Journey through old and new Las Vegas

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Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Fri Aug 12, 2016 5:14 pm

My wife and I recently traveled to Las Vegas (it was relatively cool, 95 degrees) and explored a number of different areas. We ended up editing five videos of all the places we saw there that I want to share with you over the next several weeks.

There was definitely a contrast in the places we visited between "old" Vegas and "new" Vegas. The oldest part of Las Vegas can actually be found in Henderson, Nevada at the Clark County Museum. This is where we shot our first video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fepPGIuVtU

Let me know if there are any other "old" Vegas attractions you like visiting. Hope you enjoy watching our visit!
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 3:02 am

Image

I remember I was at the Las Vegas Hilton in the early 90s and there were all these mobsters playing craps and I was all holy shit I've gotta get a picture of this. So I got a picture and they all started yelling at me and I got chased out of there. I didn't know. I just thought it was cool. Obviously these days everybody is taking pictures with their phones so there's nothing they can do. But back then I probably looked like a young investigator. The camera was just a ghetto 110.

Image

Have you ever seen that 70s show Vega$ starring Robert Urich? I tried a few months ago to torrent it but there were no seeders. That show was great. He "lived" in some garage behind Circus Circus and there was NOTHING between Caesar's Palace and the Tropicana. In fact he could just pull up to the Tropicana with a parking spot out front. Here's the intro to the pilot.

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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 3:20 am

The Peppermill on the strip. There was one in Denver too and it was my favorite restaurant as a kid. Now I can't even find a vintage picture of it. Remember that weird gas station like basically between where the Monte Carlo and the Excalibur are? Total hella throwback. I think it's gone now. The Hacienda which was torn down and made into the Malabar. That was the END of the city back then when it was the Hacienda.

Image
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:14 pm

I love that picture of the mobsters! I can see one of them is already facially reacting like, "Hey, who's that punk taking our picture?"

I never watched Vega$ but my wife and her sister used to watch it all the time. What a phenomenal opening credit sequence!

So many great old signs from demolished casinos are at the Neon Boneyard. Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow us to film there, but we took plenty of still shots.
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:12 pm

Yeah. My reckoning is that gas/service station (very well kept) probably began biz before I-15 was built. It was the last spot to stop before you headed into the deep desert to get back to LA on the two lane road. I wrote some story about it, probably not up to par or as drugged as HST but I was amazed by it all -- the journey from Vegas to LA and all in between. But, I'll never find it.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:24 pm

Remember the "old" but new MGM Grand entrance? It's now some stately fucking lions or something.

Image

I thought it was all stupid. All I noticed was that everything there is not built to last.

There was a dude on my floor once who was running around naked at the Luxor on like the 15th floor and then jumped and died. Vegas is a weird place.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Tue Aug 16, 2016 8:18 am

Here you go Mr. Paulsen. Just happened.

Watch: Implosion of last tower of famed Vegas hotel and casino

LAS VEGAS -- The last tower of the iconic Riviera Hotel and Casino was reduced to rubble during an overnight implosion on the Las Vegas Strip.

The demolition of the Monte Carlo tower brought an end to the Strip's first high-rise and one of Vegas' most famous casinos.

A series of explosions took down the taller, 24-story Monaco tower in June, which was celebrated as an organized spectacle. That event was carried out with flair, complete with a viewing area, local dignitaries and fireworks.

This time, there was no designated viewing area.

Due to the dust, people in nearby businesses and residences were told to either leave the area or stay indoors during the implosion and for a half-hour afterwards, similar to what occurred during the implosion of the taller Monaco tower, reports CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV.

The 2,075-room property closed in May 2015 after 60 years hosting headliners from Liberace to Dean Martin on the northern end of the Strip.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/watch-implo ... -in-vegas/
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby SonicG » Thu Aug 18, 2016 6:25 am

Last time I was there I had $1.00 shrimp cocktail for lunch and a Michelin place for dinner...
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:01 pm

Oh man, that bummed me out watching the Riviera go down! I think I may have had a shrimp cocktail there myself. Hate to see all the old classics obliterated.

There are things happening in downtown that I like; where the old becomes new again. We absolutely loved the El Cortez! They've done a great job renovating it - great cocktails at Siegel's 1941 - and one of the many things I loved about our room at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas was the incredible view outside the window of the area known as Fremont Street East. There are so many incredible murals that have transformed the dilapidated downtown ruins into an amazing open-air art gallery. Hope you all enjoy this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV72AdSV21w
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sat Aug 20, 2016 7:06 am

Anyone remember Bob Stupak's Vegas World?

