For many years, Las Vegas was famous for (among other things) the way it turned building demolitions into spectacle.

The list of jaw-dropping implosions of Las Vegas hotels goes on and on: Hacienda, Boardwalk, Sands, Castaways, El Rancho, Landmark, Desert Inn and others.

This blog misses you something fierce, Stardust!

Implosions have been increasingly rare in recent years, but demolitions are still happening.

For example, as part of Caesars Entertainment’s massive development project, The Linq, the Capri Tower behind Imperial Palace has been brought down one brick and board at a time.

We risked a body cavity search to bring you this photo.

Granted, “tower” might be a bit of an overstatement. But it’s been brought down, nonetheless. (We took these photos a week or two ago. The building’s completely gone now, from what we hear.)

Nothing flashy, but demolition crews quietly and efficiently got the job done. We hardly knew ye, Capri Tower.

What does a blog have to get a body cavitity search around here?

Much of the work being done for The Linq is being done behind the scenes at the moment. Rumor has it, the Flamingo’s employee parking garage (behind O’Sheas) is the next to go (Jan. 2012).

The good news is that when the old goes, something new usually sprouts up in its place. (Echelon Place, not so much.) Next, Sin City has this to look forward to.

Your town is probably nice, too, in its own quaint way.

Read more about The Linq.

This Las Vegas blog can’t wait!

Pop princess Britney Spears and fiance Jason Trawick made some Sin City waves recently, celebrating their engagement by popping into Planet Hollywood (below), Paris Las Vegas and other Vegas hotspots.

The smoochy couple shows off her new rock.

The pair was spotted at Chateau Nightclub & Gardens at Paris Las Vegas, and enjoyed dinner at Sugar Factory American Brasserie, just downstairs.

The colorful duo also celebrated Trawick’s birthday, hanging out in a secluded corner of the Sugar Factory’s Chocolate Lounge. (Motto: “Before you say ‘I do,’ fondue!” Note: We are completely making that up.) The couple also did some candy shopping in the Sugar Factory’s retail store.

Oops, I licked it again. Or something.

Thanks to Denise Truscello for the pics.

During their Vegas stay, the happy couple stayed at Planet Hollywood in a 3,100-square-foot mega-suite. Then again, who doesn’t? Spears and Trawick dropped by Planet Hollywood’s Strip House Steakhouse for some cake and photo ops.

As far as we’ve heard, the Britney visit to Las Vegas was scandal-free. Bummer, we know. Read more about their visit.

One thing’s for sure, though. Everybody comes to Vegas!

We were curious about what would replace McFadden’s Irish Pub at Rio Las Vegas after it closed on Dec. 5, 2011. Now we know.

We’re hearing a new Irish pub opens in the same location today (Dec. 29). The new pub is called, simply, the Irish Pub.

The Irish Pub will be open Thursdays through Sundays (starting at 5:00 p.m.).

Irish pub trivia: "Pub" is short for "public house." We did not know that.

Details about the new pub are few at the moment, but we do know the Irish Pub features 16 varieties of beer on tap from around the world. The Irish Pub will also be home to an “All Night Happy Hour,” with nightly drink specials.

For the time being, food isn’t being served at the Irish Pub, but that’s in the works.

Check out this new hangout at Rio Las Vegas and let us know what you think!

In a bit of a shocker, the MGM Grand hotel has announced it will close its popular Lion Habitat on Jan. 31, 2012.

The popular free attraction will close permanently, with the lions moving to an 8.5-acre ranch 12 miles outside Las Vegas called “The Cat House.” Hey, it’s Vegas. Read more.

The Lion Habitat at MGM opened in 1999.

And while this might earn us a nomination for “Most Awkward Segue of 2011,” did you know you can still see big cats on the Las Vegas Strip at magician Dirk Arthur’s show inside O’Sheas? See adorable big cat photos and video here.

Ferocious, huh?

Lions, after all, are only the second-largest living cat, after the tiger. And at Dirk Arthur’s show, there’s no glass enclosure to get between you and the cats. Some audience members are as close as 10 feet from a variety of exotic cats. Read more.

Oh, like we weren't going to post a photo of Dirk Arthur's newest arrival, Crystal.

If you’re just into habitats, maybe stop by the always-free Wildlife Habitat at Flamingo. Sorry, we do not currently have a photo of a baby flamingo available.

Or if you’re just into wildlife, why not check out the All Night Pass that gets you all-access, VIP treatment at some of Sin City’s hottest nightclubs?

All right, that was the most awkward segue of 2011.

Just about everyone loves them some “dealertainers,” those multi-tasking folks who deal blackjack at Imperial Palace while taking on the persona of music’s immortals and performing for guests.

Today, we feature Karen who does a turn as Tina Turner when she’s dealertainmenting, which, we realize, might not be an actual word.

What's splitting 8s got to do with it?

Find out more about the Imperial Palace dealertainers, and tell us your favorite in the Comments section.

Oh, how we love free stuff here at the Pulse of Vegas blog. Did you notice all the free vowels in that last sentence? Exactly!

