It's not like you need another reason to come to Vegas. With the endless supply of conventions, new nightlife and changing Vegas Stripscape, there are plenty of excuses to hop a plane to the desert.

If you do need a little extra temptation, the next few weeks here may be just the right motivation to motor west.

With The Comedy Festival and the Vegoose Music Festival just around the corner, it's Vegas' unofficial festival season. Two festivals do not a season make, but I did label the season as unofficial.

Maybe a couple promoters will jump in with new festivals next year. I recommend a sand festival and a magic festival.

In the meantime, check out these too legit to quit fests:

The Comedy Festival
HBO's annual festival of laughs seems to get bigger and bigger. This year, Jerry Seinfeld is one of the top draws and in the world of stand up comedy, Jerry is as about as big as it gets. Although I realize Dane Cook, who's 'Tourgasm' stopped by the festival last year, and his fans may disagree.

Where to Stay:
Since the festival is based at Caesars Palace, if your expense account can absorb the costs, you should stay there. There's nothing like stumbling back to your room after a few cocktails with Dave Attell rather than having to que up in a long taxi line.

The Flamingo is one or two pedestrian bridges away and is a nice cost-effective alternative just across The Strip. If you must have luxury and Caesars is fully booked, try Bellagio across the street or grab a suite at The Venetian.

Who to See:
In addition to the aforementioned Mr. Seinfeld, I'm really excited to see Chelsea Handler, seen here with my pal Robin Leach. She's easily the fourth hottest woman on television behind Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson and Sarah Alexander, but she's definitely the funniest. Chelsea was in the girl 'Candid Camera' style show known as 'Girls Behaving Badly.' She also had a brief stint as a guest host on 'The View' and now has her own show called 'Chelsea Handler Lately.'

Speaking of 'The View,' Joy Behar will be performing a show with 'SNL' alum, Kevin Nealon. Football fans will want to see Frank Caliendo as he takes his Rich Little schtick from 'Mad TV' to the 'Fox NFL Pregame Show' to his own show, 'Frank TV.'

Wanda Sykes, Eddie Izzard and Ellen DeGeneres are some of the other big names topping off the schedule.

Where to Eat, Drink and Be Merry:
Usually there are private, festival-related parties at some of the venues at Caesars Palace like PURE nightclub and The Pussycat Dolls Lounge. You can go for the gourmet gusto with expensive Vegas meal at Guy Savoy's or try something more reasonable at Bradley Ogden's or Wolfgang Puck's Spago.

After PURE, most of the big names will be hitting new spots like LAX down south on The Strip at Luxor or TAO up north at The Venetian.

Vegoose Music Festival

If you're more into chaotic outdoor music concerts than civilized indoor comedy shows, you'll want to come to Vegoose. It's the punny, annual two-day music affair to remember usually occurring on the weekend before Halloween.

This year, the festival seems to have a political bent. I'm not sure if it's because we're on the cusp of what should be a long, greedy, tortuous election cycle, but Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Muse (pictured with political message backdrop) fit in nicely with the mindless, yet tasty, hum of Daft Punk and The Shins.

Where to Stay:
Sam Boyd Stadium is off of the Boulder Highway so it would be a trek from any of The Strip hotels. I'm not saying you shouldn't stay at a Strip hotel, I'm just saying it's a bit far. If you want to stay at a casino hotel closer to the stadium, try Green Valley Ranch or Sunset Station.

The Vegoose site knows their audience and recommends some campgrounds in the area. The closest are the campgrounds at Sam's Town, but be warned, it's not a short hike to the stadium.

If you want to get away from it all, but you don't want to trade a suite for a tent, explore the offerings at scenic Lake Las Vegas.



Who to See:
Muse on day two is a must-see. I had the privilege of seeing them at their show at The Joint last year and to see a band that intense at a smaller venue (they're accustomed to selling out Wembley on multiple nights) was amazing. They have all the political fervor of Rage Against the Machine packaged in a UK pretty boy box along the lines of Keane, Radiohead and Travis. Incidentally, Rage Against the Machine is headlining on day two.

If day two is all about the politics with Muse and Rage Against the Machine, then day one is all about fun with headliners Daft Punk and Iggy & the Stooges. The Shins, Blonde Redhead and Queens of the Stone Age should be part of your alterna-itenerary for day one.

For the granola crowd who appreciate the fact that the Grateful Dead played at this stadium 14 times during the '90s, you'll want to put down your tobacco accessories and jam with moe., Michael Franti and Spearhead and Infected Mushroom on day two.

Hip-hop and rap fans can rejoice for Public Enemy, Ghostface Killah, Cypress Hill and M.I.A.

