We’re still months away from the moment of decision, but Las Vegas has improbably emerged as a frontrunner for the 2016 Republican Party convention, that quadrennial ritual in which Sheldon Adelson tries to purchase the next president of these United States. There’s plenty here to offend the party’s 
theocratic wing but casino gambling has become so ubiquitous nationally that it shouldn’t be a factor. Even some of the reddest of red states have it. Three Vegas sites have been mulled, including MGM Resorts International‘s yet-to-be-built AEG arena and UNLV‘s Thomas & Mack Center. The former would be a nightmare for the casino corridor, thanks to the security perimeter that will have to be thrown up around the site. The latter would be a nightmare for me because I live roughly a block from the Thomas & Mack and don’t want the Secret Service encamped in my front yard.
Fortunately, boosters are leaning toward the Las Vegas Convention Center. To make it viable, as much as $75 million in upgrades and retrofits will be needed. Fine, you say, Sheldon can pay for that out of his pocket change. But Adelson, no matter how Republican he is, has been a mortal enemy to the convention center, which competes with his own Sands Expo Center. How likely is it that he’s going to help fund his archrival, no matter how congenial the cause?
I got a look at Linq last night, at least a portion of it. It’s still very much a work in progress but it certainly makes a pleasant change once you’ve exited the ultra-scummy Imperial Palace parking garage. (They can call it The Quad but, out back, it’s still the same old, stinky Imperial Palace.) Although Linq was fairly devoid of pedestrians and you can’t walk the whole thing, it has a gentrified, low-intensity affect that evokes San Diego or off-Strip Town Square more than anything else on the Strip. The purpose of our visit was to check out Yard House. In addition to having 180-plus beers it’s just plain ginormous. It may not have the scenery of its branch at Red Rock Resort but it’s got convenience and capacity. The food samples came in such manic profusion that I hesitate to say anything about them other than that the chef loves his spices. The bartender mixed a good dirty martini, though. And can’t they do something about the deafening “house” music that deters any conversation short of a shouting match?
If initial impressions are any guide, the Linq will be a positive diversion — in both senses — from the Strip. It may not be a destination unto itself, as Caesars Entertainment has predicted, but it will give people another reason to visit and that should be good enough.
Congratulations to Caesars on winning a Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management-Goal Achievement from the Environmental Protection Agency. Caesars reduced its greenhouse-gas emissions over 11% — during a period of substantial property expansion.