Today, we’re passing along the inside scoop about a Vegas New Year’s Eve blow-out giveaway, courtesy of Caesars Entertainment. Caesars Entertainment is the same company that brings you this Las Vegas blog, despite the advice of at least 41 lawyers.

This free-to-enter giveaway includes a prize package of a two-night stay at a participating Vegas hotel of the winner’s choice (check-in on Dec. 30, 2012 and check-out on Jan. 1, 2013–yes, New Year’s Eve next year), a $200 dining credit and transportation to and from McCarran International Airport (motto: “We have special enclosures for smokers. Just deal with it.”).

Sorry, the prize package is for NYE 2013. But did we mention how free it is? You can still wear your groovy 2012 glasses, too.

That’s a $1,500 value in today dollars. Who knows what it’ll be worth in 2012-2013 dollars!

To enter, just text NYE to 227466. Yes, that’s the whole entry process. You can only enter once. It should take upwards of three seconds. We’ll wait.

Entries must be received by Jan. 1, 2012.

Yes, in case you were wondering, this is all an elaborate scheme to get you into a texting database so the big, bad marketers can hit you with crazy, two-for-one drink specials and other deals. Strike back at The Man with the knowledge you can stop receiving texts at any time by texting STOP to 227466. (We kid. You won’t get offers unless you ask for them. Just text “VEGAS” to the same number.)

Read the wildly amusing small print on the Caesars Palace Facebook page and good luck!

We do not condone this graphic. At all.

This is inappropriate.

This New Year’s Eve stuff, on the other hand, we tend to condone.

And here’s a comprehensive list of New Year’s Eve happenings, several of which we condone, especially if they take place at a hotel in the Caesars Entertainment family of Las Vegas casino-hotel destinations.

There’s only one constant in Las Vegas: Bosoms. Oh, and change. Make that two constants. Three, if you count bosoms as two things. Moving on.

Change has come to the iconic Hilton hotel sign, too, as its letters were removed on Dec. 27, 2011. We stopped by to take a look, naturally. We are a Las Vegas blog.

Blame it on the crane.

The sign’s coming down because as of Jan. 3, 2012, there will no longer be a Las Vegas Hilton. The hotel is changing its name to LVH (Las Vegas Hotel & Casino).

All's well that ends weld. Or something.

Executives from the hotel and casino say they’re “extremely excited about the next phase of our journey,” mainly because hotel and casino executives always seem to be extremely excited about one thing or another. Ultimately, the name change is happening because the hotel lost its rights to use the Hilton name. Things happen.

Of course we got ourselves a keepsake metal shard. This blog does not live by society's rules.

The Las Vegas Hilton has had a long and storied history, much of it we are too lazy to look up. We do know the hotel opened in 1969, and sits on land once occupied by the Las Vegas Park Speedway, a horse and car racing facility.

The Hilton was named the International Hotel when it opened, and Barbra Streisand was the opening-night performer. It survived, anyway. We kid!

Hidden trap doors on giant letters are cool.

Formerly-the-Hilton fact: During a string of record-breaking, sold-out concerts at the hotel, Elvis Presley stayed in room 3000. That’s going to win you money on a game show some day.

Way to photobomb, Las Vegas Monorail.

It was a tad eery walking among the mammoth letters. You don’t really get a sense of their size when they’re up in the air, but using a very scientific method (“guesstimation”), we’d say the letters are a good 45 feet tall.

We thought the sign’s lettering might make its way to the Neon Boneyard, but reps from the hotel say it’s not to be. The letters are going into storage for the moment.

This blog is a a self-proclaimed neon expert, and we're 21% sure these are cathodes.

Learn more about cathodes and how neon signs are made.

Bonus formerly-the-Hilton fact: The hotel appeared as the “Whyte House” casino in the 1971 James Bond classic, “Diamonds Are Forever.”

Here’s a little photo gallery to commemorate the demise of the Hilton sign, an indelible part of Vegas history.

We saw a viral video a few weeks back featuring the “Flyboard” water jet-pak, and this mesmerizing toy is slated to make an appearance at Lake Las Vegas on Dec. 28, 2011. Take a look.

The jet-pack uses streams of high-pressure water to allow a rider to seemingly float in the air, as well as generating exhilerating speeds under the water’s surface.

We’d tell you more about this gotta-have-it device, but the official site is all in French and stuff.

The demo at Lake Las Vegas (about 20 minutes from the Strip) will take place 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. The inventor of the device, Franky Zapata, will sign autographs at Casino Monte Lago (motto: “Still no craps tables!”) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This is why they invented the word "Wheeeee!"

Read more about the “Flyboard” water jet-pak demonstration.

Celine Dion’s show at Caesars Palace is bursting with, among other things, dazzling visual effects. The company behind those visuals, Moment Factory, has put together a behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of the Strip’s most talked-about productions.

More than 250 performers auditioned for the James Bond sequence in Celine's show.

Watch the fascinating video here to see more.

We would embed the video here, but that might involve “learning how to embed video,” and we’re very busy working on recovering from our holiday hangover, thanks.

Celine tapes a segment for her show.

