Living in Las Vegas

With the holiday season coming up, it’s time for the annual “I am going to lose weight this year” resolution.  Although trying to reach a specific weight is a natural goal, it usually doesn’t happen as fast as you want, and discouragement quickly sets in.  For 2009, try a different approach and say “This year I am going to get in shape.”  Add an exercise program into your weekly routine, cut out extra sugar, and eat a little more fruit, veggies and whole grains.  You will be surprised how quickly small changes can make a big difference.

If you prefer walking, jogging, hiking or biking outdoors, then Las Vegas weather is usually ideal for you.  Weather is pretty non-existent here, meaning except for the occasional heat wave, windy day or half-hour downpour, you can pretty much count on a clear day to fit in your workout. Although during the summer, even at night, the temps can stay in the triple digits.

For those of you who prefer the gym, Las Vegas has plenty of options.  The are the big 3: the Las Vegas Athletic Club, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym.  I  have always preferred the Las Vegas Athletic Club.  They are always running some type of a special to join, $5, Ladies Free or $19 a month are the main ones.  You can go to any of their locations, take any classes and some even have a pool, sauna, steam room and women’s only areas. Plus it’s always getting ranked Best of Las Vegas by the RJ.

If you are looking for something smaller, without all the extra amenities, try Anytime Fitness, Fitness 19 or the YMCA.  All provide you with plenty of equipment, and I think the YMCA even has a few classes.  They also don’t make you sign a contract, which is a must for any of the Big 3.  And for women, there is a Curves around every corner.  Curves is awesome if you haven’t been working out regularly, and need a little extra motivation.

Personally, I am trying to get a jump on my 2009 fitness resolution.  So if there is anyone out there that wants to join me . . . let’s make 2009 the fittest year ever!

If you have some time this weekend and some money to spend, or even if you don’t have any money to spend, but always wondered what the inside of the huge buildings on Grand Central Parkway looked like, now is your chance.  I am referring to the Las Vegas Design Center at the World Market Center.

For those of you, like me, who are not too familiar with the World Market Center, I found out it is the possibly the largest wholesale furniture showroom in the world.  It is comprised of 3 buildings that are approximately 5 million square feet in total.  It is only open to people in the retail furniture and design trades.  The Las Vegas Design Center consists of 400,000 square feet of permanent showrooms for interior decorators.

This weekend, November 21 - 22, 2008, the Las Vegas Design Center will be open to public for a special charity event. The California/Central Nevada chapter of American Society of Interior Designers is holding a special Sample Sale.  Admission is $10 which will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, Nevada AIDS Project and Opportunity Village and you get a free ticket to the Opportunity Village Magical Forest.  Items that you can buy and/or browse include designer sofas, chairs, bedroom sets, dining sets, tables, area rugs, lighting, accessories, accent pieces, lamps, wall art, paintings, frames, prints, mirrors and more.

I am usually not much of an interior decorator, but this sounds like it would be really fun.  The address is 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, self parking is free and the sale starts at 9:00 a.m. each day.

Danny Gans, “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for the last 11 years, will be performing his last show Saturday, November 22, 2008 at The Mirage . However, for all you Danny fans, the good news is that he will be coming back in February to perform at the Encore Resort at the Wynn Las Vegas .

Steve Wynn stated “Danny Gans’ continuing role as the star of the Encore Theater underscores the individual identity of our new resort and underscores our continuing, unqualified commitment to excellence in service and entertainment. I built the Danny Gans Theater at the Mirage in 2000 as a result of being convinced that he would bring to our family a standard of performing artistry unequaled by any other single star in Las Vegas. The result has been obvious, and he has occupied that singular position ever since. On a very personal as well as professional level, I am absolutely delighted to welcome him back into our newer family across the street. We are going to have a great time together — just like the audience.”

Danny Gans is known as the “The Man of Many Voices” and his show is basically comedy and musical impressions. He started at the Stratosphere, then moved to the Rio and then the Mirage. For the last two years he performed for a sold out crowd of 1,250. The Danny Gans’ Las Vegas Strip marquee is the largest freestanding marquee in the world.

In addition to performing on the Las Vegas strip, he also a Christian singer and has two CD’s out “Danny Gans My Lord My Life” and “Danny Gans Brand New Dream“.

