Las Vegas

Las Vegas is constantly changing and it was pretty obvious a couple years ago when the T-Mobile Center opened that Monte Carlo's days were numbered. It simply didn't fit sandwiched between the fantastic new arena and The Park on one side and Aria on the other. Thankfully though, instead of imploding the towers and starting from scratch, they decided to transform it into an interesting and unique property. We got a quick tour of it during a press event last month, but I can't wait to come back and experience it as a guest sometime soon!

Sitting at the far south end of the strip, Mandalay Bay Resort seems like more of a conference hotel than a destination for a guys weekend, but over several visits it has become one of my favorite properties in Las Vegas. Simply put, it's got great bars and restaurants, fantastic entertainment, a great gaming floor, good rooms, easy parking, and it's about to get even better once the Las Vegas Raiders open their new stadium across the street in 2020.

Las Vegas has some of the best bars and some of the best restaurants in the world but no matter how much talent and desire to be the best... most are good at one or the other, not both. During a visit last night to Libertine Social inside of Mandalay Bay, I was treated to an experience that frankly I wasn't expecting based on the relatively unassuming entrance.

Looking for a cool way to escape the Vegas heat? How about taking a break inside a bar that is essentially a block of ice chilled to -5 Centigrade (23 Fahrenheit)... Combine that with parkas or fur jackets and cocktail glasses molded from ice and you have quite an experience. Here's what to expect when you visit the Minus5 Experience Ice Bar at Mandalay Bay.

With Father's Day here - but really any time of year - it's important to think about some cool ideas to do together as a father and son. While some of these ideas are better for dads to take their kids, and some are better for adult relationships - one thing is constant. That universal constant is that these are trips that will provide an opportunity for a father and son to bond outside of the normal day-to-day experience. Conversations will happen, skills will be learned, hugs will be had and at the end of the experience both parties will have had an incredible experience that only the two of them share.

So - are you ready to check out some super cool Father and Son guys trip ideas?

In Star Trek they have holodecks and we've experimented with Virtual Reality for decades now - but it's never been seamless. We're almost there though, and so I was very excited to be invited to be among the first to try out Virtual Reality at Level Up inside of MGM Grand Las Vegas. This is as close as we've come to being able to experience immersive virtual reality environments and it is absolutely one of the best adventure experiences in Las Vegas today. 

One of my favorite things about visiting Las Vegas is the food scene. There's always something new and fun popping up and because of the competition, innovation is constant. On this most recent trip, we were invited to check out Rice & Company, a pan-Asian restaurant located right between Blue Man Group and Carrot Top's theaters inside of the Luxor resort at the south end of the strip. It's the perfect spot for pre/post show drinks as well as a complete dinner to keep you going all night long.

Vegas is one of my favorite destinations but it can be a confusing city full of crappy drinks and overpriced bottle service if you don't know your way around! Luckily though there are people like Manny Kess, a Vegas VIP host who can help you navigate the velvet ropes and have an amazing time there.

The first few times you come to Vegas, all you can think of overwhelming majesty of the strip. It's a fantastic wonderland of lights, sounds, and sights that you simply can't find anywhere else on earth. After a few visits though, that starts to get more and more shallow and you begin to wonder what lies beyond. The fact is, Vegas is a huge city with more than just the strip to explore. Unfortunately for you and I though, from the moment you land in the airport - everything is designed to pull you and your wallet into one of the gigantic strip resorts.

My wife tells me that I'm weird since i don't love pizza. Unfortunately because of that, I've generally avoided California Pizza kitchen since I'd always seen it as a pizza joint. Since earlier this year though when I helped them kick off their new location at The Park in Vegas, it's become one of my favorite restaurants.

At first glance, Las Vegas isn't the most dog friendly destination. It's a city teeming with people and mega resort hotels with seemingly endless hallways that let's face it... your dog might not make it down before they have an accident. Luckily for those of us who love to travel with our dogs, some Vegas hotels are starting to work to accommodate dogs and some even welcome them with open arms like we discovered while visiting Delano where we received a media rate and free concierge services for Niki Belle.

There's something special about southern cooking. It's a craft that has been honed by generations and has a unique sophistication that really isn't based on "price" but rather simply a love for flavors and textures that transcend economic divides. When I lived in North Carolina, food was a celebration and "Sunday Dinner" represented a time when friends, family, and neighbors would gather at my friend's grandmother's house for stories, drinks, and meals that I still remember today. That's the magic Southern Cooking and Yardbird Las Vegas has taken that experience and elevated it to a level that is sophisticated - but still approachable. 

Vegas can be a tricky place if you don't know what you are doing. I know my first few visits weren't nearly as fun as those that followed since I began to learn my way around but I'm in awe of Las Vegas Concierges. There is so much stuff going on in this city that is constantly changing and yet they seem to know everything about it as it happens.

Thanks to Smirnoff I had an amazing opportunity earlier this month. I got to go to the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas, where I was exposed to a lot of new things and perhaps most importantly discovering a new side to the brand as well as people I had previously dismissed as "those silly club kids".

Vegas fascinates me. It is a city that is constantly transforming itself and one that is unabashedly driven by raw capitalism - driven by one goal: to bring people to town who are willing to spend their money. In 1966 when it first opened, the strip wasn't what it was today and this is the property that defined that growth and continues to define what it means to be "Vegas" today. However, for some reason I had never actually stayed there before. Luckily, I was able to check it out recently while I was in town with Smirnoff for the Electric Daisy Carnival. 

It's getting hot and if you are in the Southwest United States, it's going to get a lot hotter over the next few months. I just drove back from Las Vegas and as we drove through Baker, CA the thermometer on the car hit 116 degrees! That got me thinking about ideas for places to go visit later this summer to avoid the heat and cool off for a few days. 

I feel like everyone has memories of "The Riv", so it was a sad day when I heard last year that it was closing, but at 2 am on Tuesday morning they imploded the Monaco tower, signaling that Vegas has moved on. It's weird to think of being emotional about a place such as the Riviera but it's something special for me as it was the first Vegas hotel that I stayed in. Plus, over the past 20 years I visited it for other events ranging from conferences like Comdex and CES to pool tournaments and last year to see the amazing neon facade one last time.

The Park, a subsidiary of MGM Resorts International opened last week, bringing with it a more relaxed, tree-lined and sculpture shaded escape from the normal hustle and bustle of the Vegas Strip. The Park was designed with an open air patio environment allowing visitors to enjoy a more relaxed version of the classic Las Vegas.

This is the social feed from the launch of The Park and T-Mobile Arena in vegas as well as previous trips we've taken to Vegas.

Vegas has a lot of great hotel rooms and one of the finest hotels on the strip is Aria. It has everything needed for an awesome Vegas experience including great bars, fantastic food, wonderful staff and a center-strip location that is close to all the action. Things got a bit better this week though with the launch of the T-Mobile Arena and The Park entertainment district right next door. While I was expecting to have an awesome time, my mind was blown away when I received word that their PR Team had not just given me a room here but actually a Sky Suite Penthouse Room!