Where to Eat, Drink and Be Merry:
If you're looking for the celeb hangouts in this neck of the woods, you'll have to head to Green Valley Ranch. There are some swanky eats and drinks, but most of the places here are for locals. If you're looking for some good wings and things, Sunset Station does have a Hooters.

I recommend heading up 515 until you hit Downtown Vegas and hit some of the hipster spots on Fremont East like Beauty Bar, The Griffin and Downtown Cocktail Room.

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A three-day Vegas vacation is about all a human can handle, emotionally and physically. Even if you're not partaking of the delightful fruits of Sin City (boozing, dancing and buffet gorging), sightseeing and shopping can also take a toll on human endurance.

For those folks that don't even have three days, I recommend the one-day Vegas Super-Massive Party plan. It's grueling, but for the attention deficit crowd, it's a great way to experience the best of Vegas in less than 24 hours.

Vegas Super-Massive Party Plan
First of all, I'm not a licensed medical professional, but you'll want to get plenty of rest the night before and hydrate the whole way through. The plan has ample time for relaxation, but remember, moderation is your friend.

You'll want to start with a midday flight to Vegas arriving around noon and a return flight leaving around 7-8AM so you can arrive at the airport around 6AM. Pack light if even at all and grab toiletries as needed.

And as a savings benefit, if you don't need a hotel room, you don't have to get one. The plan calls for a place to shower, but if you think you need a disco nap, a place to call home or your plans derail, you should get a room.

Before you leave your house, arrange for a car service to pick you up at the airport or you could spend a precious hour, literally, at the cab stand and time is of the essence.



Noon -2PM
Mandalay Bay
If you didn't fill up on airline nuts and complimentary beverages, you're going to want to eat. Mandalay Bay is the closest, biggest resort to the airport so start there for lunch and work your way up The Strip.

Grab lunch at the Burger Bar for a nice slab of beef. You can try the $75 burger, but one of the $15 burgers will do just fine. When you're done eating, contemplate the meaning of life at the tranquil environs of the Shark Reef. Practice positive reinforcement and picture yourself as the shark, gliding through the day ahead.

2-4PM
Bellagio Poker Room
Now that you're fed, head over to the Bellagio and grab a chair for a couple of hours at one of Vegas' best poker rooms. They have poker action for almost every budget and it's a pretty mellow way to spend a couple of hours.

If your bankroll is big enough, head to Bellagio's high-roller salon, Club Prive (pictured) and enjoy some responsible gaming and pampering with the elite crowd.

4-7PMish
Caesars Palace
Crossing Flamingo , head to Caesars Palace. You'll want to hit the Forum Shops and grab some fancy duds for going out later. While there, stop by Casa Fuente for a cigar break and a mojito. Follow that up with a massage and shower (very important) at Qua spa. You're now relaxed, clean dressed and ready for the night.

7:30-9PM
Mirage
Head a little north of The Strip and catch 'The Beatles Love' by Cirque du Soleil. Maybe you've just watched 'Across the Universe' in theaters or maybe you're just a Beatles or Cirque du Soleil fan. Whatever the case, it's a must-not-miss show whether you are spending one night or one week in Vegas.

As a post-show option, stop by and check out the tech-heavy psychdelic-inspired The Beatles Revolution Ultra Lounge on your way out. The '60s meet the future with fancy lights and interactive, customer-created art being projected onto the walls.

9:30-11PM
Wynn
Time to eat again and luckily Vegas has plenty of options. Heading a little further up The Strip, stop at The Wynn for a fancy dinner at Alex. On the walk over, from The Mirage, be sure to catch the sexy 'Sirens of TI' free show in front of Treasure Island.

11PM-1AM
Downtown Vegas
Take a cab for a detour off The Strip to Downtown and the newly christened Fremont East Entertainment District. Downtown nightlife is booming and you can initiate your own hipster pub crawl by stopping at the Downtown Cocktail Room, Beauty Bar and The Griffin. Warning, these are not big dance clubs, but don't worry, one is up next on the itinerary.

1AM-3AM
The Venetian
Time to start heading back toward the airport and the first stop is a nightcap at TAO Las Vegas. You'll want to try and skip the line at all costs since time is precious, but once inside, you can rub elbows with celebrities and get an aerobic dance workout to get your second wind.

3AM
Vince Neil Ink Tattoo Parlour
Continuing the trek toward the airport, go to O'Shea's and permanently mark the occasion with a tattoo at Vince Neil Ink. As the front man for Motley Crue, he knows a little something about tattoos. If you have been drinking a lot, you'll want to skip the step and hit the slot machines or visit the Peppermill Fireside Lounge. Tattoos and drinking, contrary to movies and television, don't mix.

