NWA and Vanilla Ice will be at ROK Vegas on Labor day weekend.

Prive’ …a Las Vegas Pheonix? After the removal of Key management employees Greg Jarmolowich and Frank Tucker, by department of business license director Jacqueline Holloway and managing partner Justin Levine stepped down and transferred his assets to Opium Group honcho Roman Jones Prive’ Nightclub may just be making a comeback. The venue has been renamed Privé Vegas Investors, LLC. Levine and Jarmolowich have since been spotted together in Miami, possibly working on a new project, the purchase and revamping of Cameo nightclub; a reps says “Opium Group has not confirmed purchase of Cameo.” Greg Jarmolowich was the primary whistle blower in the Pure Nightclub IRS scandal a few years ago sending  sealed letter out to the IRS after a heated disagreement with one of the owners. This latest development in Prive’ Nightclubs short history takes them back to the beginning and allows them the opportunity to start over fresh. With a current temporary liquor license the lights could be back on at Privé in a matter of weeks.

The Gaming Nazis are at it again dropping heavy fines on the Sapphire Pool venue.

They have also denied Prive’ Nightclub its appeal.

With all the fear going on Caesars Palace has decided not to renew Poetry Nightclub’s lease.

I think this is all just the beginning of a whole lot of can’t do’s in Las Vegas. You can’t get a lap dance in a nightclub even if it is your own wife. All drug issues are a code blue in the clubs and “suspects” are turned over to Metro. Code reds are any form of prostitution related solicitation and are turned over to Metro. There are a group of covert agents called SCAM who assess the clubs undercover.

Security hosts can no longer tell clients at a table that they will ask a group of hot girls over to the table for them because it borders on solicitation. Patrons can no longer unbutton their shirts and girls can’t expose themselves in anyway. And worst of all…all the clubs are worried that the gaming “boggieman” is going to get them so they are all acting out in too many ways to describe in a local news piece.  But fear does terrible things to the industry and I’m afraid we’re all going to pay the price.

Hopefully this will all just go away, but the word on the street is that it may just be the start of a whole lot of regulations handed down from both the Feds and State.

Happy Partying,

Sir Heath

Now, I’m going to start with a bold statement and then explain myself. “Guns do NOT kill people, people kill people.” I remember my early high school years studying Industrial Arts and Auto Shop. We were so excited to “get to work.” Our instructors knew the dangers associated with tools, especially power tools, and took us through the process of “de-mystifying” them and teaching us the safety rules.

Firearms are only tools. Each caliber, gauge or style has a specific purpose that it was made for—people, bigger isn’t always better. If you use the right tool for the right job you will never go wrong!

The problems we read about so often occur when kids make statements like, “My dad has a real cool gun…wanna see it?” When this happens the weapon looses its function as a tool and becomes a mystical, magical item to show off with to earn status among peers. The two primary reasons people get hurt with firearms outside of criminal activity is lack of safety and stupidity. When someone doesn’t have the right training or misuses ANY tool, people often get hurt. Don’t hide your weapons from your children. Don’t make it a secret. “De-mystify” it and teach them safe and correct practices. Be the parent! Follow local firearm laws and use your tools appropriately.

This brings me to my next point, a little piece I call “Criminal Mindset vs. Lawful Mindset.” A person who obeys the law looks at a fence or padlock and says, “That’s somewhere I should stay out of.” A criminal looks at the same area and says, “There must be something worth stealing in there….I wonder how difficult it would be to get in?” Put very simply, “rules” and “laws” don’t apply to criminals because they make a life out of breaking and getting around them. Regardless of how many weapons laws and restrictions are made, criminals will ALWAYS find a way to make, steal, or acquire a weapon. Fences and locks can act as a deterrent to crime because they make “the pickings” more difficult. But well-informed citizens who obey the law and are armed are the most difficult targets—criminals will almost always move on to easier prey.

The unfortunate reality is that we really have no ability, currently, to defend what is rightfully ours. We only have the ability to defend our lives or the life of another.

Regardless of where you stand on gun control laws and regulations, there is one universal truth: action or the lack of action always has a consequence. It is not my place to tell you how to live your life and what to believe in, but I urge you to do what’s right by your children and teach them how to use the things around them properly. Teach them to live as a part of the world and not in fear of it. Empower them with a sense of stewardship and responsibility—ESPECIALLY IF YOU OWN A FIREARM!!!

I just don’t believe we should allow our city to be turned into something other than what it was meant to be—a playground for adults!

We all know about Las Vegas’ most popular attractions: the fountains of the Balagio, Caesars Palace, The Gondolas at the Venetian, but what I am looking for is a real experience. Places nobody really knows about, but are too good to pass up. Like Indiana Jones, I venture forth trusting in my instincts and local guides to find those unique treasure spots the make for lasting memories.

First and foremost, I am a big man. I enjoy a good meal and I can think of no better place to start than the Steak-out at 4800 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV. Quite possibly the best Philly Cheese Steak sandwich inVegas with a side of breaded mushrooms or their babyback ribs that melt right off the bone. This little pub offers a great atmosphere, to die for food, and an upstairs pool hall with a couple of tables.

What’s a great meal without a great smoke…and for this there is only ONE place! Don Vicente’s Cigar Shop located at 624 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV. It just doesn’t get any better folks. Real hand rolled cigars, occasionally traditional Cuban musicians, real Cuban coffee and a whole lot of attitude and atmosphere without breaking the bank. This is truly my second home and secret getaway. You really never know who you will bump in to, from Bestselling Author Stan Lerner to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to the average Joe. They are all at Don Vicente’s.

