Top 10 Reasons to Stay at Mandalay Bay

A few years back Mandalay Bay was dead to me. Sadly, many properties in Las Vegas surpassed Mandalay Bay and with so many great options there was no need to keep giving this property chances.  A little jolt and infusion of the Light Group, Cirque du Soleil, dining experiences and the coup de gras Delano, and you have a property that once again leads the way in Las Vegas.

1.     Michael Jackson ONE™ by Cirque du Soleil – To give you a sense of this show you are likely to see a standing ovation and a few tears at the conclusion of ONE™. Imagine every great Michael Jackson song and then have performers bring them to life with crazy acrobatics. But there is even more to it, you really feel the songs being brought to life and each song and performance seems to be better than the last. If there is one show for you to go see in Las Vegas, this is it.

2.     Delano Las Vegas – Just might be the best room in Las Vegas without breaking the bank. But I must preface this by saying that every room at Delano is a suite, but we certainly aren’t going to hold that against them. Formerly THEhotel, you would have no idea that was the former identity of Delano, the brightness and light colors bring a great energy to the room. A great living room to relax with guests in that is completely separate from the bedroom. It is just one of those relaxing and luxurious rooms that you just hate to leave.

3.     Celebrity Chef Restaurants – You better plan a long vacation if you plan on visiting all of the restaurants at Mandalay Bay. Stripsteak from Michael Mina, Kobe beef and foie gras, enough said. Kumi by Chef Akira Back, quickly becoming a favorite among celebrities and they seem to like their food. Fleur by Hubert Keller. He can simply do no wrong and odds of you getting to see him while you dine are pretty good! You can find likely the best Mexican restaurants in Las Vegas in the highly acclaimed Border Grill from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Add in Charlie Palmer Steak, Lupo by Wolfgang Puck, Burger Bar, Rick Moonen's RM Seafood and finally Citizens and Red Square from Brian Massie and your only problem will be which one to choose.

4.     Franklin – One visit and you will be hooked! Such a beautiful and inviting lounge that really will wow you as the dark colors are brought to life by the gold lighting. Mix in handcrafted cocktails that have been aged in oak barrels, unique beers and wines that you will only find at Franklin thanks to Mandalay Bay Director of Wine Harley Carbery. While this is nothing like a nightclub, thank goodness, you do get a great DJ providing a great soundtrack to keep you going throughout the night. You might plan on only having one drink and that might turn into you staying at Franklin for the duration of your night.

5.     Daylight and Light – Another home run by the Light Group. My personal favorites when it comes to a dayclub and nightclub. Great DJ’s, Cirque du Soleil performers at Light and a breathtaking setting at Light and a non-stop party and you can’t go wrong with either place.

6.     Wine, beer and spirit programs – Mandalay Bay really sets itself apart when it comes to beer thanks to Master Cicerone Sarah Johnson. Master Cicerone simply means that Sarah knows way more about beer than you and I, which means we just get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor with some amazing and unique beers that you can find all over the property. The Joël Robuchon stories are pretty cool, but Director of Wine and sommelier Harley Carbery is more than a great storyteller, he is in charge of an unworldly amount of wine for the Mandalay Bay property and has contacts to always bring in that unique and one-of-a-kind bottle to wow guests. Having those two under one roof is quite the coup for Mandalay Bay.

7.     Four Seasons – It is the Four Seasons, what else do I need to say? A private entrance, nothing but first-class treatment and one of my favorite places to grab a cocktail and appetizer before heading out for the evening, PRESS.

8.     Animals – Delano and Franklin are both dog friendly hotels so feel free to let your pooch get pampered as much as you in Las Vegas. If you want something a little different on your visit to Las Vegas you can check out the Shark Reef Aquarium and get an up-close and personal look at not only sharks, but giant sea turtles, jellyfish, rays and more. If you are really daring you can also dive with the sharks for a one-of-a-kind scuba experience.

9.     Music – A number of big time acts perform at Concerts on the Beach throughout the year and then you get music daily at the House of Blues.

10.  There is more to come! – MIX on the 64^th floor will soon disappear and you will get to experience the new Rivea from internationally celebrated chef Alain Ducasse. If there are simply not enough pool choices for you, in 2015 you will be introduced to the South Beach inspired Delano Beach Club.

Ariana Grande at 1OAK Las Vegas for iHeartRadio Festival Party

The Night Suge was Shot – My Unforgettable 1OAK Sunset Experience

Having four scantily clad 1OAK waitresses burst into the bathroom as you are urinating sounds like it has the making of an interesting story. And it did, but in a different way than you probably are expecting. This went from the shock of someone bursting into the bathroom, to even more shock seeing how it was, then simply trying to finish up and not urinate on myself.

