LAS VEGAS – RAT PACK ICONS ~ QUIRKY, FUNKY, HIP, HISTORIC

 

The Peppermill (Reno, NV)

 

 

Remaining iconic time machines can be counted on one hand in Las Vegas. Vegas, even more so than Los Angeles, seems hell-bent on erasing its own history. The link below offers a wonderful historic tour of Vegas (old photos with a history of early casinos, hotels, restaurants, etc.) The names of many historic casinos remain, but they are now modern shells of what once was. There are a few exceptions.

Shown on the website link below are a few time machines – the rest are just quirky, fun or historic places. Las Vegas of course, despite the destruction of its pop history, is still a great place to visit (especially if you prefer not to lose your money to the casinos).   While here, enjoy the shows, the incredible pop architecture, the luscious food, thrilling shopping, and breathtaking nature.

 

Link below – This site includes loads of historic information and some great iconic photos

 

 

 http://www.latimemachines.com/new_page_9.htm

100 Things to do in Las Vegas

Sunset in Vegas

photo by Stacie

 

100 Things to do in Las Vegas

1. See the white tigers at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden: The Mirage
2. Visit the dolphin habitat: The Mirage
3. See flamingos and African penguins: Flamingo Hilton
4. See the brilliant collection of parrots: Tropicana
5. Take in the best show in town from the entertainer of the year: Danny Gans at The Rio
6. See the classic car collection: Imperial Palace
7. See daylight at night: downtown Las Vegas after dark, the $70 million Fremont Street Experience
8. See the world’s largest atrium: Luxor
9. Visit the glitziest museum in the world: Liberace Museum (1775 E. Tropicana)
10. Ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world: Desperado (Buffalo Bill’s, Primm, Nevada)
11. Ride the highest roller coaster 1,200 feet off the ground: on top of the Stratosphere (Las Vegas Blvd. near Sahara)
12. Ride the fastest moving straight up and down ride: Stratosphere’s Big Shot
13. View an exquisite collection of fine art: Bellagio
14. Submerge yourself in a magnificent garden of fragrance and color: Bellagio
15. Ride an indoor roller coaster at amusement park Grand Slam Canyon: Circus Circus
16. Visit Madame Toseau’s wax museum: Venetian
17. Love hamburgers and Harley’s?: Harley-Davidson Cafe
18. Go face to face with sharks: Shark Reef (Mandalay Bay)
19. Cant get enough neon: Neon Museum (look for the giant neon horseman at Fremont Street Experience)
20. Watch the dragon battle against the magician: Excalibur’s moat
21. Visit the Guinness Book of World Records Museum (2780 Las Vegas Blvd. S.)
22. See the New York City skyline: New York-New York Hotel/Casino (the Strip at Tropicana)
23. Watch the dancing fountains: Bellagio Hotel/Casino (the Strip at Flamingo)
24. See outdoor lifelike sculptures in Green Valley: (starting on Sunset Rd. at Green Valley Pkwy.)
25. Take a paddlewheel cruise on Lake Mead: Desert Princess (293-6180)
26. Play high-tech video game battles at Virtual World: In Gold Key shops on the Strip at Convention Center Drive
27. See one of world’s largest gold nuggets: Golden Nugget Casino
28. Ride the roller coaster: New York-New York
29. See the world’s largest collection of gambling books: Gambler’s Book Club (630 E. 11th off Charleston)
30. Stroll under a changing simulated sky: Forum Shops at Caesars
31. Only pyramid-shaped hotel in world: Luxor
32. Swim-up to your blackjack table: Tropicana
33. Admire the imported marble swimming pools: Caesars Palace
34. Watch free circus entertainment: Circus Circus Casino
35. See the largest resort hotel in world: 5,005-room MGM Grand
36. Witness a volcano eruption: The Mirage
37. Watch fountain sculptures come to life: Forum Shops at Caesars
38. See and hear animated birds and animals: Sam’s Town atrium
39. Be a spectator at a jousting event renaissance dinner show : Excalibur
40. See the largest Coke Bottle: Showcase Mall: (in front of The MGM Grand)
41. Most unusual sensations: Riding on a runaway train (Excalibur’s Magic Motion Machines), flying through space (Luxor’s Motion Machines)
