Photo of the Day (2.21.09)

by Brenda Yun on

If you’ve been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, then you might recognize this exhibit. You know, the one that hangs from the ceiling of the lobby as you walk in? Dale Chihuly’s “Fiori di Como” (or “Flowers of Como” — as in, Lake Como in Italy) is a glass masterpiece that covers a 70 x 30 foot area with over 2,000 colorful glass elements. It’s one of many cool sights to behold in the City of Sin, which was recently named by Forbes.com as America’s emptiest city. So, despite a dwindling population, we must remind ourselves that there are still just as many awesome things to see and do in America’s other city that never sleeps.

This photo comes to us from jerry.r.lem, who has a gorgeous and well-organized collection of photography on his Flickr profile.

If you are a fan of Chihuly’s glass art, then you’ll certainly find this one inspiring as well, which is found in Phoenix [click for a larger view and slide show of his other works].

The amazing contrast of the fiery glass amid cactus plants really drives home the hot, dry Arizona surroundings, don’t you think? Chihuly’s work can be found all over the country. To find an exhibit close to you, visit his exhibition and gallery schedule here.

If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!

Take advantage of the pain in Vegas – Four Seasons for $149/night

by Scott Carmichael on

One thing is clear in this bad economy – one person’s poorly booked hotel, is another person’s chance to stay in luxury for under $150.

The Las Vegas Four Seasons is clearly feeling the pain more than ever – if you book a room as part of their “Vegas Escape” rate plan, you can snag yourself a “moderate room” for just $149 a night.

This insanely low price is available from February 20th till the 24th, so you only have a couple of days to take advantage of it.

Of course, this kind of luxury is only for people who like a non-gaming hotel, as the Four Seasons prefers to make its money off $700/night rooms, instead of slots and tables.

And don’t think “moderate room” means you are getting that smelly room by the elevator that nobody wants – each moderate room has 500 square feet of living space, a marble bathroom with tub and shower as well as a 42″ Plasma TV with DVD player.

A night at the Four Seasons might also be just what the doctor ordered if you are looking for a nice Valentines surprise for your loved one – it may be a week too late, but once you arrive I’m sure all will be forgiven.

You’ll find the rates overview here, just be sure to select the “Vegas Escape” package from the lineup, and feel free to ignore the “from $239” message.

Also, even though you can’t gamble at the Four Seasons, try your luck at the check-in desk with the old $20 trick when you ask “any upgrades available?”, you’ll be amazed what can happen in Vegas!

Feathers fall to floor for “Folies”

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“Les Folies Bergere” is about to come to an end. The topless review, which has called the Tropicana hotel and casino home for 49 years is about to take its stripping off the Strip. The show will close on March 28, 2009, in order to make room for something new … though no details have been released. Ron Thacker, president of the Tropicana has not explained the decision, saying only that his company is “”extremely proud to have been part of such an iconic Las Vegas production.”

The demise of Folies leaves only one full-scale showgirl production on the Strop: Bally’s “Jubilee!” Once a distinguished tradition (with the exception of an awful movie, of course), these shows are being pushed aside by the likes of Cirque du Soleil.

[Via MSNBC]

In Las Vegas, sin and forgiveness are side by side

by Josh Lew on

It might be called Sin City, but that doesn’t mean that it is a complete place of moral decay (sorry). There are churches of the Catholic denomination located right on the Las Vegas Strip. The most noticeable one is Guardian Angel Cathedral, which located next to the newest of the Wynn casinos. It is actually not preaching fire and brimstone to the tourists who descend upon the city throughout the year. Its main goal is to serve the legions of casino employees, nearly 40% of whom claim to be Roman Catholic. Of course, that probably doesn’t discourage a few down-on-their-luck craps players from lighting a votive candle for good luck.

Las Vegas development guru Steve Wynn offered to construct a new church in return for turning the land where the old one sat into a parking garage for his new project. Church leaders decided not to take Wynn up on his offer, saying that the current church had already been blessed and therefore couldn’t be destroyed. So even in Sin City, you can still get holy, if you want.

[via LA Times]

Travel Alert! Southwest launches 50% off sale to Vegas

by Grant Martin on

Down to the last $1000 in your 401K? Why don’t you take it all to Las Vegas and put it on black? The nation’s largest low cost carrier just kicked off a fare sale to Sin City from ALL of it’s departure cities for flights through March 11th, meaning prices have officially reached “dirt cheap.”

With the Vegas economy in the dumps right now, it’s also a great time to score some cheap hotel rooms and package deals for your stay, so once you’re on the ground you can also save cash.

The fare sale runs ONLY from today until tomorrow, December 31st, and you have to travel by March 11th, so get your itinerary together quick, make a decision and pull the trigger.

Heck, you might even see some snow while you’re there.

Southwest Airlines not your style? Many of the legacy carriers matched the fares that were just published, so if you want to earn your precious miles, fly in first or skip a connection, make sure you check with your favorite airline as well.

Also, you can ONLY get these fares directly from Southwest — traditional online agents like Kayak and Orbitz don’t quote their prices, so make sure you go directly to the Southwest website to cash in.

[Thanks to George over at Airfarewatchdog for pointing us out to the sale.]