4AM
Hard Rock Hotel
It's almost time for breakfast and the Hard Rock usually has an attractive crowd, even this early in the morning (or late at night as the case may be). Mr. Lucky's 24/7 is a 24-hour cafe where you can grab something to eat and much-needed coffee before heading to the airport.

6AM
McCarran International Airport
If any of the souvenir shops are open that early, you might want to buy a T-shirt so you have something fresh to wear for the plane ride home. The slots are up and running so if your flight is delayed, you'll have something to occupy your time before you get on the plane and sleep.

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In most towns across America, there are a handful of restaurants to go to for special occasions. For anniversaries, birthdays and other causes of celebration, we put on our Sunday clothes and head to the fanciest place in town.

Vegas is a little different. Almost every day here is a special occasion and picking the fanciest place in town is a little more difficult. The town has been built on fantasy and excess and fancy is a byproduct. Even a hot dog, onion rings and Coca-Cola at Nathan's will set you back $11.

In the old days, it seemed casinos had the one nice restaurant, the diner, the buffet and one or two casual restaurants. Today, the top luxury resorts have multiple high-end eateries by the world's most famous chefs. With all of the marquee chefs at resorts like the Venetian, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Caesars Palace, a trip to Vegas is like some sort of Food Channel interactive experience.

I admit the title of this column is a little dramatic. None of these meals will force you to take out a second mortgage to afford their delicious expense. However, when you plan your next trip, or your next night out in Vegas, budget some extra cash for one or more of these five extravagant Vegas dining experiences:

Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay
I like watching Chef Hubert Keller's 'Secrets of a Chef' cooking show on television. From his unassuming style comes some of the most assuming food, gorgeous and yummy. In Vegas, he has more than one restaurant, which gives the diner multiple options to luxuriate.



If you're feeling casual chic, grab a table at Burger Bar, where the great American pasttime gets gourmet treatment. You can try the $25 surf and turf burger topped with lobster. To take the fancy up a notch, make reservations at Chef Keller's Fleur de Lys restaurant also at Mandalay Bay. Look past the champagne cocktails with 24K gold flakes and the live floral sculpture featuring 3,000 fresh roses and focus on the menu, particularly the Kobe Beef FleurBurger "Rossini" (pictured). It's a nice hunk of revered Kobe beef that is topped with foie gras and black trufflIes. They offer it with a 1990 bottle of Chateau Petrus for $5,000.

The "$5,000 burger" was all over the blogs when the restaurant announced the offering, but that's like saying there's a $50,000 burger out there that is served with a side of a Mercedes-Benz. You can order the burger as a course in one of the prix fixe options or slap down $75 for just the burger.

I've read criticism about the restaurant for having the audacity to serve a $75 burger, here is the deal with $75 burgers: they're worth every last cent. I'll go as far to say that if you're a vegetarian, you should eat a $75 burger before you die. They're that good.

Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand
Luxury should be French super chef Joel Robuchon's middle name. I feel fancy just walking into his eponymous restaurant at MGM Grand even before I've looked at the menu.

Gordon Ramsay recently stated that he would want the main course of his last meal on Earth to be prepared by Chef Robuchon, his one-time mentor. Incidentally, Chef Ramsay would want the appetizer for that same last meal to be prepared by another French super chef with a Vegas restaurant, Alain Ducasse.

Other than some marble, chandeliers, French cuisine and accolades of the greatest chef of this generation, what makes the Joel Robuchon experience so extravagant? Go for the 16-course tasting menu. Tasting menus are all the rage with chefs because it's a great way for them to tap into their creative culinary muses and the eater gets to sample a little bit of everything. It is 16 courses so even at $365 a person, it seems like a relatively good deal, but in my opinion, the real extravagance is just being able to sit down at a table and have 16 courses, flowing in and out over the course of a meal. It feels very royal.

Sterling Brunch at Bally's
Bellagio has consistently been recognized as having one of the best buffets in Vegas. It has also been around the top tier of priciest buffets. However, nothing compares to the Sterling Brunch at Bally's Steakhouse on Sundays. At $58 per person, it is the most expensive buffet in town but worth it. The display is deliciously gaudy, but among the typical breakfast buffet fare, you'll find lobster, sushi, caviar and even ostrich on occasion -- and of course, plenty of champagne.

Nothing says extravagance like champagne on a Sunday morning.

Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace
The French really know how to treat a stomach. That sounds weird, but the point is French, as a cuisine, gives us some of the tastiest dishes known to man and French restaurants are among the priciest.

Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace is no different: some of the best food on the planet and priced accordingly. The tasting menu at his eponymous restaurant in Paris is among the world's most expensive along with Alain Ducasse's. They all tend to run in the same chef circles with Chef Savoy also noted by Chef Ramsay as a mentor.

Chef Savoy's Vegas tasting menu is just shy of $300, but in the spirit of luxurious dining, you should just dive into the menu. Even the photo of the prime beef tenderloin looks good enough to eat and if you order the right dinner for two, with wine and gratuity, you're looking at $1,000. That's good taste.

Alex at the Wynn
For the next entry, we're staying in the Mediterranean region with Alex at Wynn. Everything about Alex Stratta's restaurant at the Wynn is rich -- the architecture, the interiors and more importantly, the food.

As I said earlier, tasting menus are all the rage and the seven-course tasting menu that starts yellowtail, sea scallops and foie gras is worth a gander.

For that extra special experience, reserve the chef's table and eat in the kitchen. Sure, you miss out on the lush dining room experience but in a restaurant, eating at the chef's table is like rolling VIP. Plus at more than $200 a person with a nine person minimum, it's very VIP.

I guess that makes it VVIP?

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It's obvious that Las Vegas is the perfect city for an adventure, so it's not surprising that it was named the #1 Adventure Town in the September issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine.

What is surprising is that it's not the sexy shows, fine dining and non-stop gambling that helped Vegas make the list. Instead, Vegas is lauded for its abundance of places for hiking, biking and rock climbing found just outside the city limits. It's nice that not everyone forgets that we have six national parks, two national recreation areas, 13 state parks, and millions of acres of national forests within a three-hour radius of the bright lights.

We spend a lot of time at Vegas Pop dispensing ideas on how to spend the mythical millions of dollars you probably don't have. It makes sense, Vegas is a fantasy land where dropping $40,000 a night for the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Fantasy Tower or buying a $700K Koenigsegg at Caesars Palace are not big deals, for those who can afford it. For the rest of us, it's like assembling a Christmas wish list.

Today, we're going in a radically different direction. Today my friends, we're looking at the best places to find a deal in Vegas including where to eat, where to drink and where to have a good time.

If you didn't just win the World Series of Poker main event, then this story is not for you. For everyone else, here are ideas for Vegas on the cheap:

Where to Eat
Going back to caveman days, shrimp cocktail has been the currency for casinos to lure would-be patrons into their gambling halls. The main problem with the shellfish promotional plan is that Vegas is in the desert. Even if you sucked at the geography bee, you know there's no indigenous shrimp. This is not a general indictment on the Vegas shrimp game, but I've had some iffy shrimp cocktail experiences where the price of the tub o' shrimp had a direct correlation to my gastrointestinal well-being.

I prefer the prime rib deals where a slab of quality red meat will usually run you under $10. One of the finest slabs in town is at Binion's Coffee Shop downtown. You get that old-school Vegas vibe and plenty of meat. If you're South Strip, then the Coronado Cafe at South Point is the best value hands down. They have an eternal $9.95 special which includes the beef, French fries and a salad. The salad is a nice touch that makes you feel healthy.

If your party plans keep you out very late (or very early), graveyard specials provide ridiculous deals. After a night/morning at ghostbar or VooDoo Lounge, stop off at the Gold Coast between midnight and 6AM for $1.95 ham, eggs, hash browns and toast. If you're leaving Seamless around the same time, you can stop off at The Orleans for the $3.95 steak, eggs, hash browns and toast special. Check out Anthony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor site for more graveyard deals.

Where to Drink
In an era where even some Off-Strip bars are charging $14 for a martini, the "Super Big Gulp" law of economics applies if you're looking for a drinking deal in Vegas. That law dictates that you look for the biggest container of alcohol you can find and buy it. Go ahead and skip the "half yards" and go for the full yard of cocktails or the alternate ginormous football-shaped jug. You'll spend around $25 bucks for a yard of adult Kool-Aid, but when compared to the $14 martini, the value is clear. Plus, after the strawberry daiquiri is long gone, these marvels of plastics engineering make classy additions to your kitchenware.

If you like your thrift with a little adventure, then definitely try one of the City's Best dive bars. or a smaller casino. The big resort casinos are in the luxury business which doesn't translate well into a dive bar concept so you have to go forth and explore to find a good deal.

In the dive bar genre, Champagnes Cafe is pure swank. In the smaller casino category, Casino Royale has dollar beers, but you have to take everything that comes with dollar beers like rowdier crowds. On one of my last cheap-beer expeditions, I encountered a man who was apparently unclear on proper intestinal gas expulsion etiquette and let's just say I only had about 25 cents of that dollar beer.

