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I read good reviews of Shades of Sinatra, but I worried that the location was a bit dicey. I’ve long wanted to see the Clarion because they do have some good rates.
Clarion Hotel and Casino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wild Bill wanted to go as well this time and I thought that two of us walking that stretch of road would give me peace of mind.
As it turned out, the Clarion seemed closer to the strip than I had thought and the walk did not seem particularly threatening. I took a look at the rooms and they seem adequate but nothing special and not as nice as those I get at the D or certainly not as nice as the Gold Coast or the Orleans.
On the positive side they had refrigerators and the nicest coffee makers I have seen with unlimited coffee (just ask at the front desk) Free wifi would be a benefit also.
However, the pool was very dirty with papers and leaves floating in it. I could see the security guard who gave me the tour was a bit embarrassed by that. It was a deal breaker for me as a heated pool is part of what attracted me to the place. I may have encountered it on a bad day.
All the staff seemed very friendly and easy going. The bartender was very friendly. I used my American Casino Guide coupon for two free drinks at the bar. I had a couple red wines which were a bit below par. I probably should have picked another drink. Beer on tap included the Shock Top. The locals visiting at the bar were very friendly and nice and they tried to be helpful on telling me how the buses served the place. I could see myself sitting at the bar and visiting with other patrons.
The main security guard, Herb Bausenwein, who worked in tiny casino was on a supper break and eating at the bar. He was very helpful evaluating the place, but of course he would be totally positive. However, his viewpoint was helpful. I told him I would not like to do his job and he said that being a security guard there was easy because it was always so quiet and the rowdy left it alone. If rowdy young folks did come it, his presence of uniform and gun seemed to make them act, “more like adults” and calm down. Generally, they served as overflow for people attending Conventions.
I trusted this fellow’s advice because it turned out that his family lived just a few blocks from where I was raised on the East Side of Buffalo and his older brothers had gone to my Number 9 grammar school and high school. He had gone to kindergarten at Number 9. It was quite a coincidence. The neighborhood changed radically becoming a haven for drug dealers and many of the houses have burnt down in the last couple decades, including the house where I was lived from birth through my first college degree. It was a sad neighborhood change really. The house had been my grandfather’s since the early 1900’s, my father and mother lived there until Dad died in 1966 and my Mom sold out in the 70’s. It had been an old German neighborhood in my father’s time and a Polish neighborhood in my childhood. It did not integrate easily. White flight depressed property values and gradually, the inner city moved out to engulf it in all the troubles of poverty and *****. Buffalo, like many Northern cities suffered when steel mills and car plants and most manufacturing went away, leaving a depressed and deserted area. Herb’s family stayed on longer than most proud of his family’s place in that neighborhood. He lived on Zenner and I have many friends and school mates who lived there also.
A couple who live in a small country village near Birmingham, England stopped for a drink before the show and we talked a good long while about all sorts of things.
They were just delightful. He loved Sinatra music and similar sorts of sounds like Burt Bacharach And Tony Bennett. He could not seem to embrace even the old jazz I love. He thought it odd that he was put off by it. We talked a bit about British Sit Coms. They were not great fans of “As Time Goes By” which is a favorite of my wife and I, but they raved about one I have never seen called : "Only Fools and Horses.”
Only Fools and Horses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We talked a bit about English expressions when he used the phrase, “at the end of the day.” I was surprised that it was common in England too. He thought it was fairly modern there as it is in the States. I find the term an annoyingly cliché.
He taught me two expressions from his area of Britain, both equivalent to “friend” or the Australian use of “mate.”
“Me duck” was one and “muka” another. It would be common to say, “Would you like to have a drink “me duck.” Perhaps I’ll start using it.
What is the origin of the English phrase "Ey up me duck"? - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers
Between the Clarion and the strip is the Convention Center and the SDX stops right in front of that. It would be the way to be delivered to the area. But after 12:30AM that service would stop, so we would have to walk to the strip. I was very comfortable doing that on the way to the show and afterwards, but I don’t think I would be totally happy with it when alone at 2 AM. Probably nothing much happens there, as one security guard suggested. He had walked it often in civilian clothes and thought it was safe. Were I to stay at the Clarion, I would probably want to take the last SDX home from the poker rooms. That might be fine.
