When the U.S. Travel Association recently held its convention in Las Vegas, Caesars Palace was the natural place for the gathering’s culminating bash.

The hotel hosted a party for travel pros from around the world, showcasing many of the dining and entertainment offerings available at Caesars Entertainment hotels in Las Vegas. There may also have been some hooch.

Just another typical night in Vegas!

Comedy-juggler Jeff Civillico (below) hosted the event, and a slew of Las Vegas entertainers took turns wowing the capacity crowd.

Well, at least Jeff Civillico’s portion of the show wasn’t awkward at all.

On hand were Flamingo headliner George Wallace, female impersonator Frank Marino and his “Divas Las Vegas” from The Quad, Donny & Marie from the Flamingo and the talented cast of “Million Dollar Quartet” (below) from Harrah’s Las Vegas.

The “Million Dollar Quartet” blew the roof off the joint.

The new headliner at Bally’s Las Vegas, Veronic DiCaire (below), star of Veronic Voices, also took to the stage with her giant voice. In her show, DiCaire does the voices of dozens of the world’s best-known female superstars.

Veronic’s show opens June 20 at Bally’s.

Of course, no Vegas party would be complete without showgirls, and dancers from “Jubilee!” at Bally’s did their part to make the party unforgettable.

Typical cocktail party attire in Sin City.

Guests were also treated to tempting samples from a variety of Vegas restaurants, many from Caesars Palace, including Nobu Restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Payard Patisserie, Rao’s, Bacchanal Buffet and others.

Gordon Ramsay’s BurGR at Planet Hollywood was also represented. Well represented.

Caesars Palace headliner Celine Dion made a surprise appearance, and kicked off a fireworks display high above the hotel’s Garden of the Gods pool complex.

“Voila,” as the French Canadians say.

Does Las Vegas know how to throw a party, or what? Enjoy more photos in our exclusive gallery, unless you don’t like fun.

Passing by what will soon be the entrance to The Linq the other day, we caught a glimpse of the new entertainment promenade’s marquee being assembled.

The entrance to The Linq is between Flamingo and The Quad, on the corner where O’Sheas used to sit.

The section of the marquee that says “The Linq” was being hoisted by crane above the sign’s support post, and lowered into place guided by ropes. It’s a little hard to describe, so we felt compelled to capture a far-too-long video of the process.

Simmer down. It’s just a sign being installed.

Anyhoo, the portion being lowered onto the post weighed about 700 pounds, while the support post itself weighs in the neighborhood of 20,000 pounds. Because you can never have too many useless facts in your head.

This blog probably could’ve just dead lifted it, but we didn’t want the hard hat guys to feel badly.

It takes teamwork and a windless day to pull off a maneuver like this one. And yes, if you look closely at the sign (see below), there are dudes in there to make sure it’s a snug fit. It goes without saying that on a hot Las Vegas day, this blog does not want to be one of those dudes.

Just another day having 700 pounds lowered down onto your head. No biggy.

We can’t wait for the full marquee to be unveiled in all its sparkly awesomeness. We suspect there will be no question as to where The Linq is located. Read more about The Linq at the official site.

If you’ve been checking in on the live cam that points toward The Quad and the neighboring Linq entertainment district project, you may have noticed the Quad’s new “vortex” lights being tested.

Today, we got a close-up look at the dazzly good fun to come.

Center-Strip is about to get some sweet new bling.

Click here for a larger version.

The lights are still being tested, but given the display is impressive during bright sunlight, we expect it’s really going to be a head-turner at night.

We can’t wait!

Food Network star and restaurateur Guy Fieri has announced he’ll open his first Las Vegas restaurant at The Quad Resort & Casino in late 2013.

The restaurant (the name has yet to be announced) will be a new concept developed in conjunction with Caesars Entertainment.

Please don’t attempt to chop without looking! Guy Fieri is a trained professional.

While Fieri has never had a restaurant in Vegas (the “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” host co-owns five eateries in California), he does have roots here. In 1990, he graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a degree in hospitality management. “This is a true homecoming for me,” says Fieri.