If you're looking for deals, flip on local TV when you get to your room and some of the smaller casinos run ads on their drink specials or you can also check out sites like cheapovegas.com.

Where to Have a Good Time
I'll get a lot of "Fletch is stupid" mail for this, but one of the best places to people watch is aboard the Las Vegas Monorail. It's relatively cheap (in some cases free) and you get an interesting look at the city and its visitors. By "city," I mean the Strip and by "visitors," I mean reality show-worthy individuals with no shame. My favorite is the mullet guy with the optional fanny pack that thinks "rock the train" is just as funny "rock the bus" was back on high school field trips.

Take the full tour Monorail tour and hop on at MGM Grand and wear a big pair of Jackie Onassis dark sunglasses for maximum voyeur capability.


For something more traditional, try one of the free shows. There's the good ol' pirate-themed Sirens of TI (above) which uses sex appeal to add to the value proposition of the free show. If you had the cast of 'Golden Girls' swashbuckling, the pedestrian crowds clogging the Strip sidewalk in front of Treasure Island would probably be thinner, but maybe not.

The free Parade in the Sky show at Rio has lost some of its luster over the last couple of years, but as a bonus while you're there, find one of the roving Chippendale's dancers for a hunky photo op. Your girlfriends at work (and maybe even your boyfriend) will be like, so jealous.

You can also find deals, coupons even, for shows where the show is not free, but with a buy-one-get-one free scheme, you can save money. I found this coupon for 'Bite' on the Las Vegas Leisure Guide so if a gothy, sexy vampire show is your thing, you're all set. Even Cirque du Soleil's 'Zumanity' is running ironically-priced ticket specials.

If you have found any really good Vegas deals you'd like to share, leave them on the comment board below. I'm off to smoke a cigar back in the glamorous life.

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When you talk about the heat in Vegas, the first jokes are always about the "dry heat." Sure, you don't instantly sweat when you step outside like you do in the humid, "wet heat" of a Houston or Manhattan summer, but hot is hot.

When it's 120 degrees at 6PM and you go to the store and every square inch of the parking lot is radiating heat and your lungs are cursing you, the dry heat jokes are not so funny.

For some reason, this last Vegas heat spell has been making national headlines with the issuance of an "excessive heat warning." Not all of Vegas is tropical and lush like the Secret Garden at The Mirage. This is the desert and deserts tend to be on the hotter side, especially during the summer.

If you dare leave the climate-controlled environs of your hotel room or the blackjack tables, here are five ways to beat the scorching, angry and yes, dry Vegas heat:

1. Snow Day Is Every Day
If Keegan-Michael Key were to describe Caesar's new luxury spa Qua, he would say that they have taken "luxuriating to a whole 'notha level."

Sure, there are the obligatory fitness rooms and spa treatments, but their unique, not-so-obligatory offerings include Roman Baths, a tea sommelier and the Arctic Ice Room (pictured) where snow falls indoors every day -- yep, snow inside. Somebody should issue an "excessive cool warning."

As you may have experienced, casinos usually keep the air conditioning cranked in the summer so when you come inside from the heat, you risk pneumonia going from one heat extreme to the other. Not here -- the glass-tiled interior promotes the cool vibe, but the floor and benches are comfortably heated so you don't freeze your but off, literally. The room is kept at 55 degrees, which on some days, can be a 60 degrees jump from the outdoor temperature.

What better way to beat the heat than relaxing in a chilled room catching snow flakes on your tongue while folks outside are caught in a solar flare?

2. Night Golfing
In a town filled with golf courses and 24-hour bars, night golfing just makes sense. For decades, the casual Vegas golfer has had to decide between staying out until 6AM at a club or waking up at 6AM to catch a tee time. No longer my friends.

The Cloud Nine short course at Angel Park Golf Club lights nine of the holes for night golfing. There are some interesting layouts, but as in any short course, it's not very challenging and not for serious golfers. But then again, serious golfers are hitting the early bird buffet, going to bed before 'Letterman' and waking up pre-dawn to make their $500 tee time.

3. Flying Inside
For adrenaline junkies, the heat doubles the dilemma. Unless you're into indoor activities like glow-in-the-dark paintball or disco bowling, you're often forced into the great outdoors during the heat of the day to find the adventure you so desperately seek.

At Las Vegas' Flyaway Indoor Skydiving, you can have the best of both worlds: the adrenaline-releasing sensation of flying without the risk of paralyzing sunburn.

