FAN FEST TIME WITH THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

This is a 30 Plus Teams Tour after all, and the Sports Diva is making the most of it.

On the last day of February , the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team had their annual Fan Fest at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.

This year was different , though

Normally, the players meet and greet the fans.

Not this year.

Even though they never mentioned it, concerns about the Coronavirus might have had something to do with why the players didn’t interact with many of the fans , even seasons ticket holders.

However, fans did interact with the team mascot, Chance, the cheerleaders , known as the Vegas Vivas, the team play by play broadcasters and the in game entertainment people.

There were some Golden Knights players though, and while they were on stage, many of us loved the games that they played.

How well do you know your teamate, Vegas Golden Knights Family Feud, and other games were played by the players as well as a Question and answer session with the coach and new players .

Now what would a fan fest be without some swag and of course, the Sports Diva was happy .

A Team Sports Apparel Fashionista ALWAYS needs new swag.

Even though this fan fest was different, a good time in Vegas was had by all .

FAN GIRLING AT THE PLAYERS LOCKER

It’s located in Downtown Summerlin, a suburb of Las Vegas, right near the City National Arena, practice arena of the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team.

The restaurant, called The Players Locker, is owned by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck and five of his closest friends in Las Vegas named Deryk Engelland, William Karlsson, Alex Tuch, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore.

Did I mention that his five closest friends just happen to play for the Vegas Golden Knights?

When you first walk into the restaurant, which opened for business in early February, not only will you see the five jerseys of the players, but this is a sports bar after all, so expect to see a big screen tv right in the middle of the restaurant showing some kind of sporting event.

The food, which isn’t expensive at all, are foods that you would find at a sports bar, but with a twist.

Some of them are named for the players or are foods that the players enjoyed either at home in Canada, Sweden, or the United States.

However, bring your appetite with you because the portions are HUMONGUS!

I couldn’t finish my loaded Nachos.

Thank God I didn’t order them with Chicken or Steak.

Someone would have had to carry me out of the restaurant.

I went with three of my Vegas friends right after we left practice.

Imagine our reaction when one of the players came in.

Talk about the Sports Diva and her posse losing their ever loving minds.

#MajorFanGirling

All of us were fanning ourselves after we left the restaurant.

Did I mention that he was one of the owners and just happened to be the favorite player of all four of us?

#TeamAlexTuchAllDay

If you happen to be in the Summerlin area while in Las Vegas, (Red Rock area is also nearby), have lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch at The Players Locker.

Who knows, you might just see one of the owners there.

Just don’t be that Fan girl or Fan guy.

ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME FOR A WALK ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP

I usually do my 30 Plus Teams Tour of Sin City in June when the temperature is 106 degrees plus Fahrenheit.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been in town when the temperature has been ‘cold’ at 50 and 60 degrees.

I wondered if there would be anyone walking on the Las Vegas Strip when the sun was out but people were wearing hoodies, jackets, sweaters and coats.

Since I was staying at the beginning at the Las Vegas Strip at Excalibur Hotel and Casino, I decided to do number 11 on my bucket list, walking down Las Vegas Bouldevard in the Winter.

I started in the parking lot between Luxor and Excalibur and walked all the way down to The Linq Promenade, at the Linq Hotel and Casino.

I could have walked more, but if you have either been to the city or have seen Las Vegas, you know that objects and buildings aren’t as close as they seem.

I walked through Excalibur, New York, New York, Park MGM, Toshiba Plaza near TMobile Arena, ARIA, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Crystals Shopping Center among others before ending at the Linq Promenade where I had to get my Vegas fix on at In N Out Burger, home of the Double Double before walking back to Excalibur.

As it was my last day for my 30 Plus Teams Tour, I had to pack for my flight back to Newark Liberty.

Now as for the question are there as many people walking down the Las Vegas Strip in the Winter as there are in the Summer?

Oh hell yeah.

STAYING AT THE EXCALIBUR HOTEL AND CASINO IN LAS VEGAS

It’s located between the hotel that looks like a pyramid and the hotel that has the replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of it.