The  girls proceeded to lock the door, which I clearly did not do, and then they went into complete freak out mode! This was far from your typical night at 1OAK, this just happened to be the night these waitresses were going on about code red, or some other color that I can’t recall, because there were shots fired inside of 1OAK and we were all going to be bunkered inside of that bathroom and  not opening the door until someone said it was safe. We spent about ten minutes held up in the bathroom trying to figure out if this was real or false alarm, all the while having no clue what was going on outside, other than the occasional pounding on the door and the girls yelling at them to leave.

It turned out there were gun shots, as it came out later that Death Row Records founder Suge Knight was shot multiple times along with two other people. By the time we finally vacated the bathroom the club was nearly empty and we had missed all of the chaos. The party at 1OAK was to celebrate the upcoming VMA Awards and 1OAK was nothing but stellar up to that point. But for whatever reason, and the speculation is running wild, at least one person was able to get a gun into 1OAK. Perched on the second floor, and  seeing  how packed the first floor of 1OAK was,  it is sad to say with three people being shot; the crowd had to be actually thankful there was not more carnage.

Making my way out to my friends who thankfully waited, there were a few people still finishing there cocktails and realizing at this point there was not much else to worry about. So we went about our business of finishing our drinks while enjoying the empty VIP booth with the few remaining people inside of 1OAK. When someone says something seemed surreal, well this is one of those times. It did not take long until the police finally cleared the first floor and made it to the second to escort the few remaining people out the door. Being told to put your hands up as you exited seemed somewhat of an optional type of request never having experienced this before so I haphazardly had my hands up while drinking a Red Bull, my leisurely attitude exiting 1OAK quickly changed as we hit door to exit the club to be greeted by a gun pointing in our direction, quite the 2 a.m. wakeup call. From there it was trying to maneuver our way out of the closed off block and driving under yellow tape.

Waking up the next day and seeing the headlines of what happened all over the internet was pretty shocking to say the least. That certainly is one for the story books, the first visit to 1OAK on Sunset Boulevard and that happens. Beyond the sadness of the shooting you have to wonder how the gunman got past what seemed to be pretty tight security and I would venture a guess that now you are going to have even tighter security in the future. I’m not sure what the perspective will be of 1OAK moving forward. You can view it as they dropped the ball but you can also view it as it could have happened anywhere and that you just might want to avoid anyplace that Suge Knight is. But simply from the view of what you are looking for in a nightclub, 1OAK was pretty great. That staff from top to bottom was incredible, everyone in the club was very cool, they had great music and a high energy dance floor and although certainly not my favorite person on this earth, the fact that Chris Brown was performing in the middle of the crowd and had everyone in a frenzy says a lot about what 1OAK can create in this setting.

Would I go back? If 1OAK can step up security I would say definitely yes. Simply a very beautiful Vegas-esque club that is a hell of a lot of fun, minus the gun shots.

Too Much Las Vegas? REVIV Wellness Spa is the Answer to Keep You Going

Las Vegas is not home to many things that are good for you. Those who are looking to get away to Sin City, well they know what they are in for, drinking, gambling, fun in the blazing sun, days that turn into nights that turn into days again with little or no sleep involved. There is one really good thing for you and it will help combat all of that and that is the REVIVWellness Spa at the MGM Grand.

One of those long days or nights and too many cocktails can cause you to be filled with regrets and more painfully it can prevent you from enjoying the rest of your Vegas Vacation. You can try the hair of the dog, a massage, sleep, some zany oxygen mask or who knows what and despite your efforts or wasted money, none of those do the trick. That is the difference with REVIV, it actually does the trick. It is as simple as waking up the next morning and heading over to REVIV and putting yourself in their hands. You will find yourself in a massage chair with a tablet that is hooked up to the internet and any music gets your ready for you IV infusion. The professionally trained REVIV staff then administers one of three different IV infusions including; ULTRAVIV ($99), MEGABOOST ($99) and the ROYAL FLUSH ($195). The ULTRAVIV is perfect if you need to recover from a night of partying on the Las Vegas Strip, you will get hydrated and get a boost that will allow you to start fresh like the night before never happened. If you have not treated your bad that badly and just want to feel better, get all the vitamins you need then the MEGABOOST is for you. Finally if you want it all, the ROYAL FLUSH combines both of treatments and will leave you feeling like a new person. You can take a lot of supplements and you can take them in a variety ways, but your body will not absorb them as fully and as rapidly as they will in an IV form. REVIV also has B12 shots, B12 SLIMBOOST (Fitness Energy) and Glutathione (deluxe antioxidant).

While the treatment is amazing, the entire setting and staff will make you feel safe and relaxed. You start off by filling out a full medical questionnaire and have one of the trained members of the staff make sure that you are fine for an IV treatment. REVIV even has a huge couch so you can bring your entire party in to get an IV together! No matter what your plans are in Las Vegas, REVIV will make sure that you have the energy to make it to the end of your vacation. Making an appointment is the best way to go, but if you are really dragging just walk up and see when they can fit you in, you can thank me later.

