But after four years of recordings, a few computer crashes and a few website catastrophes, we lost some notes and photos on the shows.  So we would really like some listener help….

If there is anyone or anybody who would want to lend us their ears and review the podcasts, than write a description/review of a/the podcast… We would be greatly appreciated and be able to repay you in kindness, our devoted love and adoration, publishing credits and world wide exposure.  Plus we may be able to throw in  some really cool show tickets or something for the next time you are in town……

Now I am not promising world acclaim or writers hall of fame…  Just writer credit.  What we would like is a report on what we talked about, who we trashed or praised and what links we gave out or referenced…  Plus other commentary on that show.

If this sounds like something you would like to tackle, let us know.  Hit the contact button and we will send you the links to the shows we need reviewed.

And Thanks!!!

Just for the record: Geocaching is an addictive sport/hobby, whatever you want to call it…  Ok?  Just wanted that out and in the open for anyone interested in trying this out on their next trip to Las Vegas. So don’t blame us when you come to Vegas for a vacation and miss your flight home because you were looking for Gracie!

Now let me explain.  After upgrading my GPS device this weekend, Sazzy and I headed off to the Strip to do something Sazzy talked about a few years ago.  Geocaching.  yes, another Partners in Crime adventure was about to begin.

According to Geocaching.com: Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices (most new smart phones are GPS equipped). The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online.

Someone hides something somewhere, goes online and logs its coordinates plus leaves a clue or two.  Others log on, get the information and head off to find it.  Each is ranked according to its difficulty and the type of terrain it is located in or near.  Some may look easy until you see it is on the other side of a mountainous ravine or a wall/parking lot, etc…

If you find the caches, there is usually something in it; A toy, a card or a notebook.  Each has its own instructions on what to do when you find it.  Generally when you find it, sign it, record your discovery than return it to where you found it.

Come to find out, Las Vegas is littered with these.  Some are easy, some hard.  I found two on the Strip that looked simple enough.  I grabbed Sazzy and we were off on an adventure.

(The Strip?  On Saturday Night?? We never said we were sane)

The first one was titled “Say Good Night Gracie”.  A tribute to the late George Burns, who played at Caesars Palace.  The cache is supposedly located near the Caesars Palace lower Valet.

After searching and probing for over an hour to no avail, we headed for a second one close by. “Is it a Mirage?”  It was pretty funny because after not finding Gracie, we marched off with this sense of determination.  The need to accomplish, to find and to conquer.  After all, this is Vegas, this is our home turf!!  We were not going to let a little cache stop us in achieving our mission.

Following the clues put us on top of the Mirage parking garage.  After not finding anything that looked like a cache, we called it a night and headed  home without any trophies to speak of. Just a really deep desire to get out there and do it again.

This drove me nuts, not finding a simple cache in a simple parking lot with clues that pretty much told us where it was and coordinates that were very accurate..…. So this morning, I returned to the scenes of the crime.  While hunting around Caesars Valet, I actually ran into another man looking for Gracie.  He had a few thousands finds under his belt and this one had him stumped.  It didn’t help that the signal bounced off the Coliseum.  I think he is still there looking.

Meanwhile, I was determined to have something for this post.  So I headed back over to the Mirage to figure out why we couldn’t find it last night.  Actually it was right where we were standing the night before; I just didn’t take the clue too literal.  “Feel for it”.   Yea, I do canyon tours and know not to reach into dark holes.

Looking right where I looked the night before and there it was;  tiny and hidden.  Hidden, but easy to see once you put some light on the subject.  I pulled it out, opened the capsule, and unrolled the paper inside.  Added our name to it, photographed it and put it back.

I can now say with great pride, The Vegas Tourist, as a team, is no longer Geocache virgins!  The first one is now down with many more on the horizon..

Interested?? Take a look at the geocaches site, look at where the caches are.  Next time you are in Vegas, give us a heads up and maybe we will join you on the search or plant one of our own for you to find!

So Sazzy and I needed a break for our vortex’s.  It was a beautiful Friday and we decided to escape the palatial palace’s of  The Vegas Tourist and play tourist for a few hours.  We had no real destination in mind, so we headed off to the Bellagio and see what’s new.

