Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
BC/ Hoover Dam to be focus of college course this fall
My article from the Boulder City Review. Update: the class was canceled after not receiving enough students.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Parks and Recreation Board to meet every other month
My first byline as editor of the Boulder City Review. It's not going to win any awards, but it's a start.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The end of Romano's Macaroni Grill (for the Knightlys)
Tonight I ate a shoe. It was supposed to be the chicken.
This was especially disappointing because I had decided to give what had been one of the family's favorite eateries until late last year a last chance after a string of disappointments.
For background, Romano's Macaroni Grill had become one of my daughter Emma and mine fav places to eat a dinner on Friday nights. I would often meet her mom there, we'd do the exchange and Emma and I would get our table. This was about four years ago. We we're so frequent that they knew Emma by name, we could jump the line and she would get her specially made bowl of bowtie pasta.
The service , which was never great but passable, never changed. The food, however, did. All of a sudden in 2009, the Create-Your-Own menu shrunk dramatically and the food didn't taste so good.
Now, I am sure this had something to do with the economy. Whatever the excuse the Knightlys gave up and stopped going sometime last year.
Tonight I decided to give them one more chance. It solidified my disappointment.
I ordered the Chicken Marsala, which arrived at the table cold. I do not like to send food back, but this was inedible. The plate returned a few minutes later. It was obvious it had been microwaved.
Amanda's meal, some seafood pasta, was watery and tasteless.
The problems went beyond the food.
After paying the $57 tab, 3-year-old Kairi and Amanda headed off to the bathroom. Going into separate stalls, Amanda realizes one is out of paper. After Kairi hands Amanda paper under the stall, Kairi realizes she can not unlock her stall. Amanda has to crawl under the door, only to find that the door lock is jammed shut. After cleaning Kairi, they climb back under the door, wash their hands, and leave the building for, which I feel safe in saying, will be the last time.
This was especially disappointing because I had decided to give what had been one of the family's favorite eateries until late last year a last chance after a string of disappointments.
For background, Romano's Macaroni Grill had become one of my daughter Emma and mine fav places to eat a dinner on Friday nights. I would often meet her mom there, we'd do the exchange and Emma and I would get our table. This was about four years ago. We we're so frequent that they knew Emma by name, we could jump the line and she would get her specially made bowl of bowtie pasta.
The service , which was never great but passable, never changed. The food, however, did. All of a sudden in 2009, the Create-Your-Own menu shrunk dramatically and the food didn't taste so good.
Now, I am sure this had something to do with the economy. Whatever the excuse the Knightlys gave up and stopped going sometime last year.
Tonight I decided to give them one more chance. It solidified my disappointment.
I ordered the Chicken Marsala, which arrived at the table cold. I do not like to send food back, but this was inedible. The plate returned a few minutes later. It was obvious it had been microwaved.
Amanda's meal, some seafood pasta, was watery and tasteless.
The problems went beyond the food.
After paying the $57 tab, 3-year-old Kairi and Amanda headed off to the bathroom. Going into separate stalls, Amanda realizes one is out of paper. After Kairi hands Amanda paper under the stall, Kairi realizes she can not unlock her stall. Amanda has to crawl under the door, only to find that the door lock is jammed shut. After cleaning Kairi, they climb back under the door, wash their hands, and leave the building for, which I feel safe in saying, will be the last time.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
RIP FAO
The oldest toy retailer in the United States is now down to one store, at the expense of Vegas.
I found out today that the mega toy store FAO Schwarz in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace closed quietly at the end of January, news that will crush the Knightly children. The store's new owners decided not to renew the lease.
It needs to be remembered that FAO was acquired by Toys“R”Us in late May.
The Knightly children - Savannah, Emma and Kairi - visited the store for what turned out to be the last time in August.
I should have known something was wrong because the famous floor piano was gone. The inventory was in such poor shape we asked them at the time if they were going out of business and where told "no."
Knightly children have been going to the store since it opened in late August 1997 as part of the first expansion wing of the Forum Shops (Nathan was 4 at the time, Savannah 3).Another anchor tenant of that expansion, the Virgin Megastore, closed years ago.
Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys“R”Us said at the time that the company planned to "work tirelessly to preserve the distinctiveness and integrity of the FAO Schwarz stores and brand as we grow the business and, indeed, take the brand to even greater heights.”
Well, so much for that in Vegas.
Following the acquisition, Toys“R”Us said it would continue to operate the two FAO Schwarz retail stores in New York City and the now closed Vegas location, along with the e-commerce and catalog operations.
NYC remains open.
The 56,000-square-foot, three-story store opened with grand dreams. According to a July 18, 1997 Review-Journal article, the store opened with the Star Wars Cantina, miniature recreation of a Roman village, with 80 animated animal creatures, in the shop's front window; a two-story tree, rising 35 feet from the shop's floor, a dinosaur section with animated dinosaurs, a coffee shop featuring Monopoly game decor, a Barbie 'temple' flanked by 6-foot-tall Barbie statues in Roman garb, and a FAO Schweetz area selling candy and sweets.
Practically everything from the opening was seriously downsized through the years, or, as in the case of the cantina, disappeared all together.
Customers like the Knightly's, I admit, might have been part of the problem. We always spent hours in the store, but rarely bought anything greater than some candy or a drink.
FAO has been in operation since 1862.
Sadly, the 46-foot Trojan Horse in front of the store will be removed for a fate unknown.
I will break the news to Emma when I see her Friday.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
'Princesses' and the girls
What is it about princesses that get little girls excited and transfixed? Yesterday I was at the Venetian with the girls and we came upon a live show in the courtyard of the mall. Emma and Kairi became excited when they saw these women walking through the Canal Shoppes. We followed them to where they performed Italian opera. The sound was bad, but that didn't keep Kairi from dancing wildly to the music. Emma, the more reserved of the two, was just as excited to watch.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
278,000 VISITORS EXPECTED: Casinos cater to Super Bowl fans by offering 'big game' events
My latest from the Review-Journal
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