The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows in our room at the new Wynn Encore provides a distressingly clear picture of what’s going on in Las Vegas these days. To the south, there’s a casino project that has ground to a halt, half built, its steel skeleton an outline of a multibillion-dollar dream gone hungry. Across the street, there’s a Modernist chapel, a lonely vigil of virtue on the Strip — people seek salvation elsewhere in this town. Look west toward the mountains and you can trace the Vegas real estate developers’ dash toward the horizon with building projects. Now as far as you can drive, there are foreclosed homes and empty new developments offering come-ons to prospective buyers.
The Encore, which opened officially in January, stands like a luxurious monument of defiance to the recession. It is not; it cannot. Wynn Resorts boss Steve Wynn has cut room rates to as little as $169 a night — the original projected rates were something on the order of $350 — but he won’t cut service. That act of defiance means the Encore is a pretty astonishing value for any visitors in the mood to treat themselves to a Las Vegas fling in these tough times. The $2 billion, 2,034-room project adjoins the Wynn — the hotels are connected by a retail alley — completing Steve Wynn’s most recent move to reposition the Las Vegas mind-set. The man who brought you exploding volcanoes (the Mirage), pirate ships (Treasure Island) and over-the-top light shows, not to mention a zillion dollars’ worth of fine art (the Bellagio) has now fully assembled his antidote to overstimulation, which began with the Wynn Las Vegas in 2005. Here is a different kind of sensibility — dare we say classy? — a resort with gaming, rather than a gaming resort.
At ground level, the Encore, like its older sibling, is still all business, though Wynn had his decorator, Roger P. Thomas, nod to the Las Vegas of the past. The casino floor is dominated by a color that the company says used to be standard in casinos in the bad old good old days — just call it whorehouse red. But it works here, with the brilliant red chandeliers, the whole effect muted a bit by judicious use of off-white fabric. The other delicate touches are cast, oddly enough, by natural light streaming in from either end of the casino floor. And not only through windows — the main entrance to the Encore casino takes you through a lush, plant-and-tree-filled atrium over three stories tall. There’s a certain amount of whimsy at play here too: for instance, the brightly colored butterflies inlaid into the mosaic floors. It makes the contemplation of losing at the tables almost pleasant.
The blanket with sleeves—oh, let’s call it what it really is, a full-length bib—and we are the new Arabs. In danger of becoming a silly people. Which was OK when we were riding high, but now every man, woman and child in America owes China $6,000. Imagine owing that to a bookie. This is sooo cozy.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in China this week, trying to get them to buy more American debt. And they think their milk is toxic. We need the Chinese to finance our printing of money to give to bankers, or else we’ll be paying for the stimulus with seashells and colorful rocks. If the Chinese get a look at us in our Snuggies—and they will, since they make the damn things—they’re going to decide, “We can’t buy any more T-bills from these people! They’re wearing blankets with sleeves. They’re a silly people.”
New Rules From Bill Maher For February 27, 2009
I saw Maher in the Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas recently.
Guy had some Game.
Newsom is pretty smooth too.
I know his wife.
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com
TV is crap these days. Actually, it has always been crap, but that’s neither bricks of Hashish or slabs of Blowfish.
I really can only stomach that show American Greed, Marijuana Inc: Inside America’s Pot Industry (although I have only seen it once) and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
If you haven’t seen his show, its pretty dope: Travel, Drinking, Smoking and Eating Dope Spots. Hell, if I had a show (which I never would, I am way too low-pro) I would do it the same. Only adding swooping mad fly girls and rolling in Custom Suits (and it would be the best show on TV, no doubt).
Anyways, recently, Bourdain went to Chicago:
In the latest episode of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain went to Chicago and visited the Silver Palm restaurant. He had the Three Little Pigs Sandwich: smoked ham, a breaded pork cutlet, two strips of bacon, and two fried eggs, blanketed in a thick coat of gruyere, all on a brioche bun.
Bourdain is blown away, and drops tons of praise: “This is a work of genius, in an evil way…. A two-fisted symphony of pork, cheese, fat, and starch… that sandwich is the greatest sandwich in America. This is the apex of the sandwich-making art… the sandwich that dreams are made of.”
The Three Little Pigs Sandwich looked so dope, I had to make my own version:
Jamon Serrano
Freshly butchered Pork Chop (farm to table)
Four strips of Freshly butchered bacon (sustainable)
Free-range fried eggs
Imported Gruyere
On an Artisan Brioche Bun
Some breaking news: The Setai San Diego has changed its name to Sè San Diego to avoid any confusion with The Setai Miami which is currently owned by the epic FAIL bank, Lehman Brothers. Straight from the official press release:
Today, Fifth Ave. Partners Llc., owners and developers of the hotel, Setai San Diego, are proud to announce that beginning Monday, Dec. 22, 2008 the property currently named Setai San Diego will be renamed Sè San Diego.
The Setai Miami is currently owned by Lehman Brothers. Due to the uncertainty of this ownership, Fifth Ave. Partners Llc. determined that a new hotel name and brand would be best for its development.
The developers believe the meaning of the Chinese word Sè – colour, look, quality; expression, sensuality and physical attraction – better represents the level of design, art and experience that will be unique to the San Diego property and long-term vision of the company.
The creation of the Sè hotel brand also supports the owner’s desire to have complete freedom to independently create and manage their investments. Fifth Ave. Partners Llc. are currently in advanced planning stages for additional Sè hotels in the Western US and internationally.
