Now THAT is how you do an awkward white-guy high-five. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)

Choke on it, down economy, Q4 2009 is here to blast your unemployment numbers and consumer confident away with a fresh dose of new hotels — and CityCenter ain’t the only game in town.

The Golden Nugget held the grand opening of Rush Tower last night (as in gold rush — nothing to do with Canadian power trios, unfortunately), its brand-new boutique addendum to the venerable downtown institution.

The new spot is dominated by Chart House when you come in, which is a really nice oval aquarium that you have to fight through a restaurant to get to. There are a few tables off to the right — of the pleasure pit variety — a handful of slots, a ballroom and Red Sushi.

Upstairs, the rooms are spacious and contemporary, but most important: cheap. You can stay mid-week in the tower for $69 in a room that will hold up against several other Strip spots.

Turning out for the ribbon cutting was Mayor Oscar Goodman, plus Miss Nevada 2010 Julianna Erdesz, Miss Nevada 2009 Georgina Vaughn, Gary Reese, Tony Tarantino, Gordie Brown, Fantasy’s Angelica Bridges plus the rest of the girls, Tillman Fertitta, the guys from Thunder from Down Under, Palms owner George Maloof and Playmate Laura Croft.

The rooms and the lobby straight off the tower’s own porte-cochere are really the focus here, with the actual gaming space a fraction of what’s available on the rest of the Nugget floor, but it more than makes up for it in what the rest of the casino offers in terms of tropical-fish-per-square-inch.

By Jason Scavone

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