Suit up, take a short training class and then fly indoors on top of a column of air pushing speeds of 120 MPH.

4. The Vodka Locker
Fueled by body heat, even Vegas clubs and bars can feel like small ovens. Given the fleshy scenery, the club heat is a little more pleasant than street heat when crossing the Strip on a foot bridge.

The Russian-themed Red Square at Mandalay Bay addresses the issue with a frozen ice bar and a vodka locker. The ice bar has a frozen top so when you set down your cocktail, it stays nice and chilled. If you have a small group and you're looking to beat the heat, grab a coat and book the vodka locker, a Siberian-esque storage facility housing vodka and a Lenin statue head.

5. Don't Be a Fool, Stay in Pool

So I saved the obvious for last. While emotionally hot due to the sexy atmosphere, Vegas pools are physically still one of the best ways to beat the heat. I'm not a doctor, so the last statement is not a scientific fact. It just seems with the cabanas, frozen specialty drinks and all of that water, the pool is a good way to stay cool.

Golden Nugget's pool (pictured above) is the perfect example of an aquatic paradise with waterfalls, sharks, a water slide, an outdoor bar and outdoor blackjack. Check out the Vegas Pool Guide for more pool info.

If you go to one of the topless pools (politely known as "European style sunbathing"), just be sure you bring the SPF 125.

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Vegas has many "capital" titles and one of the more popular distinctions is "Wedding Capital of the World." As far as weddings and the pre-matrimony events (parties and paperwork), a Vegas wedding is very user-friendly.

Where else can you have a raging bachelorette party of epic proportions in the early afternoon, get your marriage license 45 minutes later and have an equally equally epic fantasy wedding moments later?

The ugly side to that easy access is the proliferation of UNS, Unplanned Nupitals Syndrome. Vegas is one of the few places in all of creation where a cheesy pick-up line could lead to the ultimate pick-up line, "I do," hours later. Unlike your common hangover, Gatorade and Alka-Seltzer won't help it go away. Unless of course, Gatorade and Alka-Seltzer is the name of your law firm.

Just a words of caution my friends: hormones and alcohol are combustible so as with most anything in life, moderation is key.

Here are five places (with itineraries) to get married in Vegas:

1. Trick or Treat Weddings
Who knew that All Hallows' Eve was such a big day to celebrate love by exchanging vows that expire only upon death? October is the fifth most popular month nationally after the big spring and summer months and Halloween in Vegas is one of the biggest wedding days. Hey, marriage is a lot like trick or treating anyway so if the gown fits ...

Location: Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel (several packages)
Stag/Hen Parties: Sanctuary at Krave
Honeymoon: New Orleans

2. Extreme Weddings
Aisles? Aisles are for wimps. If you really want to prove your everlasting devotion, jump out of a plane while getting married. There's also the safer, helicopter weddings, but it just depends how much you want to back up that lifelong commitment. Actions speak louder than words.

Location: Helicopters or other places that usually doesn't involve standing
Stag/Hen Parties: Mix, ghostbar, VooDoo Lounge or other high altitude venues
Honeymoon: In a tent at the bottom of the Grand Canyon

3. The Love Hangover
If you're in Vegas with the one you love this could be a great story to tell the kids. If you end up in this situation with a stranger, then obviously you didn't heed my hormones-alcohol warning or your name is Britney Spears.

It goes down like this: You start the evening out with a nice dinner and a bottle of wine. Before you know it, you're at a bar doing your best Nicholas Cage 'Leaving Las Vegas' impersonation and somewhere between the fourth and fifth shot of Jagermeister, you and your significant other, or significant stranger, decide to enter into unholy matrimony.

The sad truth is you can get your paperwork and married faster than you can grab a cab at McCarran during peak travel times.

Location: Any chapel where the taxi driver drops you off
Stag/Hen Parties: N/A
Honeymoon: Hotel buffet

4. The King and We
Elvis-themed Vegas weddings are an industry within an industry within an industry. What started out as a novelty experience more than 25 years ago at the Graceland Chapel, has ballooned just like the Elvis did in the early '70s.

Now, you can have Elvis marry you in a car, in a bar or even on a bicycle. He can sing before, during or after your wedding or just walk the bride down the aisle.