It’s amazing to see all the creativity and resources that go into a show like Celine’s at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Dozens of “artists, animators, designers, illustrators, photographers, producers and directors,” many with charming French accents, spend hundreds of hours toiling to make Celine’s show unforgettable. Mission accomplished!

We had no idea, and this blog knows everything.

See the results of all this creativity onstage at Caesars Palace. Find out more.

This is how a Las Vegas blog sees Flamingo Las Vegas.

Still thrilling after all these years.

How’d you like to see a different view of this iconic hotel? A dog’s-eye view!

Arbor, a border collie and lab mix (and a rescue dog), recently took a tour of the Flamingo with a video camera on his back. Take a look.

This blog loves it some puppy, so we love this video!

Arbor even got the VIP treatment from the friendly folks at Flamingo. He hits the Margaritaville Casino, and even gets to play blackjack and a slot machine. Pets aren’t typically allowed on the casino floor, but we’re happy an exception was made for Arbor.

Learn more about the PetStay program that welcomes dogs to Las Vegas hotels in the Caesars Entertainment family in Vegas: Caesars Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Harrah’s, Flamingo, Bally’s, Rio and Imperial Palace.

From this Las Vegas blog to you and yours, happy holidays, or some other politically-correct way of saying “Merry Christmas!”

In honor of this special day we’re not working on, here’s a lovely holiday tune and fountain show, courtesy of Sin City. How do we know it’s from Sin City? Please note the gargantuan pole dancer in the background.

Thanks to our security friends at The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood for, after seeing us videotaping without permission, not using a Taser on us until the song was done.

Oh, Las Vegas. You're just so...you.

And may all your Christmases be Vegas! Or something.

Is your bosom bursting with the holiday spirit yet? Not so much? Well, Sin City is here to help!

As we were wandering The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, we encountered a store called Hattitude. (Oh, stop your store name judging. Maybe that’s one of the reasons you aren’t in a holiday mood yet!)

Admit it. For a minute, you thought we might be making this up.

Hattitude sits across from the V Theater, the Miracle Mile Shops fountain and Stripper Bar. Inside Hattitude, there are, wait for it, lots and lots of hats.

Many of the hats have a distinctly holiday color palette, with a healthy amount of whimsy thrown in for good measure.

We are a Las Vegas blog. As such, we do not use the word "whimsy" lightly.

It didn’t take long for this Las Vegas blog to begin feeling the unmistakable warmth associated with the holiday spirit. Or rum. But probably the holiday spirit, though.

Feeling it yet?

In several cases, we felt like we’d stepped into Whoville. Whoville, of course, was featured in two Dr. Seuss books, “Horton Hears a Who!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Naturally, we’re talking about the Whoville in the Grinch story, because there was a good deal more holiday spirit in that one, and that kind of serves our purposes at the moment.

This blog's heart grew three sizes that day.

At one point, we risked being detained and frisked to share another whimsical holiday hat.

When will they learn this blog doesn't live by society's rules?

We finished off our holiday hat adventure with a fedora only Vegas could pull off.

Nobody does sparkle like Vegas. And that's probably for the best.

So, if you’re looking to don some gay apparel for a holiday excursion on The Strip, swing by The Miracle Mile Shops.

Visit the official Hattitude site, and do your best to ignore the site’s annoying, already-on music. Because, ultimately, isn’t a willingness to put up with annoying things, like family and room-temperature eggnog, the true meaning of Christmas?

Las Vegas does just about everything on a grand scale, so as you’re roaming Sin City, always make sure to look up.

You might see some amazing stained glass.

Worthy of both an "ooh" and an "aww."

Just another day at Le Burger Brasserie restaurant between Paris Vegas and Bally’s.

While you’re at Paris Las Vegas, keep looking up! You might catch a glimpse of a half-scale French landmark.

The Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas. Sorry. "Le" Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas.

If you’re in downtown Las Vegas, on the Fremont Street Experience, look up to see 12 million LED modules doing their best to make your eyeballs pop out. In a good way.

The canopy at Fremont Street also serves as the most tricked-out umbrella ever.

Also, on Fremont Street, if you don’t look up, you’ll miss a piece of Vegas history.

Vegas Vic was first erected in 1951. That's right, erected.

Next stop, The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

Inside,there’s gorgeousness everywhere. Even up.

Did we mention how free seeing all this stuff is? This blog loves it some free.

Seriously, keep looking up.

The Forum Shops at Caesars may require additional eyes.

The realistically-painted “skies” inside The Forum Shops darken and lighten depending upon the time of day.

Up is a happy place in Las Vegas.

Outside The Forum Shops, make sure to look up again.

In Vegas, it's go fancy or go home.

No too far away is the Caesars Palace casino, and honestly, every time you look up, there’s something unforgettable to see.

This artwork was inspired by a real statue we don't have time to research. We are a Las Vegas blog, not a statue historian.

We trust we’ve made our point. Look up! Just don’t trip over anything. This Las Vegas blog already spends far too much time in the company of lawyers.

You bet he does. Hey, it’s Las Vegas.

We're just saying.