Random Vegas

The last scheduled train to Las Vegas was May 12th, 1997 (Vegas_Visual)

TwitPic of the week

Whoever took this picture, shared by @historyNevada knew exactly what they were doing. A photograph of the iconic Sands tower under construction with the Sands marquee captured in the foreground. The two icons side by side, the only thing better would have been if it was in color. Black and white normally makes everything look very classic but with Vegas and all that neon, color photos are the only real way to experience the destination.

News

• 360 Vegas Vacation 15

• Fremont Street Concert Series Additions

• Ebike ban on the strip

• Taxi Revolution

What constitutes a Vegas resort? We have to go to the original, universally agreed to be the first resort on the strip, the El Rancho. Small casinos, nightclubs and motels existed on highway 91 before the El Rancho opened, but it was the combination of a hotel/motel and a casino on property that made it a Vegas resort. It’s with this template that we have created the definitive order for Las Vegas resorts and their evolution on the strip.

Random Vegas

In 1985, Wet n’ Wild opened a 27 acre water park on the strip just south of Sahara. It closed in 2004

TwitPic of the week

It’s the same sign that won last week with just a different perspective, shared by@Summacorp. The infamous Stardust marquee in all her glory, 188 feet tall, the tallest in the world for a time. It somehow sums up Vegas with the image. The only sign more recognizable to Vegas is the Welcome sign

News

• Caesars Renovations

• Circa 2

• MGM Developments

Random Vegas

The MGM Grand was built in 1993 on top of the existing 714 room Marina hotel which was built in 1975 (@vegas_only)

TwitPic of the week

It’s a tattoo worthy sign of Las Vegas’ past up close and interrupting your line of site. @summacorp shared The Stardust shower of stars marquee, up close. Only in Vegas did Texaco photo bomb this guy. But still, that sign with her Electra Jag font. I’m not sure what is more magical, seeing the sign up close or from far away. Either way this looker is definitely on the list of tattoos I’m considering having.

News

• Elaine Wynn Passes

Patreon Exclusive Content

It’s a Vegas icon, even to this day. The Sands presided over the golden age of Las Vegas, both in entertainment and in the zeitgeist. When you think of cool you think of the Rat Pack at the Sands. It’s a Vegas legend that actually only lasted a month but the legend lived on far beyond the run of shows. And yet with all her history she wasn’t able to keep up with the competition and had to be imploded to make way for the future. But no matter how successful her new incarnation is she will never equal the mythic status achieved by the Sands.

If your interested in learning more about the Sands, check out the book At The Sands

Random Vegas

People in India believe if you don’t place a wager during the Diwali Holiday, you will be reincarnated as a Donkey.

TwitPic of the week

Unique views is always the way to our hearts when it comes to Twitpic of the Week. This time its apparently how Vegas shuts down roads for events like New Years and the Rock and Roll Marathon. But more than that, we get the magic of reflection. Since this photo was taken at night from the overpass crossing Flamingo Rd, we catch a glimpse of the properties lit up behind the photographer. Specifically we see the reflections of Caesars Palace and Bellagio. It makes it look like, if you were looking east of the strip at Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo, Caesars Palace is behind Cromwell and Bellagio is next door to Horseshoe. Unintended consequences once again makes art. We celebrate that with this selection, shared by @LasVegasLocally

News

• Wynn 20th Anniversary

Random Vegas

The official temperatures in Vegas on Wednesday, March 26th was 90 degrees. It’s the 5th earliest 90-degree day in recorded history. (LasVegasLocally)

TwitPic of the week

@Summacorp shared a different strip for a different time in this week’s winner. North strip, today a collection of condos and properties too far removed from the rest of the strip was once densely populated. Properties like the Frontier, Stardust, Silver City, Riviera, Silverbird and Sahara all called it home. Today, the only thing missing is Riviera and Frontier. The rest have been replaced. Stardust is now Resorts World, the Silverbird is now Fontainebleau and without Wet and Wild water park you realize, Sahara has always lived on an island. For those of you that don’t know, we don’t typically report on anything coming out of Sahara because they once sued Vital Vegas for reporting a rumor that the propety was for sale. Vital Vegas won the suit but the whole thing turned us off of doing anything related to Sahara which is disappointing considering her history as a property.

News

• Grand Prix Plaza Delay

• Fertitta resigning

Random Vegas

In a deck of playing cards, the King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache (VitalVegas)

TwitPic of the week

This was a winner the moment I saw it, shared by @_GrandPaD. The installation of the Stardust’s super pylon, the shower of stars marquee standing a world record breaking 188 feet tall. An icon on the Vegas strip. Sadly and yet hopefully, her remains lay at the Neon Museum. While it is unlike that they will ever reassemble it one can dream that one day she will sparkle again.

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• 2024 Visitors Profile Study

• Nickel and Dimed Vegas