Imperial Palace to The Quad to The LINQ Hotel and Casino - link to article

Well, that didn't take very long!

The long-time Imperial Palace was re-named (and re-done) as The Quad in December 2012.  Now it will become The LINQ Hotel and Casino soon:

Ch-ch-changes!

Imperial Palace was my first Vegas home away from home, and I stayed there quite a few times in my first few years visiting Vegas.  It holds a lot of good memories for me.  With these latest changes - and if Caesars Entertainment is done re-working things for awhile - maybe I'll stay there again.  The photos make the rooms look very promising.  

I'll need to collect all things branded "The Quad" on my next trip in three weeks before they change over again.  I have quite a few items that say "Imperial Palace", in the newer earth tones and the classic blue and white that I first saw back in 1997.

Now to wait and see if I get any comps...

The Quad Makes Progress

This is a complete makeover I'm actually looking forward to seeing.

My original home-away-from-home, Imperial Palace, is getting ever closer to being transformed into The Quad. See some recent photos here: Metamorphosis

It was a very tired and outdated hotel, to be sure.  There are so many good changes coming to it, but I am worried they will also price themselves out of my market, too.  Let's hope they don't do that when they start renovating the rooms.

Imperial Palace was always a cheap place to stay in Vegas.  I remember my very first trip in 1997, my mom, an aunt, and a cousin stayed in one room during a quick weekend trip that was part of a bigger trip to Southern California to see my dying uncle.  That trip formed by Vegas foundation.  I fell in love with the city, and I was able to find my way around the little casino blindfolded.  After only a couple of trips, I was able to give people directions through the casino and hotel while they were in Vegas and I was sitting on my own couch at home because I knew it so well.

The food choices definitely needed updating.  The Emperor's Buffet - I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.  I hope they give it a complete overhaul, as well.  Hash House a Go-Go and Embers restaurant are the only two places I think are very good right now.  But I'm looking forward to Guy Fieri's new restaurant, too.

So many possibilities.  They should be almost finished with the main casino renovations by the time I get there in October, and I'm looking forward to a visit to see what great new things await.

Link to article: Imperial Palace will become "The Quad"

Caesars Entertainment posted on their blog today that Imperial Palace's face lift will certainly not be the only thing "new"about her; she will be renamed "The Quad".  Here's a link to the story, with a concept photo of the interior-to-be: IP to Quad in 4 letters

Now, I'm not sure what I think at all.  As I've said before, IP was my Vegas 'home away from home' for quite awhile before Caesars Entertainment engulfed most of the mid-Strip properties and I got comped elsewhere, but it's going to look more like something that belongs in City Center - not unlike the Cosmopolitan - instead of the Vegas themed hotel I've loved.

I might love it, and I might not.  I love the Cosmopolitan's casino and Aria's rooms, but I really don't care for City Center as a whole and I HATE Crystals shopping complex because it's too high end, spread out and confusing to navigate.  

But I digress.  The thing is, as friends of mine have already said, I have a feeling that one of the biggest changes is going to be that they are no longer the affordable choice in the Caesars Entertainment group.

According to the website, the changes will begin with the revamping of the casino (in addition to their facade, which are both already undergoing changes), then the restaurants and shops, and so on.  The article also notes that the Auto Collection will remain, although I'm sure the name will change somewhat.  That's good, because they have a great collection of vehicles that makes for an entertaining and diverting afternoon for a low price.  Or even free, if you can find a coupon.

Still, it will be interesting to see the changes, and I am looking forward to checking out the entire property from top to bottom to see how things come together.  Whether I will like them or not - and spend time in the casino and hotel or not - remains to be seen.

If you visit, let me know!  I'm curious about the changes as they take place and hope to post updates as I hear about them.

The face of the Las Vegas Strip continues to change...

I've been visiting Las Vegas since August 1997, and I have seen several of the current Strip hotels built from the ground up during that time:  The Venetian and Palazzo, Bellagio, Wynn and Encore are the biggest and the brightest of that bunch.  The Boardwalk - along with its giant, creepy clown out front - was torn down and replaced by the gigantic, confusing mish-mash that is City Center.  The Aladdin got a face lift, and then it got a new name along with yet another face lift when it was purchased by Planet Hollywood.    

I've also seen classic hotels torn down, not to be replaced; namely The Frontier and Stardust.  A partially completed hotel skeleton stands where the Stardust once did, instead of something new.  Will its replacement ever be finished?  No one knows for sure.  For now it stands as just a sad, empty testament to what once was.

Here's what's left of the Stardust - now located at the Neon Boneyard:

Gone, but not forgotten...