Listen to Life with Onkyo

While Beats may be capturing all of the headlines as of late, what does that mean for you? Well first off that three billion, yes with a B, is an investment and Apple is going to want to make that money back and that would be in the form of the consumer. The second question is other than trying to look like everyone else, are Beats all they are cracked up to be? I’d have to say no and the only way to tell is with a comparison. Well I am going to put them up against the Onkyo ES-CTI300 On-Ear model.

Do you want to trust your sound to a company that has been creating audio products since 1946 or a marketing monster that is new to the game and whether you believe it or not, had the brains behind Beats ousted and has now created his own Monster?

The Onkyo ES-CTI300 is the equal to Beats in every possible way when it comes to any musical genre. Onkyo does exactly what Beats claims to do; they let you hear the music just as the artist would hear it and the years of knowledge that Onkyo has is what made this happen. For this that might look for the technical description you will find high-volume reflex sub-chambers, non-resonant driver housings and wide-range titanium drivers that help create that in the studio sound. You are going to be able to pick up the little intricacies of a song that in passing you might not have noticed and the parts you have noticed, well you will appreciate them even more. It could be a piano, guitar, bass, violin, if you can imagine a sound, Onkyo brings it to life. That great sound comes courtesy of the detachable copper cables that seemingly can’t be twisted and yes, they were amazingly well with Apple products.

If you are on a plane, a passenger in a car, these days it doesn’t matter, you can tune into your favorite movie or television show and just with music, the sound that you get creates the moment almost as much as the video itself. Do you just want to hear Godzilla roar when the movie can be watched at home? No, you want to be rocked as if you are feeling his breath knock you over and no matter what the scene, Onkyo makes you feel as if you are there. The headphones put you in your own theater.

Now that sound has amped up your listening experience what else is left? Well if you are sitting on a plane for six hours it is going to be comfort. No one wears headphones for a few minutes; people practically live with them on their ears these days. You can go up and down the aisles at any electronics store as I have and you are not going to find anything quite as comfortable as the leather ear pads that create a pillow like feeling when you put them on. You know they are there, but much like that perfect pillow that your head just sinks into, the Onkyo ear pads just provide comfort and at the same time keep the rest of the world out.

Finally do you really want to be like everyone else and have those headphones with a B on your head? Just because a commercial or someone famous makes you think you should wear doesn’t mean you should. Put on the stunning silver headphones with the perfect leather ear pads and just wait, people will be asking you what you are wearing. Then give them a listen and they will be sold and you will look like an original and a genius as well as just pretty damn cool! So when we put Beats versus Onkyo what is it going to be? It is Onkyo, all-day, everyday.

SoulCycle Review

As a long-time indoor cycling enthusiast I had become bored with the same instructors, the same pace, the same size puddle of sweat that was underneath me, suffice to say it had run its course. Which is a shame, indoor cycling is an amazing workout and will give you probably more bang for your buck than any other workout and that includes you p90X. So after having given up on it what is brought to my attention but SoulCycle, but seriously it is another version of indoor cycling so what is the difference? It didn’t take long to find out.

Anytime you see people lined up to take a class that gives you an inkling that this just might be something good and SoulCycle was that and much more. The cycling portion of the class kicked my butt to say the least, my legs were fried when the class was done but SoulCycle gives you more of a workout than your leg. They incorporate arm exercises as you are cycling, using an assortment of exercises while you are cycling having you push up and down to give you an upper body workout. Then under the seats there are tiny barbells and like me you just might chuckle the first time you are told to grab them, they seem so light what could they actually do. Well you will quickly find out as your shoulders and arms begin to burn and you think of nothing more than throwing them away if you could find the energy. I don’t know the calories burned, but you will be hard pressed to find a better workout.

That is not all there is to SoulCycle and the “Soul” portion to me is likely why people keep coming back in droves. Indoor cycling to me was always about the soundtrack, give me some loud Incubus and you could keep me going for fifty minutes, but with SoulCycle I can’t even remember a song. Oh yes it was some upbeat if I had to guess some current music but this class was more than music, the music was really an afterthought. The setting, the instructor, the energy, all of that encompasses you and you are taken to something different than you have experienced in any other workout. To best describe it would be something along the lines of a spiritual uplifting session as your instructor roams the room to insight you to go into your soul, your heart, find something inside that not only pushes you to make it through this class but also so make it through the day, through life. The thing about it is that it isn’t anything fake or phony, somehow the energy of everyone in the class is locked in that room and shared and the instructor helps to raise you to a new level. If you are looking for a way to kick start your day this is it. If after a SoulCycle class you don’t know want to go out into the world in kick some ass in whatever your walk of life is, well check and make sure you have heart.

SoulCycle seems to be taking over New York and Los Angeles and I recently visited the Beverly Hills location which is just stunning. A first-class setting with showers and all of the amenities you need to refresh yourself. The Beverly Hills location is located at 9465 Wilshire Boulevard and for other locations visit: www.soul-cycle.com