Fieri’s restaurant at The Quad, currently undergoing renovations, will feature a large outdoor patio and dining area, adjacent to Carnaval Court and the hotel’s recently-revamped main entrance.

Yes, beyond that wall, near The Quad’s new overhead, undulating light thingy.

See more of the light thingy.

Fieri describes his new restaurant as somewhere between “high-end” and “quick-and-easy.” He’s also dropped hints that the restaurant will be open late, and will have “a really good Bloody Mary brunch program.”

Loyal readers of this blog will recall we bumped into Guy Fieri with “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto at the opening of Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace.

Fieri’s love of food started at age 10, when he sold soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father called “The Awesome Pretzel.” He saved up enough money to study abroad as an exchange student in France, then in 1996, he opened his first restaurant, Johnny Garlics, in Santa Rosa, California, with business partner Steve Gruber.

After winning the second season of “The Next Food Network Star,” Guy Fieri premiered his first show, “Guy’s Big Bite,” on the Food Network in 2006.

His biggest TV hit, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” has been on for an impressive 17 seasons, with more than 140 episodes. Originally, the show was supposed to be a one-off special, but audiences ate it up. (See what we did there?)

More details about Guy Fieri’s new restaurant are yet to be announced. In the meantime, check out a great item in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Rio Las Vegas and New Capital Ventures have announced a joint effort to bring a new zipline attraction, the VooDoo Skyline, to the hotel in late summer, 2013.

The heart-stopping zipline will launch 400 feet in the air, from the popular night spot, VooDoo Lounge. Daredevils will ride at speeds up to 33 miles-per-hour to another tower at Rio, the Ipanema Tower.

Let us say, with all due respect, “Aieee!”

The new ride should provide some of the most spectacular views of The Strip in all of Las Vegas. Assuming your eyes are open. Which this blog’s won’t be.

Unlike most ziplines, the VooDoo Skyline will accommodate two riders at a time. Another unique feature is that on the attraction’s return trip, guests will ride an additional 800 feet to the starting point, facing backwards, for a total ride distance of nearly one-third of a mile.

Actually, it’s more accurately called a “zip ride.” Ziplines don’t go backward, can’t accommodate two people (seated), and a zip ride can’t get stuck halfway to its destination as ziplines sometimes can.

This photo shared on Rio’s Facebook page shows the view from the zipline launch point. What is wrong with people?

VooDoo Skyline is a collaboration between the Rio and New Capital Ventures partners Joe Shortal and Jonathan Borchetta, and Stan Checketts, who has created more than 200 amusement rides around the world for companies such as Disney and Six Flags.

Checketts even designed what at one time was the world’s fastest roller coaster, the Dodonpa coaster in Japan. Bottom line: This guy knows adrenaline.

Here’s another Stan Checketts effort that may provide a taste of what’s to come at Rio.

VooDoo Skyline is slated to operate seven days a week, from noon to midnight each day. Pricing and other details are yet to be announced. Read more at the Las Vegas Review Journal.

This year’s Vegas Uncork’d food and wine festival by Bon Appétit (May 9-12, 2013), was a non-stop series of high-profile events highlighting Sin City’s best chefs, sommeliers and restaurants.

Among the more popular events of Vegas Uncork’d were a “Master Series” of hosted dinners at Caesars Palace, where guests had the opportunity to rub elbows with celebrity chefs and sample the cuisine at the hotel’s world-class restaurants.

Chef Bobby Flay’s brain has approximately 11,400 ingredients in it. We counted.

Eight “Master Series” dinners happened simultaneously on May 10. We know because this blog visited every single one.

Chef Michel Richard chats up guests at Central.

The restaurants featured were Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Mesa Grill, Nobu Restaurant, Restaurant Guy Savoy, Rao’s, Central, Payard Patisserie & Bistro and Old Homestead Steakhouse.

Old Homestead Executive Chef Michael Gill has been responsible for some of this blog’s favorite steaks, ever.