Now Caesars Entertainment is trying to one-up the competition by re-doing the Imperial Palace and giving it a new name to go along with a new face on the Strip.  The name has yet to be determined, and I have no idea what it will eventually be called.  

In addition to that, Caesars Entertainment has already torn apart the O'Shea's Casino - along with its parking garage  - in order to prepare for construction of the boardwalk shopping area that will eventually connect the giant Linq wheel to the Strip.  They have also torn down everything they own on Koval Avenue behind the Strip to start building the huge Linq wheel itself, as well as more of the boardwalk entertainment area.  The whole thing is supposed to be a destination with an Atlantic City-like boardwalk feel.  The Linq project is scheduled to open sometime during the Summer of 2013.  Here's a good blog entry about the project, with great photos: Link to the Linq

If you'd like to see what's already happened to Imperial Palace's neighbor (and some of Imperial Palace's own insides), check out the Caesars blog entry here:  Goodbye to you

I am sort of excited to see what will happen to Imperial Palace on the inside, because she was certainly getting to be a tired old girl.  Even the vanilla upgrades made by Harrah's Entertainment (before it became Caesars Entertainment) weren't enough to keep it going forever, and she was badly in need of a makeover.  Even though I have many good memories of my beloved IP, I hope she is prettier after her makeover.

Trip photos from March 2012

Night view from the Bellagio bridge

Poster at Caesars.  Too bad the show was not so hot.

Cute to look at, but not impressed overall.

I love my COPS photo so much I have to post it again!
"Bad boys, bad boys..."

Wynn's Jazz Brunch - yummy Cajun food!

I still say this is the best.damn.dish.ever - shrimp and grits at  Wynn's Jazz Brunch

Decadent dessert at Wynn's Jazz Brunch - French Toast casserole
We had two!

Happy birthday to my mo-om...

Terrace view from the Wynn Country Club - left

Terrace view from the Wynn Country Club - right (towards the Strip)

The cool jazz sax player with the curly mustache!

Butterfly at Palazzo

Human Nature = Four cute Aussies! <3

After the show

Me and Rick, one of my LV4E friends, meeting at Harrah's

The display at NY/NY in honor of the 9/11 victims still brings tears to my eyes.

Bellagio - between the lobby and conservatory

Bellagio Conservatory - Spring display

More photos of the display below...

I still love this photo!

Easter eggs at Jean Phillipe in Bellagio

A sign welcoming us to the new Margaritaville casino, which is part of Flamingo's casino.

Fun entrance, but not much to the casino itself.

Hash House a Go-Go at Imperial Palace: dinner/snack time!

I really enjoy eating at Hash House a Go-Go in Imperial Palace.  Yes, they have ridiculously large portions.  Yes, they are self-described as serving "twisted farm food".  But they are good.  Even my husband agrees; he had chicken and waffles there during a recent trip and still talks about it with a wistful look in his eyes, and he's much pickier than I am.

If you go looking for the restaurant, remember that they are NOT on the casino floor; rather, they are on the second floor, which you get to via escalator or elevator near the back of the casino, near the restrooms.  I say this specifically because there are other escalators and elevators that service other floors, and you will not be able to access Hash House from any of them.

We discovered that we could eat there without over-eating on this trip.  My first experience with the restaurant had us going for breakfast back in 2010, and the pancakes we had were HUGE.  This time my mom and I tried Hash House after enjoying the Human Nature show and got late night appetizers as dinner entrees, which were much more reasonably sized.  This might be the way to go...

Service was a little slow for them not being busy on a Sunday night, but the food was very good as it was before.  We both ordered iced tea to start while we tried to decide just what we would get from the extensive menu without stuffing ourselves to oblivion.  

Mom ended up choosing the Crispy Cornmeal Tiger Prawns while I chose the Blue Crab Cake with pasta salad.  These "appetizers" were the size of a regular restaurant's meal, and they were perfectly sized for our late night dinner experience.  Mom said the Tiger Prawns were delicious.  They were served with a drizzle of Chipotle mayonnaise and impaled on a huge chunk of watermelon, so it's like dinner AND dessert all wrapped into one.  The prawns were each about 5 inches across - really big and crispy.  

Tiger prawns and watermelon...yum!

 My crab cake and vegetable pasta were both perfectly cooked, had great flavor and plenty of spices, and it was a perfect size for me.  The crab cake was about 6 inches across and over an inch thick, but full of flavor, warm and satisfying.  The Chipotle mayonnaise was also served with my meal, and it was delicious.

A crab cake portion for a normal person...

It took awhile to get the waitress' attention for more tea and our bill, but she was pleasant enough.  Still, when a restaurant isn't crowded and you don't have many tables to wait on, you should be able to check on your customers quickly and efficiently.  If she needed to take a break she should have told us so, but it was not mentioned, and I can only assume she was chatting in the kitchen while we were waiting.

