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Writing Samples: Best of Las Vegas, ReviewJournal.com, 2003
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The Las Vegas Review-Journal and its Web site, ReviewJournal.com, poll readers for the annual Best of Las Vegas Awards. Here is a sample of profiles I wrote for the 2003 winners in the online poll.
Best Amusement Attraction: THE FOUNTAINS OF BELLAGIO
They're beautiful, they're romantic, they're free -- and they're always over too soon. The Fountains of Bellagio are the quintessential Vegas attraction. Countless marriage proposals have taken place in the spray coming off Lake Como as the waters sway and swirl to music from Celine Dion to Gene Kelly, jetting 240 feet into the air.
Best Family Attraction: THE ADVENTUREDOME
Packed with thrills for all ages, the AdventureDome offers 5 acres of fun in climate-controlled comfort year-round. Rides and attractions include a roller coaster, a boat ride, bumper cars, an IMAX RIDEFILM cineplex, virtual-reality games, climbing wall, arcade, miniature golf and snack bars. The park's across-the-street competition, Wet 'n' Wild water park, took second-place honors.
Best Gentlemen's Club: OLYMPIC GARDEN
When you're an equal-opportunity strip club, naturally you get double the fan base. Which is why we're guessing OG remains tops among the topless even in the face of stiff competition from newer mega-clubs such as Jaguars, the runner-up in this category. Olympic Garden sets itself apart by offering a little something for the ladies -- guys in G-strings, that is -- Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Best Hotel Show: 'BLUE MAN GROUP: LIVE AT LUXOR'
The boys in blueface are back on top, besting their similarly silent, perennial rivals -- "O", the Cirque du Soleil production at Bellagio which came in second after winning last year. There's room for improvisation and surprise every time BMG hits the stage with its singular brand of performance art that's as accessible as it is innovative, and has created a repeat audience that few Vegas shows can boast.
Best Nightclub: RAIN IN THE DESERT
Rain sneaks up to reign over the usual suspects in this category just a little over a year after it opened. The hipster Palms' primary live music venue has quickly built a reputation among scenemakers and celeb-seekers, and has scored performances by groups from a reunited Doors to No Doubt. The club even earned a high-profile cameo in the Las Vegas-based CBS monster hit "CSI." But the people-watching is the real draw here.
Best Place to Go if You're Under 21: GAMEWORKS
It can't be easy being underage in adult-oriented Las Vegas, but those who want to make the most of it go for Gameworks, a mega-arcade on one of the hottest blocks of the Strip in the Showcase Mall. This is no average gameroom. It features the latest in high-tech arcade gaming as well as a climbing wall, snack bars and a full restaurant. Circus Circus' indoor theme park, the AdventureDome, came in second.
Best Thrill Ride: BIG SHOT
It's tough to compete with a thrill that starts more than a thousand feet off the ground and just gets higher from there -- and how! Hang on to your shoes -- and your lunch -- as you're rocketed skyward at 45 mph and four Gs of force. The Big Shot dominates this category year after year, but in second place the slightly less extreme Manhattan Express Roller Coaster at New York-New York also has its loyal fans.
Worst Casino Theme: CIRCUS CIRCUS
Where does a clown fit in these days with all the competition down the street from pirates, Pharoahs and Parisians? At the bottom, apparently, judging from Circus Circus' long-running domination of this category. Excalibur, the Strip's other major family-oriented hotel, held on to second-place.
Worst Customer Service: EXCALIBUR
Take care of your customers and maybe you'll get a pat on the back, but most likely you'll be pleasantly forgotten for never making an impression, good or bad. On the other hand, leave a bad taste in your customers' mouths and they'll fight to give you this award. Excalibur is the new king of bad service according to our voters, just barely topping past favorite MGM Grand and, in a new twist on the category, local phone service provider Sprint.
Worst Restaurant: DENNY'S RESTAURANT
Coffee too cold? Eggs too runny? Grand Slam too fatty? For probably as many reasons as there were votes, once again diners have no love for Denny's. Breaking with the traditional chastising of chain restaurants, voters ranked America at New York-New York their second least favorite.
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