Last night The Palazzo sort of opened to the public.

Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club opened, as did the gaming area.

It was so low key that few people were aware of it “opening”.

The Palazzo got a “last minute permit” to open portions of the property.

I guess they slapped some extra silly putty on the support beams.

So … they technically opened in 2007, but there were no room guests, and not really much of anything was going on other than a nightclub launch and some photo ops with LeBron James, Mary J. Blige and Alex Rodriguez. .. but I guess the technical aspect that it opened this year is all that really matters.

Most of the people at the Venetian had no idea that the place was open (I am not kidding, they said “It opens next month.”) and there is hardly anybody in the place gaming … it is completely dead in there. There is still work going on all over the place, but the structure itself seems sound.

To me, it’s like an extension of the Venetian itself.

It’s a very nice place, but I would simply call it “Venetian North” instead of The Palazzo. They have an extremely similar vibe.

It’s still very much under construction. As a matter of fact, about half of my photos have construction workers in them somewhere.

A very good thing about this place is that it is directly adjacent to the Grand Canal Shop … a 3 minute walk from the Casino to the Shops. It’s also a quick walk through the shops directly into the Venetian.

It really is two properties in one, connected by the Grand Canal Shops. The gondolas are actually closer to the Palazzo than they are to the Venetian casino floor.

I feel like they simply added another casino on the other side of the GC shops, with a little more natural light, which feels more open and airy.

Also, there is a very quick skywalk right over to the Wynn (5 minutes casino floor to casino floor), and an equally quick second skywalk to the Fashion Show Mall.

TI is right across the street, and of course the V is practically in the same structure.

Staying at the Palazzo gives you access to 3 high-end properties, one mid-level property, and a large shopping mall without even having to think about transportation, having to cross a street, or even having to walk on a surface sidewalk. It’s all connected by indoor passages and skywalks.

It was a good use of that corner, IMHO.

As for photos …

The first Palazzo security person directed me to the best spots to take pictures, I was then encouraged to take pictures by the casino floor manager, another security person took a picture of me with the gaming machines in the background (”Would you like me to get you in the picture, sir?”), and the 4th security person ran up and told me that there were absolutely no pictures to be taken in the casino at all, and she shadowed me for awhile to make sure that I didn’t. By that time I had already taken several hundred pictures in the casino, so it really didn’t matter.

It just goes to show you that the whole “photography” thing is completely random and up to the discretion of the individual security person you may be speaking with. It makes little to no sense not have a crystal clear posted policy, and you can’t fault the tourists for not knowing what in the hell is going on.

3/4ths of the staff encouraged me to photograph, and one staff member was a real bitch.

The people at the gaming tables and at the cashier cage were very nice. They made sure to open a mint case of chips for me because I specifically requested unplayed chips. They were very happy about my interest, and I was happy to get my brand-spanking-new Palazzo chips. The $5 chip has “Grand Opening” printed on it.

Overall, the staff was very pleasant.

Many more pictures are available here:

http://www.vegasrex.com/photos/palazzo-opening/

http://www.vegasrex.com/photos/the-palazzo/

We have about 700 photos in the can, and will be updating them throughout the week.

Most people who like the Venetian and the Wynn will probably appreciate The Palazzo.

I was freezing my nads off last night, so I decided to hop in a cab for the $6 ride home.

But I got a slightly different cab than I am used to.

This one had a credit card swipe looking machine that took “Taxi Pass” cards as payment. I’ll have to find out what those things are later.

In and of themselves, the machines are pretty unobtrusive. They just sit there looking hi-tech.

Then about two minutes into the ride, the thing starts blaring. A full-blown television commercial started playing on the thing !

I was on the phone and neither myself or the other party could hear anything other than this damn machine.

We’ve all gotten used to the commercials on the little video screen at the grocery store checkout line, but when they are 12 inches in front of your face, and the volume is turned up, it’s really fucking annoying.

These things exist in cabs in other cities, but I was really hoping it wouldn’t happen here.

I know it wasn’t the driver’s fault, but I tipped him about 30 cents instead of the $3-$4 I normally would have. I was that turned off by the thing interrupting me on my own time.

When I spring for a taxi, I pay to sit back, relax, and be chauffeured home.

If I have to watch damn commercials, I am not going to pay as much for the ride. Period.

So this is great … advertisers have found a new way to get a captive audience.

Good grief, exactly how much more is Vegas going to go out of its way to annoy the living shit out of visitors for a few bucks on the bottom line?

Apparently this thing is just in the “testing” phase and is only in a minority of cabs at the moment, but that may soon change.

My initial opinion?

It sucks.

My prediction?

They will eventually be in every cab in the city, and much like 6/5 Blackjack … we’re all just going to have to get used to it.

Scarier than a poltergeist … New Year’s weekend traffic has arrived.

It’s bumper to bumper even during the daytime hours.

Put on your most comfortable walking shoes because a motor vehicle isn’t going to get you anywhere in this town for the next 4 days.

I already bought my monorail pass.

Sure, the monorail is a punchline, but at least you’ll be making some forward progress while laughing.

Without having a drink hurled at him.

This makes 2 for 2 since the Venetian.

Apparently the other casinos aren’t being quite as anal.

I stopped by the Flamingo on my way to the MGM, pulled out my camera, and the showgirl above immediately struck a pose. Then, get this …

She told me to have a good day!

I kid you not. She didn’t kick me in the balls, didn’t pull out a chainsaw with which to decapitate me, didn’t call the SWAT team, she actually exchanged pleasantries with me!

Things are looking up for VegasRex.