Convention Drive runs East of the strip just South of the Peppermill. It is an easy walk from the Riviera and I made that walk after winning $20 on a roulette matchplay bet at Riviera. So a meal could be had at the Peppermill or there is an interesting little Ethiopean Restaurant in the shopping mall right there on Convention Drive.
VP pay tables in the little bar area of the Clarion were the worst that I have seen in Vegas. There was nothing I would play, even for $20. This always seems an indication to me that slots are tight as well.
If I had a mixed impression of the hotel itself, I have no reservations recommending Shades of Sinatra. It was underattended and seemed to me a hidden Vegas gem. These singers made it clear that they were not trying to impersonate Sinatra, but their entire delivery of the songs, their intonation, everything was so close to Sinatra that we could close our eyes and it would seem he was singing. Lisa Smith Sings with the three men: Carmine Mandia, Larry Liso, Ryan Baker and what a voice she has. It is worth the trip to hear her and the way she styled the songs, bringing in bits that reminded me of Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald along with vocal. Her voice was clear and powerful and did bits with the songs that took my breath away. The four of them did some light comedic stage antics with the music and this too seemed so much like the stuff the Rat Pack did on stage and in nightclubs of the time.
I liked this show much better than any Rat Pack show I have seen; perhaps it comes off more authentic when no one is trying to pretend to be a particular star but just singing the music with in the manner it was sung with the body language Sinatra used.
Carmine did stage bits around drinking alcohol that reminded me of the sort of antics Dean Martin did, but his voice was all Sinatra.
I loved every bit of it and I’ll be back to see it again. Wild Bill seemed to like it too.
It was hugely under attended. Of course, that gave us front row seats. I bought the tickets for $9.50 from Goldstar. They were listed as free and the money was a service charge. What a shame to see so many empty seats! However, this meant that each woman in the audience was given personal attention by Carmine, who pretended to be a womanizer with Lisa Smith jealous.
The venue itself was an antique. In a time when every bit of Vegas is destroyed here is a fine, old looking theater that Debbie Reynolds built to play in. It made the entire experience like going back into time.
I usually find some small criticism or think one performer weak in some manner. I can say nothing bad about this show. Take the time to see it.
Clarion Hotel and Casino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wild Bill wanted to go as well this time and I thought that two of us walking that stretch of road would give me peace of mind.
As it turned out, the Clarion seemed closer to the strip than I had thought and the walk did not seem particularly threatening. I took a look at the rooms and they seem adequate but nothing special and not as nice as those I get at the D or certainly not as nice as the Gold Coast or the Orleans.
On the positive side they had refrigerators and the nicest coffee makers I have seen with unlimited coffee (just ask at the front desk) Free wifi would be a benefit also.
However, the pool was very dirty with papers and leaves floating in it. I could see the security guard who gave me the tour was a bit embarrassed by that. It was a deal breaker for me as a heated pool is part of what attracted me to the place. I may have encountered it on a bad day.
All the staff seemed very friendly and easy going. The bartender was very friendly. I used my American Casino Guide coupon for two free drinks at the bar. I had a couple red wines which were a bit below par. I probably should have picked another drink. Beer on tap included the Shock Top. The locals visiting at the bar were very friendly and nice and they tried to be helpful on telling me how the buses served the place. I could see myself sitting at the bar and visiting with other patrons.
The main security guard, Herb Bausenwein, who worked in tiny casino was on a supper break and eating at the bar. He was very helpful evaluating the place, but of course he would be totally positive. However, his viewpoint was helpful. I told him I would not like to do his job and he said that being a security guard there was easy because it was always so quiet and the rowdy left it alone. If rowdy young folks did come it, his presence of uniform and gun seemed to make them act, “more like adults” and calm down. Generally, they served as overflow for people attending Conventions.