Yes, these restaurants are all at one Las Vegas hotel. We marvel at this daily, especially because that’s not even a complete list of Caesars Palace restaurants.

Frank Pellegrino makes sure every guest leaves with a smile at Rao’s Italian restaurant.

At each “Master Series” event, chefs made presentations before each course, sharing thoughts about the dishes as their top-secret cooking techniques. Oh, all right, they aren’t too secret. Several of the chefs have books and TV shows.

Chef Gordon Ramsay is one of the aforementioned chefs with TV shows. Nearly 12, at last count.

Perhaps the biggest draw of Vegas Uncork’d was the Grand Tasting on May 10. About 50 award-winning chefs and 2,500 foodies join together for an orgy of food and libations. Virtual orgy. We probably should have made that part clear up-front.

A sign of things to come.

The gathering began with a lively red carpet.

Can chefs be both congenial and competitive? You’re kidding, right?

After the arrivals, the chefs and their teams manned their stations and provided guests a rare culinary experience, with bites from their restaurants and a chance to schmooze with those who have helped make Las Vegas the premier restaurant destination in the world.

Chef François Payard gets his macaroons in a row.

The Grand Tasting was held in the Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis at Caesars Palace, which looks like something out of a Hollywood movie, except Hollywood movies don’t typically have their own Ramsays or Flays.

Yeah, it’s sort of a big deal.

We did mention there was food at this event, right? The new Nobu Restaurant at Caesars Palace won some extra points for artistic merit.

This Nobu Restaurant item had an intimate moment with this blog’s face.

A special area at the Grand Tasting was reserved for a sneak preview of restaurants coming to The Linq, the new restaurant and entertainment promenade from Caesars Entertainment. And we are not just mentioning this because there were cast members from “Jubilee!” at Bally’s on-hand, although that certainly didn’t hurt. See below.

Look! “Jubilee!” showgirls in their street clothes. Much easier on the neck muscles without those heavy head dresses, definitely.

Restaurants from The Linq giving guests a taste of what’s to come were Brooklyn Bowl, F.A.M.E., Off the Strip Bistro & Bar, Flour & Barley Pizzeria and others. See some of the other tenants coming to The Linq.

We can’t wait!

The final day of Vegas Uncork’d included a backyard-style BBQ, with an Italian twist, at Rao’s, and a traditional English Sunday Roast at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace.

Here are a slew of Vegas Uncork’d photos this blog somehow found time to share in between visits to the treadmill. What’s not to love about Vegas Uncork’d, we asked rhetorically?

Throughout May 2013, Las Vegas resorts in the Caesars Entertainment family will offer special deals and freebies on dining and shows as part of Military Appreciation Month. Here are some of the highlights.

Bally’s Las Vegas

Tickets to “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding” are buy-one-get-one-free for general and VIP tickets. The hotel’s Blu Pool is offering free admission and half-price bottle service to active military members.

Planet Hollywood

BurGR restaurant is offering a two-for-one burger entrée. Spice Market Buffet offers a two-for-one lunch buffet, Monday through Friday.

Fly-overs not included.

Flamingo Las Vegas

Comedian George Wallace will offer one free ticket to members of the military, past and present. “X Burlesque” is offering $20 off General Admission and VIP tickets, along with a free shot glass. “Legends in Concert” will provide free Golden Circle or Main Floor admission. Paradise Garden Buffet will offer a two-for-one lunch buffet, Monday through Friday.

Harrah’s Las Vegas

The pool at Harrah’s offers free admission and half-price bottle service. KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers is offering a two-for-one burger entrée. Toby Keith’s: I Love This Bar & Grill is offering a complimentary military burger and French fries to active military members with valid ID. Flavors Buffet offers a two-for-one lunch buffet, Monday through Friday. “Defending the Caveman” is offering a free admission with each paid admission.

Just prior to a deployment. This is the place in the blog post where we tend to get a little weepy.

The Quad

Frank Marino’s “Divas Las Vegas” has an ongoing half-price ticket offer. Comedian-juggler Jeff Civillico is offering up to four free tickets with a military ID. “Recycled Percussion” is providing an ongoing 50 percent discount.

Paris Las Vegas

Taylor Hicks is offering 10 two-for-one tickets to anyone who presents a military ID at least two hours before show time. Comedy-hypnotist Anthony Cools is providing a two-for-one ticket deal. Le Burger Brasserie is offering a two-for-one burger entrée, and Le Village Buffet is offering a two-for-one lunch buffet, Monday through Friday. The hotel’s pool will offer free admission and half-price bottle service.

Did you know the Caesars Foundation donated $100,000 to the USO to support services offered at the USO Las Vegas center at McCarran International? Now, you do. Vets Woody and Terry seemed appreciative, despite our forcing them to have their photo taken.

Rio Las Vegas

“Chippendales” has an ongoing 50 percent off discount for military members. VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub will offer free admission. All-American Bar and Grill is offering a two-for-one burger entrée. Carnival World Buffet is offering a two-for-one lunch, Monday through Friday.

Caesars Palace

The Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis is offering free admission and half-price bottle service. Shadow Bar offers free admission and half-price bottle service. Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill is offering a two-for-one burger entrée.

We never take freedom for granted, especially in Las Vegas.

Please note that the show deals are for active and retired military, and restaurant offers are for active military only. Just show a government-issued, military I.D. to take advantage of all these great deals.

And our heartfelt appreciation goes out to all those who serve so selflessly in our nation’s armed services. In Las Vegas, they get to be a little selfish. Or a lot. This blog doesn’t judge.

The New York City version of Brooklyn Bowl just received quite an accolade: The entertainment venue just made Rolling Stone’s elite list of “Venues That Rock.” See the full list.

The great news for Vegas fans is that center-Strip is getting a Brooklyn Bowl all its own. The massive entertainment complex will open in The Linq in early 2014. Learn more about The Linq.

This blog tends to like logos with bling.

We got a first peek inside the Brooklyn Bowl space under construction at The Linq, and thought we’d share it to give a sense of the eye-popping scale of the place.

Our eyes were actually on the verge of popping, and we were just getting started.

While the name might have “Bowl” in it, and bowling (32 lanes and two stories!) will certainly be a big draw at Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq, that’s just the beginning of what’s expected to make this new venue an essential part of any Vegas visit.

Two levels, for your concert-viewing pleasure.

Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq will feature a 2,000 person performance area, food we can’t wait to devour from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Restaurants, and events ranging from all-ages bowling during the day to a nightclub vibe at night.

Remember, the New York location was called “one of the most incredible places on Earth” by Rolling Stone, and they tend to know their incredible, especially when it comes to live music.

We are atingle with anticipation. That's all Brooklyn Bowl, baby!

Brooklyn Bowl is set to become a jaw-dropping addition to the impressive line-up of residents in The Linq, and we can’t wait to see it spring to life over the coming months.

On March 23, 2013, hotels on the Las Vegas Strip went dark as a part of the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, a global event to raise awareness about sustainability and environmental responsibility.

This blog prefers Vegas the other way, but we see what they're going for.

Las Vegas hotels went dark from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This is the fifth year Caesars Entertainment hotels have taken part in the event.

Beyond the symbolic dimming of non-essential exterior lights and marquees each year, Earth Hour serves as an opportunity for hotels like those in the Caesars Entertainment family to share information about their ongoing sustainable business practices and environmental programs.

As much as Las Vegas prides itself on being a place for excess, resort companies in Las Vegas take seriously their programs intended to reduce water, energy and waste consumption. Many of the programs not only help save the environment, but also save the companies money, which means lower costs for guests. Everybody wins.

It looks like somebody tripped over an extension cord.

Thanks to Bryan Steffy for the Earth Hour photos.

Learn more about what hotels like Caesars Palace are doing to preserve our environment.

We had some amazing times at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall before it closed, but Bill’s (and before that, the Barbary Coast) had seen better days, so it was high time something new took its place. It’s Las Vegas, after all.

