Tropicana Safe For Now; Monorail Spawns Bus Line
Elton John's Racy New Show Opens
UPDATED: 11:15 a.m. EST February 23, 2004
Despite rampant rumors to the contrary, officials at the Tropicana say that a decision on when and how to redevelop (read: tear down and start over) the legendary property will not be made until 2005 at the earliest. Earlier reports suggested the hotel could close as early as this spring but shaky earnings reports from the parent company may have caused the big bosses to put off spending $1 billion for at least a little while.
The Las Vegas Monorail opens in a few weeks. Although it will be 2007 before the planned downtown extension is completed, the city is going to make it a little easier to get to Fremont Street sooner than that. On the day the monorail opens, a new dedicated bus line will start operating, shuttling passengers from the Sahara termination point of the monorail to the downtown Las Vegas transportation center, with only one stop at the Fremont Street Experience in between. Introductory fares will be 50 cents but will likely rise to over $1 once the service gets up to speed. There's still no official opening date for the monorail but it should be within the next couple of weeks.
Speaking of openings, Elton John's stint as a Vegas performer began last week with the star-studded debut of "The Red Piano," the spectacle-sized show filling in on Celine Dion's stage at Caesars Palace for 75 nights a year. Among the attendees were Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barbara Walters, the omnipresent Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, who reportedly appears in a video piece writhing on a stripper pole. Apparently, that's just one of the NC-17 moments in the show, so don't expect family friendly Vegas here. I'm going to see the show in March -- I'll let you know if you should be shocked.
And in the "I Want To Be Happy For Her" category comes word that a woman, who wished to remain anonymous, walked up to a Megabucks machine last week and put in a $20 bill. A few pulls later she lined up the symbols and walked away with $10.2 million. I want to be happy for her. I really do.
The Las Vegas Monorail opens in a few weeks. Although it will be 2007 before the planned downtown extension is completed, the city is going to make it a little easier to get to Fremont Street sooner than that. On the day the monorail opens, a new dedicated bus line will start operating, shuttling passengers from the Sahara termination point of the monorail to the downtown Las Vegas transportation center, with only one stop at the Fremont Street Experience in between. Introductory fares will be 50 cents but will likely rise to over $1 once the service gets up to speed. There's still no official opening date for the monorail but it should be within the next couple of weeks.
Speaking of openings, Elton John's stint as a Vegas performer began last week with the star-studded debut of "The Red Piano," the spectacle-sized show filling in on Celine Dion's stage at Caesars Palace for 75 nights a year. Among the attendees were Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barbara Walters, the omnipresent Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, who reportedly appears in a video piece writhing on a stripper pole. Apparently, that's just one of the NC-17 moments in the show, so don't expect family friendly Vegas here. I'm going to see the show in March -- I'll let you know if you should be shocked.
And in the "I Want To Be Happy For Her" category comes word that a woman, who wished to remain anonymous, walked up to a Megabucks machine last week and put in a $20 bill. A few pulls later she lined up the symbols and walked away with $10.2 million. I want to be happy for her. I really do.
This Week's Trivia
Q: March 2 marks the fifth anniversary of what Strip hotel? ANSWER The Weekly Trivia Question is sponsored by the Online Memorabilia Museum at Vegas4Visitors.comThe Full Story
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