Las Vegas is Home

A CEO of a company who is an acquaintance of mine used the above phrase to describe the weather in Washington, DC, in the summertime, and many would apply it to Vegas.

I disagree: I like the weather here quite a bit.

(If you want to know all about the climate in Vegas, here’s a book about it from the NOAA. It’s everything you need to know if you’re moving here, visiting here, or are just a weather geek as I sometimes am.)

Vegas actually has four distinct seasons, unlike say LA or Miami. One writer, wish I could remember who so I could attribute, wrote that those seasons were “fall/spring, summer, hot as hell, summer again.” Not too far off.

It’s true that it is a dry heat, but for the sake of full disclosure, I will add that when it’s 115, it just doesn’t freakin’ matter that it’s dry anymore.

But I’ll take it over Boston winters. It’s 77 degrees and sunny right now. Tough to beat that.

Everyone’s familiar with the saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” I have a proposal for another: “let’s keep Vegas Vegas.” I don’t intend for this blog to become political in nature, but what politics I will discuss have to do with Vegas’s growth, and the influx of people from many places and cultures.

When people move to a new home, they bring their values with them. That’s unavoidable and certainly not a bad thing. However, Las Vegas has a “live and let live” attitude, and laws (or lack thereof) to back it up.

Will the multidudes who come from more conservative or religious cultures try to inhibit the somewhat libertine culture of Vegas - less availablity of alcohol, a more “family friendly” Vegas? Will those from a more liberal or, say, environmentalist environ want to stop folks here from smoking so much, driving so much, or eating so much at the buffets?

Let’s hope not. I came here not to change Vegas but to embrace it. Not everyone agrees: A majority of Nevada voters passed a controversial smoking ordinance last November. Many establishments are flouting the law. I say good. There has to be one place in America where adults can make their own decisions, and if not Vegas, where?

Hello all!

Welcome to Home Turf Media’s latest city-based blog, Las Vegas is Home.

I’m Paul Geary and I’ll be blogging about anything and everything Las Vegas. While the blog will come from a resident’s perspective, tourism is obviously a main staple of Vegas’s economy and happenings that will interest visitors will be part of the landscape here. Anything and everything that impacts people in Vegas will be fair game (though we’ll keep it PG rated). While it may be true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, what we talk about here will be available worldwide, to anybody who’s interested in coming here for the vacation of a lifetime, or to stay for a lifetime.

Like most people who live in the Vegas Valley, I’m from somewhere else: Boston. If you’ve taken our monorail, you’ve heard the stat that 150,000 people lived here in 1970, and that number is now nearly 2 million. In fact, more than half of the people serving in the Nevada Legislature were not born in Nevada.

I’ve lived in several cities in the northeast as well as California and Texas, and I’ve chosen Las Vegas as my home. It’s vibrance, culture, diversity, and dynamism rival that of America’s great cities. Las Vegas has become much more than a tourist town - a fact that would surprise the tourist who spends a week not veering from the Strip. (Of course, there’s enough to do on the Strip to keep one busy for at least a week.)

Please feel free to contact me with comments, opinions, and ideas about what you’d like to see covered here. Let’s make this interactive - more stuff from more people will make this blog as informative as it can be. I look forward to hearing from all the fans of Vegas as well as the rest of you!

Paul

Here I am again with the celebrity gatherings as seen through the eyes of Norm Clarke. It was a busy weekend here in Las Vegas.

Joe Simpson, father of Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, celebrating his 49th birthday Sunday at Social House (Treasure Island). Also there: former United States Olympic gold-medal sprinter Maurice Greene.

Charles Barkley and Tiger Woods, partying at Light (Bellagio) on Sunday night. Barkley had the crowd raging when he climbed on the stage and worked the stripper pole with some ladies.

At ghostbar (Palms) on Sunday for the Mitchell and Ness party: Akon, Dave Chapelle, Darryl McDaniels of rap pioneer group Run DMC, Adam “Pac Man” Jones, Antonio Gates, Anthony Peeler, Felipe Lopez, Dikembe Mutombo, Ed Lover, Grand Master Kane and Monie Love… Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Penny Marshall, Ron Artest and “Sugar” Shane Mosley, dining at N9ne. … Busta Rhymes, Young Joc, LaDanian Tomilson, Deion Sanders, Shawn Marion, Gabrielle Union, Mosely, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jermain Taylor, Kenyon Martin, Darryl McDaniels, “Girls Next Door” star Kendra Wilkinson and “Pac Man” Jones, at Diddy’s sold-out “Black Tie Affair” on Sunday at Rain nightclub (Palms).

At OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Sunday for the annual Ballers Ball / Women Standing Tall / After School All Stars charity event: Hip-hop star Kanye West, Elaine Wynn, Miami Heat guard Gary Payton, R&B singers Akon, Ray J and Tyrese, Pittsburgh Steelers defender Joey Porter, rappers Ludacris, Yung Joc, E-40, Young Jeezy, Lil Flip, Lil Jon, Chamillionaire, Lil Wayne and the group Bone Thugs and Harmony, comedian Katt Williams, champion boxer Jermain Taylor, actress Kim Whitley, Los Angeles Clippers’ Doug Christie and Mad Mike of MTV show “Pimp My Ride.”

Wild child Nicole Richie, joining boyfriend/deejay Joel Madden of music group Good Charlotte at Revolution lounge (Mirage). Also in the house: rap stars 50 cent, with members of the G-Unit crew in tow, and Busta Rhymes.

On Saturday, ESPN analyst and former UNLV star Greg Anthony having dinner at BOA Steakhouse with former teammate Clinton Clausen, BOA exec. Also dining at BOA: Phoenix Suns star and UNLV product Shawn Marion, as well as Scott Padgett of the Memphis Grizzlies. Actor Mario Lopez and James Pickens Jr. at BOA on Sunday.

Ladainian Tomlinson, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and their wives and friends, along with three bodyguards, having a 1 a.m. dinner at N9ne Steakhouse (Palms)…Slam-dunk champion Gerald Green of the Boston Celtics, at N9ne Steakhouse (Palms) on Sunday, doing a photo shoot for ESPN The Magazine. Afterwards he went the N9ne kitchen and signed the “Shakedown Door” for Chef Barry Dakake, before the two had dinner together…Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, celebrating his 27th birthday at N9ne with a dessert platter.

Actress Eva Longoria and San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, dining at Spago (Caesars Forum Shops) on Sunday after the All-Star Game.

Comedian George Wallace, attending longtime Las Vegas showman Earl Turner’s final show at Palace Station on Sunday.

Everyone is in town this weekend for the NBA All-star Game including all the celebrities. Once again Norm Clarke gives us the inside scoop on who is here in town and what they are doing.

NBA legend Michael Jordan chatting it up with an unidentified blonde at Pure nightclub at Caesars … Also at Pure, music producer Jermaine Dupri hanging out with former Blink 182 frontman Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler, who recently reunited after a bitter split… At The Beatles Revolution Lounge (Mirage): actor Lawrence Fishburne…Rapper Nelly with a small entourage of friends and security heading toward valet at Treasure Island.

Starr Jones Reynolds, spotted shopping at The Art of Shaving and Lush Puppy at Mandalay Place (Mandalay Bay).

Michael Jordan, getting an early start on the NBA All-Star Weekend. He showed up at Jet (Mirage) on Monday with pal Charles Oakley. Also there: actor Laurence Fishburne, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, spotted dancing on VIP tables and booths, and Cee-Lo Green of Grammy award-winning group, Gnarls Barkley. Former boxing champ Bernard Hopkins, dining at Fix (Mirage).

As always, Las Vegas brings out the celebrities, and this weekend seemed to be a little slow in town. I wonder if everyone is home with that flu virus that is hitting the West coast hard this season. Norm Clarke reports his sightings.

Remember our Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees that got a little too personal in her pictures and had her crown taken away by Donald Trump? Well she seems to have taken a liking for Palms owner George Maloof, as they were seen together Saturday night at an event.

At the Alzheimers gala:Kevin Spacey, who was the surprise entertainer, and Laurence Fishburne, who is in town filming with Spacey for another two weeks. They are working on the Vegas-set thriller which is based on the non-fiction best-seller “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T Students who Took Vegas for Millions”…

At “The Producers” after-party at Paris Las Vegas on Friday: Billionaire Robert F.X. Sillerman, whose CMX enterprise that owns and manages the Elvis Presley rights and Tom Meehan, who co-wrote “The Producers” book with Brooks, as well as “Spaceballs.” Brooks and Meehan are collaborating on a musical based on “Young Frankenstein.” Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Susan Stroman, who attended Friday’s opener, will direct “Young Frankenstein.” Also there: Mel Brooks’ brother, Bernard Kaminsky, and wife, Bella, and their son, Mitchell Edwards, all of Las Vegas…

‘”Sopranos” star Lorraine Bracco, dining at Restaurant Guy Savoy (Caesars Palace) on Friday and dropping into Rao’s and Mesa Grill

The celebrities were out in full force for the Super Bowl weekend. Norm Clarke reports his sightings.

