Las Vegas News

Zip and Learn?

/ Tim / 4 Comments

The RJ has an update to the Excalibur/Luxor zip line plans we broke in February. The FAA approved the plan on April 6, and Clark County signed off last night. The FAA approval becomes final on May 16, opening the door for MGM Resorts to start stringing the cables.

According to today’s update, three of the lines will serve as a multi-leg zip line course. The fourth line (starting at the Excalibur entrance) will function separately.

Here’s the weird part… the company that will run the thing, Ziptrek, plans to have guides (zip line sherpas?) lead zippers through the course, delivering educational lectures about “sustainability and four conditions which must exist in a sustainable society” during the two hours it will take to complete the course. People will be clamoring to get on the zip lines just to escape from the hippie buzzkill. How long before they drop the unnecessary lectures?

Speed: The Ride is Headed South

/ Tim / 6 Comments

Speed: The Ride Relocation

A few days ago, we began hearing that Speed: The Ride was finally being disassembled at the shuttered Sahara. According to a blog entry from the company doing the removal work, the roller coaster is headed for the Akita Plaza strip mall located across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay (not far from the alleged future home of the Skyvue ferris wheel).

A little more digging revealed additional details along with artist renderings.

Thanks to listener Allen for the tip.

Crazy Horse Paris—Now Featuring Neil Young!

/ Tim / 4 Comments

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the dead-sexy Neil Young writhing on a lip-shaped couch while wearing nothing more than a merkin and a smile? According to Ticketmaster, you’re in luck.

As part of its huge renovation project, MGM Grand is apparently breaking new ground with this one-of-a-kind mashup of its long-running French dance revue and Canada’s most influential singer-songwriter. How they’re going to make these two things work together is beyond me, but Criss Angel still has his own show so I guess anything is possible in Las Vegas.

The Fitz Becomes The D

/ Tim / 8 Comments

As rumored, Fitzgeralds is about to become The D Las Vegas. @denvergambler, who has been ahead of everyone on The D name change uncovered this YouTube link, which has since gone private:

The currently empty YouTube channel hosting the video offers a little insight into the new name/theme. It seems “D” stands for “Detroit” and “Downtown.”

On Tuesday evening, we will be speaking with The D’s head honcho, Derek Stevens, to get more information on the rebranding of The Fitz.

The Last Days of O’Sheas

/ Tim / 22 Comments

With Linq construction underway, we’ve been wondering when O’Sheas will close. We may have our answer. According to this Twitter post, employees received a 60-day termination notice on March 1. If this is accurate (as all things on the Internet are), plan to pour out a 40 in honor of O’Sheas on April 30.

Adding to the likelihood that the end-of-April closing is legitimate, tickets for Dirk Arthur’s show in the O’Sheas showroom are available only through April 28.

The Las Vegas Strip Zip Line Race Begins

/ Tim / 4 Comments

Thanks to the popularity of Flightlinez on Fremont Street, at least three Strip hotels may be getting zip lines of their own soon. According to a permit request from MGM Resorts International uncovered by @detroit1051, Luxor and Excalibur are planning up to four separate runs of four lines each. They would include:

  1. Excalibur entrance to roof of the pedestrian covered walkway at the southwest corner of Tropicana Ave. and the Strip. (500 feet)
  2. Top of the north side of the Luxor pyramid to the southwest corner of Excalibur. (950 feet)
  3. Roof of the southwest corner of Excalibur to a new platform at the northwest corner of Luxor’s east tower. (340 feet)
  4. New platform at the southeast corner of Luxor’s east tower to the roof of the Excalibur tram station. (1,440 feet)

Using my third-grade-level Photoshop skills, I put together a rough approximation of each zip line course’s route:

 

Meanwhile, across the street, Tropicana may be getting a zip line of its own. According to a recent Trop customer survey sent our way by @airportlimbo, “The zip line would run from the roof of our Club Tower down to the grassy area on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Tropicana Blvd. Riders would ‘fly’ over a portion of our pool and beach club area and land in a new structure that includes a new restaurant and bar with exceptional views of the flyers from take-off to landing as well as of the Las Vegas Strip.”

Based on that description, I’m thinking the route would look something like this:

 

So, the race to build the first Las Vegas Strip zip line is on. So many questions:

  • Who will build one first?
  • Will it happen before a Las Vegas Strip ferris wheel opens?
  • Will the zip line cables interfere with Parabounce?