That something new will be a boutique hotel, Gansevoort Las Vegas, a collaboration between Caesars Entertainment, New York-based luxury hotel company Gansevoort Hotel Group and Vegas nightlife wizard, Victor Drai.

Bling worthy of the epic intersection of Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard.

The new Gansevoort Las Vegas will open in early 2014, after a hefty $185 million renovation, and will feature 188 “Parisian apartment-style” guest rooms and 19 suites.

The hotel will also boast a redesigned lobby bar, ultra-lounge, retail outlets and 40,000 square-foot casino.

Dibs on the chair.

One of the more buzzed-about parts of the planned Gansevoort Las Vegas is the addition of Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub, a massive, 65,000 square-foot indoor/outdoor nightclub and rooftop pool experience. The panoramic view alone should make Drai’s Beach Club a must-visit addition to the excitement of the Las Vegas Strip.

The popular After Hours by Drai club, a staple of Las Vegas nightlife for the past 15 years, is set to return, in its same location.

Please, Mr. Drai, keep the lips.

Gansevoort Las Vegas is a serious departure from Bill’s, but it seems a good fit given the ongoing re-vitalization of Center Strip, including projects such as The Linq and The Quad. This blog is always up for some Las Vegas newness!

It should be noted, as an additional perk, that when Gansevoort Las Vegas opens in 2014, it will be part of the Total Rewards loyalty program (Bill’s was not).

Read more about Gansevoort Las Vegas in USA Today.

Recently, Caesars Palace hosted a glitzy event in honor of the release of Sports Illustrated magazine’s annual swimsuit issue. It’s possible this blog was there to take some photos.

One blog's "gratuitous" is another blog's "essential."

Several of the models featured in the swimsuit issue walked a red carpet, and honestly, the red carpet is still smiling.

Sorry this photo didn't turn out too well. Our flash went off prematurely.

One of the highlights of the event involved turning the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace into a 51,000-square-foot projection screen, upon which additional genetically-gifted swimsuit models frolicked.

It's a huge deal to be an SI model. At times, literally.

Advanced 3D technology was used to create “an animation mapped to the contours of the Octavius Tower,” whatever that actually means.

Here’s a snazzy video from our new best friends at Sports Illustrated that may better illustrate what transpired.

The Sports Illustrated event at the Garden of the Gods pool complex at Caesars was streamed live across the Web, leaving it, too, smiling.

We get this a lot. Models love bloggers. And rock musicians. But mostly bloggers.

Some of the models who took part in the red carpet were Nina Agdal, Jessica Gomes, Kate Bock, Emily Didonato, Cintia Dicker, Alyssa Miller and Genevieve Morton.

Bonus points if you’re able to match them up to our photos, because we did not take notes, as usual.

Jessica Gomes. Some notes we took.

The 220-page SI swimsuit issue for 2013 features photo spreads of models on all seven continents.

And, yes, if you guessed we’re just filling space now to share more photos, you’re right.

Model Genevieve Morton loves comedy movies like "Anchorman." Now, that's hot.

Sports Illustrated scholars will note that cover girl Kate Upton was on last year’s cover, too, the first time there’s been a back-to-back cover model since Tyra Banks, in 1996 and 1997.

Emily Didonato's photo shoot was in Namibia, a part of the world known for this blog not being able to find it on a map.

See more SI swimsuit models at the official Sports Illustrated site, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Possibly the best way to squeeze the most from your Las Vegas visit is to get a steal on a hotel room. You need a home base for your Sin City misadventures, so why not grab the best deal possible?

There’s a sale going on at all Caesars Entertainment hotels in Las Vegas, and across the country, with savings up to 25% off your room. Get 25% off at Bally’s, Rio Las Vegas and The Quad, and 15% off at Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Paris, Harrah’s and Planet Hollywood.

Get you some.

Throw a dart, get a deal. Wading pond not included.