 I really do enjoy fine works of art. I have always enjoyed and worn traditional Native American jewelry. After all it is part of my heritage. Native American Jewelry is a part of the Las Vegas experience. I often see tourists frequenting the little souvenir shops spread along the Las Vegas Strip. There is one place though that you just must not miss and that is the Turquoise Chief located at 1616 Las Vegas Blvd Suite 140, Las Vegas NV. Rob, a long time friend, is the owner and operator. A master silversmith and trader, Rob makes you think you are back in the olden trader shops of the pioneer days from the time you walk in. Slow of speech with enough character for ten men, Rob and his store are an experience you just can’t pass up. Best of all is his professional motto, “If you can dream it then I’ll build it for you,” and he can!

On to a little evening meal and it’s UK night. The Crown and Anchor located at 1350 E. Tropicana Ave. Las Vegas NV serves up all your traditional UK favorites. Listed as one of the top ten restaurants in Vegas it is a little piece of home if you’re from the UK.  Regular UK sporting events abound such as football (soccer) and rugby, it is one of the few places in town where you can watch a game, drink imported drinks from the UK and have a traditional meal.

I hope I have wetted your appetite to get out there and explore your own little neighborhood for those unique little treasures that make for lifelong experiences. I will be bringing you more form off the beaten path in Las Vegas in future blogs.

Goodnight and good living!

Apparently if a security host or busser says to a guest “let me find some hot girls in the crowd and bring them over to your table” it will be considered solicitation and the club can be fined. Lap dancing, even if it’s your wife, also considered lewd public behavior and the club can be fined. If you even look a little drunk and the club serves you a drink it can be fined. This is really walking a tightrope, as “a little drunk” is not definitively defined.

Apparently the nightclub’s staff is now the police, because if anyone asks for anything illicit or happens to be a working girl it is the nightclub’s security staff that is responsible for throwing them right out of the venue. Even smaller venues, like ROK Vegas, have taken steps like banning smoking cigars in the club as of last night. I mean really people, is Las Vegas a place based on adult related venues or is it Disney Land? Gaming should do what it was designed for and just stick to gaming. Nightclubs have their own way of doing things and to place hundreds of regulations on them will soon be the death of several of the city’s most popular clubs.

Conversationally, Prive’ is probably headed out the door. There is talk already that their lease may not be renewed and that they may lose their liquor license. It all boils down to a group of guys coming to Vegas for a long weekend of anything goes fun, only to find the Party Pooper Police standing at the door shaking their fingers and saying, “no you can’t.”

In other news, Young MC appeared at ROK Vegas last night. He performed about 5 numbers and the crowd really enjoyed him. I have to say that most celeb performers really are a pain, but Young MC was pretty reserved choosing to just enjoy the venue and take everything in. A real classy kind of guy.

Nightclub and night venues inside casinos are joint ventures. In this joint venture both are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of guests. Tao Nightclub for example: employs Medic West to see any nightclub client that may have had too much to drink. All nightclubs require their staff to have alcohol awareness cards and Pure Nightclub takes this precaution a step further with regular alcohol seminars for its staff. As a Nightclub Security Host, I know the importance of not just dumping off clients into the casino. At New York New York we work closely with hotel security staff and onsite Las Vegas Metro Officers.

As far as sexual assault…well there is just no excuse for this in any type of venue whatsoever. ROK Vegas, Pure, Tao and several other venues employ both male and female security staff to deal with such issues.

As for employing people with criminal records…this is nobody’s business, but the owner of the nightclub. Security is not law enforcement. We do not work with children and in some cases, Clark County and Nevada regulatory organizations just need to mind their own business and stop trying to get a “piece of the pie.”

As far as assault, there is a right way and a wrong way to extract “problem” patrons from a venue. The trouble is, every patron that creates a ruckus and gets ejected thinks they were assaulted. Several weeks ago we had to restrain a violent patron and escort him from the venue where I work. He was released to Las Vegas Metro and immediately exclaimed that I had hurt his shoulder with the restraint I had put on him. When he showed the officer which shoulder, it wasn’t even the shoulder I had a hold on, and the officer just shook his head and took the patron away.

As to the charges of underage patrons in a venue, that is purely the responsibility of the venue itself and the venue should pay all fees and fines associated with such violations. Casinos are not responsible for all that goes on inside the venues. Casinos do have responsibilities to patrons once they have been escorted from a venue back to the casino. And sometimes nightclub staff does make mistakes. Overall, I know that the majority of patrons coming to nightclubs enjoy a safe and pleasant experience here in Las Vegas and that there will always be a few who will try and mess things up for everyone else.

I wish Prive’ well. It is a wonderful nightclub with some truly great staff. I hope that whatever its current shortfalls, it is able to make changes and comeback to provide the quality and customer service that its clients are looking for. And the rest of us have come to expect from a top tier venue.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find joy in travel these days. My wife recently went on a trip for two weeks from the Las Vegas Airport to Boise, Idaho. We bought the tickets online about a month in advance. She had decided to take our youngest with her, our fourth grader. All together they had one check-in and two carry-on bags. When we got to the airport we were surprised to see that you weren’t allowed to see a customer service agent, but were instead ushered to a large Disney Land line and dealt with a machine, which issued tickets. All check-in bags were $20.00 each—another pleasant surprise. Their check in…a brand new military heavy-gauge canvas bag made it safe and sound, but was ripped to pieces on the return flight home—a $50.00 loss. Another friend traveling home to Germany from Las Vegas bought a comfort class ticket at nearly double the regular price, but was still not allowed to bring his extra baggage and had to leave many personal items behind. Honestly, people don’t want a lot of things. Simple respect and honesty go a long way in business. Treating people as just another number and lying to them about what they are paying for is just settling for the fast money and will always come back to haunt you.