It’s the Excalibur Hotel and Casino and like the Luxor and New York New York , it’s located on the Las Vegas Strip .

Like most of the hotels in Las Vegas, Excakibur has a tgeme also.

Think the Middle Ages meets the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas .

It’s even shaped like a castle and in the entire hotel and in the casino, you’ll see statues of Knights, real Knights , not the hockey team.

As many times as I’ve been to Vegas , I never stayed at this hotel before.

Because I am a member of their M Life players casino card club, I was given a discount on my room for the two nights that I stayed.

Yeah, the Sports Diva plays the slots a lot, don’t judge me.

The hotel is near the airport, so since I had an early afternoon flight back to Newark Liberty , this was convenient for me,and I was able to get the room I requested .

High floor near the elevator .

I was on the 25th floor.

I was able to see the Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotels from my room.

It looked so beautiful at night.

I would stay here again if offered the great rate that I received this time.

The only thing that I really didn’t like about the hotel was that, if you needed to print out something other than your boarding pass which was free, you had to pay $7 to do so.

The Sports Diva of course, was printing out some hockey tickets for a friend who was going to the hockey game with me.

I didn’t pay it and went to the concierge across the way at New York New York, who did it for free.

(More about the hockey game in another post . )

Other than that , (and you really shouldn’t charge that Excalibur, get on your game, people) I would stay at the castle on the Las Vegas Strip again.

UPDATE ON NO COVER NIGHTCLUBS

Hi guys, it’s the Sports Diva here .

I’ve been asked by some of you who follow me as well as folks who come to Vegas , what’s the exact web address for No Cover Nightclubs .

Once again, THEY DO NOT SPONSOR ME.

I’M NOT BEING PAID TO SING THEIR PRAISES.

Nope, I’m talking about them because they are a reliable company in a city that some folks make it their business to get as much money from tourists as they can.

So here it goes.

nocovernightclubs.com

Now if you want to text them, and no scamming peeps, the phone number to reach them is 702-606-1735.

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed in the service you receive .

SINGING THE PRAISES OF NO COVER NIGHTCLUBS

Let me first of all say, it might sound like it, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

I’m not being paid to say or write nice things about this company, which is based in Las Vegas , Nevada .

Even if they did pay me, I’m still going to tell you how I feel about this company and I’m going to keep it 100 because that’s just how the Sports Diva rolls .

As some of you know or may not know , I lived in Vegas for three years from 2007-2010 and I’ve visited the city more times than I can count since then.

One thing I never did was attend a nightclub or let alone go to a pool party while in town .

I don’t do nightclubs back home in New York City .

As for dayclubs, aka pool parties, the only places where we have those is in a neighbors backyard or some relative’s backyard filled with a lot of relatives that you might not even want to see .

The pool parties in New York are usually in the months of July or August , not March through October like in Las Vegas .

In case you weren’t aware , to get into some of these clubs are pretty expensive .

Now forget all the noise you’ve heard.

ANYBODY can go to these if you’re over 21.

Party like a rockstar in Vegas , if that’s your thing .

I’m 66 years old and I know that I look foward to going to a club to dance and get my drink on.

You can get into the club via a promoter, many which might or not be the real deal .

That’s where the Sports Diva comes in to tell you about the company that has NEVER let me down when it comes to acting the fool in Vegas.

While doing some research on Las Vegas , I came across a pop up from this company called No Cover Nightclubs .

I read what they had to offer and I was like, “ok what kind of bull crap is THIS?!”

Being born and raised in New York City , it’s in the DNA , WE TRUST NO ONE .

We know a con job when we see or hear one.

This stuff that they were claiming looked to good to be true, but let me try them anyway .

All I had to do was sign up or so they said and I was in like Flynn .

I signed up and immediately received a text and an email telling me to show up by 11am at the Rehab Pool in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino , whuch unfortunately is now closed due to renovations.

WHAAAAT?!

Maybe this isn’t a scam.

That was 2018 and I’m here to say that this company is LEGIT !

I’ve told everyone that I know who either come to or live in Vegas about this company , just like I’m telling you, those who follow 30 Plus Teams 30 Plus Dreams .