Other cities also have Caesars Entertainment hotels, although why would you go anywhere else but Vegas? While this blog doesn’t necessarily condone it, you can also find room deals in Atlantic City, Reno and Lake Tahoe, Tunica and even Horseshoe Bossier City, which we were unable to locate on a map, but we are a Las Vegas blog, not a cartographer.

This semi-annual sale ends March 10, 2013, so don’t miss out. Go book a room, already. And ask if you’ll have a bidet. Those are like having dancing fountains right in your room.

Every day seems to bring changes to the center of the Las Vegas Strip, and The Linq project, a multi-million dollar shopping and entertainment district, is taking shape in dramatic fashion.

Seemingly overnight, the site of the now-closed O’Sheas casino has an eye-catching new facade.

Can we have loved O'Sheas and still love this? We're thinking "yes."

As you get closer, you can see some of the design flourishes, including glass and other features. This area will be the new threshold to The Linq, full of dining, shopping and entertainment options. See some initial tenants of The Linq.

When did all this happen? Possibly yesterday. It's Las Vegas magic.

Not far away, there’s more huge news from the construction site of The Linq’s record-breaking High Roller observation wheel.

The final leg segment of the High Roller (the sixth) was recently put into place, at a mind-boggling 250 feet up, or nearly half the wheel’s ultimate height of 550 feet. We are a Las Vegas blog, not a mathematician.

See the speck atop the leg at the right? That's a dude. Seriously.

This blog was there to grab some exclusive video at the exact moment the final leg segment was being hoisted into place. Oh, yes, there was some hoisting. We would’ve helped, but we’re nursing a craps injury.

Yes, the little “ants” at the top of the legs are human beings. Getting up to the connection point involved climbing ladders inside the legs. Please add this to the list of jobs this blog will never do in a bajillion years. Workers will use a construction elevator from this point on.

Soon after the installation of the final leg segment was complete, the High Roller’s “pants” were put into place. The so-called “pants” connect the legs.

If you don't like that we call them "pants," get your own blog.

The blue scaffolding is temporary. And those slabs of wood hanging from ropes are temporary work platforms. See why we don’t want that job?

This photo makes us woozy. Excited, but woozy.

Next, the wheel’s support leg (we call it the “kickstand”) goes up. Then the wheel itself will start taking shape, including its passenger “pods,” which will each hold 40 riders.

We would like to take a moment to thank all the smart people involved in making this miracle of engineering a reality because this blog's brain hurts just thinking about it.

There’s more fun to come! This is going to be the best 2013 ever.

In a turn of events even our mother could not have predicted, this blog has been named the “Best Blog” ever in the history of the Internet (we may have fudged that last part) in the PR Daily Digital PR & Social Media Awards.

These prestigious national awards, which we’re assuming are prestigious because we won something, are presented by Ragan Communications, a highly-respected communications and PR company. Hundreds of companies across the country vie for these awards, including public relations agencies, corporations and nonprofits, media relations and publicity agencies, PR consultants, governmental organizations and others. View all the winners, most important category first.

We don't make up the news, we just caress it every five minutes.

The judges for the PR Daily Digital PR & Social Media Awards are much-beloved (even moreso now) leaders in the social and public relations communities, including: Kara Swisher, co-host of the Wall Street Journal’s “All Things Digital”; Jesse Stanchak, social media editor at SmartBrief; Felix Salmon, blogging editor at Reuters; Christine Romans, host of CNN’s “Your Bottom Line”; Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President at Cisco; and Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications, among others. See more.

Said Scott Roeben, the deeply modest creative force behind Caesars Entertainment’s awards-laden blog, “I’m honored the Pulse of Vegas blog has been named the best blog in, essentially, the known universe, and furthermore, blah, blah, blah, did you ever notice how people don’t bother to read quotes in blogs? This blog can pretty much say anything here, nobody’s going to read it. People skim. That, dear friends, is how you win a ‘Best Blog’ award. Hope people skim a lot!”

This blog would like to congratulate all the other worthy finalists in the Best Blog category, mainly because that makes us appear more gracious, so we’re presumably free to gloat, guilt-free, from here on out.

