The Jeff Does Vegas Podcast

Admittedly, this episode is a bit of a "cheater", in that it's not a really a new episode per se; it's a slightly repackaged version of one of my favorite episodes from my spin-off podcast, Sin City Stories, where I take deep dives into Las Vegas history.

So why am I doing this?  Well, I'll tell you...

December 26, 2021 marks the 75th Anniversary of the opening of one of the most iconic resorts in Las Vegas...The Flamingo.

Part of the Vegas landscape since 1946, it was the brainchild of a LA-based nightclub owner, restaurant owner and entertainment news publisher who wanted to create one of the most luxurious hotels & casinos Las Vegas had ever seen.

But that's not what legend & pop culture would have you believe.  And, as you're about to find out, sometimes the truth is WAY more interesting than fiction.

If you want to go more in-depth on the history of The Flamingo, visit the official Sin City Stories website for photos, news articles and more!

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Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Sin City has served as the setting for dozens of movies over the last 75 years.  Drama, comedy, horror, action...films of every genre have used Las Vegas as a backdrop.  And if you've ever wanted to visit the spots where some of your favorite Vegas movie scenes were filmed and get the backstory on those scenes, my guest for this episode of the podcast has you covered.

Chris Ramirez is the CEO and founder of Las Vegas Movie Tours, a brand new tour experience that takes riders along the famed Vegas Strip, through the arts district and into Downtown Las Vegas showing off the spots that served as the settings for films like The Hangover & The Hangover Part III, Austin Powers, Jason Bourne, Oceans Eleven, and many others.

Chris and I discussed his background in the movie industry, what attracts film makers to Las Vegas and the inspiration behind the creation of Las Vegas Movie Tours.

If you'd like more info on Las Vegas Movie Tours and want to book your place on the tour, visit their website and secure your spot today!  You can also follow Las Vegas Movie Tours on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I love having other Vegas content creators on the podcast.  It's always a blast having conversations with people are as equally - or even more - passionate about Las Vegas as I am.

My guests for this episode are Jordan & Ashden, the creators of Show Me Vegas on YouTube.

Hailing from Missouri, the couple makes frequent trips to Las Vegas, sharing their adventures with their 3500+ subscribers.  They do live streams, room & hotel tours, restaurant & show reviews, and have recently launched a weekly Vegas news video series titled, This Week In Vegas.

We talked about what sparked their love of Las Vegas, what inspired them to start vlogging their Vegas trips, some of their favorite spots to stay & play, and much more.

Subscribe to their videos on YouTube and follow them on Facebook for exclusive content.

And, check out Jordan & Ashden's video review of Aria that got them a whole lot of attention!

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

My guest for this episode of the podcast is "Best of Vegas" award-winning trumpeter, composer, producer and conductor, David Perrico.

If you've ever spent any time at the legendary Cleopatra's Barge in Caesars Palace, there's a very good chance you've seen David performing with his Pop Strings Orchestra, in which he takes some of the best musicians in Las Vegas and fuses together Pop Music with Classical Music.  And, in addition to Pop Strings Orchestra, David is also the creator & arranger of Pop Evolution, a mash-up of Pop & Big Band music.

Just this year, David landed what might be the most amazing gig ever: House Band at Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders.

David and I talked about what it's like performing in front of 65,000 screaming NFL fans, the inspiration behind creating Pop Strings Orchestra & Pop Evolution, other projects he's working on and much more.

Find out where David is going to be performing next, by visiting his website or following him on Facebook & Instagram.

And, if you want a sample of what Pop Evolution and Pop Strings Orchestra are all about, check these out!

Pop Strings Evolution performing Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" (YouTube)

Pop Strings Orchestra performing Journey's "Separate Ways" (YouTube)

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

"VEGAS BABY!!!"

That's the battle-cry heard in pretty much every airport around the world, as groups of guys get set to board their flights for what they hope will be the ULTIMATE guys' trip to Las Vegas.  But will it be a trip to remember for all the WRONG reasons?  My guest for this episode is here to help make sure that's NOT the case.

David Demontmollin is a 20-plus-year casino industry veteran, star of Discovery Channel's series "American Casino" and the author of "The Las Vegas Little Black Book: A Guys Guide To The Perfect Vegas Weekend".

David and I discussed how to plan an amazing trip to Vegas for you and your pals, covering everything from the perfect time of the year to travel, to picking your hotel, to how to get into nightclubs and much MUCH more.

Order "The Las Vegas Little Black Book: A Guys Guide To The Perfect Vegas Weekend" on Amazon (along with David's other book, "Classic Vegas Mistakes") and be sure to follow Classic Vegas Mistakes on Twitter.

Also, check out David's past appearance on the podcast on Episode #16 - "Classic Vegas Mistakes".

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Below the glitz & glamour of the Vegas Strip lies a massive network of underground tunnels.  In addition to serving the practical purpose of directing flash flood water away from the big casinos & resorts, the tunnels have become a living space for hundreds, if not thousands, of homeless people in the city of Las Vegas.

