London games would be great if I still watched football. .

That year the Sox opened the season in Japan was cool. Bars opened at 7:00AM

Ann Althouse said...

"And if you do the Death Valley loop, there's a little cafe in Shoshone that's right out of the 50's"

We were in Death Valley last winter.

I'm not leaving Las Vegas except to go back home. I'm here because there's a group of us.

Karen said...

Check out Parasol Down for a glass of wine at The Wynn. The ambiance is unbeatable and the free light show every half hour on the water is mesmerizing.

Henry said...

I'm here because there's a group of us.

A parliament of Althouses?

tcrosse said...

Beneath all the glitz Las Vegas is a heavily-unionized factory town. The SEIU, Culinary, and Laborers unions carry a lot of clout, which they need against behemoths like MGM.

tcrosse said...

A Neutrality of Althouses ?

Henry said...

touché, tcrossé

Seeing Red said...

Southwest has a few $36 airfares to/from Vegas from Chicago Midway airport.

Seeing Red said...

You might like to see Reve at the Wynn.

Seeing Red said...

Vegas must be hurting because I got a great deal, better than last year. About $600 for 4 nights, round trip airfare with early check in A boarding.

For 2 people.

We have to pay the resort fee, but otherwise $25 each for 2 nights, comped the 3rd night, $55 for the 4th night.

Across the street from The Professor.

cubanbob said...

tcrosse said...
Beneath all the glitz Las Vegas is a heavily-unionized factory town. The SEIU, Culinary, and Laborers unions carry a lot of clout, which they need against behemoths like MGM."

Beneath all the glitz they are nothing but casinos. Well, there are a couple of exceptions,the Trump and the our Seasons but those are the exceptions to the rule that all in all, no matter how fancy they are just casinos and casinos exist for fools to part with their money.

ALP said...

LOL! Now that you are in the Pacific time zone maybe I can keep up. You are finally in the groove of us "late risers"!

ALP said...

I look forward to the photos you will take. I went to Vegas for the first time earlier this year. I detest casinos and gambling - though I did come away ahead $30 from my ONE try at the casino. But the visuals of that town! The lights, the color, the weird people. An overload for the visually oriented an easily amused.

Ralph L said...

I don't know how these big casinos stay in business. We've got a very popular gambling den a block from the police HQ (and my house) and 2 more small ones opening within 1.5 miles.
Then there are the state lotteries.

fivewheels said...

I do remember the bathroom in our room at the Bellagio being pretty fancy. And the view out to the fountains is fantastic. If you have an evening to yourselves, the steakhouse Prime is good, and the patio seating that puts you right on the lake by the fountains is cheesy/romantic as all get-out. Enjoyable both ironically and unironically, really. And even though Cirque du Soleil is not exactly my thing, the "O" show is not only acrobatically spectacular, I found it surprisingly emotionally engaging.

fivewheels said...

I'm in Las Vegas next week for the West Coast Pipe Show. I can't imagine the surprise I would feel if I were strolling through the Bellagio headed for the buffet for breakfast and saw Althouse sitting at a table at her laptop. I mean, in Las Vegas I've bumped into celebrities from Shaquille O'Neal to Sylvester Stallone to Jenna Jameson, but Althouse would be too much.

Bruce Hayden said...

“Beneath all the glitz Las Vegas is a heavily-unionized factory town. The SEIU, Culinary, and Laborers unions carry a lot of clout, which they need against behemoths like MGM."

This was Dingy Harry Reid’s power base. And, combined with the influx of Hispanics, why the state is trending blue. Amazingly, in a state where there were ads at the airport for shooting machine guns, there is a decent chance that they enact some gun control legislation, despite, of course, that nothing that they might enact would have made a difference in the recent shooting there. Weird thing, to me, is that there are apparently a lot of Mormon Democrats there, contrasted with almost everywhere else in the West, where they tend to be Republicans. And, yes, along with being a union town, it is also a Mormon one two.

Etienne said...

The most money I ever won in Vegas, was at the 7-11. The slot machine gave me $40 in quarters.

P.S. That's a lot of f'n quarters!

Michael K said...

"I've bumped into celebrities from Shaquille O'Neal to Sylvester Stallone to Jenna Jameson, "

Bump her one for me.

Michael K said...

"My earliest memory of Vegas, as a third-grader: in 1967,"

I remember being in the Flamingo in 1957 and seeing a guy make 22 passes on the craps table.

I think we were in the Flamingo and he was in another casino down the street on the same side.

He was there all night. Millions changed hands. The dice were in the window for years after.

I used to go there a lot when I was in college. Once I was standing in the line for the show at Hank Henry's Silver Slipper and did not have enough money for the cover charge. There were slot machines all along the line, of course, and by the time I got to the head of the line, I had enough to go in.

Good old days when I was poor and could win. Once I got able to afford to gamble, I quit winning and stopped.

LTC Ted said...

Try to make time for the Weiss Deli and Bakery in Henderson, Nevada.

David said...

Cool photo. Is that the view from your room?

Enjoy.

Ken B said...

I missed this earlier. Paddock's brother, the one who everyone relied on for reporting Paddock had no obsessions, was arrested for child pornography this week.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/26/brother-of-las-vegas-shooter-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/?utm_term=.6b77f4570ba1

Mom must be so proud.

tcrosse said...

At the current rate, I think that in 50 years our posterity will speak of the October 1 Las Vegas shooting the way we speak of the JFK Assassination today.

Bad Lieutenant said...

What Las Vegas shooting? Something something memory hole.

Ann Althouse said...

"Yes."

Nice sunrise view.

Also good at night.

EMyrt said...


Bob Ellison said...

They should not be running those fountains in such an arid zone.
10/31/17, 8:55 AM

Hoover Dam and Lake Meade are the only reasons Vegas exists:
Cheap electricity + water = the Strip

rcocean said...

Las Vegas and Nevada (which is basically just Reno Metro Area and Las Vegas Metro area) is turning blue because of the same reason California went from Reagan to a 65% Hillary state.

Immigration.

Not just Hispanics but Filipinos and others. You have some California refugees and Mormons voting (R) - but they're being swamped.

rcocean said...

This is a great time of the year to be in Las Vegas. We go there every once in a while, but after a few days it becomes a bore.

LV is really a town for gamblers, drifters and loners.

Its full of dead eyed zombies, like the mass killer, who spent hours playing video poker or pulling the lever on a slot machine.

OK for a short visit - but what person with a brain would live there full time?