Image

I went there just as the Stratosphere Tower was being built, I believe on the adjacent property. Its construction stalled for a time if I remember correctly. It just stayed half built for a number of years. Then I went there once it was finished and tried to figure out a way to get to the top and the lounge was the "free" way to do so. Then the lounge waitress came over and said "stick around because Dennis Rodman is about to arrive". I got the fuck outta there because I hated Dennis Rodman. Just through basketball reasons (Denver Nuggets fan all my life) and thought him to be "evil" in some way. Maybe if this was selfie era I would have stuck around.

Who knows about Vegas though? I don't think anyone who lives there even knows.

I do know this, that way back when if you wanted to get a job as a valet you had to pay the outgoing person upwards of $20K to get their position. Innit that nuts? But true. Valets make more than doctors. I don't know if it works that way now though.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby stillrobertpaulsen » Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:34 pm

82_28, I'm not sure if that situation is the same with the valets, but I certainly wouldn't doubt it with the Strip casinos. As bad as traffic used to be, it seems like it's gotten a whole lot worse in the last five years. I try to avoid driving on the Strip as much as possible. It makes sense that valets make a killing there.

Downtown is still busy, but not as frenetic, especially during the daytime. There's a number of old downtown casinos that I wish were still around (I made my biggest gambling score at Fitzgerald's, which was replaced by the D) but one that is still great is Main Street Station. It's one of my favorites for buffet (great food, very reasonable prices) and the collection of antique statues and other old memorabilia is impressive!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxe-M5zfqQ
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:58 pm

Oh damn, Fitzgerald's is gone?
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby Nordic » Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:26 am

82_28 » Sat Aug 20, 2016 6:06 am wrote:Anyone remember Bob Stupak's Vegas World?

Image

I went there just as the Stratosphere Tower was being built, I believe on the adjacent property. Its construction stalled for a time if I remember correctly. It just stayed half built for a number of years. Then I went there once it was finished and tried to figure out a way to get to the top and the lounge was the "free" way to do so. Then the lounge waitress came over and said "stick around because Dennis Rodman is about to arrive". I got the fuck outta there because I hated Dennis Rodman. Just through basketball reasons (Denver Nuggets fan all my life) and thought him to be "evil" in some way. Maybe if this was selfie era I would have stuck around.

Who knows about Vegas though? I don't think anyone who lives there even knows.

I do know this, that way back when if you wanted to get a job as a valet you had to pay the outgoing person upwards of $20K to get their position. Innit that nuts? But true. Valets make more than doctors. I don't know if it works that way now though.



Omg I remember that place. Wasn't that a big locals hangout? The bar and casino at least?

Weird the Riv went down. The last time I was in Vegas I stayed there (as part of a film crew. We also shot in there). That new Jason Bourne movie shot there, they drove a SWAT truck and a car right through the front doors and into the Casino where we shot. Weird to see. They must have gotten a good deal, to destroy it before it was completely destroyed.

The odd thing is that we were weren't allowed to even change a light bulb without an official
Union electrician to do it. They unions there had a lot of clout. But not enough to keep the place from
being destroyed. We couldn't unscrew a lightbulb but if the entire building was going to be destroyed? No problem. Weird.

Everything about Vegas is weird. I really hate the place. I hated it when I had to spend quite a bit of time there in the early 90s for personal reasons, but the Vegas from that period seems almost charming and quaint compared to the massive crowded and corporate- style big-box store nastiness it is now.
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 28, 2016 6:24 am

Funny you bring up electricians in Vegas. One time I was playing blackjack at Binion's (don't ask -- was way way up from a $20 buy in -- I was up thousands -- yeah lost it and then some). Well, during the night I sat at that table the power goes completely out. Pitch black. All the machines off and couldn't see a thing. So the generators kicked in and the dealer was covering the rows of chips and she gets up and notices that her total stack of $100 chips went missing. Some guy to my left stole them in the darkness and disappeared. She called the pit boss over and whatnot and he scribbled something down on a clipboard.

So I asked what happened because there was the whole paramedic thing going on outside. They said that two electricians had been electrocuted to death downstairs. Yup.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Journey through old and new Las Vegas

Postby 82_28 » Sun Aug 28, 2016 6:39 am

Another time a friend and I were playing blackjack at Harrah's and Jeff Foxworthy was playing a show there. He just so happened to stroll past the table we were at and my friend said "hey, Jeff! Tell us a joke!"

His response?

Fuck you.

Yup.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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