I could have bounced a quarter off of this lady’s ass, and was contemplating asking her if I could try, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

After meeting up with some people in the Flamingo, I headed over to the MGM to play a little poker.

My session didn’t go as well as planned, but Huddler and Karen happened to be staying at the MGM, so I hit them up on the cell before leaving the property to see if they were around.

As luck would have it, there were around, and we hung out in the Rouge Bar for about an hour.

The waitress bringing us drinks was a fairly hot 28 year old named “Anya” (I think). She was very nice, and was more than happy to talk to us about various things (hookers, etc) while we obviously ogled her ample boobs the whole time.

She was cool because she didn’t find any of our offensive comments … actually offensive, because she realized the she was a waitress in Las Fucking Vegas, and not some dive in Fresno.

Especially fun was when she was describing a time when she accidentally tripped and fell, and when she mimed the “falling” motion … we got a really good view of her boobs.

I’m thinking of going back tomorrow and asking her to re-tell the story.

Anyway, she also let me take her picture without beating me over the head with a vodka bottle.

Not only that, but Huddler got a little physical contact out of the deal.

Win/Win for everyone involved.

I’m not sure where Huddler’s right hand is in this picture, but judging from the look on his and her face … I have some ideas.

Speaking of the whole Venetian incident, I have gotten several emails since it was posted.

One email was from a reporter at a major TV station here in Las Vegas.

Apparently the V’s behavior isn’t all that unusual.

The station just recently had a run-in with Venetian security. Apparently, security was trying to kick the station’s cameramen off the sidewalk in front of the property. And they were not professional about it.

I was told that the Venetian was sued (and lost) in 2001 for harassing picketing union members in front of the property.

Also, someone got punched in the face by security and thrown out for snapping a photo inside the Venetian.

Whoa!

If your security people are stupid enough to harass TV reporters after losing a lawsuit for strong-arming picketers in the same spot … and your waitresses are throwing drinks at people in the meantime … then in my humble opinion, you have a big personnel training problem on your hands.

I would love to see the classified ads that the Venetian runs when looking for security personnel.

“Active members of the Crips and/or Bloods a plus”.

Seriously, after reading some of the other accounts of security overreactions at the Venetian, it appears that I got off relatively easy.

It also makes me look at the place in a slightly different light.

Maybe the Palazzo opening keeps getting delayed because Venetian security is kicking the shit out of the construction workers?

But I digress.

I am happy to report that most Las Vegas eye candy appear to be in a better mood.

As usual, I spent Christmas Day hanging out on The Strip.

As you can tell from the photo above, any place that had holiday decorations was insanely crowded and a bit irritating at times.

It was slightly unpleasant because I had grossly underestimated how cold it was, wasn’t dressed for it, and ended up scrambling from the inside of one casino to another.

This lady at the patio bar in the Flamingo was trying to get warm in a way that I don’t recommend … over an open flame.

I spent most of the day at the Flamingo, Bellagio, and Caesar’s. I was really bummed that Caesar’s didn’t have a Christmas tree like they did last year.

Last year’s tree photos are here:

http://www.vegasrex.com/photos/christmas-2006-photos/

Instead, they replaced it with some kind of religious Asian shrine. I don’t belong to any religion. I don’t believe or disbelieve anything. I don’t pretend to know what is going on. I believe the accepted term for what I am is “Agnostic”. But to cover my bases, I pray to everything. You know … just in case one of them really is listening.

So I respectfully went through the ritual with this thing. I lit the incense, stuck it on the sand, and gave a thumbs up gesture to it. I like to think this multi-armed diety and I are on good terms.

I played a few machines in the Bellagio, and lost every dime I put into them (Merry Christmas to you too … bastards).

I then checked out the Bellagio Conservatory again … along with the rest of the free world. It was too crowded to relax and enjoy so I didn’t stay in there long.

I did notice some chicks around town who, despite the cold, just had to wear short skirts.

We don’t have a Taliban here ladies, you don’t have to assert your feminine liberty by freezing your labia off. It’s okay to put some damn pants on when the wind chill is 32 degrees.

If you have to wear a hood with a short skirt, you’re obviously hopelessly confused.

Traffic was also fairly heavy, so it made me glad that I took the Monorail. Love it or hate it, it beats sitting in this crap.

Caesar’s has already replaced the “Celine Dion” sign, and given us a heads-up on her replacement.

Apparently it shall be titled “The Showgirl Must Go On”.

Catchy.

It felt like half of Asia was in town. I’m not sure why, but this is a big time of year for Asian tourism. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Ever the ambassador to the city, I spotted this Asian guy with a big camera around his neck … I whipped out my camera, and said “Do you want to have a camera battle?”

He looked at me quizzically and said “Battery?”

I said “No … battle”

He said “Battery?”

I quickly regretted trying to interact with our guests. This is why I keep to myself. I’m the only one left in town who speaks English.

In retrospect I probably should have taken his camera battery, but I just smiled at him and told him to have a nice day.

He probably thought I said “rice is gay”.

The wind was howling from the North (hence the cold), and the planes were taking off directly over The Strip. Some of them were pretty low. I got several cool shots of the planes. I swear I saw a couple of passengers giving me the finger, but it might have just been my imagination.

Anyway, we just hung out for awhile and took in the atmosphere.

It was a nice way to spend Jesus’s fake birthday.

More Christmas photos:

You can see more Bellagio Conservatory’s Christmas Display here:

http://www.vegasrex.com/2007/12/03/bellagio-christmas-2007-display/

The Palazzo:

Encore: