Gourmet Hot Dogs in Las Vegas

The odd topic of whether a hot dog should be considered a sandwich has engulfed the internet. While I don't really care if a hot dog is a sandwich, it got me thinking.

Where can you get a good hot dog in Las Vegas? Gourmet hamburgers have been all the rage for a while now, but what about dogs?

American Coney Island - Located at The D on Fremont Street this brand has been a Detroit staple for almost 100 years. They are famous for hot dogs with secret recipe Coney Island Chili Sauce.

Pink's - In the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood this is a Las Vegas outpost of the world famous hot dog stand in Los Angeles. Along with Classic Dogs you can also opt for one of their Special Dogs with all kinds of fun toppings.

Haute Doggery - At The Linq promenade this shop is affiliated with the same people who run Pink's. It looks like Haute Doggery is less chili focused and more inspired by classic mustard and relish.

Shake Shack - Located at New York New York Shake Shack is more known for burgers, but they actually started as a New York hot dog cart. Their flat top dogs come in four different styles, including a chicken version.

Little Richie's - At Treasure Island. Perhaps less gourmet than the others listed here, Little Richie's specializes in Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and Polish sausages. It looks like a good spot to grab some drunk food if you're in the neighborhood of Treasure Island.

MGM set to Charge Parking Garage Fees?

MGM Resorts International will soon charge for parking at their Las Vegas self park garages, according to a report from Vegas Tripping.

Casino companies are willing to nickel and dime their customers endlessly in a quest for higher revenues. Over the years gaming odds on the Strip have declined consistently, and more recently resort fees have become commonplace at almost every Las Vegas hotel.

It's no surprise the bean counters would eventually try to get their hands on one of the remaining free perks left in Vegas.

Gamblers will be upset, but MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren has recently talked about focusing more on non-gaming clientele saying, "Many of them have no interest in gambling and that's perfectly fine with me."

There might be hope though. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has strict rules regarding access to gaming and according to their guidelines:

"...all gaming establishments in Nevada must remain open to the general public and the access of the general public to gaming activities must not be restricted in any manner..."

I'm not sure if charging for parking would count as restricting access, but hey it's something. Could Gaming Control block MGM from charging for parking?

MGM Arena Construction Taking Shape

I was looking at Las Vegas maps the other day and came across the new MGM-AEG Arena construction and The Park development. You can see where arena is located behind New York New York. The space between NYNY and Monte Carlo will be a pedestrian walkway back to the arena. There is also curve in the road where you can tell where the new Monte Carlo theater will be located.

Image: Google Maps.

The official MGM arena website also has some construction webcams up. The exterior camera and time-lapse video shows the progress of the arena so far. You can see how much work has been done in the 15 or so months that construction has been going on.


The interior camera gives a glimpse inside the arena. It looks like they might already be installing a hockey rink, which supports rumors of a hockey team moving or expanding to Vegas. You can see how much natural light is used, which I believe is pretty unique. The interior also has a time-lapse video.


Also, Vital Vegas posted this picture on Twitter of the interior of the arena from a different angle. It looks like the upper deck sections will have their entrances at the top of the section, instead of having tunnels at the bottom of each section.

Photo: John Kompare via Vital Vegas on Twitter.

Jim Murren Nevada Public Radio Interview Highlights

MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren was on Nevada Public Radio.

The interview started off talking about politics, and the retirement of Harry Reid.

Murren then talked about online gaming, which is something that MGM is looking to get into, although he said it's not something the company is dependent on. He also said he's a "big fan" of skill based gaming, which will help attract millennials and Gen X-er's.

In the future of Las Vegas Murren thinks resorts will become "more porous" allowing guests to flow from resort to resort instead of trapping them in a single resort. He stressed the importance of non-gaming which makes up 70% of the company's revenue.

Talking about MGM National Harbor, Murren said the resort will fit right in with the DC landscape, and uses some of the same architectural elements found in many of the monuments around the District.

Murren also addressed the hypocrisy of major sports leagues by allowing fantasy sports while trying to ban other sports gaming.

MGM's new arena is almost complete, and MGM is spending $100 million on the park surrounding the arena and New York New York (complete with a Shake Shack). Murren is optimistic about attracting a hockey team to Las Vegas "no later than the 2017 season."

