Las Vegas Correspondence – December 2019

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Diamond Jack continues to be amazed at what goes on in this city. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) have begun tunneling on the underground people mover, the first commercial endeavor for Elon Musk’s The Boring Company and another first for Las Vegas. The innovative transportation system will allow convention attendees to be whisked across the convention center’s 200-acre campus in approximately one minute.

The $52.5 million underground people mover will include three passenger stations connecting the existing 3.2 million square-feet of convention space with the center’s new 1.4 million square-foot West Hall –all part of a $1.52 billion expansion and renovation. When completed in January 2021, the people mover will be comprised of two vehicular tunnels with an expected total length of approximately one mile each and have the potential to expand and link key visitor attractions including Downtown Las Vegas, the Strip, and McCarran International Airport. The Boring Machine is currently 40 feet below ground.

Everyone enjoys the lights of Las Vegas and there is even more to enjoy during the holiday season. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace has a beautiful 40-foot tree shimmering in gold and white lights and ornaments. Other new decorations include four Roman Centurion toy soldiers – each eight feet tall with an oversized laurel wreath and a Roman pediment and column setting with decorative trimmed trees. Many of the iconic statues of the center are also getting a holiday makeover. The Goddess Fortuna who greets guests as they enter from Caesars Palace casino is adorned in a Roman holiday sash complete with garland swag and rich red fabric trimmed in gold roping and tassels. She is topped off with a golden laurel wreath on her head.

Can anyone tell the difference between “Completed” and “Finished”? No dictionary has ever been able to define the difference between those two words. However, in a linguistic conference held in London England, one attendee was the winner with this clever response: “When you marry the right woman, you are ‘Complete.’ If you marry the wrong woman, you are ‘Finished.’ And, when the right woman catches you with the wrong woman, you are ‘Completely Finished.’ His answer received a five- minute standing ovation.

— Diamond Jack Bulavsky

 

Do you like museums? Do you like cars? Have you ever been to a car museum? Check out the vehicles that reside in Las Vegas every day!

Do you know how many car shows, car meets, car gatherings, car enthusiasts there are in Las Vegas? I sure don’t! But, I have been enlightened about the automobile crowd recently and wanted to share some of their meeting places and other fun vehicle activities you might enjoy while visiting Las Vegas. All the listings below are free events for you to attend, with the exception of the Hollywood Cars Museum which does have an entrance fee. The saving grace here is the discount you can receive.

And I’m still in the freebie or less costly mode from last month’s article.  Gotta save those dollars so you can spend them on the special restaurants, shows, entertainment and, of course, gambling while you are here.

Gateway Classic Car, one of the largest in the country with 18 showrooms and 3,500+ vehicles available for sale, has an indoor warehouse in Las Vegas with over 100 vehicles that you can view between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day except Sunday. They have a selection of sports, collector, luxury and other vehicles you can stroll around and between in air-conditioned comfort.  Or, you could attend a special event which brings the cars to the parking area for you to view.  Your admission is free every day.

Gateway Classic Car is located at the Southeast corner of Sunset and Lindell Roads at 6580 Lindell.  You can join them for their Caffeine and Chrome events the last Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. until Noon and enjoy coffee and donuts.

You can buy or contract with them to sell your classic vehicles or just check out their selection of vehicles.

They are hosting a holiday party on Saturday, December 7th from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.  which is also their Toys for Tots event.  Admission on this day only is an unwrapped toy donation.

To the east of Gateway Classic Car, just over I-15, is the Shelby American Museum.  Located at 6405 Ensworth Street at Sunset Road and Ensworth.  You can take a tour if you hit get there for their tour times.  Their open hours are from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

If you would like to take their free tour the times are 10:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday or 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  The tour is truly informative and you can watch as they restore the vehicles.  They could restore your vehicle too!  There are a few dozen vehicles and an interactive simulator.  The tour is a good 60-90 minutes with in-depth details on each vehicle.  They have a gift shop which features Shelby t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc. and is pretty large.

If you visit on Saturday you can attend their Cars and Coffee event from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m.  They also open the Shelby building at 7 a.m. for you to tour on this day.  The number of vehicles present on any given Saturday can go from a half dozen to dozens of enthusiastic owners.  This is not an event I would go out of my way to attend.  If you happen to be passing by on the I-15 you will be able to see the attendance to make your decision to circle back and attend.  Some of the past events have included Shelby employees answering your questions.  And, they usually have vendor trucks available for food and coffee purchases.

