With temperature in Las Vegas beginning to rise (thankfully), those who frequent Red Rock Resort & Casino will soon have another choice when it comes to cold beer!

Construction is underway to complete Yard House, a restaurant chain that boasts the World’s Largest Selection of Draft Beer.

(That’s a pretty bold claim if you ask me. However I do not posses the liver or youth anymore to know otherwise.)

There is already a Yard House located here in Las Vegas at Town Square.

Construction is well underway and is scheduled to open in June of 2010.

Prost!

Have you noticed?

The increased stream of blog posts have been courtesy of the newest contributor to the Living in Las Vegas Podcast website.  I’m happy to introduce our readers/listeners to Jacob Cannon, a good friend of the show and of Melissa and myself (along with his lovely wife Sally!).

Besides sharing the occasional “Man Pizza”, Jacob would constantly send me emails highlighting things happening in the Las Vegas Valley.  I asked him if he’d be interested in sharing his insights with our readers and he graciously agreed to do so.

If you have ideas/tips for Jacob, feel free to shoot him an email: JacobC[at]livinginlv.com. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you!

Welcome, Jacob!  Thanks for joining the team!

Work was halted in late 2008 with the developer, General Growth Properties, citing the economy and lack of financing to continue the project. General Growth Properties then declared bankruptcy protection shortly thereafter. However in the past few days there has been some activity around Summerlin Centre Mall. Several trucks and some heavy equipment (bulldozers and backhoes) have been seen around the property. There has been no formal announcement as of yet, but it could be possible that work may be starting back up soon to complete this project and add some much needed jobs to the local economy. If we find out more information we will let you know!

See you at the buffet!

Laughs?  You bet.

Insight into the Las Vegas lifestyle.  Of course.

The warming embrace associated with puppies, cookies and milk? Surprised?

Don’t be.  As those already on our Friends pages have discovered, besides whiter whites, a sense of warmth and calm gently cascades over them upon their appearance on the page.  This explains why Jennifer, who is a new listener to the podcast (and who lives in M-M-Minnesota), longed for the warmth we provide.

Welcome to the website, Jennifer!  No need to bundle up any more!

Feeling a little chilly yourself?  Then chilly no more!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  It’s Easy.  It’s Free. And it’ll cut your heating bill by 13% (uh…or less).

Today I added our latest Friend of the Living in Las Vegas Podcast photo. . .from active listener Mike S. from Connecticut. I’ve had the pleasure to swap emails with Mike and have also feature Mike during the Listener Audio segment of the show.

When he’s not listening to the show, he works for a company that makes colored guitar strings. . .which he was kind enough to send my way.

Welcome to the Friends page, Mike!  Thanks for playing along!

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  If you’re not, be a part of the most exciting photo upload website in existence!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  Life as you know it will be free of stress and full of love and happiness!

According to Dani’s photo, she is “Definitely ‘Living in Las Vegas’ Baby!”  That’s the way we like it!  Living.  In Las Vegas. 

Welcome to the website, Dani.  And thanks again for joining the fun!

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  Kim O. did it.  And so did Dani!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  It’s Easy.  It’s Free. And it’ll likely get Scott to pay for the first round of drinks if you’re sipping a beverage with the Whitney’s.

Yes, Melissa and I think of all our listeners as our friends.  And if it were up to me, I’d simply grab your photo from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, wherever and automatically add your smiling face to our Friends of LILV Page.

Buuuuuuut several privacy statutes prevent me from doing so.

So, we get by with an little (email) help from our friends – most recently, Kim O. from San Diego!!

Kim continues to prove that along with being the smartest podcast audience in the world, the Living in Las Vegas Podcast listeners are good looking people, too!

I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast,
but LiLV Friends are the BEST (according to this post).

Kim recently signed up to our E-mail list and immediately decided that besides receiving groovy email stuff, she wanted her whites to be whiter. 

“But how?”, Kim thought to herself.

Then it dawned on her.  She remembered visiting the Friends page and learning that by simply emailing her photo to friends@livinginlv.com, her whites would be whiter.

“Ahhhh, problem solved,” Kim sighed.

Welcome to the website, Kim!  And may I say, what nice whites you have.