42. See midnight idol Wayne Newton’s multi-million dollar mansion on Pecos at Sunset
43. Get married: any of the 24-hour chapels along Las Vegas Blvd. south from the Strip to downtown
44. Get your picture taken with one million dollars: Binion’s Horseshoe (displayed in a glass case)
45. Visit the Eiffel Tower: Paris Hotel & Casino
46. Best place to see one million dollars change hands: Caesars baccarat tables
47. Best place to see the origin of a light beam that is visible for 250 miles: Luxor
48. Best place to see female bartenders: Coyote Ugly nightclub (inside New York New York Casino)
49. Take the complimentary monorail between MGM Grand and Bally’s
50. Switch to sneakers (largest athletic shoe store, Just For Feet in Caesars Forum Shops)
51. Best place to put your valuables: hotel’s safe deposit box
52. Best way to put a whammy on your competitor: The Psychic Eye occult bookstore (953 E. Sahara Ave.)
53. Cheapest way to get to around: Shuttle bus
54. Fastest way to get to around: Taxi
55. Coolest way to get to around: Limousine
56. Best place to buy or repair a watch, bracelet or any jewelry: The Jewelers (several locations)
57. Listen to some tunes: KOMP 92.3 FM (rock), KLUC 98.5 FM (Top 40), Big Band KORK 920 AM (easy listening), KJUL 104.3. FM, KNRP 89.5 FM (classical), and KMXB 94.1 FM (80’s to present hits).
58. Best place to visit small town America: Boulder City, where gaming is still illegal
59. Watch the surf at the wave pool: Mandalay Bay
60. See bartenders juggle flaming drinks: VooDoo Lounge on top of the Rio Hotel
61. Catch up on the news: Channel 8 (CBS affiliate), Channel 3 (NBC affiliate), Channel 13 (ABC affiliate), Channel 22 (CNN Headline News), Channel 20 (CNN)
62. Buy reading material for plane trip home: Bookstar (3910 S. Maryland Pkwy. near Flamingo), Waldenbooks (Fashion Show Mall on the Strip)
63. Best odds at tables: Binion’s Horseshoe
64. Best casino for covering large bets: Binion’s Horseshoe
65. Biggest poker room on the Strip: The Mirage
66. Biggest poker room downtown: Binion’s Horseshoe
67. Best sports books for style: Las Vegas Hilton, Fiesta
68. Place a drive-thru bet on your favorite sporting event: Fiesta
69. Best sports book for action: Stardust
70. Worst gambling bets: Keno and coin push machines
71. Best places to bet the horses: Stardust and Las Vegas Hilton
72. Best get-a-away from the STRIP: Red Rock Canyon
73. Best historical tour: Hoover Dam
74. Best place to watch boxing: Caesars Palace
75. Best place for coffee: Starbucks (several locations)
76. Best place for people watching: Fashion Show Mall (on the Strip) and Caesars Forum Shops
77. Best bet: The Detroit Lions will not be in first place by December
78. Best places to meet new friends: Hard Rock Hotel
79. Best late-night dancing: The Rain (inside the Palms Casino)
80. Best hotel for western dancing: Sam’s Town
81. Best place for dancing on the Strip: Caesars’ Cleopatra’s Barge (except Monday)
82. Best place for jazz on the Strip: Drai’s at the Barbary Coast (Flamingo and the Strip)
83. Best place for jazz downtown: Monday night at the Four Queens
84. Best place for upscale shopping: Forum Shops (Caesars), Fashion Show Mall (on the Strip), and Bellagio.
85. Ride in a gondola: Venetian
86. Eat the famous 99 cent foot long hot dog: Slots-O-Fun (on the Strip between Spring Mountain and Sahara)
87. Shop for antiques: Antique Row (Charleston Blvd. at Eastern Ave.)
88. Largest selection of western boots: Sam’s Town
89. Shop for Western apparel: Adams Western Store (1415 Western Ave.)
90. Buy your own slot machine: Ancient Slots (3127 Industrial Rd.)
91. Best bowling: Cosmic Bowling at the Suncoast
92. Best place to get Romulan ale: Quark’s Bar, Hilton Hotel
93. Best ice rink: Santa Fe Hotel/Casino (northwest Las Vegas, off of the Strip)
94. Indoor tennis courts: Green Valley Athletic Club
95. Best reason #1 to rise early: to see the sunrise over the desert
96. Best reason #2: For an early jog (great track at Las Vegas Hilton)
97. Best reason #3: To beat the breakfast crowd
98. Tour the cactus garden and sample chocolates: Ethel M Chocolates (2 Cactus Garden Dr., Green Valley 458-8864)
99. Tour the Ocean Spray Cranberry World West (1301 American-Pac)
100. Gamble.

