I'm working on a travel piece on animal attractions in Vegas and so I had to go to the
Golden Nugget to try out The Tank, the $35 million pool with a 200,000-gallon shark-filled saltwater aquarium plopped in the middle of it (see the tube above Jamie's head to the right). This being Vegas, there's also a slide that hurtles you through the center of the aquarium. As usual, I dragged along Jamie, my almost-17-year-old Little Brother. (That's him above to the left. I'm the one to the right looking momentarily a lot younger than my almost-35 years.)
The slide is terrific, although the lines are probably quite long on the weekends, and the scenery is certainly a huge step up from the old Golden Nugget pool area that was actually shuttered for part of the year and turned into a makeshift poker room.
Good news is that, while the pool is intended for hotel guests, by law they must admit you if you say you're going to gamble at one of the three poolside tables. Don't know if that means you can bring along your kids, though. Also, local Nevadans are permitted in for free with a Nevada ID after 6 pm.
I'm working on a travel piece on animal attractions in Vegas and so I had to go to the Golden Nugget to try out The Tank, the $35 million pool with a 200,000-gallon shark-filled saltwater aquarium plopped in the middle of it (see the tube above Jamie's head to the right). This being Vegas, there's also a slide that hurtles you through the center of the aquarium. As usual, I dragged along Jamie, my almost-17-year-old Little Brother. (That's him above to the left. I'm the one to the right looking momentarily a lot younger than my almost-35 years.)
The slide is terrific, although the lines are probably quite long on the weekends, and the scenery is certainly a huge step up from the old Golden Nugget pool area that was actually shuttered for part of the year and turned into a makeshift poker room.
Good news is that, while the pool is intended for hotel guests, by law they must admit you if you say you're going to gamble at one of the three poolside tables. Don't know if that means you can bring along your kids, though. Also, local Nevadans are permitted in for free with a Nevada ID after 6 pm.
5 comments:
is the water warm?
Here's a NYT survey of extreme-upscale pools on The Strip. I thought you had a lock on these. Who is this guy, Michael Kaplan, and what's he doing on your turf?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/fashion/26pools.html?ref=fashion
By they have to let you in? How does that work for swim up blackjack like at the Hard Rock? Do have to let you but can charge you? Thanks!
They may be allowed to charge, but they must by Nevada law provide a means to let you in. Since gaming is privileged, it must happen in places where anyone can come -- if they are of age. In the case of the Playboy Club or a pool, they can charge a cover. But if they simply reject you flat and don't give you even a means of entry, they're in violation of Nevada gaming statutes.
And the water was actually a little chilly, which was nice for a 100+ day.
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