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  If you’re not, you should be!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  Life as you know it will improve and you’ll be blessed by the universe!

So why the drought?

No (good) reason, I’m afraid.  Melissa and I are busy folks but that’s no excuse for not creating an excuse to meet up with groovy folks like yourself!

Details will follow, but I wanted to put this date out there now.  The plan is to have our Living in Las Vegas Podcast Spring Meet Up on SATURDAY, April 24th, 2010.

Time and location are to be determined.  If you have a suggestion, PLEASE let me know.

Melissa and I are looking forward to sipping a joyful beverage and hanging out with the greatest people on this earth.  In the meantime, why don’t we all hang out? (Those great people are so hard to talk to.)

SAVE THIS DATE: SATURDAY, APRIL 24th, 2010.
START TIME: Probably 5-7PMish 6:30PM
LOCATION: To Be Determined Brio Restaurant, Town Square (South Las Vegas Blvd, by Fry’s)

To celebrate my birthday this past weekend, Melissa made reservations at Aria (in CityCenter). We were very impressed with the property overall and took this video upon entry into our room. We learned that automation is cool, when Aria says Blackout curtains, they mean it, and you better be sure you want something out of that minibar. . .because if you move it, you pay for it.

For other videos, visit the new Living in Las Vegas YouTube Channel.

p.s. During our entire stay, all the casinos we visited (Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, Aria) were PACKED.

p.s.s. What do you think of what we saw? Would love to hear from y’all!

Here’s a quicky video I took when Melissa and I met a few friends downtown for dinner, drinks and live comedy.  This video is from Firefly, which is located within the Plaza Hotel and Casino.  As you’ll see, they’ve got a GREAT view of Fremont Street.

For A TON of other videos, visit the new Living in Las Vegas YouTube Channel.

Are you feeling fantastic?  Want to see videos that aren’t added to our main website?  Then click the thingy below and join the fun!

Jay, the promoter for the show, has invited me to offer any local Las Vegan the opportunity to attend any show from Wednesday to Sunday FOR FREE**!!

Show times are Wed, Thur, and Fri at 8PM, and Sat at 7PM and 9PM.  This weekend features comedians Willie Farrell and Rick D’Ellia. 

There is no drink minimum.  No “catch”.  Jay is giving away these tickets to thank LV locals for making the LA Comedy Club the #1 comedy club in Las Vegas.

To get your free tickets, give Jay a call at 702.510.1611.  Tell him Scott from the Living in Las Vegas Podcast sent you!

** Free?  Well, there is a $4 “printing fee”.

The problem?  He has no name.

I think we’d all agree that if he’s to suffer the challenges associated with looking regal above the Whitney Villa entryway pictured, we should at least provide him with a name.

That’s where you come in.

In the comments below, give us your best suggestion for a name.  Funny, regal, thought-provoking. . .all are exactly what we’re looking for.

The winner may select any of the following as a token of our undying gratitude:

1. A round of drinks on Scott
2. A free copy of ChristmAcoustic, ChristmAcoustic II, or Guitjazzathon
3. My unending love and support
4. Two rounds of drinks on Scott and Deer
5. The secret to some fun little magic trick

Thanks in advance for playing along.  The winner’s suggestion will be placed on a fancy name plate just below his, er, head.  Let the creativity begin!

This is the first of a BUNCH of videos I took at the CityCenter’s Aria and Crystals properties for Episode 74. This video is all of us driving up to the property, getting turned away from valet parking, and watching a guy fall asleep standing up.

For A TON of other videos, visit the new Living in Las Vegas YouTube Channel.

Below is a video taken by a guy in the area for jury duty.  The number of shots is unbelievable (I counted over 50).

Warning: Some adult language is heard in the video.

.

After a reasonable number of libations (Sonic Blaster and Tropica Cocktails were the Signature Drinks of the evening) and some amazing cheese fondue, we had a lot of fun playing Guesstures with our New Years Eve guests.  Here’s a handful of clips from the evening.

We know that 2009 has been a rough one for many folks.  We were fortunate to have steady employment and pretty good health throughout the year.  For those in more difficult times, we’re putting out warm thoughts on your behalf.  I sense that 2010 will be an exciting and recuperative year for many folks in need of such relief.  If you fit into that category, be prepared for a great year!

