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Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 7:36:00 AM

Zap

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Las Vegas has changed over the years. Old Casinos torn down new ones built.

This is a thread to talk about the city I love.

May 2 - MayWeather / Pacquiao fight no seats available. ringside seats went for $75,000.

May - The Riviera Casino Hotel will close Built in 1955. (Purchased for 240 million by the Convention Center only to be torn down.) The Convention Center will then spend 340 million to create more convention space and an outlet to the strip.

May 5- Sees the construction of an Asian themed Casino. After all is done estimated to cost close to 1 billion dollars.

Sometime this summer (presently being constructed) a 23,000 seat arena will be completed Next to the New York New York Casino. The calendar is filling fast to use it.

A Billionaire is courting the National Hockey League to get an expansion team to Las Vegas.

< Message edited by Zap -- 4/21/2015 6:40:59 PM >

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 9:16:26 AM

warspite1

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Okay Zap, perhaps you can answer me this. There was a Trivial Pursuit question from which I learned that Las Vegas means "The Meadows".

Well a typical English meadow conjures up the image below. I do not think of this when I think of Las Vegas

So, question is. why in the name of Bonaparte's balls is Las Vegas call Las Vegas?

Attachment (1)

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 12:58:46 PM

Jim D Burns

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Got its name in 1829 by a Mexican explorer due to an extensive underground aquifer that fed an oasis in the desert.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Las_Vegas

Jim

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 5:02:42 PM

Zap

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Las Vegas, California, Arizona, are suffering an extended drought. Las Vegas has funded a billion dollar project(my tax dollars helping to fund) to install a pump deeper into Lake Mead. It will insure that Las Vegas keeps receiving water when Arizona and California pumps stop working.
Supposedly, Las Vegas area suffered a 60 year drought back in the 12th century. Back then the Colorado River did not have to supply millions of people.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 5:36:14 PM

Zap

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2009 saw the economy suffer. In 2010 I was able to purchase my home at a greatly reduced price.

By 2013 the economy has improved. 2014 saw the purchase of Casinos by other Companies. Which were in turn refurbished and modernized.

2014
The Imperial Palace is now The LINQ

Barnaby Coast is now The Cromwell.

The Sahara is now SLS (interesting, the closed Casino was purchased for 350 million and Modernized for 415 million.)

These have been done to attract younger people and higher income earners.

< Message edited by Zap -- 4/21/2015 6:39:23 PM >

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 6:30:47 PM

Curtis Lemay

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I just got back from there last night. I hadn't been since the late 1990's. Only about half of the strip was even recognizable.

The first time I went there was in 1968 with my parents. I was 15-16. We walked into one of the casinos and there were strippers dancing on the bars. That was a first for me (of course my mother shoo'ed us out of there in a hurry). The cocktail waitresses were dressed and looked like showgirls.

Next time I went was 1978. No strippers on the bars now, but it was still very much sin city. Joey Heatherton was performing with Flip Wilson. The cocktail waitresses still looked like showgirls. They had old-style burlesque stripper joints as well, with headliner performers. I've never been into gambling and I just didn't get the people sitting at those slot machines mindlessly pulling the handle. They didn't even react win or lose - they just kept plugging away. The casinos even advertised the odds of the machines - even the best were less than 1:1. That means you lose over the long haul, people.

I'm sure I went in the 1980's as well, but I don't remember anything specific about it other than Balley's Jubilee. The burlesque joints were being replaced by modern strip clubs.

In the late 1990's theme-park casinos were starting to take over. With the exception of Rio, most of the cocktail waitresses were starting to look like they should work at Denny's. But there was this fairly new show called "Crazy Girls" that was sort of a knock-off of the Crazy Horse in Paris - sort of a replacement for the burlesque joints.

Now, it's almost all theme-park casinos. With a few rare exceptions the cocktail waitresses look like rest home patrons. There's a flood of "street performers" and other such hustlers everywhere you go. "Crazy Girls" may well end with the closing of the Riviera at the end of the month. Still, there were some good shows. Balley's Jubilee is still going. Planet Hollywood has Go-Go dancers around the Blackjack tables. But I miss "sin city". It seems to get tamer each time I go.