Location: Graceland Chapel
Stag/Hen Parties: Champagnes Cafe, Lucky Strike Lanes
Honeymoon: Memphis

5. Fairy-tale Wedding
What wedding guide would be complete without a fairy-tale wedding option? While the extreme and quirky weddings always get the attention, if you've watched the nonstop wedding coverage on Style Network, you know that typically traditional weddings do occur in Vegas. Given the mirage-like surroundings of the desert, there's almost no better place to have a fairy-tale wedding. In Vegas, you can get married in Paris, Italy, Egypt or Rio. There's probably nothing more romantic than a sunset wedding on a boat on Lake Las Vegas, unless the bride gets seasick in which in that case, stick to the Bellagio Wedding Chapel or the Star Trek Wedding.

Location: Any of the major casinos
Stag/Hen Parties: Scores, Chippendales (hey, it's tradition)
Honeymoon: Honolulu

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Vegas isn't known for its arts and culture scene. The argument can be made that neon is a fine art, magic shows are legitimate theater and nightclubs and gentlemen's clubs provide all the dance anyone would ever need. Sure, Musicals like 'Phantom of the Opera' and Cirque shows fit the category as a classical art form, but what do people do where do people go when they're feeling really artsy?

Visitors that take a break from the steely handshake of the slot machines or venture off of the lush, green felt of the poker tables can find arts and culture alive and well, getting better.

Here are five places to get artsy in Vegas:

1. Guggenheim Hermitage -- The first bit of evidence is the Guggenheim Hermitage at the Venetian. Hot spots like TAO, Rao's and Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill get all of the accolades as the quintessential New York transplants in Vegas, but this is the freaking Guggenheim.

The museum is closed right now getting ready for a new 'Modern Masters' exhibit launching later in July which should big hit.

2. Liberace Museum -- Promise yourself that you'll visit the Liberace Museum during one of your trips to Vegas. The Off-Strip piano pantheon pays tribute to Liberace and is unique Vegas arts and pop culture. The flamboyant entertainer was the highest paid entertainer in Vegas at one time. This video tour through his wardrobe, fancy cars and one-of-a-kind pianos proves that Liberace was bling before bling was cool. Plus, if you go Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, you can catch a live Liberace musical tribute by Wes Winters.

I predict in the next couple of years, Liberace will make a deserved comeback as a pop icon brand. I can see a biopic movie starring Crispin Glover or Johnny Depp in the title role. He was bling before bling

3. First Friday -- Since 2002, this is the closest thing Vegas has to an underground art scene and it's not so underground. It's a monthly visual and performing arts festival occurring on, you guessed it, the first Friday of every month.

The event has also become a major social event since it started in 2002.More than a 100 artists get together and display there wares while thousands of potential patrons hit the downtown arts district and neighboring bars. It's a great time to celebrate art, celebrate alcohol and since it's Vegas, some of the after parties last well beyond the official 10PM closing time.

4. Las Vegas Philharmonic -- Any great city needs a philharmonic, right? This Vegas institution gets a lot of attention for the Star Spangled Spectacular concert celebrating July 4th, but they have ongoing concerts and series that make symphonic-produced music palatable to almost anyone. Rach(maninoff) 'n' roll, people.



5. Artisan Hotel -- This was a tough choice. Casinos like Bellagio have a fine art gallery and it seems that there are quite a few restaurants and bars in the city hanging Picassos or Matisses for the digestive benefit of their patrons. The boutique Artisan Hotel wins out because of the number of art-ifcats and curios hanging on the walls and ceilings (above). Plus they make a pretty mean martini at the lounge and it's dark enough to get lost. Take a video tour.

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If you're in Vegas this weekend, one of the best annual Vegas events is getting set to uncork and it's not one you'll easily find in a lot of guidebooks. It's time for the 33rd Annual UNLVino Wine Tasting presented by Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada.

The slogan is 'Take a Sip for Scholarship' which reminds us a lot of our college years, or at least what we remember of college. The three-day grape-related celebration benefits the students of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV.

People always ask me where to go to get that old-school vintage Vegas vibe. Whether they want to bask in the long-gone afterglow of a Rat Pack night at the Sands or just watched a Vegas-centric movie like the original 'Ocean's 11' or the brief Vegas cameo in 'Swingers', they just want to breathe in that coolified retro air.

The problem is those chips were cashed in a long time ago, literally. Sure, there are places to go like Peppermill Lounge or Binion's to try and recapture some of that "old-school cool." However, once past the neon facades, a lot of the places most people consider old-school Vegas, are just aged versions of their former glory.

Official hand-written signs taped to walls and in some cases, the smell of eons of smoke, glory and regret soaked into carpets aren't the classy joints that Frank, Dino and Sammy patrolled back in the day. Don't take it the wrong way. I do love hanging out in these places when I find myself longing for nostalgia. It's just not the same.