Finally, thanks for playing along with the two of us over the course of the last few years.  January 12, 2010 will mark the four-year anniversary of the show, and during those four years, we’ve made great friends and have had some wonderful times!  We are grateful for both.

Happy New Year, Everybody!  Have FUN and be SAFE!

Last weekend Melissa and I had a GREAT time joining a bunch of friends we’ve made via the LiLV Podcast for dinner and drinks at Buca Di Beppo, on Lake Mead Blvd.  Besides enjoying the company of Jacob, Sally, Alicia, David, Cheryl, Brad, Sally, Kerry and Perry, we were joined by the Pope himself.

Hard to beat that!

Afterwards, Melissa, David, Alicia and I headed down to Frankie’s Tiki Room. 

I’ve included a link to some photos I’ve uploaded on Picasa.  (Some of those Frankie’s photos did not make it online.  Yikes!)

Merry Christmas to all!

Welcome to the website, Tony!

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page? It’s easy! Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com. Include your name and location and you too will be golden, just like Tony!

I think he did a great job!

By the way, David also wrote the kick-ass music for the Listener’s Email section of the show!  (A talented guy, that David.)

If you’d like David to whip up some graphical magic for you, check out his website.

To that I say, “We are, K&K.  We are!”

And what do Living in Las Vegas Podcast friends do to reciprocate their friendship?

Well. . .preferably they’d send cash.

But more times then not, they follow Kevin and Karen’s lead and submit a smiling photo to our Friends of the LiLV Podcast page!

Welcome to the Friends page, K&K!  We’re glad to have you aboard!

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  If you’re not, you should be!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  Life as you know it will improve in a dozen different ways when you do so!

With some 8 million holiday lights that line a two-mile tour that features 400 displays, you’ll see dinosaurs, a 100-foot-long dragon, an animated reindeer band and Santa on his cell phone. Get $2 off with any bag of gently used items donated to Goodwill of Southern Nevada on-site or at any Goodwill location in Las Vegas or Henderson.

The Magical Forest at Opportunity Village features light displays, carousel rides, train rides, lots of entertainment and other festive activities. Bring in gently used items for the thrift store and get $2 off admission on Thursday nights.

If you haven’t been to Lake Las Vegas, you should make it a point to visit.  The floating ice rink at the The Village (which has some great restaurants and shopping) is very cool. . .and they offer ice skating lessons as well!

I’ve heard this is really something to behold.  The Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel’s Chocolate Factory has 500,000 lights (can you imagine? I have a hard time adding a couple string of lights to the house!) and also features Santa Claus, and live entertainment. 

The offer expires on February 28, 2010.  Additionally, those to take advantage of this deal will also receive:

• $25 gift certificate toward purchase of their next Cirque show
• 20% off goodies at Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil boutiques

As a reminder, this is a LOCAL’S ONLY deal.  You must show proof of Nevada residency at the box office.  There are some other limitations (for example, “O” is only available for their 10:30 show and are very limited).

For the full scoop, go here: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/lasvegas/en/special/landing25.asp

The reason?

The Living in Las Vegas Podcast Virtual Video Meetup beta test we ran last Friday was a success(!) and as a result, I wanted to get our list member’s suggestions regarding a good day/time combo for our upcoming series of LiLV Virtual Video Meetups.

About 10% of those who read the email responded and I wanted to both share the top day/time combos along with asking for your comments.  Because we see this as a great way to keep in touch with our listeners PLUS a groovy way to introduce our listeners to each other, please take a moment and give us your thoughts on the matter!  Thank you in advance!

In analyzing the responses (Excel to the rescue!), here’s the top 5 most popular day/time combos:

1. FRIDAY at 5PM Pacific, tied with #2

I may have influenced this as it was the example I gave in the email. 

2. MONDAY at 8PM Pacific

This had the same number of votes as Friday/5pm.  My concern here is for the EST folks.

3. SUNDAY-THURSDAY from BETWEEN 6 – 9PM Pacific

Several comments suggesting a mid-week break from the daily grind.

4. SATURDAY at 9AM Pacific

Starting off the weekend right!  Would also give our many European listeners a chance to play along.

