Nevada has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. So the Rio, Las Vegas, has replaced the buffet cashiers with ATM-like machines -- they take cash, credit and/or debit cards.
At the Rio's Sunday champagne brunch, our server couldn't be bothered to refill our glasses so she grabbed a quart-sized water glass and poured the last half of the bottle into the glass!
Sites I like - thesartorialist.com This is fashion photographer Scott Schuman's blog of people he's photographed on the streets of Manhattan. His book of these photos, published in 2009, took off like a rocket. I took a look just now and I have to say I was horrified by little white sox worn with high-heeled shoes on the ladies. That was a look my aunt Vivian sported -- in 1956.
thedailymeal.com covers food, restaurants, recipes and today's feature is unusual wedding cakes. One garish example had skeletal figures depicting the bride and groom on top of a day-glo rainbow-striped cake. Another cake was shaped into a lighthouse, near the beach and sea.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Glad It's Over...
Commemoration of 911 is a hard one for me. We were in Montauk when it happened. I've covered it before.
As it happened, it was the day of the monthly South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club meeting. The club president asked for a moment's silence and we all complied. Then the band onstage swung into "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" in tribute and they did right -- slow tempo (heading for the burial grounds) and then lively (the walk back to town.) It seemed most appropriate.
There is always something amusing at these gatherings and yesterday was no exception. Two of the members, husband and wife, are both slender and tall; bodies carried as erectly as a flag pole. They love to dance! He was wearing suit pants, a pale blue shirt with tie (!) and she was clad in a navy blue pants suit with a jacket, sharply nipped in at the waist. She was also wearing navy and white spectator shoes and all together, the ensemble looked like a zoot suit!
I came upon her scrutinizing the prizes and complimented her on her ensemble. She proudly stuck out a foot and said, "These are specially made for dancing! They've got a really thin sole!"
Gentle Reader, she is in her mid-80s! New dancing shoes! May we all hold up as well as she clearly is doing and bless her heart, while we're at it!
As it happened, it was the day of the monthly South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club meeting. The club president asked for a moment's silence and we all complied. Then the band onstage swung into "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" in tribute and they did right -- slow tempo (heading for the burial grounds) and then lively (the walk back to town.) It seemed most appropriate.
There is always something amusing at these gatherings and yesterday was no exception. Two of the members, husband and wife, are both slender and tall; bodies carried as erectly as a flag pole. They love to dance! He was wearing suit pants, a pale blue shirt with tie (!) and she was clad in a navy blue pants suit with a jacket, sharply nipped in at the waist. She was also wearing navy and white spectator shoes and all together, the ensemble looked like a zoot suit!
I came upon her scrutinizing the prizes and complimented her on her ensemble. She proudly stuck out a foot and said, "These are specially made for dancing! They've got a really thin sole!"
Gentle Reader, she is in her mid-80s! New dancing shoes! May we all hold up as well as she clearly is doing and bless her heart, while we're at it!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Tiffany's, 1700 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas 702-444-4459 Located inside a small strip mall
Prior to our departure for Las Vegas, Richie came across a Travel secgtion piece on this place. The review was positive; the history was fascinating because Tiffany's has been there for more than 50 years. That carbon dates it back to 1961 or so and the days of the Rat Pack.
It's open 24 hours a day. The decor is original clear back to opening day. There's a counter and stools and several booths. Display cases and the walls hold memorabilia - old patent medicines, sepia-tone photos, posters for long-forgotten movie stars.
When we came trooping in, we were promptly seated, watered, coffee'd and handed menus. Orders varied - biscuits and gravy for this one; ham and eggs for that one and doubles on the corned beef and eggs. All of the servings were generous and the food was good. Our server was bright, friendly and treated us beautifully.
When we came in, a couple was leaving. In passing, they smiled at us and said, "The food's really good here!" Turns out to have been our server's parents, celebrating the mother's 73rd birthday. How's that for community feeling? It sure beat the normal surly/sullen stare of the bovines charging up and down the Strip...
This area here around the Stratosphere has been spiffed up a bit; it's by no means as bad as it was with blowing trash and street people with no discernible means of earning a living. For those reasons I wondered why Tiffany management had hired two security guards to patrol the store and parking lot.
Richie wanted to go to the bank was told, "Oh, it's down there - about two blocks." Red decided to go with him. Barbara and I stayed in the parking lot near the building.
And, lights! Camera! Action! A drunk came wobbling up from the street, clutching a beer bottle. He was dazed and confused. He staggered around the back of an SUV near us and pissed the passenger side door. The security guard yelled, "You can't do that!" but prudently stayed well away. Business concluded, well out of sight of the ladies, the drunk wandered back toward the sidewalk. The security guard shrugged.