Mom paid, but this time I saw the bill was $27 before tip.  That's the size of an average dinner bill in Vegas, so I don't think it's unreasonable at all.

I give this experience an 8 out of 10.  The food and atmosphere were great, but the service was a little slow and lacking.  I'll be back again to try something new.

To check out their menu or restaurant hours, see their website here: Menu

Show review: Human Nature at Imperial Palace

A view from our seats - not bad!

During our March 2012 trip,  my mom and I FINALLY got the chance to see Human Nature at Imperial Palace.  I had wanted to see them for a couple of years, and I'd been disappointed during my July 2011 trip when they cancelled the show before I even got to Vegas.  Bummer.  At least I got a full refund.

General admission tickets were $44 each through Goldstar.com, and well worth the price.   The booths were all reserved for VIP guests, but we did upgrade to center seats in the second tier, as our original ones were in the lower tier and off to the left, away from the stage.  A $10 tip to the maitre' d was not necessary but appreciated.  As with most theater shows with tables, a waitress came around to take drink orders before the show began.  Wine was $6-$8 a glass.  No $150 bottles offered here, which is good, because $150 bottles of anything are stupid to buy.

The show was absolutely fantastic!  From beginning to end it was a great show with lots of energy, and there was lots of audience participation, too.   The four Australian guys give their backgrounds - from singing in their parents' back yard to performing in private meetings for Motown greats - while sharing the songs that helped them get their wonderful harmonies together and make them fan favorites today.

The four Aussies - brothers Michael and Andrew Tierney, along with school friends Toby Allen and Phil Burton - make up the talented and handsome group.  They are easy on the eyes AND the ears, and their show keeps you moving from the very first time they step foot on stage.

Originally signed by Smokey Robinson as the 4Trax, they changed their name and haven't looked back.  The group has performed on many TV specials and tours on occasion, but they currently take up residence in the Imperial Palace Theater on the 5th floor of the hotel and are the only Aussie band to date to headline in a showroom on the Las Vegas Strip.  From covering songs like "My Girl" and "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" to "I'll Be There", the foursome showcases their group harmonies as well as their individual singing talents.  They are truly a show to see in Las Vegas.

 After the show, the group exits the showroom and poses for photos and signs autographs for the audience.  We wanted to get souvenirs or autographs, but it was too crowded to wait around.  You can tell they are well loved, and I hope to see them perform again someday.

It doesn't look that crowded, but I was holding my camera above my head.

This is one of the best Vegas shows I've seen to date, and I give it a perfect 10.  A great lineup, no bad seats in the entire theater and lots of fun and energy make this show a must see.

Check out their Imperial Palace performance schedule and/or book tickets here:  Motown at IP!

Or check out their own website here: Human Nature

My favorite trip photos: November 20-23, 2011

Some of my favorite photos from my November 20-23, 2011 trip with Hayley.  I didn't have my nice, big Canon on this trip, so the photo quality is not quite up to par, sorry.  Still, there are some great memories here.  Hope you enjoy looking at these, too!

Bellagio Conservatory - Fall display

Bellagio Conservatory - Fall display
I like this water wheel, but they use it every year...

Planet Hollywood - the elevators on our floor.  The best part of the entire hotel. :)

I annoyed Hayley by taking her photo everywhere.
This was while we were waiting for our HUGE sandwiches at Carnegie Deli in The Mirage.

Hayley's sandwich - the "Club Dear".
Yes, it's almost 8 inches tall, and she ate the whole thing.

Waiting for LOVE at The Mirage, outside the Revolution lounge.

Trying to text on my "simple" phone, LOL!

Bellagio tree - my favorite photo of the trip!

I love seeing multiple wilds!

My crappy $5 art from the Art-O-Matic machine outside
The Wicked Spoon buffet at The Cosmopolitan.

Hayley "photo-bombing" me at Palazzo

The Christmas tree at The Venetian - I would've loved to see it lit up!

Mandalay Bay light fixture

Mandalay Bay light fixture - side view

Lobster roll from Lobster ME @ The Miracle Miles Shops - YUM!

Calling grandma from the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Hotel

Christmas trees at Crystals in City Center

"Lady Gaga", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

"Janet Jackson", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

"Britney Spears", Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

The curtain call, Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

A nice bonus round on Wizard of Oz 'Over the Rainbow' slots before leaving for the airport.

A second bonus round - time to cash out and head home!

Christmas tree in the lobby at Planet Hollywood - it appeared magically between breakfast and our ride to the airport.

Heading home.  Until next time...