5. FRIDAY at 8PM Pacific

Starting off the weekend early!

What do you think?  Please take a moment right now and add a comment to the website.

Thanks again!

From time to time (like as I type this), we’ll fire up the live camera so you can get an over-the-shoulder look into what’s happening in the PodWorx studios here in Las Vegas.

You might see me conducting a pre-interview with a upcoming guest.  Or be able to watch a podcast being recorded live.  Or see some post-production work being performed.  Or prepping to release a new customer podcast episode.  Regardless, you’ll see a working studio in action!

Here’s the link: http://www.podworx.com/about-podworx/podworx-live-studio-cam/

$125 for two nights, including a $100 credit for dining, bar, and lounges at all casinos except Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock.  For those two properties, they are charging $250 for two nights, including $200 credit. And they added spa use for the $200 credit.

Here’s the link to their website.

From time to time, I get an email like the one above.  Melissa and I think it’s great that listeners to the show are interested in getting together, like we’ve done in previous meetups.  And while there’s nothing like seeing folks in person, there’s still many more people who’d like to attend but are unable to because their either busy, out of town, or not Las Vegas locals.

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to create a Virtual Video Meetup—where any of our listeners could join in for free, regardless of their location, and have some fun talking among each other.

After some preliminary testing, I think I’ve created such an environment on the Living in Las Vegas Podcast website!

Announcing the LiLV LIVE VIDEO CHAT ROOM

If you look on the Home Page of the Living in Las Vegas Podcast website, you’ll see a new graphic in the right-side column.  It takes you to our brand new LiLV LIVE VIDEO CHAT Room!  In it, we all can:

1. Host an unlimited number of participants
2. See and hear up to 12 Live Video Feeds from those participating in the meetup.
3. Add content to the real-time textual chat window
4. Engage in private text-chats with any participant

In our preliminary testing, we had five video feeds running at one time.  I’d like to push that a bit farther this evening, if you’re up for it!  So tonight I’m going to run a “beta” test of our new webpage: http://www.LivingInLV.com/VideoChat

Tonight at 5:30pm Pacific, you are invited to test out our new Live Video Chat Room.  I’ll be there with a lovely beverage hoping to talk with listeners from all over the place.  If you have a camera and microphone, come join the fun.  And even if you don’t, stop by anyways.  We had fun during our testing talking with people who just used the chat window provided for all participants.

Date: Today (11/13/09)
Time: 5:30pm Pacific
Where: http://www.LivingInLV.com/VideoChat
Why? Because I’m all about the Kumbaya, my friend!

Hope to see you tonight!

Welcome, Dermot, to our Friends of the LiLV Podcast page!

The cool thing is Dermot will be moving to Las Vegas in December!  I’m guessing we’ll have to meet for a pint sometime real soon!

[burp]

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  If you’re not, you should be!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  Many groovy things will come your way if you do so!

According to the press release I found, 4,000 fans attended last year’s Firstlook event.  This year’s event will “feature an increased amount of team and individual drills as well as shooting competitions to give fans a chance to see many of the new players. Eight Runnin’ Rebels who did not play in games last season are on this year’s roster.”

With the unemployment rate in Las Vegas at 13.4%, I’m sure there are a lot of folks who would appreciate this offer.

According to what I’ve read, the value of this offer is $470.  The YMCA would like those who accept the complimentary membership to make a tax-deductable donation or volunteer with the YMCA (although there is no obligation to do so).

YMCA of Southern Nevada Link

My interest came from the fact that when doing remote streaming video (that is, outside of our studio), I couldn’t always be sure the customer would have an Internet connection fast enough for us to use with our Tricaster.  I had heard about Clear from another live streaming video company, but at the time, it was only available in Portland, Oregon.

That was the bad news.  The good news is, on July 21st Clear became available in Las Vegas.

I was offered the opportunity to test drive the Clear WiMax USB Modem solution for 30 days.  Here’s what I learned/discovered/found out (in about two days):

Installation

I installed the Clear USB Modem on my Asus Eee PC 1000HA netbook.  Since it doesn’t have a CD drive, I downloaded and installed the drivers from the Clear website.  The software installation went well from what I could tell (no error messages), but once it was done, it didn’t instruct me to install the USB modem.  A little dashboard appeared in the lower right corner of my desktop, but that was it.  Not knowing what else to do, I plugged in the USB modem.

After about a minute of hard drive access, I was told the USB device was installed but there may be a problem.  Nonetheless, I clicked a little “Connect” link on the dashboard to see what would happen.

After about two or three clicks, the USB Modem was eventually discovered and I was connected to the Clear network.

At the House

I noticed after connecting that the little Clear dashboard has a horizontal line of ten-dots that indicator signal strength.  When inside my house (around Aliante area), I only had one dot.

While still in my house, I tried doing a download/upload speed test, but was unable to consistently connect to any website.  Figuring the problem might be related to the USB device warning I received during the installation, I rebooted the netbook.  Things got better after that.

While in the house, neither the Clear connection or my Verizon Broadband connection (on a different laptop) did a very good job.  I did some website surfing, and was not terribly impressed with either.  For example, when watching the embedded video on the Living in Las Vegas Podcast home page, the Clear Connection paused 10 times in the first 30 seconds of the video, each pause taking around 10 seconds (making it unwatchable).  The Verizon wasn’t much better (four pauses in first 30 seconds).  However, when I took the Clear/Netbook out to my backyard, things got much better.  The first 30 seconds of the video played with no pauses whatsoever. 

I also did a Skype video test with a friend in California (while still in my backyard). The Clear/WiMax provided a pretty good connection. Audio was good, and the video went from very good to just OK. During the connection, the 10-dot meter would fluctuate from 3-4 to 7-8. At 7-8, the Skype video immediately improved, according to my CA friend.

Speed Tests

I was really interested in some download/upload speed comparisons.  Here’s what I saw (using SpeakEasy.net as the testing website, selecting the Los Angeles Server):

In Aliante area:

Verizon Broadband (3 tests):

Download Speed: 826 kbps (103.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 99 kbps (12.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Download Speed: 611 kbps (76.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 100 kbps (12.5 KB/sec transfer rate)

Download Speed: 514 kbps (64.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 99 kbps (12.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Clear WiMax (3 tests):

Download Speed: 4175 kbps (521.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 431 kbps (53.9 KB/sec transfer rate)

Download Speed: 4806 kbps (600.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 330 kbps (41.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

Download Speed: 4151 kbps (518.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 398 kbps (49.8 KB/sec transfer rate)

Clear’s advertising claims 4x faster than mobile Internet from cell-phone providers.  Looks like they’re right.  Actually, it’s better depending on location:

Clear WiMax (3 tests): Tested at Flamingo and 215

New York Server (via SpeakEasy.net):
Download Speed: 5234 kbps (654.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 483 kbps (60.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Seattle Server:
Download Speed: 6887 kbps (860.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 442 kbps (55.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

Los Angeles Server:
Download Speed: 6158 kbps (769.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 349 kbps (43.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

Driving Test

I thought it would be fun to see how the Clear/WiMax rig would work while driving around town.  So, I did two tests:

1. Watch an embedded video on a website, then watch a live streaming video from Ustream.tv
2. Streaming LIVE video to Ustream.tv

Watch an Embedded Video on a Website

Before taking off West-bound on Ann toward the 215 (from about Simmons Ave.), I loaded the latest QBS LIVE MONDAYS video (qbsresearch.com).  It’s an embedded Flash video of about 30 minutes, being hosted by blip.tv.  Once I got on the road, I started the video. . .and it played perfectly.  The Clear/WiMax signal was strong most of the way.  There was one drop out (“Lost Network Connection”), but the video had already loaded completely in cache so it never stopped.

Wanting to prevent a video from being cached, I loaded a Ustream.tv live stream and played it from Ann/215 south to Flamingo/215.  During the drive, I had three drop outs:

• Ann/215
• Summerlin Parkway/215
• Charleston/215

The Clear/WiMax connection was able to reconnect without any intervention by me.  When I was getting a video stream from Ustream.tv, it worked well.  There were a couple start/stops but I don’t know if that was due to my connection or due to the host’s transmission.