Tickets for the Danny Gans Show will run you $100, it starts at 7:30 p.m. and is dark on Thursday. It doesn’t look like you can reserve any for his new show at the Encore yet, but I am guessing they will probably be even more expensive. Enjoy!

Several buyers of the luxury Streamline Tower Condos in downtown Las Vegas are facing an interesting, or more like unfortunate, problem. The condos are no longer worth anything close to what they need to be sold for.  The question is, whose fault is it? 

On October 1, 2008, 48 buyers filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Nevada District Court against Streamline, LLC and Executive Locations, LLC.  One of their main allegations seems to be that Streamline misrepresented their ability to be able to lease the condos out for a rate of $3,500 per month.  They are trying to terminate their purchase agreements and get back their deposits ranging from $30,000 to $90,000 each.

The Streamline Tower Condos are part of many ongoing project to basically “remodel” downtown Las Vegas which, let’s face it, has pretty much been the pits for as long as I can remember. Fortunately Mayor Oscar Goodman has been very aggressive about cleaning up downtown and part of that redevlopment project has included some really nice condos.

Streamline opened May 1st of this year, but the buyers were told it would be open by December 2006.  To put it mildly, the housing market has changed considerably since then.   It seems like some of the buyers may be involved in the suit to get out their purchase agreements because they are having problems getting a loan now. 

The condos are listed on Streamline’s website at prices ranging from $400,000 to over $1 million. I think this excerpt  from an article in the October 27, 2008 issue of the Las Vegas Business Press sums up the main problem:

“However, the situation faced by two of the buyers, Violetta and Nathan Mordukhay of Encino, Calif., points to the hurdles posed by the price structure. They agreed to pay $469,900 for a one-bedroom, 832-square-foot unit, but received two appraisals of $355,000 and $386,000 when applying for a loan. The appraisals were conducted in April, but prices generally have continued to deteriorate since then.”

Do the Plaintiffs deserve their money back? Would they be suing if the real estate market was still booming? Did Streamline actually do anything wrong? Is this luxury condo project in downtown just a money pit and everyone needs to cut their losses?

From the same article - U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd George wrote, “The irreparable harm of which the (buyers) complain is conjectural at this point.“ 

Stay tuned, the next hearing on a temporary injunction is scheduled for November 24th.

As promised, I am trying to keep you informed about upcoming career fairs around town.  Today Texas Station is holding a career fair starting at noon.  It looks like there are going to be some really great companies attending, including AAA, Cox Communications, Hilton Grand Vacations, Station Casinos and Yellowpages.com.  Several different schools are going to be there, along with a representative from the Army National Guard. Spruce up your resume and head on over.

This time of the year is usually a pretty good time for job seekers.  Many companies hire seasonal help and then keep the good workers on a more permanent basis. Although, this year with the economy in a recession, the competition is going to be tougher than ever.  There are less jobs to go around, and more people trying to get them.  Retail is usually one area that you can always depend on for seasonal jobs to be available.

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, a well filled out job application, stellar resume and awesome first impression can still get you the position.  When filling out your application, make sure to fill it out completely.  Don’t leave blanks, that makes it look like you were not paying attention, always fill in “n/a” or “not applicable”.  Type it up online if possible or write neatly.  Your application is your first, first impression.

Your resume is also very important.  Even if it is very short, just the fact that you have one leaves a good impression.  Make it very neat and easy to read.  A resume is a way for you to sell yourself, so do just that.  Put in all your good qualities, some ways that you have improved sales, service, etc. at your previous job(s) and what you can bring to their company.  If you are mailing in your resume or applying online, always try to include a short cover letter.  Just briefly state which position you are applying for, a couple of reasons why you are perfect for the job and a short conclusion with your contact info.

Finally, when you do that land that interview, come prepared.  Bring an extra copy of your resume, and dress for success! Even if you will be wearing a uniform everyday, you want to show your potential new boss that you want the job enough and care enough about the job to show up in a nice business outfit that is ironed and matching.  This is your last chance to make a good first impression and outshine the competition.

Good Luck!