If you’re looking for a club promoter in Las Vegas , go to No Cover Nightclubs .

You know what you’re going to get up front .

No BS.

If the text you receive from them tells you to be at a nightclub like Hakkassan inside the MGM Grand by 10:15pm, and what are the do’s and don’ts are to get inside , believe it .

It’s not fake, some clubs even give ladies complimentary drinks.

C’mon now, stop it.

FREE DRINKS, FAM!

You can’t show up at a dayclub like the Go Pool at the Flamingo Hotel or Encore Beach Club at the Encore Hotel and Casino wearing something that’s inappropriate even by Las Vegas standards.

If you’re on the No Cover Nightclubs guest list,you’ll KNOW what’s appropriate to wear and what you should save to wear for back home.

The email and the text that they sent you tells you everything .

The website, NoCoverNightClubs.com, even tells you the same thing as well as telling you what deejays are going to be performing and what events are going on.

(This past weekend , I was excited to see DJ Pauly D from Jersey Shore fame performing. I have yet to see two of my favorites , Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki perform,but God willing , it’s gonna happen . )

If it sounds as though I’m more than satisfied with this company , you bet your dancing shoes I am.

It’s been two years since I signed up with No Cover Nightclubs and I’m so glad that I did.

Thank you Michael Kelly and your staff at NoCoverNightClubs.com .

Youse guys rock!

GETTING EXCITED FOR A POOL PARTY

One thing, among many things, that I like to do in Vegas , is go to pool parties.

Now when the temperature goes past 100, you look for a pool.

Seeing that this is the entertainment capital of the United States , not only do you get a party when you go swimming but you’re going to get some entertainment too.

As often as I have gone to Vegas , I didn’t start going to pool parties until last year.

(How did I ever miss this???!!!)

Now I’m hooked.

If you want to go to one of these pool parties while you’re , you can get in for free if you get yourself on a guest list so that you can get in gor free .

(I use NoCoverNightClubs.com , but more about them in another post.)

The pool party that I attended was at Drais ,which is inside the Cromwell Hotel , which is on the Las Vegas Strip .

These parties always have a guest deejay playing music.

Drais was no exception the day that I was there, which was my first full day in Vegas and on a Sunday no less.

It was one of my favorite deejays, DJ Pauly D .

If his name sounds familiar to some of you, it should.

He’s THAT Pauly D from the old show Jersey Shore.

To hear that he would be spinning tunes really excited me to no end.

(Yeah the Sports Diva gets excited about something other than a sporting event . )

Forget that it was 100 plus degrees wow I was ready to get my drink and dance on.

When the other dj said , “Give it up for Deejay Pauly D!”, you might have thought one of my favorite sports teams had just won a championship or something the way I was jumping up and down and screaming my lungs out.

I wasn’t the only one yelling either .

Long live Vegas pool parties !

VISITING THE MOB MUSEUM

It’s official name is the National Museum of Crime and Law Enforcement but that takes much too long to say.

It’s better known by it’s shorter and more well known name, The Mob Museum.

It’s located in Downtown Las Vegas and visiting it was number 11 thing to do on my bucket list .

It’s open every day until about 5:30pm or so

If you’re a senior like me , admission is about $20 , if you aren’t, you pay $25.

There’s also a discount if you happen to be from Las Vegas.

This building, on Stewart Street, used to be the Las Vegas post office.

Before that , it was the building where the trials on Mob Activities in the United States took place.

You even get to visit the actual courtroom where real mobsters and their associates were grilled by United States Senators about their illegal activities .

There’s three floors in the museum , and when you pay your fee, they advise you to start on the third floor and work your way down so that you can understand just how this all began.

Guides also give you a crash course on the history of Las Vegas .

I’m sure most of you weren’t aware that the Las Vegas Strip isn’t actually in the city of Las Vegas , Nevada, but it’s located in the city of Paradise , Nevada.

Mobsters actually were interested in the Las Vegas Strip , not so much what is now Downtown Las Vegas.

One of the most popular exhibits in the museum is part of the wall from the St, Valentines Day Massacre in Chicago.

