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This Issue: Kids in Las Vegas

Curious about a show, restaurant, or other Las Vegas attraction that looks fun? Let us review it for you first! Suggestions are always welcome at: allvegastv@aol.com

LAS VEGAS NEWS – of interest to tourists:

VEGAS ON TV – Two fall shows have a Las Vegas setting this fall. C.S.I. is crime drama about Las Vegas forensic investigators and airs Friday nights on CBS. Story at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Oct-09-Mon-2000/living/14554329.html Nikki Cox plays a Las Vegas showgirl in love with a wrestler in the WB comedy Nikki on Sunday nights. Story at http://www.tvguide.com/newsgossip/insider/001006c.asp

FINE DINING – Reporter Phil Vettel took a romp through many of the new upscale restaurants including Delmonico, Nobu, Trattoria del Lupo, Eiffel Tower restaurant, and more. Full story at http://www.dallasnews.com/travel/lasvegas/57746_finedine.html

HALLOWEEN – Everything from the WCW Halloween Havoc 2000 to a KISS tribute band to a costume party in Caesar’s Magical Empire is on tap for Halloween. Full listing at http://www.vegas.com/halloween.html

FALL COLORS – If you have ever thought of getting away from the tables for a few hours and seeing some of Southern Nevada, there is no time like the present. Mt. Charleston is less than an hour from the Strip but a world apart from Las Vegas with the cool temperatures and vegetation. The leaves are turning, creating some great photo opportunities. Story and beautiful pictures at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Oct-08-Sun-2000/living/14528055.html

VIRTUAL BLACKJACK – Some casinos are getting ready to experiment with dealing a “virtual” deck of cards. You still place your chips, have a human dealer, but cards are displayed on screens. Full story at http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/news/stories/00092502n.html and our poll at http://www.accessvegas.com this week asks you how you would feel about playing against “virtual” cards.

$25 HOTEL REBATE — you pick the hotel! Our partners at Hotel Reservations Network are giving you $25 back on any 2+ night stay in Las Vegas or any major city they reserve. Claiming your cash is simple:

1. Print out: http://www.accessvegas.com/100-rebate.htm
2. Book a room online at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-discounts.htm
3. Send in for your rebate when you get home.

It doesn’t get any easier than that, and you get their low price guarantee
to boot!

Quick Concert and Show Notes:

SHOWS – See which shows are playing during your stay and book reservations EVEN if the tickets aren’t on sale yet. Let ShowVegas takes care of all your needs directly online! Search by dates at http://www.showvegas.com/svpricing.cfm?cscheme=5&amid=143

LAS VEGAS AIR SHOW – The inaugural Las Vegas International Air Show will take place October 13, 14 and 15 at the Jean Sport Aviation Center, located approximately 20 miles south of Las Vegas, and free shuttles are provided. Show info at http://www.lvairshow.com

RADIO MUSIC AWARDS – are coming to the Aladdin featuring Christina Aquilera, Everclear, Enrique Inglesias, Joe, Ricky Martin, 98 Degrees, No Doubt, Pink, Sugar Ray, Ocsar De La Hoya, and many more. Tickets on sale this Saturday at 10 AM Pacific time at (702) 785-5000 and Aladdin discount rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas.htm (Aladdin link).

CONCERTS and HEADLINERS – Our listing is available online anytime at http://www.accessvegas.com/entertainment/index.htm

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LAS VEGAS WEATHER – This 5 day forecast is courtesy of Weather.Com:

Wednesday – 75/64 Partly Cloudy
Thursday – 68/53 Mostly Cloudy
Friday – 74/46 Partly Cloudy
Saturday – 76/47 Mostly Sunny
Sunday – 78/47 Mostly Sunny

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Note: This is a repeat of the feature story from June 24, 1999. At the time, we only had a fraction of the readership now, and the question of whether to bring kids to Vegas continues to be a hot topic. In addition, last weekend I had the misfortune to see young children out on the Strip and downtown well past what anyone would consider to be a reasonable bedtime.

FEATURE STORY: Kids In Las Vegas

Bringing children to Las Vegas has long been an intense debate among both Las Vegas tourists and tourism professionals. In the early 90’s, casinos thought it would be a great idea to build theme parks and try to turn the town’s image from “sin city” to “family friendly.” Then they realized that they GOOFED. Mirage Resorts started instituting “no stroller” policies, and hotels like the Riviera and Tropicana started advertising slogans like “Rollers, Not Strollers.” The word got around that catering to families is stupid because they use the cheap rooms, eat the cheap food, and are too busy with the kids to gamble.

While we aren’t concerned about the casino’s bottom line (our income is derived from booking rooms and rental cars), every trip to the Strip or downtown — made often in this line of work — we see tourtured-looking parents with the mommy pushing the stroller and the daddy dragging along the 5 year old, neither of whom should have been subjected to miles of walking through this adult playground.

I’ve seen happier faces on gamblers who just lost 5 straight $100 hands at blackjack than on these parents faces, who undoubtedly have to be envious of all child-free tourist couples whom look like they are having the romantic vacation of a lifetime. And these kids that young won’t remember their first visit to Las Vegas.

If your children are old enough that you feel comfortable letting them run around an amusement park, checking in every few hours, then they will find plenty to do here. Just give them the cell phone, you keep that SkyTell pager, and have a great time. And if they are old enough to perhaps remember a supervised vacation and you can resist the temptation of parking them in the hallway or stuffing in the room while you take just one more pull or play just one more hand (let’s face it, winning seems to always happen when you don’t have the time to keep playing), then you might do fine.

But you will be happiest leaving them with the grandparents for the weekend and really enjoying your stay.

