Evolution of Fremont E-3

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The hum, the glow, the animated reminders of the opportunities that lie just inside.  Giant tubes of red, blue and yellow dancing for our attention.  Informing, you too can enjoy a dance with Lady Fortune, a treacherous mistress that is as dangerous as she is beautiful.  The most important thing to remember is that she belongs to no one.  Enjoy the time you get to spend with her because it will be limited before she’s off to blow on some other guys dice. 

In this installment, we conclude our Evolution of Fremont St series by discussing blocks 19, 18 and 30, better known as 4 Queens, Fremont and the D 

For more information about Fremont's evolution, check out www.over50vegas.com 

Evolution of Fremont E-2

 

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Elemental power set ablaze for our amusement.  Calling to our most primal instincts, challenging us to beat the odds, regardless of what they are.  Fremont St is one of the lucky few places that started as the epicenter of the city, then became an afterthought thanks to the strip, and finally reinvented to draw crowds back to it.  The Fremont St Experience has secured itself as a must see attraction, as popular as the Fountains of Bellagio and the Mirage volcano.

In this installment, we discuss block 14 & 15, better known as Golden Nugget and Binion's

The Frontier

 

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The Frontier is a property that, despite its multiple incarnations, has ever appealed to me.  By the time I came to the city for the first time she was already a rundown, grind joint on the strip.  But Vegas history is Vegas history.  So it was inevitable that at some point this property would capture my attention long enough to learn all I could about it.  Turns out I don’t have to love a property to find them interesting and worthy of a 360 Vintage Vegas segment.

Evolution of Fremont E-1

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Fremont St. is where it all started.  It's the birthplace of Las Vegas.  But how did it evolve into the 7 casinos we have under the Fremont St. Experience.

In this installment, we discuss Blocks 2 and 3, better known today as Golden Gate and Circa

For more information, check out over50Vegas.com

Tony Cornero and the Stardust

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While many architecture academics have criticized Las Vegas for its lack of substance, there may be no better example of this elitism than the scorn directed towards the Stardust.  For better or worse, history points to the Stardust as the defining moment when Las Vegas no longer required a jacket and tie to gain entrance to.  Instead of celebrating the brilliance in the Stardust’s minimalism, it was trashed for focusing more on the exterior signage and façade, wrapped around a building that was little more than a massive, non-descript warehouse.  Whether inadvertent or by intention, it seems each time Vegas has successfully evolved to appeal to more diverse tastes, that success is met with opposition; Slut Shaming those who dare to find things appealing like neon signage, themed resorts or anything deemed inferior to "intellectual" tastes.  But the glory that is Las Vegas is knowing that judging people for what appeals to them has never made converts, it alienates; even if supplying that demand is more financially motivated than cultural.  When the majority doesn't see things the way you'd like them to, that doesn't mean they're wrong, it means you don't get it.  The Stardust got it, in a big way. 

Battle Born Pins 

Vintage Vegas Shirts

Tropicana LV

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Tropicana is the kind of property in Vegas that everyone knows about but most don't spend much time at, which is a real shame.  Its contribution to the experiences available in the market is a unique blend of classic intimacy and affordable luxury.  Many properties in Vegas seek to transport you from everyday life to a personal version of paradise but the use of bright spaces gives it a feeling of warmth and carelessness.  Without excessive ornamentation or theming, Tropicana has succeeded in what can best be described as that happy place on a beach people can retreat to when the stressed of life reaches levels requiring such a place.   A truly transformative experience, all with the convenience of virtually any other imaginable adventure available just outside, brought to you as only the Las Vegas strip can. 

If your interested in learning more about the Tropicana, check out...

• lvstriphistory.com
• Vegas Seven - Tropicana New Era
• Vegas Seven - Tiffany of the Strip
• Vegas Seven - Stained Glass Ceiling Masterpiece
• TheMobMuseum Blog
• Battle Born Pins 
• Vintage Vegas Shirts

Jackie Gaughan & the El Cortez

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There are a collection of men who helped build the city of Las Vegas during its formative years that didn’t have colored pasts.  Their origins are not linked to organized crime and their stories aren’t the sort of things people make movies about.  However they would become the shining examples that the gaming industry could not only exist without the Mob but could continue to grow. A fact that was established in 1941 and continues to endure to this day.  The El Cortez is the city’s oldest hotel casino to continuously operate under the same name and only the 2^nd casino ever added to the nation’s historical preservation list.  It’s also the only casino on that list still open to this day.  This is the story of the people and the properties that shaped Downtown Las Vegas.

For more information, check out

Book - The Players: The Men Who Made Las Vegas