You’ll learn the events leading up to the massacre and the reason why it happened .

There are a lot of hands on exhibits, one

of which is standing in front of one of those lineup panels just like you see in all those crime shows.

People can see you, but you can’t see them.

In the basement , there’s a replica of an actual 1920’s speakeasy .

On the walls are pictures of the stars of that era like

Duke Ellington , Josephine Baker, and early actresses like Clara Bow and Anna May Wong.

There’s also an area in this speakeasy where you can taste moonshine .

(I declined doing that, so did my friend , )

All in all , I learned so many things that I didn’t know .

If you go to Las Vegas , make the Mob Museum a stop.

This also is a part of American history.

SPENDING MY LAS VEGAS NIGHTS AT THE STRATOSPHERE HOTEL

When I stay in Las Vegas, there’s my usual go to places to park my suitcase.

It’s either the Las Vegas Hostel on 13th street, The D, where I used to work when it was known as Fitzgeralds, and the Four Queens .

All of these places are located in Downtown Las Vegas .

For my trip from February 19 until the 27th, I stayed at the Las Vegas Hostel and a new hotel for me, The Stratosphere on the Las Vegas Strip .

Now if you’ve ever been to or have seen pictures of the Las Vegas , you know the Stratosphere .

It’s the hotel with the tallest tower west of the Mississippi .

The hotel rooms aren’t in that tower , but there’s a restaurant called Top of the World, a club called 107 Sky Lounge , not to mention the three thrill rides that are there.

You can bungee jump from the tower if you wanted to.

When I first checked into the hotel that calls itself , “The Strat “, I was in a standard room on the fourth floor.

The room had the biggest king sized bed and tub that I had ever seen .

It didn’t have a coffemaker or a refrigerator but it did come with a big screen tv(hey a girl needs to watch ESPN Sports Center).

My first room was on the fourth floor, but because a friend who was making her first trip to Vegas was staying with me, we changed rooms to the type of rooms known as “elite” rooms.

These rooms have just a shower,but they have a refrigerator and a coffemaker as well and they’re on higher floors.

We were on the 20th .

I got my room by going on Expedia but if you go on Stratosphere ‘s own website , you can find very inexpensive rooms.

Many people who stay in town usually don’t think of this hotel as their first choice.

They claim it’s too far away from the action of the Las Vegas Strip .

I have no idea what they’re talking about because this is Las Vegas , action is everywhere you turn.

If you want to see the light show on the Fremont Street Experience or take in the dancing waters at the Bellagio , the Deuce bus, which stops in front of the Strat , can get you there.

You can even take a picture of the Las Vegas sign.

No, not the sign at the beginning of the Strip that says ‘Welcome To Las Vegas “, that’s the more famous one.

I’m talking about the newest one that’s across the street from the Stratosphere .

It also welcomes you to Las Vegas, and it’s basically at the dividing line between the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas.

Many tourists who spend their Vegas nights choose many other hotels to stay at, but this gal is going to be spending alot more nights at the hotel near

the end of the strip at the Stratosphere .

GOOD EATING AT M AND M SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT IN LAS VEGAS

You might just miss this restaurant if you aren’t staying farther down the Las Vegas Strip .

It’s located across the street from the Stratosphere .

It always seems to be crowded and if you happen to go into the M and M Soul Food Restaurant , you’ll understand why.

As often as I go to Vegas, I had heard of this restaurant buut never visited becayse I didn’t know where it was.

I’m sorry that I missed this place .

The food that they serve here is what a lot of Southern blacks , like my parents, who moved to New York from North and South Carolina, grew up eating.

There on the menu were things that I remember my family members making, shrimp and grits, which the restaurant only makes on the weekends , smothered pork chops, fried chicken, chitterlings, short ribs, meat loaf smothered with gravy,and what I had oxtails with gravy.

The sides are also what I grew up on and still make by the way , collard greens , fried okra, mac and cheese , potato salad , rice and beans , and black eyed peas .

Just looking at the restaurant menu,which closes at 9pm every night, makes my mouth water .

I don’t know what took me so long to discover this restaurant , but I am so glad that I did .