We wish we could’ve attended the PR Daily Digital PR & Social Media Awards luncheon at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, but we were very busy doing blog research related to “slushy drinks” and “parlaying a hard six.”

This just in: Also Hawaii and Alaska. The “contiguous United States” thing just made for a catchier headline.

One of the wondrous things about the human condition is we can feel many emotions at the same time. That was this blog’s experience as we witnessed the closing of Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Casino on Feb. 4, 2013.

Look, if we get a little weepy writing this post, remember: We're a blog, not an automaton.

Two main emotions swirled around that day. One was a certain sadness, as we know how much we’ll miss Bill’s, a great, old-school hang-out with legions of rabid fans.

The other emotion was the feeling of anticipation we get when we think about Las Vegas newness, like the new incarnation of Bill’s (the new name hasn’t been announced yet) that will be a year in the making.

Eerie, much?

As Bill’s closed, right around noon on Feb. 4, we got to see some now-familiar sights. (We were at the closing of O’Sheas, as well.) The last bets at the various games. The final counting and packing up of chips at the tables.

Here’s some random video we grabbed as Bill’s closed up shop.

It’s like having an old friend who decides to leave the country to join the Peace Corps. Or something. It helps to remember the great times, and to keep in mind you’ll be seeing them again.

Time to pack up the chips.

Since this blog happens to be a Bill’s enthusiast, just like many of the players at the tables on closing day, we decided to focus on the “lasts” to tide us over until Bill’s opens again as a boutique hotel that will feature, among other things, renovated rooms and a rooftop pool deck with what will be an incredible view of The Strip.

Among the “lasts” we saw was the final spin of the roulette wheel. The number was “7,” just for the record.

The final pay-out at the last open roulette table at Bill's.

Another memorable “last” was a hot roll by a longtime craps player, Phil Thacker. Phil learned craps at Bill’s, 20 years ago, so the team at Bill’s felt it fitting that he be the last one to hold the dice. As in the case of the roulette wheel, the last roll at Bill’s was a “7.” We caught a pic just as the last roll happened.

The final roll of the dice at Bill's. Phil made sure everyone left with more than they bought in for.

Phil Thacker commented, “I’ve been coming to Las Vegas since 1992. I’m here with my two sons-in-law. We stay at different places on The Strip, but we always come back to play craps here. It’s been a good place to us, and we’ve really enjoyed it.”

Once the table games shut down, Bill’s cleared out, slowly but surely, with customers and team members snapping some photos along the way.

So many memories flood in as you see the different parts of Bill’s. For example, the Victorian Cafe (photo below), and those glorious dinner rolls and stained glass windows.

The Victorian Cafe had closed earlier in the day.

There’s also the lounge, where Pete “Big Elvis” Vallee performed an estimated 7,000 times (even back when the hotel was the Barbary Coast) before moving to Harrah’s Las Vegas.

Many a show and brew were had here.

There are bars, of course. Deep sigh.

Some photos make us weepier than others. Specifically, those of bars, for some reason.

The beer pong. The poker room and sports book.

The slushy drinks at Slush.

We. Love. Slushy. Drinks.

And Rapid Craps. Bill’s was the only place that had the game (it’s moving to The Quad now), and it was surreal seeing the game’s screens reading “No more bets.”

No more bets.

As things wound down, tables were closed, one by one. A tenacious group of guys stuck it out at the blackjack tables until the bitter end. They, too, were on a winning streak.

These guys kept asking the pit boss for "one last hand." About 12 times.

At one point, a cocktail waitresses approached the blackjack table and mentioned it would be the last tray of drinks she’d bring. This blog whispered “last call,” and it all suddenly became very real. One of the players gave her an long embrace. That’s the moment we’ll always remember from closing day at Bill’s.

We tried to preserve more Bill’s memories with our camera. Further consolation may be found in other places to do the things you’ve loved doing at Bill’s.

So, let’s raise our glasses and say “goodbye” to an old friend, Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Casino.