Sh*t You May have Missed: Fremont 60th, Palms Station, Steve Wynn Ziplines, Barbara Streisand …more

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For the week ending May 20th, 2016, it’s Sh*t You May Have Missed! And now *drum roll* BigAzMarty!

Hi, all! BigAZMarty here with some news and goings on that you may have missed:

1. Fremont turns 60, and the celebration looks to be about the same!!! At least there are some new chips you can get your hands on!!! Heck, even Bill Boyd showed up…some history…. I believe Boyd bought Fremont and Stardust in 1985 and had slowly expanded deliberately across Vegas. The only mistake was to trade Barbary Coast for some land Caesars/Harrah’s had down where Echelon was supposed to be and to tear down the StarDust.

2. Humorous article on what Red Rock Resorts should to with newly acquired “Palms Station.” I agree, except, no mention of what Red Rock should do with the biggest Hooters Restaurant in Las Vegas. Maybe make it a UFC ring girl club?

3. MGM Resorts won’t charge locals to park for now. Interesting because this week I received an MLife email stating that Pearl and above members can still self-park for free, and Gold and up members can still get free (except for tipping of course) valet parking for free. I see a way around this…if Nevada has an ID program that uses the same bar code as their driver’s licenses…I can see a DMV bonanza run until they start to charge locals as well. I think that parking garages will be empty and perhaps a secondary lot business that would charge much less, but, on the monorail line could own the business if they go forward with this….you know it will trigger a pave paradise and put up a parking lot scenario. BTW rumor flying around that Caesars will follow suit beginning of next year.

4. Caesars bankrupt unit is getting some parent financial help. Interesting turn of events. First, Caesars shops around the Interactive Entertainment portion of CIE (online social, online WSOP and such) and finds they can fetch $4 Billion for it. Second, junior creditors ask BK judge to allow to sue parent and Private Equity holders for $12 Billion (even examiners said CZR, Apollo, TPG could be on the hook for up to about $5.1 Billion in litigation but in a non-binding document). Third, Caesars magically finds a way to combine new notes in a new company, new stock issuance, and other items to offer creditors at a value of $4 billion. I think that the junior creditors might just be willing to call that bluff and pull all of CZR (CIE, CACQ) and strip Apollo and TPG out of it and take it over directly and flip it to someone that knows how to run a casino business well.

5. Steve takes a flying leap twice…at Slotzilla. A personal test of what ziplines can be all about for the new Fantasy Island? Vital Vegas rocked this and loved seeing Steve getting a zipline wedgy. He should go over to the Rio and test the VooDoo Zipline next…maybe adjust it to Top of Wynn tower to Island? The only thing I have to say is, has anyone walked on “white sand” beaches when it’s 118 degrees out? It is not a world class experience let me tell you. You will blister in about 5 minutes…Steve will probably have the best handicap scooter rental business after it gets that hot in Las Vegas.

6. Westin closing casino in favor of a restaurant..but the sports book will stay open.

7. Jewel nightclub to open at Aria this week. Hey, I’m not really into the VIP/bottle service thing. When I was very young (i.e. in the 20’s) we might spend a $20 on a BlackJack/Craps or Roulette Wheel. But, most of the time it was hitting clubs that were not in the casinos (The Shark Club on Harmon, The old Beach Club on Paradise.) A high cover on the weekend would be like $10, decent drink prices, enormous dance floors and a lot of jubilant dancing people and excellent air conditioning. For you millennials out there, we weren’t that much different….experiences over taking a risk and losing club money was the same back then. But, the casinos really didn’t have clubs back then which is why we found them outside of the casinos. Also, remember I’m talking about a time when the minimum wage was like $2.35 – $3.35 an hour as well.

8. Tropicana news is heating up. Robert Irvine to create a new restaurant at Tropicana.  Opening in 2017. Let’s hope that Penn Gaming can really do something with this property…my thoughts…lose all the old “Garden” buildings that were part of the old original hotel (the low buildings). Put in people movers in that long hallway to big hotel tower or at least put some nice VP bars in there like there used to be when Aztar ran the place. The draw here is the pool area…keep that nice and pristine and you should have a decent draw. Maybe a new parking structure to block out the Hooters Casino to the east? Also, a rumor of Cherry Boom Boom going to announce dates at Tropicana…hmm Robin scooped us again…Cherry Boom Boom Live Sept. 8. I remember that at one time prior to the Great Recession this resort was going to look vastly different that it does now. See for yourself.

9. Pre-announcement Barbra Streisand will play at MGM and AXS’s T-Mobile Arena August 6, 2016. Tickets don’t go on sale to the regular public until May 25…but the MLife email with presale just arrived. That is a Sat night…expect exorbitant room rates nearby that weekend. If anyone remembers didn’t she open MGM Grand (the current one not what is now Bally’s)? I will say this…I did not see the MGM show but have family that did and they still to this day speak of that show with reverence.

10. New things to do…by the time you read this TopGolf off Koval at the back corner of the MGM property is having a grand opening with a Friends and Family event.

11. Beauty and Essex opened last weekend at the Cosmo. Robin Leach was there, and there are photos as well. Not a surprise, we wrote this up some time ago.

That’s their sh*t, now for our sh*t

12. Our week started off with the Vegas Bright Podcast Episode 8: Poured Over Ice and Minty. There was Vegas news from here and there with some Vegas history (1906 – 1926) as well as some fond thoughts on The Mint. Hosted by Michael Movestro.

13. MGM Resorts launched a website to explain the new paid parking rates. They hope it makes you feel better.

14. Blonde4ever shared 10 reasons to love Main Street Station. She probably could have listed another 10 if she wanted.

15. Sammasseur shared why “The Beatles: LOVE” remains one of the most spectacular and satisfying shows in town. The new additions to the show make it more upbeat.

16. Michael Movestro reviewed Sprinkles, the ice cream and cupcake maker at LINQ Promenade (and their Cupcake ATM).

17. Michael James went on a stroll through the Neon Museum and compared it to an earlier visit in 2009.

18. Greg Bennett took a drive to Zion National Park; it was too rainy for two wheels, so he brought his car. Let’s call it “a very special edition of Vegas on Two Wheels.”

19. Michael Movestro reviewed Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, great meals for under $20. Sure most Mexican restaurants have meals under twenty bucks, but are those meals as delicious?

20. YoEleven, one of our readers, shared his First Vegas Trip. It has craps (the table game) and Tropicana, (not the orange juice)!

21. And of course, this article you’re reading right now by BigAzMarty.

Our Bonus Facebook Sh*t

Greg C shared footage he shot of the Riviera demolition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKXgptgWHNo

Our Bonus Twitter Sh*t

Greg Bennett, our Vegas on Two Wheels correspondent, is also the morning meteorologist on Las Vegas KTNV (ABC 13). He’s in a contest and could use your vote:

Vote for @GregBennettWx of @KTNV for Las Vegas’ Favorite Weathercaster! https://t.co/Ab7ZXJ68nt

— Weatherist (@Weatherist) May 16, 2016

And that’s all the Sh*t You May Have Missed for this week!

[Images: Michael Movestro, Sammasseur, Greg C, CardCow, Michael James, Hakkasan Group ]