David Hasselhoff and Roger Clemens, schmoozing the VIP crowd at an Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Super Bowl party at Curve nightclub on Sunday. Also at the high-roller bash: David Dombrowski, president and CEO of the Detroit Tigers. … Michael Jackson, attending the late show of “Love” (Mirage) on Saturday. On the way out, he was seen browsing in the “Love” boutique and stopping at Impulse and DKNY, while accommodating fans who requested photo opportunities. … Derek Jeter, at Tao (Venetian) with friends before returning to the Playboy Club and Moon nightclub (Palms) for some blackjack. Also there: Baltimore Ravens All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Clark Haggans. Jeter spent the weekend in a penthouse suite at the Palms. … Lisa Marie Presley and Priscilla Presley, continuing Lisa Marie’s birthday weekend at Caramel Bar & Lounge (Bellagio). … Actor Matthew Lillard (”Scream” and “Scooby-Doo”), dining at Stack (Mirage). … At Mix (Mandalay Bay): Drew Bennett, Tennessee Titans wide receiver. … Socialites Rick and Kathy Hilton, at Pure (Caesars) after dining at Fix (Bellagio). … At Body English (Hard Rock Hotel): Wesley Snipes, Jamie Lynn Sigler of “The Sopranos,” actor Eric Balfour, Joe Rogan, Jenna Jameson, Tito Ortiz, Laura Prepon, Chris Masterson, David Williams, Rampage Jackson (fresh from his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut win over Marvin Eastman), Kansas City Chiefs rushing star Larry Johnson, actor Andrew Keegan, and comedians Artie Lange and Rev. Bob Levy, with their producer, Jeff Beacher, celebrating a boffo weekend of shows at the Luxor. … NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, watching his Chicago Bears at a VIP Super Bowl party at the Gold Coast. … Actress Kate Bosworth and her “21″ co-star Jim Sturgess, playing blackjack at the Heart Bar at Aladdin/Planet Hollywood on Saturday. … At Pure: MC Hammer and UFC main ring announcer Bruce Buffer. … Baseball great Rickey Henderson and the Chiefs’ Johnson, holding court at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars).

[tags]norm clarke,las vegas journalist[/tags]

Everyday or so I’m going to feature my favorite journalist from the fabulous Las Vegas Review Journal named Norm Clarke. Norm is the “man-about-town” and he writes daily on all the famous people he has seen around town. What they are doing, and who they are doing it with! His article is pretty long so I’m only going to feature the “Sightings” section. For the full article, click here.

At the Miss America Pageant finals: Gov. Jim Gibbons and first lady Dawn Gibbons, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, Marilu Henner, and magician Lance Burton and his girlfriend, Gabriella Versace. … Mario Lopez, at Turnberry Place on Sunday, working out and rehearsing his lines for the Miss America broadcast. … David Hasselhoff and friends, having a late supper at the Bootlegger Bistro on Sunday night. … Simon Cowell, touring the newly opened Panorama Towers on Sunday with Laurence Hallier, one of Panorama’s owners. … In the capacity crowd for Earl Turner’s closing show Sunday at Palace Station: Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Antonio Fargas, who played Huggy Bear in the original “Starsky & Hutch,” George Wallace and KVBC-TV, Channel 3 anchor Sue Manteris. … NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, at N9NE Steakhouse (Palms) on Sunday. … Kevin Nealon of “Weeds,” at Charlie Palmer Steak (Mandalay Bay) Saturday night. … At the Teammates for Kids poker tournament over the weekend: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, ESPN’s Barry Melrose, Steve Levy and Karl Ravech; pitchers and former pitchers Mike Hampton, Jeff Fassero, Turk Wendell and Steve Karsay; and Jeremy Giambi.

[tags]norm clarke,las vegas journalist[/tags]

Well here I am with my new blog and I am excited. I’m going to be working on some behind the scenes configurations and SEO work today. Give me a couple days, I should be in full swing and bringing you the Las Vegas latest and greatest!