The other thing that bugs me about all these theme-park casinos is why can't they have at least one honest one: A Mafia-themed casino! They could call it "The Godfather's" or "Goodfellows" or such.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 8:44:34 PM

Rosseau

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First place I every stayed in was the Riveria in the mid-1980s. They liked to use the color red a lot in their decor. Also, remember smoking on the plane on the way over there. I guess I outlasted the Riveria, anyway.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 10:00:55 PM

Zap

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

I just got back from there last night. I hadn't been since the late 1990's. Only about half of the strip was even recognizable.

The first time I went there was in 1968 with my parents. I was 15-16. We walked into one of the casinos and there were strippers dancing on the bars. That was a first for me (of course my mother shoo'ed us out of there in a hurry). The cocktail waitresses were dressed and looked like showgirls.

Next time I went was 1978. No strippers on the bars now, but it was still very much sin city. Joey Heatherton was performing with Flip Wilson. The cocktail waitresses still looked like showgirls. They had old-style burlesque stripper joints as well, with headliner performers. I've never been into gambling and I just didn't get the people sitting at those slot machines mindlessly pulling the handle. They didn't even react win or lose - they just kept plugging away. The casinos even advertised the odds of the machines - even the best were less than 1:1. That means you lose over the long haul, people.

I'm sure I went in the 1980's as well, but I don't remember anything specific about it other than Balley's Jubilee. The burlesque joints were being replaced by modern strip clubs.

In the late 1990's theme-park casinos were starting to take over. With the exception of Rio, most of the cocktail waitresses were starting to look like they should work at Denny's. But there was this fairly new show called "Crazy Girls" that was sort of a knock-off of the Crazy Horse in Paris - sort of a replacement for the burlesque joints.

Now, it's almost all theme-park casinos. With a few rare exceptions the cocktail waitresses look like rest home patrons. There's a flood of "street performers" and other such hustlers everywhere you go. "Crazy Girls" may well end with the closing of the Riviera at the end of the month. Still, there were some good shows. Balley's Jubilee is still going. Planet Hollywood has Go-Go dancers around the Blackjack tables. But I miss "sin city". It seems to get tamer each time I go.

The other thing that bugs me about all these theme-park casinos is why can't they have at least one honest one: A Mafia-themed casino! They could call it "The Godfather's" or "Goodfellows" or such.

No doubt there is a move to more family type casinos. But their are really high class casinos. Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, MGM really. I think they found the majority of visitors don't want to see strippers on game table tops. Vegas goes where the money is. Less people come to gamble as in the past, more come to see the shows and now the trend is night clubs. All the major Casinos have nightclubs (High End) a lot of young people coming. big money in night Clubs.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 10:18:02 PM

Zap

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Visitors to Las Vegas

2009 - 36,350,000

2010 - 36,351,469

2011 - 38,900,000

2012 - 39,700,000

2013 - 39,7000,000

2014 - 41,100,000

2015 - the tourism board is shooting for 42,000,000

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 10:53:09 PM

Gilmer

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How's Moe Green doing? Still having trouble with his EYE?

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 11:43:04 PM

Zap

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GodFather, Moe Greene was a character who depicts the ,all to real Moe Dalitz, Who also built the Convention Center. He died in 1983. No shot through the eye as the movie depicts but of natural causes. a little Hollywood exaggeration.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/21/2015 11:48:24 PM

Zap

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@ Curtis Lemay

There are a ton of strip clubs just off the Strip. Also if you wanted to see scantily clad ladies. The Downtown Casino the "D" has girls in bikini's dealing cards. The Rio has girls get up and dance while your playing cards. Sin City! its just not done so publicly. The other day I was gambling on a machine in one of the high class casino's. A beautiful black women (well formed) passed by me and let me know she was in business, by rubbing her back-end up against me. Playing Black Jack at another Casino a young lady saw my stack of black chips. Trying to be discreet, she asked me if I needed companionship. Sin City!

< Message edited by Zap -- 4/22/2015 1:11:09 AM >

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 2:04:56 AM

Curtis Lemay

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zap

GodFather, Moe Greene was a character who depicts the ,all to real Moe Dalitz, Who also built the Convention Center. He died in 1983. No shot through the eye as the movie depicts but of natural causes. a little Hollywood exaggeration.