Next week, we return back to regular reviews, but the amount of very young children baking in the summer heat and the unhappy parents pushing them around that we have seen the past couple of weeks made us feel compelled to comment.

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BARGAIN ROOM RATES – Aladdin for $64.95? Stardust for $19.95? No, it’s not 1990. These are the actual room rates available the week leading up to Christmas and other “off-peak” times. Limited availability so act now at
http://www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/pickcity?SID=IVC&LKF=IVC

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Lisa from Santa Rosa, CA wrote:

>I am a frequent visitor to Vegas and have always rented a car instead
>of dealing with high price cab fares and unkind cabbies.á I have
>always heard of a bus that leaves from the airport and all you pay is
>$5.00, I have also heard this can be done with a limousine service.á I
>will be in town for New Years Eve and don’t want to rent a car since
>streets will be closed.á Do you have any information on these cheaper
>ways from the airport to the strip hotels ?á Thanks.

We share your feeling about the cost of cabs — I prefer to rent a car also. Let me clear up one point: Only the Strip itself is closed, and that closure doesn’t start until about 8-9 PM and it is open again by 3 AM. I usually don’t arrive down at the Strip for New Year’s Eve until 8 PM, and use back roads to get to parking garages like Paris or MGM (although that is pushing it). The LVCVA has the info you are looking for at http://www.vegasfreedom.com/play-12.asp

Jessica Lehnert wrote:

>Where is the best Jacuzzi suite in Las Vegas ?

Readers … do you have any suggestions for her? Write to allvegastv@aol.com

Tedd & Kathy Adamek of Nutley, N.J wrote:

>Read you religiously and appreciate the deals. Just
>got back from implosion weekend and was greatly
>disappointed in the new Aladdin Hotel. Each new hotel
>built added a new “WOW” to Vegas. This one had
>nothing!! It didn’t even have an eye catching
>appearance to draw you in. Once inside it had the
>cheesiest decor that gave us a big laugh. The Desert
>Passage (shops) were no comparison to the Forum Shops
>and just as empty as the Venetian Shops. So I hope
>that no one has their hearts set on seeing a new
>spectacular Hotel & Casino as was the case with Paris,
>Bellagio & Mandalay Bay. Tip of the trip– Monte
>Carlo’s Market City Cafe. Great Italian food, nice
>atmosphere & reasonable prices.

W. Forsyth wrote:

>Love your Access Vegas News and Reviews.á Visiting Vegas in the next
>two weeks.á Are you aware of any great deals on exchanging Canadian
>Money.á PS.á Please advise the best rate of exchange.á We will be leaving
>before your next issue.

We have readers in over 40 countries — let us know where you prefer to exchange your currency? Write to allvegastv@aol.com

George Watson of Scotland wrote:

>My wife and I had an enjoyable nine days in
>Vegas.á We took a video camera with us to take shots to remind us of
>our visit.á Having got the usual external shots, including the
>implosion of El Rancho, we investigated taking some internal ones.
>Some Casinos have no restrictions, some have restricted areas while
>others will not allow any filming inside.á Any one interested in
>filming inside should go to the security desk first to find out the
>Casinos policy on filming.á The biggest surprise was that some Malls
>forbid filming.

That’s a great point to remind people. Always ask security before filming in a casino. You might get away with a quick shot of your partner at a slot machine, but many casinos continue to frown on photography to protect the privacy of their clients.

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Your input is welcome. Write us a “letter to the editor” at allvegastv@aol.com While space doesn’t permit publishing every letter, we do certainly read them all and they help shape our content. Please include your name if you wish to have it published (stating your city is optional). Also, guest article submissions are welcome with full credit to you, your website, etc., if accepted.

Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Scenic Southwest Tours – by plane, bus, or even helicopter! You’ve seen the glossy ads in the tourist brochures. You’ve thought about it. You come all the way to Las Vegas — why not see one of the some of the most famous landmarks in the world! Don’t by tricked by web sites & magazines that offer discount tours. Taxes, park fees, permits can almost double the price. Our prices are inclusive – no hidden charges! Best Las Vegas Tours

ONLINE POLL – “Would you prefer Digital Blackjack (dealer hits button, computer “deals” on a screen) to traditional blackjack?” Let’s hear your opinions at http://www.accessvegas.com — results will be published in two weeks!

Results from last weeks poll “How interested are you in riding the monorail when it is completed?”

I did that once at Disneyland when I was a kid. 11%
Might try it once, but I don’t see the point. 15%
Probably, as long as it is an easier way to travel the Strip. 50%
I can’t wait … anything to get me away from traffic and crowds! 23%

FREE CONTESTS:

Rules (unless otherwise noted or link to outside contest): You may enter every contest, but only one entry to each. Please note the expiration date and only enter if you will be in town and can use them. The 20’th entry in each contest will be the winner. Just sent a blank email to the specified email address — we’ll get your mailing address from you only if you win. Also, please do not enter if you have won within the past month.

Note: We will announce the winners of the collectable Viva Las Vegas tickets next week.

STATION CASINOS – We have a coupon book with $2100 (not a misprint) in coupons for the various Las Vegas area station casino properties. Coupons include free or 1/2 price food and drinks, match play coupons, bingo, apparel and more. We’ll take the 20’th entry at (contest closed)

INVENSYS CLASSIC – golf tournament is in town through the weekend. We have one copy of the Review-Journal’s special comprehensive section on this tournament. Perfect for the avid golf fan. Enter at (contest closed)

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New to the list? Back issues and subscription info can be found on the web at: https://las-vegas-news-reviews.com

Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates,
but please ask for permission before reproducing the content in any
form — we would just like to know who you are, that’s all. Thanks!

All contents copyright MM Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.
October 11, 2000
ISSN: 1529-2770