Source: USA TODAY

Whether it’s trying to stay in a Caesars Palace suite or even asking about getting a tiger for a bachelor party, some Vegas tourists have clearly been under the influence of popular The Hangover film series.

With The Hangover III due out Memorial Day Weekend, VEGAS.com chief operating officer Bryan Allison says that every time a Hangover movie comes out, there’s a spike in interest in replicating the experiences of the bachelor-partying characters in the films.

“When I look at the activity around Caesars Palace (when the movies or DVDs were released), the numbers were definitely up,” Allison tells USA TODAY. “We also get a lot of questions from people asking, ‘How can I have the same experiences?’ ” Well, not being being stuck with a baby or being trapped in the trunk of a car, we would hope. Caesars says it has had people try to get on the roof (as the guys did in the movie to toast with the Strip skyline behind them). However, the roof is offf limits in real life.

For the record, the suite where the four bachelors stayed in the original film was created on a soundstage, but was inspired in part by the Emperors Suites in the Forum Tower at Caesars. Filming did unspool in the resort’s public spaces, including the Garden of the Gods pool complex and the lobby. And the bachelors (and a stripper played by Heather Graham) played blackjack.

Allison says The Hangover, released in summer of 2009, also shined a spotlight on boxer Mike Tyson, who now lives in Vegas. And it made the city more popular among young people who want to party from before noon at a pool party till near dawn at a club.

However, he says, the average VEGAS. com visitor is 35-54, and while he or she may not want to go wild in Caesars’ Emperors Suites ( the two-level, two-bedroom digs can be booked at rates starting about $4,000), “they want to do what they can’t do at home,” he says. “You kind of let yourself go. That’s what the city is all about.”

The Hangover II, released in 2011, had the bachelors traveling to Thailand for the actual wedding. The latest installment, according to media reports, involves a road trip by “the Wolfpack” quartet, with parts being filmed at Caesars and in Vegas.

Caesars is planning some room specials and packages in conjunction with the movie. Details weren’t firm when I called PR execs, so keep checking in with reservations.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Who serves the best hamburger in Las Vegas?

The Vegas Burger Blog (did you know there was one?) is hosting a vote, and it’s down to the finals.

The two eateries left standing are not burger joints, by the way. And they’re not on the Strip.

DW Bistro (it advertises itself as serving “Jamaican meets New Mexican” eats) and View Wine Bar & Kitchen (its website has a “click here to vote’” link on its homefront) are battling each other, and you can vote here if you have an opinion. Be quick: Voting ends at midnight PT tonight.

Patties served by the finalists must be pretty impressive. They bested the fare at popular Vegas burger palaces, including In-N-Out, Stripburger, Gordon Ramsay BurGR and Burger Bar.

The Vegas Burger Blog is the brainchild of Erik Chudy, who bills himself as “architect by day, burger connoisseur by night.”

I read about the contest on the Eater Vegas blog, which is a great source of Vegas food news.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

You probably know the feeling.

One moment, the child you’re with is by your side in a public place such as a theme park or on a beach. The next, she or he has darted off and is lost in the crowd. Usually, adult and kid are reunited quickly, but most of us have experienced that panic when a child strays from your side.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has tips for kids and parents in a theme park. The pointers include:

*Take a photo of your kids before you enter the park, so you can show it if a child goes missing.

*Never let kids become isolated with anyone, even theme-park costumed characters.

*Tell kids not to converse with anyone unless they have checked with you. And do not have kids wear clothing with their names on it.

*Teach children to go to the nearest help or information center should you become separated.

For small children, there also are harnesses and leashes, which are sold in dozens of varieties on sites such as Amazon.com and which are controversial in some circles.

A product line that landed in my e-mail in-box: SafetyTats, is an idea stemming from the time a mother wrote her number on her children’s arms at an amusement park. They are temporary tattoos that travelers can apply to kids and have won awards from parenting groups. They read: ‘If lost, please call’ and list an adult’s cellphone number.

