Shootout in Las Vegas, Brought Back Memories of ‘Mandalay Bay’ Resort!
Shootout in Las Vegas, Brought Back Memories of ‘Mandalay Bay’ Resort! April 17, 2004 and December 6, 2005 – on these two days I had stayed at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino- Las Vegas, to attend two events- Kid Rock -American Singer and Rapper, along with Twisted Brown Trucker in concert on 17 April 2004 at the Mandalay Bay Amphitheatre; and on 6 December 2005 attended the 2005 Billboard Music Awards Live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Apart from these two events, I had also attended four other concerts namely Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, Guns-n-Roses, and AC/DC- all at different open/indoor venues in Las Vegas. But what happened at the Country Music Concert where a sniper killed 59 concert goers and injured over 500 is something terrible and sad. Thank God no such incident took place during all the ten concerts, me and my friends attended years back. To all those who perished in this tragic sniper attack, May their soul Rest In Peace!
Mangaluru: Viva ‘Las Vegas’ – the Sin City That Never Sleeps! What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas-that’s right. ” What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” – what actually it means is that, you did some bad activity and that you would not want to talk about when you went back to your home town. The saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in vegas’ was invented by the locals to let visitors have maximum fun without feeling guilty. Las Vegas’ “What Happens Here, Stays Here” slogan is one of the more famous tag lines in modern tourism marketing and one of the most quoted, talked about, and recognized ad campaigns in any industry. But there’s just something about Las Vegas that had drew me in like a moth to a flame. She’s a temptress, and I fell into her glitter-covered arms every chance I got. I miss Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!
On Monday, 1 October morning watching the news on CNN I was shocked to see that a 64-year-old American Senior citizen had opened fire on a 22,000 crowd of music lovers attending the Country Music Festival at Mandalay Bay Resort open air. This lone gunman unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of bullets from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay hotel late Sunday, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 500 others. I guess it was the worst mass shooting in modern American history, and the sniper-Stephen Craig Paddock was “solely responsible for this heinous act,” Is this how he celebrated “International World Elders’ Day” being a Senior Citizen himself, killing innocent lives. At this moment I remembered those two days, in April 2004 and December 2005, that I had stayed at the same hotel, where this gunman also stayed.
As far as I remember, the first time I had the room on the 28th floor and the second time on the 37th floor of the Mandalay Bay- and while this sniper had his room on the 32nd floor, from where he broke open the window and showered bullets on the concert crowd. What a cowardly act that a 64-year-old man can think of? Presently we are living in a world full of fear-on one side we are haunted by terrorists, and on the other we are haunted by psychos/mentally-retarded people like Stephen. How could a senior do such a terrible act lonely is what surprises every one. He had over 40 guns when police searched his house. How did he get all these weapons? Is he associated with ISIS?-all these questions and much more are being investigated by FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
About Mandalay Bay-it is a 43-story luxury resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. One of the property’s towers operates as the Delano; the Four Seasons Hotel is independently operated within the Mandalay Bay tower, occupying 5 floors (35–39). Mandalay Bay has 3,309 hotel rooms, 24 elevators and a casino of 135,000 square feet (12,500 m2). Adjacent to the hotel are the 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) Mandalay Bay Convention Center and the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center. Mandalay Beach is an 11 acres (4.5 ha) pool area with three heated pools, a wave pool with connecting pool for small children, and a lazy river that features a small waterfall. The wave pool features 1.6 million gallons of water and waves in 90-second intervals with heights ranging anywhere from two to four feet. During my few days stay at this hotel twice, I have probably explored that Mandalay bay has to offer.
The emotional bond between Las Vegas and its customers was freedom. Freedom on two levels. Freedom to do things, see things, eat things, wear things, feel things. In short, the freedom to be someone we couldn’t be at home. And freedom from whatever we wanted to leave behind in our daily lives. Just thinking about Vegas made the bad stuff go away. At that point the strategy became clear. Speak to that need. Make an indelible connection between Las Vegas and the freedom we all crave. I always felt great to be back in Las Vegas….and I have been there six times.
The city’s appeals are obvious, and the vast majority of visitors come for the gambling, world class dining, entertainment, and frenetic 24/7 action that outpaces every other U.S. city in terms of raw energy. Virtually every visitor to Las Vegas will stroll The Strip, catching the dancing fountain show at Bellagio, the erupting volcano at the Mirage, or the animated statues at Caesars Palace. Many will crane their necks to look up at the city’s own “Eiffel Tower,” and most will make it to recently revived Downtown Las Vegas and its Fremont Street Experience. But almost all will miss a slate of very interesting and unique lesser known options, well worth seeking out and many of them available no place else. For instance, while Las Vegas is well known for its poker sharks, very few visitors know that Mandalay Bay’s aquarium, Shark Reef, is on of the few in the world that allows SCUBA certified guests to get in the tank and swim with actual sharks, such as the fierce Sand Tiger. After all, Las Vegas- a Sin City that Never Sleeps-open 24X7, 365 days!
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http://old.mangalorean.com/browsearticles.php?arttype=Feature&articleid=2214 (Viva ‘Las Vegas’ – the Sin City That Never Sleeps! What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas)