by Jim Luciano

Last updated 2-19-1997

June 22, 1996

Monte Carlo

This column began while the spaghetti "Bolongnese" was wrapping around my fork. Moments before I was in the Polo Towers, resetting the computer which captures pictures of the Monte Carlo and other views along the Las Vegas Strip. It was then I decided to walk across the street for dinner and a look at the "new" place. The web page was fresh in my mind as I looked around for a place to eat.

Enjoying my spaghetti, the thought occurred to me that many of you will be coming to Las Vegas in the next year and might like to know something more about what's happening around town. Something more than what shows up in a travel brochure. Perhaps you're even wondering "Well how about the spaghetti? was it good?", "What are the prices like?", " What other types of restaurant do they have?".

So here's the idea, this web page will give you a local's view of Las Vegas, as up to date as you want it to be, about what you want to know. I'll visit places, take pictures, and report on the things you ask for. It's as simple as clicking my e-mail button to let me hear from you. jim-l@ix.netcom.com

Now for The MONTE CARLO. When I walked in the front door, I was somewhat surprised to see a restaurant right in front of me, the "Dragon Noodle Company". Las Vegas is continually evolving, and the old way of putting the restaurants somewhere behind a maze of gaming tables and slot machines seems to have changed. A few more steps, just past the "MegaBucks" ($8.858,435.38) slots, was the Market City Cafe. This restaurant is open to the casino, with a low wrought iron fence surrounding the perimeter, giving it the appearance of a sidewalk cafe.

At 6 pm I was able to get a table with no waiting and sat close to the entrance watching the endless stream of humanity. Many of the passersby appeared as curious about the diners on my side of the fence as I was about them. Several stopped to look at the menu posted at the entrance. The food is mainly Italian, with pasta priced at about $7.95 to 13.00, Pizza, fish, poultry, and various meat dishes are available, and you can add the antipasto (salad) bar for $4.35. By the time my friendly waitress, Dee, brought me coffee, I noticed the Megabucks was up to $8,859,261.97 (and no, I don't play!). The service was very good, and I noticed that the chef (Armando) stood right up front, wearing a headset which he used to give commands to unseen food preparer's, he watched every detail and inspected every plate before it was sent on to a guest.

What else do they have at the Monte Carlo? Well, Lots! Another restaurant named simply Cafe, Hagen Daaz, MacDonalds, Sbarro, Golden Bagel, Nathans (the hot dog stand from Coney Island in New York) and the very large but somehow cozy Pub & Brewery. They brew their own and have an attractive forest of copper kettles to view. Overall I liked the Monte Carlo, for one thing I didn't get lost. The layout is such that with just one brief visit I have a good sense of where everything is, whereas in some of our other mega-resorts I feel the need for a road map to get around. Their "middle-class elegance" seems to have worked as well. Throughout the casino and restaurants the feeling is that things have been done with quality in mind. A $350 million dollar resort has much more that I haven't talked about, but I'll leave that for another time.

A New Town - Pop. 5,000

July 15, 1996

 Have you ever been to a small town, with a population of five or six thousand? A school, several stores, a few thousand homes, supermarket, movie theater, gas stations, maybe even an automobile dealership. I guess you get the idea, but don't forget all the infrastructure: phones, roads, sewer and so much more. So?? ... well the point is, there is more going on than just new hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. The population has been increasing about 5,000 to 7,000 EVERY MONTH for several YEARS!

Somehow Las Vegas keeps up with it all. If you enjoy new restaurants, movies, nightclubs, etc. Las Vegas is for you! Just to keep up with the growth we have to build a small town a month. You can go to new places all the time! It also makes for great shopping, new stores and malls are opening all the time. Las Vegas reminds me of the computer business, every time you think it just can't grow anymore someone announces a new, bigger, better computer (hotel?). And if you don't drive through some areas for a few months, you'll likely get lost when you return. Perhaps our occasional rain incited a few neighborhoods to simply burst out of the desert? It sometimes appears that way.

This is NOT a promotion for the local Chamber of Commerce, to tempt you into moving here. This life style doesn't suit everyone. Besides, we DO have some quiet, stable, neighborhoods as well. No this is just a peek at what goes on if you wander a few miles off the strip. If you'd like to know more about the "local's view" away from the strip (or ... NOT!), click this E-mail link jim-l@ix.netcom.com and let me hear from you.

The Theme of the Week - Themes

July 21, 1996

 In the endless quest to live up to the title "Entertainment Capital of the World" Las Vegas now gives you a generous helping of entertainment to go along with your steaks and burgers. At Speilberg's "Dive" (Fashion Show Mall, across the street from Treasure Island) you can eat underwater. Of course Las Vegas has the de riguer Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, and plans for a Rain Forest dining experience at the Stratosphere Tower. Speaking of the Stratosphere, they will now have a free shuttle bus that stops only here at the Polo Towers, at regular intervals throughout the day.

Getting back to the theme, one of the newest is right across the street, and is seen right here on the internet many times a day as our camera scans back and forth. It's the Country Star, a country and western themed restaurant, that has investors such as Reba McEntire. I had lunch there Thursday. Entering the front door you pass through what is becoming a norm for Las Vegas, a "Logo Shop". You can get Country Star T-shirts, mugs, or bar-b-que sauce before you even get into the restaurant. There are country music videos playing on NUMEROUS TV's all over the place. Big screens, regular screens, groups of screens, TV screens in the floor and yep, even TV's in the bathrooms! I found the prices to be a little high for an everyday working lunch (about $8 - $12 not including beverage). But not too high considering the location in one of the hottest areas in Las Vegas. (Our local newspaper says the land around our neighbor hood is going for about $5 million an acre). If you're a little bit country or even if you're not (the food is top quality), you might try the Country Star.

The Review-Journal's story reported there are several more themed restaurants on the way. Some possible new places include Super-model Fashion Cafe, and an auto-racing/rock theme. Already in construction, right next door is a Marvel Comics theme in the Showcase pictured above. You can watch it's progress in our camera shots). Soon to begin construction on the other side of Polo will be the Harley-Davidson Cafe. I'm sure there are a few more on the planning boards as well as in the hopes and dreams of entrepreneurs caught up in the excitement of living in city where many dreams DO come true.

July 6, 1996

New York - New York

 I like the way it looks. It's unique. Yes we have waterfalls & volcanoes (a Mirage?), a Circus(-Circus) along with an MGM Lion, Several Western themes, battling sailing ships (Treasure Island), and more. But New York City in the desert? Well you have to see it, and for those unfortunate few in the world that won't be here in the next few months, I've included a few pictures. From the outside they are doing it all, a facade of brownstones, with the Chrysler and Empire State buildings in the background, and the Statue of Liberty standing on the corner of the Strip and Tropicana. It makes for an interesting sight on the way to work every morning! It's scheduled to open in December, and will probably make the 5 o'clock traffic ... well ..., even more interesting.