There’s also a new stick-on version that’s easier to apply. Tat kits are under $20 and are sold at SafetyTat.com.

Readers, what are your tips for keeping children in sight? What do you think of the idea of keeping a child close on a leash or applying a temporary tattoo?

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Who says you have to wait alone in a bar or at the gate during your next airport sojourn?

You could be shopping for a mate instead.

MeetAtTheAirport.com allows solo travelers to arrange meet-ups with strangers — for coffee, drinks, or just conversation. The website has just soared to the 80,000-member mark, a press release says.

“Share a drink with an attractive stranger in the totally safe environment of a public airport,” the website’s home page urges. “Perhaps, share a brunch or romantic dinner while waiting for your flight and explore the enticing possibilities that are presented to you.

Here’s how it works:

You fill out an online questionnaire with the usual dating-site info, such as age, ethnicity, height and weight (yeah, better to pick “muscular” rather than “overweight”). One category asks you whether you drink, and offers multiple options including “heavy drinker,” “I have a drinking problem” and “I need a drink now.” That’s sure to widen the pool of possibilities!

You enter your home airport, relationship status (one option: “It’s too complicated to explain”) and check what you’re looking for (a serious or casual relationship, or just someone to pass the time with at the airport). Once registered, you can enter itineraries to find a compatible match.

A similar site, Planely.com, matches members who are taking the same flight, enabling a date or conversation to make flying more appealing. And KLM Airlines has a “Meet & Seat” option for flights to and from Amsterdam that lets participating passengers link up via social media.

What do you think, readers? Have any of you used these options? Or did you meet someone fascinating at the airport via your own devices?

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS — Vegas nightlife is getting shaken up, and stirred with two new megaclubs.

Tonight, what’s billed as the USA’s biggest restaurant/club has a star-studded preview. Hakkasan is a five-level, 80,000-square-foot complex in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and the latest in a group of jet-set favorite eateries and lounges with locations in New York, London and elsewhere.

USA TODAY got a tour during final construction, and saw that Hakkasan is poised to raise the bar by sheer size alone. A slate-walled entrance leads to a labyrinth of intimate and grand spaces containing dark wood latticework, marble bathrooms and a multi-level main nightclub with the DJ booth and dance floor surrounded by copper-colored VIP banquettes.

Hakkasan Nightclub is a partnership between the restaurant brand and Angel Management Group, a big player in Vegas nightlife. The main club is built for star DJs signed to residencies, with a “spider web” of lights overhead, giant LED screen and two balcony-like mini stages above the crowd where dancers will perform. Hakkasan resident spinners include Calvin Harris, deadmau5, Tiesto and Steve Aoki.

Other levels contain the 10,000-square-foot Ling Ling Club and the invitation-only Ling Ling Lounge, where stars can let their hair down.

The restaurant on the first two floors will serve Hakkasan’s Michelin star-winning Cantonese cuisine and is set for a May 3 opening. It’s taking reservations via hakkasan.com. Eating areas are divided by latticework for intimacy and privacy — and the restaurant has a DJ booth. Not surprising since DJs are the new royalty in Vegas and the catnip that lures crowds.

Angel Management Group CEO Neil Moffitt says the complex aims to attract young and old. “Could a 25-year-old on a date come here? Absolutely. Could a family go to the restaurant and have a good time? Absolutely.”

Also due this spring: the first nightclub using Cirque du Soleil performers to entertain and interact with club-goers in changing environments. LIGHT Nightclub at the Mandalay Bay resort is a ground-breaking collaboration between Cirque and The Light Group, another nightlife powerhouse.

“Guests will be surrounded by an experience” in the 38,000-foot-club, which might be a simulated aquarium or a “world where people are animals,” says Light Group CEO Andy Masi. “Crazy things are going on around you. It’s an immersive experience.” Environments change via what’s called “video mapping technology.” Moment Factory, which has created surreal and dramatic environments for Cirque and such major events as Madonna’s 2012 half-time Super Bowl show, is doing that magic. There will be walls behind the DJ booth which can be used for acrobatic performances.