Classic & Collectible Cars Las Vegas is located at 3701 Sirius Avenue at the Southwest corner of Sirius and Procyon Street east of Valley View Blvd.  This is one of the dealerships that has been featured on the Counting Cars show on the History Channel.  If you are looking to buy you will get a vehicle for a more than reasonable price.  If you are just looking you will be able to check out the showroom with its array of 2-3 dozen vehicles.  They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Count’s Kustoms, also featured on the History Channels Counting Cars show, is located at 2714 South Highland Drive which is south of Sahara and next to the railroad tracks.  You can access the industrial park by turning east on Presidio Avenue and taking a right at the first drive between the first 2 buildings on the southside of Presidio.  They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  They are closed on Christmas Day.  The tour is free and you will be amazed at the personal collection of choppers, hot rods, exotics and more.

If you want to check out a different auto museum you can visit the Hollywood Cars Museum at 5115 Dean Martin Drive.  Their location is south of Tropicana on the west side of Dean Martin in the industrial complex.  This is a 30,000+ square foot building for vehicles appearing in movies and TV shows from James Bond to Bugs Bunny to Knight Rider to Robocop to Fast and Furious to the Munsters; they are all here!

It is really cool to see so many vehicles, and a little aging, to be able to know what movie or TV show they were featured in.  There is an admission price of $20.00.  Note:  They do not take credit cards…cash only!  They have an ATM available.  If you are a local, senior or military ask for the $5.00 discount.  (They do have a $5.00 off coupon on their website, if you are not any of the above, for you to print or show on your mobile device.)  Children under 16 years of age get in free with a paid adult.  They are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. except for Christmas Day.

— Pauline Cimoch

Holiday Season News

Holiday Magic at the LINQ Promenade

It’s Holiday Magic time again at the LINQ Promenade Nov. 28-Dec. 25 with Thursday-Sunday nightly holiday stage shows complete with snowfall from 6-9 p.m. at the top of the hour as well as Dec. 23-25. The strolling piano and atmospheric entertainment will be Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 2-17 from 6-9 p.m. New this year is an interactive tree light display, where guests can create a personalized light show from their phone’s playlists.

“Holiday Glow” runway show at the Great Hall in the Fashion Show Mall

The “Holiday Glow” runway show will debut at The Great Hall in the Fashion Show mall on Black Friday, Nov. 29. The 15-minute runway production will cheer on visitors with a multi-show experience featuring glam, couture and high-fashion. The imaginative showcase will enliven the shopping destination every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the holiday season.

Blue Man Group Las Vegas Treats Fans

Blue Man Group Las Vegas is treating fans to special holiday ticket offers. Guests can purchase two tickets for $99 when booking online between Nov. 29–Dec. 6. The offer is valid for performances from Dec. 1–22 and Jan. 5–June 30, 2020, with dates subject to availability. A minimum of two tickets must be purchased.

“Elf The Musical” at Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest

Part of Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest holiday festivities are performances of “Elf The Musical” from Nov. 29-Dec. 27 with select dark nights. As a bonus, there will be two nightly performances on Saturdays Dec. 7, 14 and 21. The musical inspired by the 2003 comedy film with Will Ferrell has a professional cast of more than 20 members. The show is included in each general admission or passport ticket purchased; however, space is limited so best to purchase guaranteed seating online at Magical Forest.

Breakfast with Santa at Downtown Container Park

Downtown Container Park will hold Breakfast with Santa on Saturdays, Dec. 7 and 14 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The event includes having a photo taken with Santa, making your own hot chocolate, decorating holiday cookies and taking home a special ornament. The All You Can Eat Breakfast is $35, for Kids 15 and under $15, and All you Can Drink Mimosas for adults $15. Tickets are on the Downtown Container Park website.

Mondays Dark to Celebrate 6th Anniversary

Mondays Dark will celebrate its 6th Anniversary on Monday, Dec. 9 at the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms. This anniversary event beginning at 8 p.m. will also celebrate hitting the $1 million mark of raising funds for Las Vegas’ philanthropic organizations. It will be a night of entertainment starring Vegas’ top entertainers as well as live and silent auctions. Tickets are $20 at Mondays Dark website.
      Entertainer and philanthropist Mark Shunock founded Mondays Dark in November 2013 with the goal to provide the community a mix of entertainment, music and comedy while supporting local charities. He opened The Space in 2017, which is the permanent home to Mondays Dark.

— Jackie Brett
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