As far as a possible merger between WYNN and MGM - Murren dismissed it as "total speculation."

MGM's power bill is $86 million a year, which is leading them to explore cutting ties with NV Energy in an effort to save money.

Despite North Strip struggles Murren is "very optimistic about the growth of Circus Circus." Monte Carlo is also ripe for growth, with MGM expecting to invest a large amount of money to re-position the property. He mentioned The Cromwell as an example of a successful re-branding.

Finally talking about Macau, Murren said he thinks the market is stabilizing, and expects the numbers to be back up in 2016.

Listen to the entire interview at Nevada Public Radio.

MGM-AEG Arena and The Park

One of the more exciting development projects in Las Vegas is the new MGM-AEG Arena. The $350 million 20 thousand seat arena will be located directly west of (behind) New York New York. The joint partnership between MGM Resorts International and AEG Live is expected to attract top concerts, and possibly a pro sports team (although that's a long-shot).



Part of the arena development will be The Park, which will be a retail walkway between Monte Carlo and NYNY. The outdoor space is a similar concept to The Linq. We can expect lots of restaurants and bars on the way back to the arena. There will also be changes to the front of NYNY which will add more retail space.



I'm looking forward to the new arena (expected to open in 2016) and The Park, although I'm wondering if Las Vegas really needs more retail space. There seems to be a mall on every corner these days. It will also be interesting to see how visitors handle the hot weather in some of these outdoor spaces.

Postage Stamp uses Las Vegas Statue of Liberty

The newest "Forever" stamps issued by the US Postal Service feature an American Flag and the Statue of Liberty. There's one small problem though. Instead of a picture of the original statue in New York, the Postal Service mistakenly used a photo of the replica statue in front of New York-New York hotel in Las Vegas.

MGM Resorts Launches M life

MGM Resorts International has launched their new "M life" loyalty program. The program will have a tier structure consisting of Sapphire, Pearl, Gold and Platinum. Each tier comes with its own set of benefits, including the ability to earn points faster at the Gold and Platinum levels.

Another feature of M life will be the ability to track spending outside of the casino, but that won't be available until later this year.

The new program is being touted as easier to use and more transparent when it comes to knowing exactly what you've earned. You will be able to check your balances a variety of ways, including online, kiosks, at slot machines and even an iPhone app.

M life is also aiming to offer guests rewards that they actually want. If you went to a concert in the past, they might offer you tickets to a concert by a similar artist in the future.

We will have to wait and see how well the new program is implemented, but I think any change is for the better. I never could figure out the old MGM Players Club. It was seemingly impossible to know what comps you had or how much you had to play to get anything. M life looks to be combating some of these problems, so hopefully it's a step in the right direction.

Source: MGM Resorts Press Release.

Rita Rudner moving to Venetian

Rita Rudner will be moving from Harrah's to the Venetian starting in January 2011.

Rudner has been working almost exclusively in Las Vegas for almost ten years starting in 2001 at New York New York. She moved to Harrah's in 2006.

Rita Rudner is the biggest headliner at Harrah's so it will be interesting to see what they come up with to replace her. It seems likely they will move a show over from one of their other properties to fill the gap.

ESPN Zone Closing

The majority of the ESPN Zone restaurants are closing, including the one in Las Vegas at New York New York.

It will be interesting to see what will now occupy the ESPN Zone space. I think it would be a good opportunity for NYNY to expand their sports book. Lagasse's Stadium over at Palazzo seems to be pretty successful as a restaurant / sports book hybrid, so perhaps they will try something like that. The ESPN Zone space is prime property right on the strip, so there are a ton of options.

Source: WSJ.

Summer of Cirque - $50 Tickets

Cirque du Soleil is running a summer promotion where tickets for most shows will start at $50. Dates and ticket locations are limited, but it could turn out to be a good deal if you can find a show you want to see on a date that works for you.

The available shows:

* Mystere from $50 + fees
* Zumanity from $50 + fees - offer code: zumanity
* KA Live from $50 + fees - offer code: MGM
* The Beatles LOVE from $50 + fees
* CRISS Angel from $50 + fees - offer code: luxor
* Viva ELVIS from $50 + fees - offer code: ARIA

Deal found at Slickdeals.net.
Go to Cirque du Soleil to buy tickets.