Richie and Red were taking so long that Barbara and I went back in to Tiffany's. I ordered a slice of Boston Cream Pie which I don't think I've had since 1946. It was delicious!
As Richie and Red finally walked in, a police car screamed to a halt outside and two female officers wrestled a drunk down on the sidewalk, cuffed him and radioed for transport.
The security guard, who had presumably called them, took several shots of the action with a camera. Security takes pictures to prove that the prisoner left their hands in good condition. It's protection against law suits down the road. They've got every angle covered in Las Vegas.
Prior to our departure for Las Vegas, Richie came across a Travel secgtion piece on this place. The review was positive; the history was fascinating because Tiffany's has been there for more than 50 years. That carbon dates it back to 1961 or so and the days of the Rat Pack.
It's open 24 hours a day. The decor is original clear back to opening day. There's a counter and stools and several booths. Display cases and the walls hold memorabilia - old patent medicines, sepia-tone photos, posters for long-forgotten movie stars.
When we came trooping in, we were promptly seated, watered, coffee'd and handed menus. Orders varied - biscuits and gravy for this one; ham and eggs for that one and doubles on the corned beef and eggs. All of the servings were generous and the food was good. Our server was bright, friendly and treated us beautifully.
When we came in, a couple was leaving. In passing, they smiled at us and said, "The food's really good here!" Turns out to have been our server's parents, celebrating the mother's 73rd birthday. How's that for community feeling? It sure beat the normal surly/sullen stare of the bovines charging up and down the Strip...
This area here around the Stratosphere has been spiffed up a bit; it's by no means as bad as it was with blowing trash and street people with no discernible means of earning a living. For those reasons I wondered why Tiffany management had hired two security guards to patrol the store and parking lot.
Richie wanted to go to the bank was told, "Oh, it's down there - about two blocks." Red decided to go with him. Barbara and I stayed in the parking lot near the building.
And, lights! Camera! Action! A drunk came wobbling up from the street, clutching a beer bottle. He was dazed and confused. He staggered around the back of an SUV near us and pissed the passenger side door. The security guard yelled, "You can't do that!" but prudently stayed well away. Business concluded, well out of sight of the ladies, the drunk wandered back toward the sidewalk. The security guard shrugged.
Richie and Red were taking so long that Barbara and I went back in to Tiffany's. I ordered a slice of Boston Cream Pie which I don't think I've had since 1946. It was delicious!
As Richie and Red finally walked in, a police car screamed to a halt outside and two female officers wrestled a drunk down on the sidewalk, cuffed him and radioed for transport.
The security guard, who had presumably called them, took several shots of the action with a camera. Security takes pictures to prove that the prisoner left their hands in good condition. It's protection against law suits down the road. They've got every angle covered in Las Vegas.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Vegas - A Study in Contrasts
Flowers, Bellagio
18+ to enter this... store?
Conservatory, Bellagio
Not office buildings, but hotels
The pool at the Flamingo - you'll have to imagine the booming music. A treat we didn't get to have...
Note: have been trying 15 minutes to get captions lined up with photos. Grrrrrrrr.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tarnished Sequins on the Ballroom Floor
*Our cab driver from McCarran to the hotel told us, "The Chamber of Commerce doesn't like this to be known, but there are 1,600 hit and run incidents per year in Las Vegas."
*We went to Battista's Hole in the Wall for dinner. This rabbit-warren-like series of brick-walled rooms houses several lifetimes of Italian trivia - photographs, signs, empty wine bottles. It serves soup or salad, an entree and an after dinner coffee and whipped cream drink plus all the wine you can drink from the carafes on your table. All of it is terrible. Richie loves this restaurant. Sometimes I truly don't understand him.
In addition to the insults to the palate, diners are subjected to the wailing accordion and phony charm of a dwarf. He stops at every table and says, "Where you folks from?" Whatever state you reply, he knows the first eight bars of a song about that state. Feigning dexterity, he sings the first words and then stops playing and singing and looks expectantly at your wallet. If you tip less than $5, he snorts in disgust and walks away. Nasty little bugger.
Richie said, "Let's stump him!" We thought. And thought. "Managua, Nicaragua!" I shouted. Sure enough, he approached and asked and in unioson, we screamed "Managua, Nicaragua!" and he launched into a lively ditty while singing, "Managua Nicaragua is the place to be..." stopped playing, sneered, "I bet you didn't expect that!" and stalked off.