Streaming LIVE video to Ustream.tv

Starting at about Flamingo and 215, I fired up a Ustream.tv stream to see if I could create a live video stream all the way back to Aliante.  During the drive (which was a leisurely 45 minute drive), I recorded the video via Ustream so I could review upon my arrival at the studio.

In review, I found I had six complete drop outs. . .where I lost my Internet connection.  A couple on Flamingo, a couple on Rainbow, one on 95/Craig, one on Ann/Aviary, and a final one that I was unable to recover from on Aviary, slightly north of Ann.  This automatically created six different videos (which was pretty neat).  Most of the way, I saw 10/10 signal strength. 

Here’s the first of the videos recorded. . .during the start of the big Clear/WiMax test:

As you’ll see, the frame rate isn’t terribly impressive.  The sound was consistent (a little distorted, but that was my fault).  For a free stream, I believe it would be fine.  If I was charging for the stream, not so much.

Conclusion

As a potential solution from my need to create a Tricaster-worthy upload stream (we normally stream at 448kps), the Clear/WiMax solution is close. . .but a little too close for comfort.  However, if you’re looking for a fast wireless connection throughout what appears to be most of the Las Vegas Valley, the Clear/WiMax solution is pretty spiffy.

Unlimited mobile plans starting at $40/month.

Here’s a link to the session on the LV Chamber Website [Guess What?  Traditional Sales Techniques are Killing Your Bottom Line].

This past Sunday, I was reading the business section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal when I literally stumbled upon a quarter-page ad the Chamber ran for my session!  I had no idea!  A copy of the advertisement is below.  Kudos to the LV Chamber for spreading the word.

If you’re reading this and you’re in Las Vegas, I hope you’ll attend the session.  It is going to be packed with a ton of great ideas to help drive more revenue for you and your company.

Welcome, John, to our Friends of the LiLV Podcast page!

(I wonder who the little fella in John’s arm is?  I wonder if John is the little fellow?)

By the way, are YOU on our Friends page?  It’s easy!  Just attach a photo of yourself to an email and send it to friends@livinginlv.com.  Many groovy things will come your way if you do so!

In the original Time’s article, the Realtor (Brooke Boemio) bragged about “helping clients who are underwater on their mortgages buy a second house on the cheap and stop making payments on their first mortgages, pressuring the bank into selling the houses for a loss” [from the Sun article].   She said that “everybody’s doing it”, including herself.

That practice, along with breaking into a foreclosure house, did not reflect well on the real estate community and has since brought some heat to Ms. Boemio.  Since the story appeared, she no longer works for Coldwell Banker, having “parted ways”.

According to the article, Nevada has the “statutory structure” in place to investigate and license online gambling companies.

My questions —

• How would this effect existing online casinos? 
• Would congress actually allow this to happen?
• Would this reduce visits to Las Vegas?

Whatcha think?

[8/26/09: Just learned that Time.com took down the video because of “some sensitivity with various issues”. There is a very interesting article on the Las Vegas Sun website about the fallout from the Time’s article — specifically, the Realtor quoted in the piece is in hot water.]

Article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915962,00.html

Along with the article, there was an associated video that followed a local real estate agent to two foreclosed properties, one of which was in Newport Lofts [recent blog post].  You’ve got to see this video.  Half of the units are empty, according to the real estate agent.  It’s startling what somebody was able to do at one of the lofts (change the locks?!?!).  They sneak into house later in the video to see the shape it’s in.  Here’s the video link:

Video: http://www.time.com/time/video/?bcpid=1485842900&bctid=33598672001

Have a great weekend everybody!

Melissa’s cousin was in town last week and we recommended she and her husband check it out (they are a: big sushi fans and b: don’t subscribe to my paranoia).

Come to find out, the Social House is no longer being social.  M’s cousin told us it was closed!

I didn’t know anything about that (obviously) so I sent out a tweet/facebook message asking around.  Here’s what I learned:

According to Pure Management Group (who run Social House and several other restaurants/clubs in LV). . .

“PMG announces that on Sunday, July 5 it will close its innovative sushi restaurant, Social House inside Treasure Island in order to concentrate on negotiations for a new location on the Las Vegas Strip for the popular restaurant concept.

PMG is excited to announce the new location once negotiations have been completed.”

