On my most resent trip to Vegas I was sort of stuck by the changes this place has gone through and the changes that are planned for this great city.
Lets start with Vacation Village. It's the next big sad tired hotel casino that needs removal. Only it's not even tall enough to implode. Maybe a huge bon fire on the 4th of July?
Just taking a drive down the strip it's hard to imagine the old Hacienda, the Dunes, the old Aladdin, The open spaces between those hotels have long since filled up too.

That Marina, now part of the MGM or the sign proclaiming the Excaliber will be open soon. Or how about the old corny boardwalk, which has been remodled into the new corny boardwalk. Somethings change and somethings stay the same i guess....

The Flamingo seems to never stop changing. The latest is going to be the opening of Margaritaville. I still remember the motor inn type rooms in the back. Harrahs, now there is a place that has had it's share of changes....anyone remember the old paddlewheel front? Or maybe the fake front of a paddlewheeler that was in a tile lined pool of 6 inches of water to look like it was docked?
I remember the mirage just strating to go up, and all the expectations of what was to come for Las vegas. Caesars Palace, with all it's add-ons, heck now the mall is all the way out to the street. Never thought Caesars would build to the street...did you?
The old Nob Hill....now Casino Royale, hey, where did the Sands go...I guess off with the wind, like the sands of time. Treasure Island just turned 10, and they talk about her like she's an old maid sometimes. Dressing up a new pirate battle with sexy women. BTW, I hate the new sign. How about the Castaways or the Silver slipper? Gone...all gone.
Even the Fashion Show mall got into the act and did a make over this summer. It looks...er....differnt. Ah, the old DI, what fond memories. But it hold promiss of a beautiful future with Wynn atthe helm of the new project on that soil.
The rest have stayed pretty much the came, a paint job here, no more striking workers, most of the big changes happend south of here.

Veges seems to get younger all the time, while I watch the changes roll by.

I remember my first trip, when I was a nickel player. Caesars had only one bank of nickels and half were out of order rather then fill or fix them they'd put out of order signs on them. DI only had one bank of nickels, by the side door out of the main casino. The Tropicana only had one bank of nickels, in the basement. Most casinos would get mad when you wasted their time cashing in nickels. I remember winning enough with those lousy nickels to pay for that trip and the next. Hmmmm maybe I should go back to nickels.
I remember playing at the Dunes the last day it was open. I loved the Sands, gone. I liked playing at Silevr city, gone. I remember Free room's every year at the Stardust motel rooms, rooms gone. I miss the old Vegas, but that won't stop me I'll be back again & again.

Larry,

Fred had some nice wins on nickel vp this trip. He just recently said he should consider playing nickels and give up all others.

Beth

Larry,
I had a room at the Stardust this trip and a few of those low rise motel rooms are still there. Don't know if they are in use or not, but from our window we could look down and see them.

Lee,

The old corny Boardwalk was the place we stayed on our first trip many a moon ago. It sure was crummy. Wasn't it a Holiday Inn? The hotel part?

Bob

Bob,
It became a Holiday Inn about the time the Monte Carlo was built. Before that it was a nice little local place with 49 cent breakfast on paper plates.

Larry,

I'm sorry I missed the 49 cent breakfast. Ahhh the good old days. Ahhh paper plates. :rolleyes:

Bob

Lee, are you getting older????

The irony is that our generation has fond memories of what vegas used to be and we were there to see the changes (as mentioned)take place.
The younger crowd has no idea of what vegas used to be like. Pictures alone don't begin to tell the story.

I had my fist cheap 4.95 prime rib dinner at the Dunes. The Flamingo was our hotel and the pool area was fabulous back in the 70's. They gave food away back then.

I distincly remember telling my wife that I thought Steve Winn was crazy building the Mirage and owning two casinos. Why would anyone want to compete against themselves.

Not evertyhing that Winn and others did was right on. The family theme experiment failed miersably. If it wasn't for all out losses, the casinos would have went broke. They've learned their lesson and understand that vegas is adult and adults have the money.

Sometime back on one of these boards that I read or post on there was a topic "What will Las Vegas be like twenty years from now?"..Pretty interesting answers!!
I started going to "Reno" in 1954 and eventually went to "Las Vegas" many years later. I/we all have some great memories of how things used to be? The young members will someday look back and say the same things we are now saying!
Just look at how much has changed in the past few years? It won't be long before coins are gone..the $4.95 dinner specials will be forgotten, Wayne Newton and Seigfreid and Roy will just be talked of! There will be several new Casino/Hotels, There may even be low limit Blackjack tables where the minumn bet is $25 bucks and people will que up to get a seat?
There may well be total nudity at the main big name casino shows, and not even frowned upon?
....I kinda wish that I would be around to see it!

I also hate the new TI sign. It looks really generic. I didn't realize how much I really liked the Skull & Crossbones!

Mike, I can't say I liked the skull and crossbones, but I reallyhate the TI thing...so what if the T & I change colors....It's a boring sign and pretty much symbolizes corprate america, make it bland and don't offend anyone.

Ok,
I wasn't going to post on this since my first trip was 17 years ago for 3 days and my next trip was only 8 years ago...but, when I went the first time we had a "great" deal at the Vegas World Casino owned by Bob Stupak (I do believe it is now the Stratosphere) before they had completed the tower.

I have to admit, I had a good time (although me and a buddy lost all of our money the first night on a craps table that he swore he knew how to play... ) but I do enjoy the "new" Vegas. When you travel to other places you just don't seem to get that "hey, welcome to our town, how can we make it enjoyable for you" attitude.

And I have never had a bad time at our favorite destination...including the now infamous "$600" lighter that I "bought" while on that first trip

Tim

Something that amazed me on my first trip and many years afterwards were the drink glasses. There were only two kinds. The single and double. You could walk out of one casino with a drink, leave it at the next casino and nobody noticed. The glasses have gotten a little bigger, and many casinos seem to use same brand, but years ago, it was 100% universal.

JMT,
Good point...I didn't realize the glass situation on my first trip (by the way, my wife has corrected my math, it was only 13 years ago for my first trip).

I do enjoy the fact that the hotels all seem to cater to the customer in using the same types of glasses so that you can take them from one place to another...the only one I noticed that doesn't is the Bellagio...which does have the best glasses and drinks on the strip for free IMHO

Tim & Karen.....I just hope you never have to buy a Bel drink.....the tarrif is steep!

buy...a drink...in Vegas...nope, never heard of it...you got me stumped on that one, can you hum a few bars?

Another thing I meant to put on trip report along with the random thoughts.

Not that long ago, you could sit down at bar lay out a $10 bill and order a beer and a roll of quarters. Hand feeding the quarters into the full pay machine and playing "could" last much longer than the beer. Yes I know how to guzzle a beer. The point is breaking the roll and playing the game took time. Nowadays, you can walk up to a bar, put a $20 into a gimmick game and play the whole thing before the bartender brings you your drink.

At the Sahara, I saw an older gentleman walk up to the bar and ask to buy a roll of quarters. I didn't know the bartenders still sold coins.

JMT,
Most of the bartenders sell quarters. Those bill accepters break from time to time, and the casino doesn't want to loose one seat of potential play at the bar! LOL