* Mon Ami Gaby, Paris casino, a "French sidewalk bistro" has 90 employees. Only one is actually French and he wasn't working that day. "Everybody is Mexican" said our bus boy helpfully.
After the meal, our server asked me what I'd thought of the food? Big mistake. I told him, "I ate the only authentic item on your menu! The escargots. Your croque monsieur totally sucks and matchstick French fries like yours don't exist in France! They look like they came out of a can!" and he cracked up.
*Coming into the room dead tired and more than a little drunk, I couldn't figure out the coffee pot or how to turn down the damned air conditioning. So I went to bed. At 4:15 a.m. the alarm that the previous guest had set went off. Richie's side so ohe dealt with it.
Comes the morning, I got the coffee going, saw the a/c control and went to take a shower. I had a pulsating feature that was welcome on my neck; less so inside my right ear.
*We went to Battista's Hole in the Wall for dinner. This rabbit-warren-like series of brick-walled rooms houses several lifetimes of Italian trivia - photographs, signs, empty wine bottles. It serves soup or salad, an entree and an after dinner coffee and whipped cream drink plus all the wine you can drink from the carafes on your table. All of it is terrible. Richie loves this restaurant. Sometimes I truly don't understand him.
In addition to the insults to the palate, diners are subjected to the wailing accordion and phony charm of a dwarf. He stops at every table and says, "Where you folks from?" Whatever state you reply, he knows the first eight bars of a song about that state. Feigning dexterity, he sings the first words and then stops playing and singing and looks expectantly at your wallet. If you tip less than $5, he snorts in disgust and walks away. Nasty little bugger.
Richie said, "Let's stump him!" We thought. And thought. "Managua, Nicaragua!" I shouted. Sure enough, he approached and asked and in unioson, we screamed "Managua, Nicaragua!" and he launched into a lively ditty while singing, "Managua Nicaragua is the place to be..." stopped playing, sneered, "I bet you didn't expect that!" and stalked off.
* Mon Ami Gaby, Paris casino, a "French sidewalk bistro" has 90 employees. Only one is actually French and he wasn't working that day. "Everybody is Mexican" said our bus boy helpfully.
After the meal, our server asked me what I'd thought of the food? Big mistake. I told him, "I ate the only authentic item on your menu! The escargots. Your croque monsieur totally sucks and matchstick French fries like yours don't exist in France! They look like they came out of a can!" and he cracked up.
*Coming into the room dead tired and more than a little drunk, I couldn't figure out the coffee pot or how to turn down the damned air conditioning. So I went to bed. At 4:15 a.m. the alarm that the previous guest had set went off. Richie's side so ohe dealt with it.
Comes the morning, I got the coffee going, saw the a/c control and went to take a shower. I had a pulsating feature that was welcome on my neck; less so inside my right ear.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Postcards From Las Vegas, or as We Call It "Lost Wages"
Real Flowers "Painting"
This is a sculpture of canoes - you don't need a boat; you're in the desert?
BeforeBig Elvis
$1,500
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Off the Cuff
"Don't Vote; It Just Encourages the Bastards" by P.J. O'Rourke Atlantic Monthly Press 275 pages $25
This is his 14th book. He's as funny as ever about government which is not exactly a mirthful subject. However, I don't recommend this book to you, President Obama if you're reading this.
Red Hot News - Trader Joe's Corn Dogs! How the hell anyone ever made tofu look like a hot dog (pink) with the same texture beats me right down to the ground. Use the toaster oven's convection setting and you'll be pleased at how the corn meal perks up. Only 160 calories per dog.
GOING TO VEGAS! We fly out tomorrow and back Tuesday. Our friend "Raffish" the black belt karate champ is bringing his entourage and staying here. He remarked in passing that he'd also filled up a moving van with beer and half-naked pole dancers for amusement during his stay here. I don't know what the cats and cockatiel will make of all this, but they'll tell me when we get home.
This is his 14th book. He's as funny as ever about government which is not exactly a mirthful subject. However, I don't recommend this book to you, President Obama if you're reading this.
Red Hot News - Trader Joe's Corn Dogs! How the hell anyone ever made tofu look like a hot dog (pink) with the same texture beats me right down to the ground. Use the toaster oven's convection setting and you'll be pleased at how the corn meal perks up. Only 160 calories per dog.
GOING TO VEGAS! We fly out tomorrow and back Tuesday. Our friend "Raffish" the black belt karate champ is bringing his entourage and staying here. He remarked in passing that he'd also filled up a moving van with beer and half-naked pole dancers for amusement during his stay here. I don't know what the cats and cockatiel will make of all this, but they'll tell me when we get home.
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