Isn’t that crazy?  Why would they leave that location?  Why would TI allow them to leave?  Is this all about greed?  Was TI not being fair?  Will Batman save Robin from the giant clam?

I’d like to know what transpired behind-the-scenes to motivate a management group to simply shut down a restaurant, versus continue to negotiate.

(Melissa just walked in while I was writing this and said she didn’t think Social House was very well “featured” at TI.  She said it was “kinda hard to find, and that the restaurant itself you couldn’t see from the casino floor.”)

Wouldn’t it be cool to know what really happened?

Good thing I wasn’t too impressed.

At the time of the episode (February 2009), their entry-level studio loft (at about 912 square feet) was being offered at $199,000. . .which seemed reasonable considering they were once priced MUCH (2x I believe) higher.  I thought so highly of the Newport Lofts that I seriously considered purchasing one as a business investment.

Good thing I didn’t pull out my checkbook.

When I checked back with the website about two or so weeks after the show, the price for that studio loft had dropped an additional $20,000.  In two weeks.  And while that was psuedo-good news, it spooked me a bit as well- - -enough so that I decided against moving forward.  (There were other reasons as well, to be sure.  But the price dropping that much seemed a bit ominous.)

Good thing I spook easily.

I just saw today that 20 units (out of a total of 168) are being auctioned off, with a starting “reserve” price of. . .get this. . $90,000.  Can you imagine if you had invested in that property in February. . .or before?!? 

Yikes.

I wish I knew more about real estate and how to truly measure the soundness of a property like Newport Lofts.  Truth is, the potential of that property, with its amenities and location, seems very good.  But clearly, there’s more to it than that.

For those interested in the auction, here’s their flyer announcing the event [pdf].  It’s being help on August 29, 2009 at 3PM at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel.  (Wonder why they wouldn’t have the auction at the Newport Lofts?)

If I owned that entire property, I would look into converting it (or allowing for) commercial activity.  They would have to address the parking issue, but with those types of prices, imagine how quickly small business folks would snap those properties up.  It would great for artist/creative folks. . .and others as well.

Regardless, I sure hope this property makes it.  It’s beautiful and very well situated, just a few blocks south of Fremont street. 

We’re going to have dinner on the Strip tonight and celebrate both our nine years together and seven years of marriage.  I expect we’ll also toast to the fact that neither of us feel any kind of seven-year itch approaching!

Here’s a few pictures from the wedding:

Besides the nuptial anniversary, a second fun anniversary is fast approaching as well: this Saturday (8/1/09) will mark our forth year living in Las Vegas.

It’s a good week!

Seems like a pretty good deal to me!

We’re definitely going to take advantage of that some time this week.  And although our last experience at MRKT was mixed (we gave it a half and half on Hot and Horrible), the food, when it arrived, was pretty good.

“But wait a minute, Scott”, you say to yourself, “Isn’t this too soon?  Why, it took 55 days between the last two episodes, and 90 days for the last three.”

Yes, I know.  Thanks for that observation.

But Melissa is the boss.  And if she wants to share, I want to share.  Besides, we got a very impressive voice mail on our listener line (206.312.0105) from one of our Living in Las Vegas Podcast listeners that we wanted to get out there muy-pronto.

So this Sunday (7/19) it is.  I expect I’ll have it ready for download before 11am (or after 2pm, depending on some scheduling stuff).

Good food.  Good drink.  Good folks.  Mediocre baseball. 

Ah, I love this town.

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Cashman Field (850 Las Vegas Blvd), in front of ticket windows

Well, let’s fix that, shall we?

Melissa and I have finally found time in our schedule to record our next show!  The plan is to record the show this Saturday morning and I’ll have it online sometime Saturday afternoon.  This will be an audio-only show.

On the video front, I am planning a whole new “product” moving forward.

I plan to keep the Live Streaming Video alive when we record some of our full audio episodes.  In addition, instead of then deploying a video of what is an existing audio episode, we’ve got something else in mind that will be shorter, completely separate from our regular episodes, and, if the Gods of Podcast deems doable, more frequent in nature.

Stay tuned (and if you’re in Las Vegas, hire somebody)!

In Las Vegas, unemployment went from 10.4% in April to 11.1% in May, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

There are about 155,000 Nevadans out of work.

