Boulder City is a wonderful small town about 15 miles south of Las Vegas.  It is the town that built “Hoover Dam”.  It is also the only city in the state of Nevada without gambling.  In other words a visit is really worthwhile. On November 25-26-27 of this year the annual Boulder City Gingerbread House contest will be held here. It will take place in the Boulder City Recreation Center next to City Hall in down town Boulder City.. Entry fee is $20 and some large cash prizes and wonderful crystal trophies will be available.  Call Rudi at 702 293 6061 or go to http://bcgingerbreadhouse.com for entry forms and rules. The contest is held to benefit Family Promise of Las Vegas, a charity.  Last year we were able to raise a substantial sum of money for this charity. This year there will be entertainment, food and wine.

Boulder City is a wonderful small town about 15 miles south of Las Vegas.  It is the town that built “Hoover Dam”.  It is also the only city in the state of Nevada without gambling.  In other words a visit is really worthwhile. On November 25-26-27 of this year the annual Boulder City Gingerbread House contest will be held here. It will take place in the Boulder City Recreation Center next to City Hall in down town Boulder City.. Entry fee is $20 and some large cash prizes and wonderful crystal trophies will be available.  Call Rudi at 702 293 6061 or go to http://bcgingerbreadhouse.com for entry forms and rules. The contest is held to benefit Family Promise of Las Vegas, a charity.  Last year we were able to raise a substantial sum of money for this charity. This year there will be entertainment, food and wine.

You think this is sin city?  Maybe in the back alleys, but not in the big casinos.

A couple of casinos got into trouble recently for lack of morals.  Yes, that’s basically the complaint. 

Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood lost its license for, among other things, allowing toplessness to occur on its premises.  There were additional allegations of sexual harassment and physical violence between patrons and staff.  And at the Rio, the Sapphire topless pool was voluntarily closed after gaming control officials said it failed an “integrity check” without saying exactly what they found.  That pool is staffed by topless dancers from the gentlemen’s club of the same name.

(BTW:  can anyone tell me why they are called “gentlemen’s clubs”?)

Out-of-town visitors might be surprised to hear that toplessness in a nightclub is anything unusual here, as maybe the Miami operators of Prive thought.  But they would be wrong.  Gaming is one of the most controlled industries anywhere.  Our convention authority may be successful in pushing “what happens here,” but it is not going to happen in a casino where there is too much big money for either the operators or the government to allow hanky panky.  And remember, this state has a Republican governor and voted for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush–not to mention a senator who has famously aired his moral positions recently.

I wonder how many visitors come here really intending to act up, and how many just want to fantasize about it.  The “ranches” in the next counties certainly have business, as do the untaxed and unregulated working girls of our town.  I feel most visitors are happy seeing great shows and donating large amounts of money to us.

What do you, our visitors, think about Las Vegas as Sin City?

The Nevada legislature has voted to ease smoking restrictions in bars.  Last year voters approved a ban of smoking in establishments that serve food.  Of course casinos were exempted from the rule (the occupational health of dealers isn’t important), but neighborhood bars that previously served food had to choose between serving food and allowing smoking.  Some chose to eliminate food service, others chose to ban smoking or to provide a separate room for drinking and smoking.  Local small bars claim that the smoking ban ruined their business.

Less than a quarter of adults smoke.  But what do people do when they gamble?  Drink and smoke.  Neighborhood bars survive because of their slots, so it could be valid that this hurt their business.  A lot of people WILL avoid smoky bars, but that people who gamble generally want to smoke.  For other people who want a pleasant meal or to hang out at a nice wine bar, it has been a good change in the past year to be able to do it smoke-free.

Despite the referendum, the legistature has now decided to alter the smoking ban so that food and smoking can go together again, with smoking banned only where children are likely to be present.  So regular restaurants should remain smoke-free, and smoky bars can sell bar food again.  This may be headed to the courts to see if the legislature can overturn a referendum.

In a related story ( in the category of “Your Government Inaction”):  while the Governor was proposing cutting UNLV’s budget by 53% because of the State’s extreme deficit, a Senate committee voted not to tax legal prostitution.  Hmm, money for education vs. money for the prostitution industry.  I guess it’s like any other professional service that doesn’t pay state tax (lawyers, doctors, etc.)

(As you know, prostitution is not legal in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located.  We don’t have that kind of stuff here.)

The latest project in trouble?  City Center, the multibillion dollar, multi-hotel/condo/retail resort scheduled to finish construction by the end of 2009.  MGM Mirage’s partner, Dubai World (the investment arm of the Dubai government) failed to contribute their part of the funding due at the beginning of this month.  MGM Mirage covered it.  Oh, and Hooter’s is the latest casino on the trouble list.  If you come to Vegas, better check that one out while it’s still there.  On second thought, don’t bother.  Life is too short.

The downturn in the economy has hit Las Vegas harder than most places.  We have been leading the country in foreclosures, and our unemployment has already reached 10%.  The latest news is that the investment arm of Colonial Bank, already a majority owner of Station Casinos, is offering to pump money into MGM Mirage for an ownership stake.  You can see the effects in the deals the hotels are offering, after years of trying to be high-end at high-end prices.  All the same, I spent $10.75 the other day for one slice of pizza, a serving of potato salad and a small bottled water at the Rio.  Guess not everyone has gotten the word yet that business as usual won’t cut it anymore.