The Moe Greene character in The Godfather was based on "Bugsy" Siegel (original owner of the Flamingo). Shot several times in the head (and elsewhere), one of which blew his eye out of its socket.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 2:14:57 AM

Curtis Lemay

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zap

@ Curtis Lemay

There are a ton of strip clubs just off the Strip. Also if you wanted to see scantily clad ladies.

About every city in America has that. Houston and Dallas may even do it as well or better than Vegas. But for professionally trained showgirls you gotta go to Vegas. I saw Fantasy at the Luxor, X Burlesque at the Flamingo, and Jubilee at Balley's. But there were racier shows in years past.

quote:

The Downtown Casino the "D" has girls in bikini's dealing cards. The Rio has girls get up and dance while your playing cards. Sin City! its just not done so publicly.

I didn't see that at Rio, and I didn't go downtown, but I mentioned that Planet Hollywood has Go Go dancers on the weekend. I definitely approved.

quote:

The other day I was gambling on a machine in one of the high class casino's. A beautiful black women (well formed) passed by me and let me know she was in business, by rubbing her back-end up against me. Playing Black Jack at another Casino a young lady saw my stack of black chips. Trying to be discreet, she asked me if I needed companionship. Sin City!

I was approached a few times by street walkers. I'll pass on that.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 3:29:23 PM

Orm

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quote:

A Billionaire is courting the National Hockey League to get an expansion team to Las Vegas.

At times I find it sad that you do not have a series system in your professional sport. I do enjoy watching it but at times I miss the extra excitement of the possibility of teams getting promoted from the series below. And the threat of relegation for the teams that perform badly.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:05:36 PM

Zap

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Hi Orm,
No we don't have that which you speak of. But we do it for individual players. Basket Ball, Baseball will send a player down to the minor leagues when they are performing poorly. Football, they let players go. These players usually end up playing Arena Football or sell new cars.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:09:26 PM

Orm

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zap

Hi Orm,
No we don't have that which you speak of. But we do it for individual players. Basket Ball, Baseball will send a player down to the minor leagues when they are performing poorly. Football, they let players go. These players usually end up playing Arena Football or sell new cars.

Yes, I know that you do not have that kind of system.

But wouldn't it be cool if you could start a ice hockey team in Las Vegas that could advance all the way into NHL?

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:17:16 PM

Zap

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Why Las Vegas does not have a professional sports team:

The temptation of betting on sports games by the actual team players is the great fear.
Easy access to betting; its felt that players will place bets on their own game and then alter their play to get a result that will allow them to win their bet.
That goes as well for fear of the player being paid off to intentionally loose a game.

Both of these reasoning's are faulty. A player can do the same anywhere in the united states.

Las Vegas really wants a professional team. its just convincing the Professional leagues it will work in Las Vegas.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:20:07 PM

Zap

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We had a minor league hockey team. But they lost their contract. It appears the Casinos make more money hosting other events. Minor league hockey just does not draw enough people.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:22:23 PM

Zap

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That Billionaire is not from the U.S. He's Canadian. But he purchased a home and moved here to show the NHL he's committed.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:24:48 PM

Orm

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quote:

Las Vegas really wants a professional team. its just convincing the Professional leagues it will work in Las Vegas.

Once you have shown that it works I suspect you will get teams in the other professional leagues fast.

You are in a unique position to draw huge amounts of away team fans to Las Vegas.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:33:40 PM

Zap

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Best hopes now are Hockey, And maybe Soccer.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:48:21 PM

warspite1

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I must admit I do not really understand the Franchise system. I mean you could support a team all your life and then one day it closes down and b***** off to Cleveland or wherever. Thanks....

Far better to have teams that are long established, steeped in their own history and from which you, as a supporter, can never renounce your allegiance. That way, you can end up like me. Because you love your dad you support the team that he did. A certain, once big important team that used to have chances of winning the sport's biggest prizes, but since I've been supporting them they have gone down and down and have been not only left behind by their contemporaries, but overtaken by richly backed lesser clubs. And so I sit in a spiral of bitter despair and despondency, wishing my dad had made a better choice of football club. Every Saturday or Sunday I have my weekend wrecked by my team's inability to kick a football around properly and score more goals than their opposition. I have become so bitter that I have told my little warspites that they must, in memory of and out of respect for, their dad and their grandad, also support this dross team - and so saddle them with the same bunch of losers as their dad....

