The thing which is unfortunate about the progress of Las Vegas, is the significant eradication of anything old. For those who visited Las Vegas over the last 15 years, they to varying degrees were able to see a mix of old and new on The Las Vegas Strip.
In early 1996 it was possible to visit The Mirage, even the Stratosphere when it opened in April 1996, and also visit The Sands.
Also at that time, The Luxor could be visited, but right next door the Hacienda. Not as famous as The Sands, but still a smaller, older place which has since been replaced by Mandalay Bay.
Some of these new places might be much better than some of the older places. More comfortable. More exciting. More incredible. Yet there was for a certain period of time the very unique mix of old and new on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Now though, it is a much more lopsided mix. Much more new, much less old. And so I suppose the period of old and new is not over, but pretty close to it.
Much like there was a time when horse and buggies shared the streets with automobiles, there was a time when nostalgia still lived as open businesses alongside the newer hotels in Las Vegas.
There are still other old areas of Las Vegas, but for the purpose of this article I am limiting my thoughts to The Strip, which I belive is the most well known and visited part of Las Vegas.
Here accompanying these thoughts is a photo taken before the implosion of The Stardust. I have numbered several items.
1-Encore (under construction and part of Wynn).
2-Stardust (since imploded).
3-The Frontier (closes in less than two months).
4-Trump (opens in February 2008).
The old is going, and if you visit Las Vegas, you must pay attention to it, because it is your last chance.
2 comments:
I have no nostalgia over destruction/removal of dirty old, smoky old casinos.
On his second to last visit to Las Vegas, Ralph Nader suggested (as I recollect)that an econony based on such baseless activity was an unsound economy. He suggested that Southern Nevada was in an ideal position to lead in research and development of solar energy. I believe his views have merit.
So, Ray, give us some news of businesses in our area who are in the field of renewable energy.
This is not a solar energy blog, it is a Las Vegas blog. You might be interested in reading Ralph Nader's blog, lefant. I am sure it is fascinating.
Post a Comment