Now, the LVCVA makes it easier than ever for locals to plan a Stayaction or just have fun on the weekends with their Stay and Play Here website. The site aggregates Local Deals from all hotels in Las Vegas, Boulder City, Laughlin, Mesquite and Primm.

As the site says, “This is the world’s premier vacation destination and it’s right in our own backyard. Why let everyone else have all the fun?” So, what are you waiting for? Go have fun!

Now, recieve 20% OFF at some the shops at New York - New York Hotel & Casino. Available outlets include:

•  Essentials
• Soho Village
• Off Broadway
• I Love NYNY
• Nine Fine Irishman Retail (they have some cool jewelry)
• Zumanity retail

The offer is not available on tobacco, alcohol and sundries. Make sure to show your Nevada ID and mention the offer. Happy shopping!

The regular ticket price is $250. But Locals receive $100 off. The $150 package ($100 for Local Students) includes access to 16 films, all official parties, including two exclusive after-parties and access into CineVegas Headquarters at the Palms, where there is a daily happy hour with complimentary food and cocktails.

To purchase call 702.952.5555. Don’t forget your Local ID.

Another bit of good news in the housing market is that a luxury condo developer in Summerlin that declared bankruptcy last year has had its communities taken over by another developer. These communities were partially completed, with homeowners living among the skeletons of units that were never finished because of the bankruptcy. It seems like a good sign that this investor considers this the right time to come in and finish off these properties that were unsellable just a year or two ago.

Yes, home inventory is still high. And, yes, a lot still needs to happen in the Las Vegas economy before things turn around. But it’s little signs like these that are encouraging and make me feel like we’re on the right track.

This is sad news.  He was a classic Las Vegas act. . .of which there really aren’t many left. 

According to TMZ, Mr. Gans died at 3AM in his home in Las Vegas.  The news agency reports that his wife discovered his body and called for help.

Danny Gas was 57 52-years-old.

Can’t make it on Wednesdays? The gallery offers $3 off their regular price ($15) any other time for locals.

For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, call 702.693.7871. As always, a Nevada ID is required to recieve the savings.

You know what I like about Sundays?  Professional football.  There’s nothing like sitting down to a great game between your two favorite teams.  The excitement, the energy, the compe. . . .huh?. . .no pro football this Sunday?

Are you kidding me? 

What kind of a country is this?!?!  What the hell are you suppose to do this Sunday?  How are you going to be entertained and educated on this day of rest.

Where’s your Sunday bail out package?

Relax.  Your friends Scott and Melissa would never let you suffer.  Here’s the relief from a Sunday of sadness guaranteed to bring a smile to your face:

Living in Las Vegas Podcast LIVE Streaming Video Event

When: Sunday, April 26 
Time: 12:00PM PDT / 3:00PM EDT (There’s a reason for the later start time.  I’ll let Melissa explain during the show.)
Where: http://www.LivingInLV.com/LiveVideo

Put it on your calendar.  Bring your own booze (we might join you!).  Frolic about in the live chat.  And thumb your nose at the NFL!

We’ll see you on Sunday!

Now through May 31, Locals can purchase LOVE tickets starting at $60. That’s 40% OFF the original price! I don’t think you’ll find a deal better than this one, so purchase your tickets today by going here.

Tickets are limited to 6 per person and upon pick up you must show your local ID. For more information about the offer, visit Ticketmaster.

Now, Chippendales is offering locals tickets for $20 (regular priced tickets start at $39.95 plus taxes). To purchase, call 702-777-7776 and mention the Locals Offer.

Summerlin hosted what they called America’s Biggest Open House at new home communities last weekend. Judging by the cars in my neighborhood, their campaign is working to get people out looking at the models. When I came home around lunchtime on Saturday, the visitor’s lane at the guard gate in my community was six cars deep, and the parking lot at the sales office was overflowing. While new home prices haven’t quite caught up with the deals out there on foreclosures and short sales, several communities are advertising inticing offers like discounted ready-for-move-in homes (one neighborhood is advertising $155,000 off!) or kitchen and landscaping upgrades for free. Even if people don’t buy the new homes, this event is good for the community because it gets people driving around Summerlin, seeing what the area has to offer.