Rí Rá Irish Pub coming to Mandalay

A new Irish pub will be opening on the Las Vegas Strip. Rí Rá Irish Pub is scheduled to open in March 2011 and will be located at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place.

A key component of the restaurant will be a 160 year old, eight foot tall, 500 pound statue of St. Patrick that is currently being shipped over from Ireland.

The pub will also feature live music and a comprehensive drink list. For more information and updates about the new bar, check out Rí Rá Irish Pub on Facebook.

Cosmopolitan Video Room Review

I just found this video room review of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on YouTube. The video does a pretty good job of showing off one of the wraparound suites at the hotel.

When The Cosmopolitan was originally conceived, a great portion of the units were intended to be sold a condos. From this video it's clear that much of that condo influence remained in the design of the suites.

It's pretty rare in a Vegas hotel room to get a full sized fridge, kitchen and washer and dryer (not pictured in this video, but included in most of the suites). These added amenities will no doubt come in handy to Cosmo guests.

Cosmopolitan Parking Garage Artwork Videos

One of the unique features at Cosmopolitan is the graffiti artwork on the walls of the parking garage. Here are some videos that Cosmo released profiling some of the artists.

Cloud Nine is Closed Permanently

Cloud Nine - the balloon ride attraction near Mandalay Bay has closed again, and this time it looks to be permanent. Cloud Nine opened about a year ago and operated for about six months before it was forced to close because of damage caused by high winds. The attraction recently re-opened but apparently didn't draw enough interest to continue operations.

From the Cloud Nine website:

"The Cloud Nine Balloon Ride in Las Vegas has closed is no longer in operation. We want to thank the thousands of customers who had the opportunity to fly with us over the skies of Las Vegas. We bid you a fond farewell."

The balloon was an interesting concept, but there were many pitfalls surrounding the project. High wind days made for an uncomfortable ride, if they were even able to take off at all. The cost and location also might have been drawbacks. In the end I think most people prefer to take in a view of the Strip from a high floor in an enclosed building.

Cosmopolitan Opens

After over five years of construction, and after the property was foreclosed upon by eventual owner Deutsche Bank, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opened to the public last night.

The opening seemed to have gone pretty smoothly. Big time VIP's were in the house including Steve Wynn, and Jim Murren. Brandon Flowers performed a few songs and party goers drank and gambled the night away.

There were a few accounts of hotel rooms not being ready on time, confusing parking garage signage and the music being too loud in the casino. Nothing too tragic for an opening of this size and scope.

It's great to see Cosmo open. Now it's on to the next major hotel opening in Las Vegas. Fontaine... never mind.