Tips for Valentine’s Day

She will love this. This weekend is Valentine’s Day, and for you romantics looking for something special you might want to consider a one-hour cruise aboard the beautiful La Contessa, which includes complementary champagne. You board at The Village (MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas) for the 6:30 p.m. shove off, but make sure you’re there 20 minutes prior to cruise time. Cost is $30 for singles and $50 per couple. For more information or reservations, call 702-564-2865.

He will be drooling over this. Valentine’s Day can and should be romantic, but it’s always nice to add some sizzle to it and one way to do it, ladies, is dressing in a fantasy outfit for your favorite guy. The place to go is Bare Essentials Fantasy Fashions at 4029 W. Sahara Ave. Owners Rick and Eldon have a wide variety of quality outfits at reasonable prices and best of all, every item spells S-E-X-Y. The store is bright and clean so you don’t feel like your in some sleazy joint. They also carry a small line of sex toys, or should I say "marital aids" to be politically correct. Either way, you’re sure to find what you want to make this Valentine’s Day an unforgettable one for both of you.

Sad Songs Say So Much: Don’t like to start my column off on a sad note, but when I heard Elton John will be leaving Caesars Palace after his next run, it was anything but happy news. His hit show, "The Red Piano," will run April 7 -8, April 10-12, April 14-16, April 18-19, and April 21 – 22.

"The Red Piano" was originally booked for 75 shows over three years, but the response was so great, Caesars accelerated the number of shows and Elton completed the original commitment in only 18 months. The resort extended the agreement for an additional 166 shows for a final engagement total of 241. I’m told they would have gladly extended it once again, but that the entertainer didn’t want to lock himself into another extension.

If you haven’t seen his show, and even if you’re not a huge Elton fan, you don’t want to miss it. It’s a lot more than just Elton sitting and singing. Here’s a hint: It is also very sexy. Tickets aren’t cheap, ranging from $100 to $250, but for a special treat, worth every penny. You can get tickets at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-888-4ELTONJ (435-8665), or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, keyword Elton John.

A Piece of History: If you haven’t seen "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition," put it on your list. It has a new look since it moved from the Tropicana to its present home at Luxor, still bringing to life the story of the ill-fated ship through authentic artifacts, dramatic room recreations and hands-on interactive experiences. Exhibition galleries take visitors through the historical disaster in chronological order – from the construction yards and the ship’s maiden voyage to its fated sinking and modern-day recovery efforts.

Unique to this display are more than 20 never-before-seen artifacts including gaming chips, personal passenger papers and decorative sections from Titanic’s famed Grand Staircase. The dramatic exhibition also includes the largest piece of the Titanic ever recovered. Known as the Big Piece, this 15-ton section of the Titanic’s starboard hull was raised 12,500 feet from the ocean floor after an 80-year-long effort.

Talk About High Tech: Boyd Gaming, the company that owns the Coast resorts including Suncoast, Gold Coast and The Orleans, has launched B Connected Online, the personalized interface for the Company’s new nationwide customer loyalty program.

B Connected Online gives players a one-stop place to monitor special offers, point balances, and progress toward achieving higher tier levels within the program. But that’s on the start. Here are some other features that are unique in the gaming industry.

• Personalized Home Page with customized, real-time calendars that provide customer with a quick snapshot of all events, entertainment, gaming promotions and exclusive offers at any property on any selected day.

• BCO Mobile (mobile.bconnectedonline.com), a mirror site optimized for use on mobile phones.

• BCO Desktop, an application that sounds an alert on a customer’s computer whenever a new offer or promotion is sent to the customer’s account. (The application will be available for download later in the first quarter.)

• Slot Search, a navigation tool that allows customers to search through the slot selection of any Boyd Gaming casino, then provides the specific location of the game on a casino’s floor.

• Webcams will offer live video feeds from five locations in Las Vegas – Orleans Arena, the Fremont Street Experience, Mystic Falls Park at Sam’s Town Las Vegas, the Gold Coast, and the outdoor area at The Orleans. Additional webcams at Boyd Gaming properties elsewhere in the country are planned in the future.

The B Connected Online website is located at www.bconnectedonline.com. Features are active for all sites except Par-A-Dice, which is awaiting regulatory approval. A “B Connected” membership is required to access the site; membership is free and available at any Boyd Gaming property.

Who Sez We Ain’t Got Culture? The Cirque du Soleil Cultural Action Department has opened the 5th Annual Collective art exhibition at Rever Gallery at The Arts Factory at 107 E. Charleston Blvd. Over 30 pieces representing a range of art styles and created by cast, crew and staff members from Cirque du Soleil productions is on display. The Collective will be on exhibit through Feb. 27. These people create some pretty amazing stuff that I think you’ll enjoy and give you a bit of a break from the casinos.

Great Music, Great Price: Everyone is invited to enjoy the Freedom Jazz Trio concert on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center. These local jazz musicians, Julian Tanaka (clarinet), Justin Peterson (bass) and Eric Schauer (drums), offer up some great music and at a price we can all afford. Tickets for this Night Groovin’ concert are only $7 and the music will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by phone or at the Center’s box office at 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call (702) 229-6211 for tickets and information.

Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out eNeon each Thursday by subscribing (free of charge) to the Review-Journal's weekly newsletter. If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylasvegas@gmail.com. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.