Even mover and shaker George Clooney had to abandon plans to bring back that old-school Vegas sophistication with the shuttering of his Las Ramblas casino and resort project. He planned on a casino dress code reminiscent of the pictures of old Vegas where everyone dressed up to hit the slots.

There's Old School and Then There's Old-Old School

Most people consider the imminent razing of the Stardust (R.I.P.) as one of the last silver chords to old-school Vegas. It depends on your definition of old school. What will actually be torn down is closer to the '70s kitsch era and not the mondo atomic years (above) of the late '50s and early '60s. There are still places for the kitsch like the Liberace Museum, parts of the Riviera and downtown at the California, but spots for the earlier years continue to dwindle.

You can get $1.99 shrimp cocktail from the Golden Gate casino. Originally built in 1906, it is old-old-old school, but the casino didn't get its current name and pioneering shrimp deals until the late '50s. There's the Tropicana on the Strip that was built in 1957, but it seems the Trop's days are numbered. The Las Vegas sign south of Tropicana on Las Vegas Blvd. was installed in 1959 and is a must photo-op. The Golden Steer is a classic eatery from 1958 and, as you can imagine, has hosted a who's who of Vegas celebs.

One of the best stops for any era is a trip to the Neon Boneyard, where all of the old neon goes to retire.

Call It a Comeback
Las Vegas is bringing some of that old magic back with the new Fremont East district Downtown. The area, directly to the east of Fremont Street Experience is burgeoning thanks to hotspots like Beauty Bar, but the new development will bring in retro street fixtures to complement the old-schoolness that is already Downtown.

A breaking story in Vegas news about alleged misdealings at the county hospital details kickbacks going to associates in Chicago, which seems to fit in with Vegas' old mob days. Of course, that's not the old-school Vegas anyone wants around, but it just seems to fit in with the theme of the story.

The best bet to relive any Vegas of Yore is to see one of the entertainers like Tom Jones or Wayne Newton or one of the classic shows like Folies Bergere or Donn Arden's Jubilee.

There's enough interest in an old-school Vegas, when they develop the Tropicana property, they should build an Epcot-style complex of retro casinos instead of more rectangular towers. The end result of the project would kind of look like NY-NY casino, but with the facades of interesting "retired" buildings like The Sands and The Landmark. Of course the inside would have to be modernized, but it's the best of both schools, old and new.

I read and hear a lot of dissent about the destruction of the past. To those people, I say Vegas is a state of mind regardless of the calendar or address. If you want old-school Vegas, blast the Tom Jones, put on a tux, grab a Romeo y Julieta and shake your dirty martini. You can do that at the Bellagio or Bally's. We should celebrate the past, but never forget that the present state of Vegas is pretty rocking.

The Best of Both Worlds
Resorts like Caesars Palace and Sahara have done a really good job at transitioning form the past to remain relevant in today's Vegas. However, they have gone in different directions. Caesar's focuses on luxury and maintaining a hip status with venues like Rao's and Pure where Sahara caters to families and budget-conscious guests with a rollercoaster, NASCAR Cafe and low-limit table games.

At the end of the neverending day, the way I see it, Vegas back then would have been pretty cool, but unless you lived it, the memories were never yours to begin with and if your curiosity needs artifacts, try eBay. I'll be fireside at the Peppermill with a big cocktail.

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Reminiscent of the glorious baths of ancient Rome, QUA is the brand new spa oasis at Caesars Palace and the newest and best on the Strip.

QUA showcases the very first Arctic Ice Room complete with falling snow and skin-scrub ice-cubes! Guests unwind after heat treatments using the ice-chips to cool, exfoliate and invigorate in the crisp air as the snow falls! You'd swear you were in Iceland at dead of winter rather than hot and humid-free Sin City!


Although the state of the art and ultimate luxurious "social gathering spaces" are separate for men's and women's treatments there are couples studios for romantic massages and body treatments. If you're going for one of those joys check out the Kama Sutra ritual with Shirodhara in a private suite warm oil is used to anoint the forehead while chilled rose petals rest softly over the eyes. Tantric music and pure aphrodisiac massage oils transport couples into romantic bliss. No wonder Venus, who stands guard over the private herb garden, was the Goddess of fertility.


There's even a Tea Sommelier to create tasteful tea-pairings with the treatments. Another first is the Crystal Body Art Room for customized designs of tiny Swarovski crystals to be artistically adhered to the body as the ultimate personal accessory and decoration for Vegas nightlife! Caesar himself would have been proud of the therapeutic Roman Baths for bathing in peace and tranquility with overhead rain shows and cascading waterfalls. The QUA experience is akin to Roman Rituals of yesteryear with the 50,000 sq.ft palace of pleasure co