Resort executives take note: A good way to increase tourist business at your hotel is to put out a rumor that your place is destined for implosion. It worked in one instance today at O’Sheas, when I spoke with Mariette Waters, visiting from Chicago. I could tell she was both a fan of St. Patrick’s Day and the Cubs, because she was wearing a Cubs T-shirt and it was green. She also wore three green necklaces of plastic clovers.
“I came here last year and just had to do it once more, before it’s over,” she said just after Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman presented Lucky the Leprechaun (better known to his agent as Brian Thomas) with the key to the city. That would be the city of Las Vegas, even though the mayor once again strayed outside incorporated Las Vegas to make a personal appearance.
After Waters said, “before it’s over,” I asked her what she meant. “I heard they’re tearing this place down.” Given that she made that comment in the 30-foot radius of Harrah’s exec Don Marrandino, who is the president of O’Sheas, and a squadron of Harrah’s PR reps, it was easy to turn and ask, “Wha-a?” No chance O’Sheas is coming down, at least not today or anytime soon, say the Harrah’s people (Harrah’s owns O’Shea’s in case there was some confusion about that). The little Irish-themed casino is actually performing really well in the recession, thanks to cheap brown-bag bottle service ($45 for a bottle of Jack) and all-day happy hours where beer pong is played until dawn. You hear these implosion rumors about O’Sheas sister property Imperial Palace, too, but nobody’s exactly backing up the wrecking ball there, either.
Of the mayor’s summit with Lucky, Waters said, “It’s a spectacle, and it’s wonderful.”
From the stage, Goodman agreed, saying the key was not only to the city but to “all of O’Sheas slot machines!” He added, “Las Vegas is the greatest place in the world to be on St. Paddy’s Day!” Then he was off for a speech at the Golden Nugget. “I’m talking to a group of surveyors,” Goodman said. That’s where the mayor and Lucky parted, but Goodman said of the professional leprechaun, “He’s a great, great guy. It’s nice that he’s so buoyant.” Lucky couldn’t have been more thrilled. “For me, every day is St. Patrick’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day is like New Year’s Eve.”
Cheers, Lucky, all the way to noon.
Goodman winced and paused for a few moments when I asked him about the latest reports that the Oakland Athletics are in talks with him and Commissioner Bud Selig to move the team to Las Vegas. The A’s are, once again, saying they are finished in Oakland and looking for a new home. A deal in Fremont has been declared dead by team owner Lew Wolff, who is still trying to keep the team in the Bay Area. San Jose is the latest city in the region to express interest in the A's (the city has approved placing the issue of a new stadium for the A's on the agenda for its April 7 city council meeting). As usual, Las Vegas has cropped up as a possible city for the A's if they leave the Bay Area. Goodman finally responded, “They always use me because they know I yearn to have a major-league sports team here, whenever something comes up, they use me as a pawn, and I’m not going to let them do that to me anymore.” I mentioned the A’s long history of playing peek-a-boo with Major League-hungry cities (Denver and Sacramento among them), only to stay in the East Bay. “They’ve always played that game. They are not the Lone Ranger, though.”
Mayor Goodman's neighborhood in the Scotch 80s (the vintage Vegas neighborhood whose borders are Charleston to the north, I-15 to the east, Oakey to the south and Rancho to the west) was vandalized overnight. Vehicles were, anyway, including Goodman's. Large rocks were heaved onto the windows of two cars owned by Goodman and five others in the area, according to media reports and confirmed by city of Las Vegas spokesman Jace Radke. Metro is investigating, but no suspects have been identified and Goodman has no comment on the incident.
"Do you like the shoes? You should -- you paid for 'em."
Friday afternoon I visited the Liberace Museum to check in on the famous Vegas landmark as it approaches its 30th anniversary, which is April 15. While there, I took note of some distinctive footwear on display at the gift shop. I was finally goaded by a couple of staffers to purchase these Kaski sneakers (sale price $49), which are patterned after a leopard, if that leopard were green. These kicks are lined with plastic piano keys and splattered with golden glitter. I have found there are three responses to these shoes: people love them, people hate them, or people hate them and say they love them. The best response so far has been from Las Vegas Weekly associate editor Ken Miller, whom I just ran into in the break room. He looked at my feet and asked, “Did you steal those from Monti Rock?”
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