The Bellagio has out done themselves again with their newest design for its conservatory.  Changed up the theme a little from last spring and went with a display modeled after the classic book “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.”

I kind of thought more of the movie “Honey I shrunk the Kids” trapped in Martha Stewart’s garden.  Complete with a colony of 10-foot long ants, sculpted entirely of bronze.  The queen ant is 24-feet long and weighs more than four tons.

Not to mention the 15-foot flowerpot tipped over next to the 28-foot spade and all the king-size animated butterflies, bumble bees, frogs and snails frolicking.  Did I mention the 15-foot tall mushrooms and of course, the thousands of tulips (?), poppies, daisies, mums and daffodils.

One surprise was the rare exhibition of 10 sculpted potted olive trees.  The largest collection in the world on display.  As if any other city would dare to match it!  Each of these trees is over 100 years old.

From there, we went and explored City Center.  More on that later.  Than it was back to the grind and back to work.   Some days its good to be us!!

The current display is here until May 9.  The Bellagio Conservatory is free and open to the public.

I really wish that’s what the Gaming Control Board would say to Harrah’s.  Just track down that spend thrift of a CEO, Gary Loveman.  Look the bastard in the eyes and say “No.  For the safety and sanity of the Las Vegas tourist; for the integrity of the Vegas gaming market and for the people who you still employ, you can not take on anymore debt until you get your current house of cards in order.”

Not to mention that the idea doesn’t make proper economic sense to begin with. Ask anyone who runs a small business or a household budget.  Its economic suicide…  Not his, it’s suicide for what’s left of the Las Vegas market.

But you know they won’t.  Staring at Mr Loveman is like looking at your next boss.  Saying “No” to the man who holds your pension and retirement in his back pocket?  Say no to him is like saying “Do You Want Fries With That.”  And they know it.

The Gaming Board has become  just a stopping off point for these guys.  They see the Gaming Board as an internship, or the final step before that cushy suite at the corporate offices of MGM or Harrah’s.  So they are willing to throw anyone coming to Las Vegas, under the bus in order to protect their future employment.

Come on:  You have a company that is $20 billion in debt with no plans to pay it off, having the cash to buy the debt of another company in order to take it over.  Harrah’s just got a slap on the hands for endangering the public by remodeling entire floors of several properties without proper permits.  In addition, they may have admitted to maybe, possibly, accidentally removing tons of not so dangerous asbestos without the proper permits or procedures.  In further investigations, they may have found some employees who may have, maybe, accidentally moved safety equipment around as each area gets inspected.

The judge throws it all out because, well, not one person could be really be charged for the crimes.  What does Harrah’s have to show for all this effort in hiding, dodging and suppressing??  A large lawyer bill, some favors owned and some bad press by out of state news organizations.  Hmmm… to think this all would have stayed hidden had it not been for a disgruntled employee..

Now they are asking the Nevada Gaming Control Board for permission to take over Planet Hollywood.  Giving them about 50% control of the Strip. What are the chances they will get a “yes” vote??  Any bettors??

I don’t know.  Maybe it’s time someone finds the balls to stand up for the people who make Las Vegas work.  Someone needs to stop looking for the next hand out or the next kickback and start looking at who is NOT filling up these rooms and why.  Maybe, just maybe someone ought to say its time to get the ship in order.  You know?  Balance the checkbooks, pay off the debts and get some sanity in the boardroom.

Just maybe start looking out for the tourist.  I know, silly idea.  Looking for and taking care of the guest… Customer Service??  On the strip?? In Las Vegas??   What a strange concept…. What was I thinking??

Just say no to Planet Ho….    Let’s start there….

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To me, living in Las Vegas, it’s really not the holiday season until I see the reindeer made of pecans and polar bears with coats of white carnations.

Of course you can only really see those at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio. Well, I have seen them, so it’s officially the Christmas season!

Bring on the sappy Christmas music!!

The bulls are gone, the cowboys are healing and the cards fell silent.  Thus we come to the end of a very long and wild week of events here in Las Vegas.