I trusted this fellow’s advice because it turned out that his family lived just a few blocks from where I was raised on the East Side of Buffalo and his older brothers had gone to my Number 9 grammar school and high school. He had gone to kindergarten at Number 9. It was quite a coincidence. The neighborhood changed radically becoming a haven for drug dealers and many of the houses have burnt down in the last couple decades, including the house where I was lived from birth through my first college degree. It was a sad neighborhood change really. The house had been my grandfather’s since the early 1900’s, my father and mother lived there until Dad died in 1966 and my Mom sold out in the 70’s. It had been an old German neighborhood in my father’s time and a Polish neighborhood in my childhood. It did not integrate easily. White flight depressed property values and gradually, the inner city moved out to engulf it in all the troubles of poverty and *****. Buffalo, like many Northern cities suffered when steel mills and car plants and most manufacturing went away, leaving a depressed and deserted area. Herb’s family stayed on longer than most proud of his family’s place in that neighborhood. He lived on Zenner and I have many friends and school mates who lived there also.
A couple who live in a small country village near Birmingham, England stopped for a drink before the show and we talked a good long while about all sorts of things.
They were just delightful. He loved Sinatra music and similar sorts of sounds like Burt Bacharach And Tony Bennett. He could not seem to embrace even the old jazz I love. He thought it odd that he was put off by it. We talked a bit about British Sit Coms. They were not great fans of “As Time Goes By” which is a favorite of my wife and I, but they raved about one I have never seen called : "Only Fools and Horses.”
Only Fools and Horses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We talked a bit about English expressions when he used the phrase, “at the end of the day.” I was surprised that it was common in England too. He thought it was fairly modern there as it is in the States. I find the term an annoyingly cliché.
He taught me two expressions from his area of Britain, both equivalent to “friend” or the Australian use of “mate.”
“Me duck” was one and “muka” another. It would be common to say, “Would you like to have a drink “me duck.” Perhaps I’ll start using it.
What is the origin of the English phrase "Ey up me duck"? - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers
Between the Clarion and the strip is the Convention Center and the SDX stops right in front of that. It would be the way to be delivered to the area. But after 12:30AM that service would stop, so we would have to walk to the strip. I was very comfortable doing that on the way to the show and afterwards, but I don’t think I would be totally happy with it when alone at 2 AM. Probably nothing much happens there, as one security guard suggested. He had walked it often in civilian clothes and thought it was safe. Were I to stay at the Clarion, I would probably want to take the last SDX home from the poker rooms. That might be fine.
Convention Drive runs East of the strip just South of the Peppermill. It is an easy walk from the Riviera and I made that walk after winning $20 on a roulette matchplay bet at Riviera. So a meal could be had at the Peppermill or there is an interesting little Ethiopean Restaurant in the shopping mall right there on Convention Drive.
VP pay tables in the little bar area of the Clarion were the worst that I have seen in Vegas. There was nothing I would play, even for $20. This always seems an indication to me that slots are tight as well.
If I had a mixed impression of the hotel itself, I have no reservations recommending Shades of Sinatra. It was underattended and seemed to me a hidden Vegas gem. These singers made it clear that they were not trying to impersonate Sinatra, but their entire delivery of the songs, their intonation, everything was so close to Sinatra that we could close our eyes and it would seem he was singing. Lisa Smith Sings with the three men: Carmine Mandia, Larry Liso, Ryan Baker and what a voice she has. It is worth the trip to hear her and the way she styled the songs, bringing in bits that reminded me of Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald along with vocal. Her voice was clear and powerful and did bits with the songs that took my breath away. The four of them did some light comedic stage antics with the music and this too seemed so much like the stuff the Rat Pack did on stage and in nightclubs of the time.
I liked this show much better than any Rat Pack show I have seen; perhaps it comes off more authentic when no one is trying to pretend to be a particular star but just singing the music with in the manner it was sung with the body language Sinatra used.
Carmine did stage bits around drinking alcohol that reminded me of the sort of antics Dean Martin did, but his voice was all Sinatra.
I loved every bit of it and I’ll be back to see it again. Wild Bill seemed to like it too.
It was hugely under attended. Of course, that gave us front row seats. I bought the tickets for $9.50 from Goldstar. They were listed as free and the money was a service charge. What a shame to see so many empty seats! However, this meant that each woman in the audience was given personal attention by Carmine, who pretended to be a womanizer with Lisa Smith jealous.
The venue itself was an antique. In a time when every bit of Vegas is destroyed here is a fine, old looking theater that Debbie Reynolds built to play in. It made the entire experience like going back into time.
I usually find some small criticism or think one performer weak in some manner. I can say nothing bad about this show. Take the time to see it.