This is a much better way yes?

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:51:27 PM

Orm

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quote:

wishing my dad had made a better choice of football club

No, you don't. You are happy that you support the greatest team ever. You know, in your heart, that the team is just recuperating and will be winning titles shortly. Maybe next year...

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 5:52:56 PM

warspite1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Orm

quote:

wishing my dad had made a better choice of football club

No, you don't. You are happy that you support the greatest team ever. You know, in your heart, that the team is just recuperating and will be winning titles shortly. Maybe next year...

warspite1

Oh yes - there's always next year

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 6:57:22 PM

Jeffrey H.

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I must admit I do not really understand the Franchise system.

I think you do get it. It's a rather empty thing IMHO. What I do not really understand is why do people pay so much attention to it all ?

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 7:04:30 PM

warspite1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I must admit I do not really understand the Franchise system.

I think you do get it. It's a rather empty thing IMHO. What I do not really understand is why do people pay so much attention to it all ?

warspite1

Yes, I understand what a franchise is, I just do not understand how or why it works in sport.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/22/2015 11:10:45 PM

Zap

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Curtis Lemay mentioned Bugys Siegel. I was in my Lawyers office this afternoon. A women was filling out paper work I heard her named called out. iIt was Siegel. Jokingly, I asked her if she was related. She said, yes, she was a distant cousin. She joked i'm related but where is my part of the fortune. Small world.

< Message edited by Zap -- 4/23/2015 12:12:43 AM >

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/23/2015 2:56:59 AM

Missouri_Rebel

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TBH, I don't see myself ever going to Vegas. Not much of a gambler and when we vacation it is places like the hills of North Carolina, the swamps of Louisiana, the rivers of Missouri/Arkansas and any place where people are not. I lived in St.Louis for a time and the city is just not for this boy. I did however go to some casino in East St. Louis and won over $800 playing blackjack for the first and only time. I never went back. As a teenager I envisioned myself taking a trip to New York. Can't say Id ever do it now although I would like to visit New England some day just for the history. I would however like to go back to Canada for another trip. That was beautiful.

Different strokes for different folks.

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RE: Las Vegas as it grows. - 4/23/2015 4:10:52 AM

Zap

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That's a valid point.

Not sure you would like our desert landscape nature. Las Vegas is surrounded by desert.

Some things you can do:

Only a 30-minute drive west of the Strip lies Red Rock Canyon, a Technicolor natural conservation area composed of sandstone bluffs, seasonal waterfall oases, and desert hiking trails that wind past prime wildlife watching areas. To see everything up close, climb on a bicycle to tour the park's memorable 13-mile scenic drive.

A multicoloured chasm measuring a mile deep, the Grand Canyon is probably the USA's signature natural attraction. What better way to appreciate its scope than from the air, more specifically from a helicopter's window seat? A helicopter is also the fastest way to get to the canyon from Las Vegas

Carving its way through the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River spills over the Hoover Dam, just a 40-minute drive from the Strip. Touring the dam, which lets you go deep underground to see the massive electricity generators up close, is a popular day trip for Vegas visitors. But most tourists never see the dam from the bottom up. kayak tours that launch below the gigantic dam,

For classic south-western desert scenery just like in Hollywood westerns, drive an hour north-east of the Strip to Valley of Fire state park. Bizarre rock formations with memorable names such as White Domes, Arch Rock, and the Mouse's Tank are scattered across the desert landscape. If you look closely, some rocks are inscribed with ancient Native American petroglyphs.

Flying into Las Vegas, you'll glimpse miles of huge sand dunes encircling the city. To really get out there and experience the desert, the wind whipping your hair around as you bounce over terrain that no normal car could handle, you've got to rent a dune buggy. Based near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sun Buggy lets you bring along a group of friends for the Mini Baja Chase, a 30-minute race during which you'll feel like you're flying on downhill descents and roaring up over sandy hills.

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