My guest for this episode of the podcast is intimately familiar with these tunnels, having spent time interviewing dozens of their residents for his books "Beneath the Neon" and "Dark Days, Bright Nights".

Matthew O'Brien is a writer, editor and teacher who lived in Las Vegas for twenty years.  He's considered an authority on homelessness in the Las Vegas tunnels and is the founder of Shine A Light, a program that helps people living in the tunnels and provides them with the resources to get out of the tunnels.

We discussed Matthew's first experiences with the tunnels of Las Vegas, the work that went into writing "Beneath the Neon", what inspired him to found Shine A Light, and much more.

If you'd like to purchase "Beneath the Neon", "My Week At The Blue Angel" or "Dark Days, Bright Nights" you can visit Matthew's website at beneaththeneon.com.

If you want to know more about Shine A Light and see the amazing work they do, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

(NOTE: I shouldn't have to say this, but I will.  DO NOT go exploring the storm drains under Las Vegas.  It's a very hostile environment for anyone who's not familiar with the miles and miles of tunnels.  By going into the tunnels, you're risking severe injury or even death.)

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

"The only constant in life is change" - Heraclitus

There's nowhere else in the world where that statement is more accurate than Las Vegas.

It's constantly evolving, always trying to find new ways to bring new people - and revenue - to the city.  And from the late 1980's through to the early 2000's, Las Vegas made the conscious decision to cater to a group of travellers whom they'd never attempted to attract before:

Families.

From castle-shaped hotels, to pirate battles in the desert, to full-blown amusement parks, Las Vegas made no secrets about who they wanted to come to the city during that time in history.  But where did it all start?  And how did it end up?

My guest for this episode of the podcast is UNLV professor and Las Vegas historian, David G. Schwartz.  David & I discussed some of Las Vegas's early attempts at being family-friendly, what led to the push to try to attract families to the city, and the eventual shift away from that strategy.

Want to learn more about Las Vegas's family-friendly era of the 1990's?  Visit these links:

- "Family Friendly Las Vegas: An Analysis of Space and Time" - Diana Tracy Cohn

- "Column One: Las Vegas Gambles on Families" - LA Times (Sept 23, 1994)

- "The Sun's List Of Shuttered Family Friendly Vegas Attractions" - Las Vegas Sun (Feb 23, 2012)

- "Family Friendly Las Vegas of the 90's" Panel Discussion (Video) - The Neon Museum (2016)

And as discussed, check out the "Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins" TV special that ran on NBC-TV in 1994 to promote the opening of the Treasure Island Resort.

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I've covered a lot of Las Vegas history on this podcast, but something I've never really taken a deep dive into are some of the fascinating true crime stories from the city's past.  There's a lot of info out there about some of the more "notorious" cases, but my guests for this episode like to focus on some of the lesser-known crime stories.

Anthony & Meagan Smith are the creators of Mayhem In The Desert.  Born & raised Las Vegans (and legit "true crime junkies"), they took it upon themselves to start chronicling some of the extremely interesting and sordid tales that helped shape the history of Sin City.

We talked about what it was like growing up in Las Vegas, what inspired them to create the website, and their writing & research process.  They also shared some of their most favorite Las Vegas true crime stories.

Head over to Mayhem In The Desert & start reading some of these incredible stories.  And, be sure to follow Mayhem In The Desert on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Reddit. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

After operating for almost 25 years, the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - just off the Vegas strip at the corner of Harmon Avenue & Paradise Road - shut its doors on February 3, 2020 in preparation for a massive re-brand and renovation to become the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, which officially opened in March 2021.

In addition to being Sir Richard Branson's first entry into the Vegas market, it also marked the first tribal casino presence in the city with Mohegan Sun Gaming & Entertainment taking over operations of the new 60,000 square foot casino.

My guest for this episode is Joe Hasson, the General Manager of the Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.  We discussed his early career & how he got into casino management, the partnerships between Mohegan Sun & the other operators on site, and the challenges of opening a new property during a global pandemic.

For more information on Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit their website where you can also book your stay at the resort.

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

"Probably Biased.  Definitely Honest."

Sam Novak has been been using that tag line over the last few years for his blog, Vegas Unfiltered.

Sam has become known around Las Vegas as the guy who isn't scared to share his opinion.  Whether it's a show, restaurant, hotel or any other Vegas attraction, if it's a complete and total train-wreck, he'll tell you exactly that.  However, if it's worth your time & money, he'll tell you that as well.

Sam and I talked about what inspired him to create Vegas Unfiltered, we reminisced about some of his more "savage" reviews, we discussed the changing Vegas entertainment scene, and much more!

You can follow Sam on Twitter & Facebook, and be sure to check out Sam's unfiltered reviews & recommendations at Vegas411.com and the Vegas Unfiltered blog.

__________________________________________________________________________

Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!