The club opens to the public with a “sneak peek” April 24. The grand opening party with Axwell spinning is Saturday April 27.

Masi says LIGHT is targeted at all club-goers, including the bottle-service crowd that can afford to pay thousands to sit at a prime table. But “the kids need to be on the dance floor,” he says, so lower-priced admission (starting as low as $20) will be available for fans of the DJs who’ll entertain. Among them: Nicky Romero and Skrillex. Tickets are sold at thelightvegas.com.

In a city where excess is everything, LIGHT promises to go way beyond DJs, Dom Perignon and a lush environment.

Says Cirque founder Guy Laliberté: “The nightclub will serve as a laboratory … for different and new artistic possibilities.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Randy Master, wife Melanie and sons Bobby, 9, and Scotty, 6, were sitting in a Boston hotel room Friday morning, their plans on hold during the citywide lockdown.

The Fairfield County, Conn., family almost canceled the vacation after the deadly Boston Marathon explosions Monday, but “we thought it would teach (the children) a good lesson about resolve,” Randy says — not to let fear deter you from following through with plans.

The Lenox Hotel, where they were booked, was closed in the aftermath of the explosions, so they checked in Wednesday at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, with TV news crews camped out on the street in front.

“That was really strange,” says Randy, vice president of ad sales for the Tennis Channel.

But the Wednesday night Bruins hockey game, which Randy says was the first pro sporting event since the explosions, brought out Bostonians and showed their “unbelievable spirit.”

The Jumbotron flashed the “Boston Strong” slogan, and “the whole crowd sang the national anthem in unison,” Randy says. “It’s something my kids will never forget … to see how a city reacts” after such a devastating event.

Thursday, the family spent hours touring Cambridge, not knowing that’s where surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev lived. “It’s scary to think we were there all that time” with Tsarnaev and his brother on the loose, Randy says.

Today, they are watching TV at the hotel, hoping the manhunt and lockdown will end and that they can go to the Red Sox game and tour historic Fenway Park. “We’re waiting to hear” if the game is on or off, Randy says. “They will let us leave the hotel,” but the streets are eerily quiet, with the shops and businesses closed along usually busy Boylston Street.

It has been an unusual and “surreal” vacation, says Randy. The family is due to drive home tomorrow.

“We thought the worst was over and that it would be a normal trip” when we arrived, Randy says. “I really wouldn’t recommend exposing your kids to this … but my kids feel safe with us. … And it has taught my kids a lot about the reality we face in the world.

“On the one hand, I regret coming, but at the same time it’s a learning experience to see a city rally.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Ian Ziering will be putting on a bow tie and baring his chest for a stint as a Chippendales dancer in Vegas.

The Beverly Hills, 90210‘ alum will be appearing as a guest star Thursdays through Sundays from June 6 to June 30 in the show, which plays at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

Don’t expect any “Magic Mike,” down-to-the-nitty-gritty movies. Show spokeswomen say he’ll be more of a host and join in some group dances. Remember that he made the semifinals on TV’s Dancing With the Stars.

“When I got the call from Chippendales, my jaw dropped as it came on the heels of TMZ calling me fat on national TV,” Ziering says in a press release. “I am passionate about health and fitness, so I’ve kept in shape, and dancing is something I’ve always enjoyed, so I figured why not? Hey, TMZ, I’ve got two front row seats for you!” Ticket info is on the Rio site.

When Ziering asked his wife what she thought of the idea, he says she responded, “Go for it, Magic Ian!”

Past Chippendales guest stars include Jake Pavelka of The Bachelor and Ronnie Magro of Jersey Shore.

In March, Chippendales — especially popular with bachelorette partiers and women celebrating those milestone birthdays — won both Readers’ and Critics’ Choice in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s “Best of Las Vegas” awards for”Best Male Strip Show.” For info on the show, visit the Chippendales site.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.