Shortly after 2:30 a.m. this morning, Peter Eastgate, age 22, won $9.15 million and the title, 2008 World Series of Poker Champion in the final game last night at the Rio Hotel Casino. Eastgate is the youngest winner ever, breaking the 19-year record held by Phil Hellmuth, who was 24 when he won the World Series of Poker in 1989.

Eastgate’s winning hand was the 102nd hand of the game, an ace to 5 straight. The final game began Monday night against Ivan Demidov at the Penn & Teller Theater before 1,000 fans. They were the final players from the World Series of Poker which started back in July with 6,844 entrants.

The World Series of Poker began in 1970 at Binion’s Horseshoe and is the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. In 2004, Harrah’s Entertainment purchased Binion’s, and now the tournament consists of 55 events held at Harrah’s different properties in Las Vegas. The winner of the tournament wins the World Series of Poker bracelet, a cash prize based on the number of contestants and their picture is placed into the Gallery of Champions at Binion’s.

ESPN will be showing the game live tonight at 5:00 p.m.

It seems like we have been hearing about the opening of the new Aliante Station Casino Hotel forever, but the date has finally arrived. The 11th Station Casino, Aliante Station, will opens its doors to the public for the first time at 11:11 p.m. on November 11, 2008.

Aliante Station is located right off the 215 and N. Aliante Parkway in North Las Vegas. It’s about 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so they are hoping get some business from the racing crowd, in addition to locals.

The hotel has 202 rooms. The casino has 2,550 slot machines, 40 table games and a 12 table poker room. The entertainment includes a 16-screen movie theater, an IMAX theater, and a 1,200 seat showroom. There are also plenty of restaurants, including The Original Pancake House, Villa Pizza, Panda Express, Capriotti’s and of course, the Feast Buffet.

One unusual attraction they are featuring is a chandelier made with 2,000 empty tequila bottles. Since I live at least a half hour away from Aliante Station, that might be the only reason I would ever head over there, but it sounds worth the trip. Aliante Station is actually one of the more welcomed hotel casinos because there isn’t a whole lot in that part of town for the locals yet. They are also still accepting job applications.

The holiday season is upon us. It seems like it comes earlier and earlier every year. No sooner do the Halloween decorations come down than the Christmas music starts playing in all the stores.

I know during tough times like these people still want to give to their favorite charity in need, but sometimes it’s just not possible. So our local malls, Fashion Show, Meadows, and Boulevard have set up great way for us donate through The Giving Spree and get a little back for our holiday shopping too. One of the best parts is that you can make a donation from as little as $5 to as many dollars as much as you want.

First you choose the mall you want to do some holiday shopping at. Next you get to pick which organization you would like to donate to. They have a bunch of local organization listed including HELP of Southern Nevada, Olive Crest, Opportunity Village, and Sunrise Children’s Foundation. Or you can choose one of the big ones such as Habitat for Humanity, After School All Stars, American Heart Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, March of Dimes Nevada Chapter and the National MS Society.

Once you have submitted your donation, you will receive list of discounts from the mall you chose that you can use on November 15, 2008. Some examples are

20% off total purchase at Aeropostale
15% off full priced merchandise at Steve Madden
20% off your entire purchase at Disney Store
15% off your entire purchase at The Body Shop
25% off your purchase at New York & Company

So give a little, get a little. Isn’t that what the holidays are supposed to be all about?

This is it, your last chance to get down to the polls and cast your ballot in the 2008 General Election.  If you’re not sure where to go you can check out the Clark County Election Department for all the information you’ll need.

To find out where you can vote you will need to just enter your name and birthdate.  If you want to find the polling place or the elected officials for a precinct you will need the precinct number.  If you are a registered voter you can also view a sample ballot online.  The election results will be posted after 7:00 p.m. today.

Nevada has 5 electoral votes up for grabs and the Democrats and Republicans alike have been fighting a tough battle this year for those votes. According to the Associated Press voter registration numbers are up 7.3 percent from the last presidential election. Democrats saw their registration numbers increase by 12.2 percent, while Republicans saw their ranks grow by 1.7 percent.

The polls are going to be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. today and I would suggest getting there early. If you have any questions or need more information you can also call 702-455-VOTE.  Good luck and may the best candidate win!!