 

What’s that falling from the sky???

Finally, it looks like it’s going to rain this morning.  Rain here in the Las Vegas Valley is a rare occurence – I love it!  I’m hittin’ the couch with Kinky’s new book….”What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed-up World”.  And what a fantastic book it is; I’m about half way through it so far.  Thanks Kinky, for a great read on a rainy Sunday!

Working at the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino ~ Historic Building Est. 1906

 

 

I worked in the Cashier Cage at the Golden Gate for a few years.  If you visit downtown Las Vegas, be sure to stop in.  They truly have the best shrimp cocktails ever.  There’s a piano bar and chances of actually winning while gambling are much better here than out on the Las Vegas strip.  The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, located at #1 Fremont Street, was established in 1906.

When I worked there, the employees always dressed up for Halloween – that’s me in the photo all decked out in my Harley Mamma get-up.  Of course that was a few years ago…..and I’d have to dress as a Harley Grand-mamma now! (When you click on the photo for a closer view, you’ll see that I went all out and even added a biker tattoo!)

 

Link to the Golden Gate with photos, reservations, entertainment, etc.  – http://www.goldengatecasino.com/

 

Why am I here, and how did I get here? Vegas, Baby…

 

 My first job in Las Vegas in the 70’s.  At work at the Lady Luck.    

 

 

 

Even after many years, I sometimes still have a difficult time believing I actually live here.  When I first moved to Las Vegas with my two year old daughter in the seventies, it was a dream place to live.  Nothing at all like what it has become today.  In my opinion, the unrestrained growth has pretty much completely destroyed this desert oasis. It doesn’t even remotely resemble the place where I landed almost thirty years ago.  Those in charge obviously haven’t heard of the ‘controlled growth’ concept which would have better served the community as a whole.

I have lived in different areas of the city of Las Vegas, but I’ve finally found the best spot of all in Henderson, Nevada which is just outside of Las Vegas.  I would highly recommend this Green Valley community to anyone who is planning to move here.  Places I’ve worked over the years – Clark County Personnel Department, Southwest Gas Corporation, State of Nevada, Southern Nevada College, Lady Luck Casino, Golden Gate Casino, Antech Diagnostics, Centerfold Casino…

I’ve taken a few breaks from Vegas and lived in Thousand Oaks, California where I worked for GTE and even went back to my hometown in Texas for a few years.   But here I am again (4 yrs), probably to stay.  I’ve always heard that after you have lived here, you’ll always come back eventually. 

Not to say that Las Vegas doesn’t still have some good things to offer.  It you stay on the outskirts of the major tourism areas, there are some good things to do and see here.  Guess I just miss the old days when you could drive anywhere or completely across the valley with ease.  Although I was born and raised in a small Texas town, I’ve gotten used to the big city bustle.  But I still am totally drawn to a more rural setting with lots of greenery, trees and just more serenity in general.  A cabin in the mountains sure sounds nice…with a cool breeze, deer roaming around, a fireplace, a garden, etc….. dream on.

Here are a couple of LAS VEGAS links. The second one shows a current real time weather map.

Links:  http://wikitravel.org/en/Las_Vegas

Current Weather/Extended Forecast - http://www.neondesertweather.com/

 http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USNV0049_f.html

Las Vegas is sometimes referred to as Hawaii’s Ninth Island. The city is home to the first ABC Stores branch outside of the state of Hawaii.

 

 

In December 2007, Clark County officially declared the population now exceeds 2 million residents. Current estimates place growth at 3 million people by 2019, and 4 million people by 2025.