The interesting thing is what ties the PBR and WSOP together.  Bull Riders and Poker Players.  A collective agreement of the minds, as it were.  What the winners went after and what they received verses what the public perceived they played for and in the end, what we all got out of it.

First The PBR

What was accurately billed as the tightest race in the sport’s history came down to the wire and the numbers.  The top two contenders are the best of friends, yet the best competitors.

When I say it was a battle to the end, it really was.  They were THAT close together.

Kody Lostroh and JB Mauney gave the 17,000 fans in the Thomas and Mack Center every dime they paid for the tickets as they entered the last round almost dead even for the top spot.  Each riding one of the toughest bulls in the world.

Kody came out the 2009 Pro Bull Rider’s World Champion.

The WSOP
This was billed as youth verses age.  Both players being new to the World Series of Poker. Both having beat out some of the best known names in poker to be here for the final round.

Devine Moon, the lumberjack and Joe Cada, the college drop out turned poker pro. One simply wearing his favorite NFL team’s hat, the other decked out in his sponsor’s clothing line.

Cada came into the final round with a unbelievable chip lead.  Almost 3 to 1 against Moon.  Cada showed up with a large fan base where Moon came with a few friends and relatives.

Moon is a very stoic, cold-faced player against a usually very animated and a bit jumpy Cada.  Except the final round saw two men seriously focused on a game of poker.  In fact they never really exchanged any conversation until an hour into the game.

With some amazing swings in chip counts and plays, it took three hours of play before Cada finally swept the pot and took the prize.

And that’s where they all run together.  Where the two biggest events in Vegas this weekend share a moment.

In post game interviews, the winners all said the same thing.  While everyone was asking them about the money, it wasn’t the money they were after.  They came here for the jewelry.  The money was secondary.  They wanted the buckle/bracelet more than the money.  It’s about the bling!!

The Vegas Tourist sends out our warm congratulations to the winners for giving us fans a very exciting weekend of sports competition and enjoy the bling!! (now we can get some sleep!)

The Dog Days of Summer.  That last official weekend of summer in Vegas means pools, parties and plenty of people.  Not to mention Jerry Lewis and the MDA Telethon.

Went down to the strip today to check the action.  And it was happening.  From the crowds, you never would imagine tourism is down 10%.  With relatively cheap room rates for a holiday weekend, even many locals checked in.  Or as we now call them “Stay-Cations”

The great thing about a weekend like this is the party atmosphere the strip takes on.  If there is a pool there is a party.  If there is a venue, there is an act to fill it.  Even Bill Cosby is in town.  His first Vegas gig in over a decade.  He even wants a regular show here!!

At times like this, it feels like the old Vegas we knew and loved, may just be coming back into view!!

So whatever you are doing this holiday weekend, hope it’s a fun one.

Last night Sazzy and myself headed out for a night of fun with other members of the Las Vegas Territory, during their end of summer member mixer with Lake Mead Cruises.

Sazzy can now say she has been on Lake Mead!!  What a great way to mix and mingle with our fellow tourist professionals while getting a view of two of the greatest mechanical wonders in North America; The Hoover Dam and the Hoover Dam bypass bridge.

Most stayed on the upper open air deck, while some of the extreme land lovers hung around in the cool air conditioned lower decks.  The calmness of the lake, the serene beauty of the mountains around you, just made for the perfect way to kill an evening.

Catching up on friendships, making new ones and catching up on some of the behind the scenes news and gossip of the Las Vegas tourism scene you usually don’t get when trying to talk and work at the same time.

On the return trip, Captain Butch offered a couple of us an opportunity to play captain and pretend we were piloting the paddleboat.  Don’t worry; he was always right off camera the entire time, ready to take over if we headed into the rocks!

Many people don’t realize there is a paddleboat on Lake Mead.  But there is.  Lake Mead Cruises.  They offer a wonderful 90-minute narrated lunch or dinner cruise.  For those without transportation, the lunch cruise is usually offered in conjunction with certain Hoover Dam Tours. A great way to spend a lazy afternoon away from the Strip

Hopefully Sazzy got some nice pictures of the lake and will post them later.