Las Vegas From Henderson

This photo, taken on Monday, shows a portion of The Strip as seen from the southeast in Henderson. From left to right:

1-The Venetian

2-Palazzo (still under construction)

3-Trump Tower (still under construction, but nearing completion)

4-Wynn

Vegas Grand Prix - Opening Salvo

The first Vegas Grand Prix was on Sunday 8 April 2007. I attended, and took photos from various points along Main Street, between Bonneville and Carson.

(The intersection of Main Street and Carson is one block south of The Fremont Street Experience, across from The Plaza, and near the Golden Gate valet parking.)

No admission was required, though there were bleecher seats if one wanted to pay for a ticket. many people took advantage of the free Plaza rooftop garage party.

It was somewhat difficult to walk around due to fences, security borders, obstructions, etc. There are alleys behind the old buildings which are along Main Street. These alleys go behind some vacant old buildings such as the Queen Of Hearts Hotel. Normally it would not be a tourist friendly area, but many people were walking these alleys during the Grand Prix.

I thought that it was unacceptable that some sections of fence on Main Street were covered with dark material, which prevented a viewing of the race opposite a grand stand. The streets are public, and it is enough that the public accepts an inconvenience and disruption to facilitate the race. Making private, the ability to see the street from a particular point on a sidewalk is nonsense and completely wrong.

The sound of the cars passing was interesting to hear. Particularly there was a fascinating sound of distant engines as the cars left Main Street and the sound filtered through the Golden Nugget garage.

Here is my opening salvo of photos from the Vegas Grand Prix. For the record, the green car with yellow highlights (car #5) was driven by Will Power, and won the race.

The closeup I present here of car #5 was on Bonneville as the car turned left to go north on Main Street. (Photo was from one of the final laps, several minutes before the end of the race.)

Race Day - Las Vegas Grand Prix

Today, Sunday 8 April 2007 is the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The main race will be at 1:00 p.m. (1300 hrs.) pacific time, and will last approximately 2 hours. It will be broadcast live on television in many areas.

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The race will begin and end at a point which is away from anything familiar to tourists; on Grand Central Parkway, halfway between Ogden and Bonneville. For the many people in the area of The Fremont Street Experience, the end of the race will probably feel odd; they will feel as if they are at the center of attention (every drunk on Fremont Street feels this way) but the cars will simply stop driving by, and the end will be somewhere else.

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In person though, the excitement will probably be the sound of the engines and the site of the cars racing by, rather than the race as a whole. What I mean to say is that for most people along the route of the race, certain elements of the race will be more exciting than the race itself.

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People on the streets inside the circuit of the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be limited from crossing to the area outside of the race, (and vice versa). In effect it will be like a Las Vegas Grand Prix internment camp.

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Something else noteworthy happens today, at least I think it will happen today. The return of the Las Vegas podcast Five Hundy By Midnight. Show # 113 is expected to be up some time today, and is bound to be particularly good as it will be a post trip show. The website is http://www.fivehundybymidnight.com

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For the Grand Prix check out:

http://www.vegasgrandprix.com

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That's it for today.

Las Vegas - The Sign On Grand Prix Weekend

Tomorrow, Sunday, is the main race of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Downtown streets will be severely interrupted. Don't park in the confines of the race, if you will need to get out. The race will be (roughly) 1pm to 330 pm, and will be televised nationally - we will see how complete that saturation is.

The race is downtown, not at all near the Welcome sign on The Strip. This photo shows a wider view of the welcome sign, and that it is very common for people to walk up to it and take pictures.

Las Vegas Grand Prix Weekend...

...starts today, Friday 6 April 2007.

Today is Friday 6 April 2007

-Starting today, and going on every Friday for the next year, The Tropicana is going to have special Friday events to celebrate their 50th year. The Tropicana turned 50 on April 4th, I think.

-Today, tomorrow, and Sunday is the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. It will take place downtown (Fremont Street etc) and the area will be a traffic jam.

-The Plaza, which is located on the west (Main Street end) of the Fremont Street Experience will allow anyone who wants to come, to attend a garage rooftop party and watch the race from there. They will have food from Memphis Championship Barbecue. From the rooftop of The Plaza garage, a significant portion of the course can be seen.

The Plaza looks nicer at night now that they light it up blue (I miss that from The Stardust).
Many streets in the area will be closed, including Main Street going past The Plaza.

It strikes me as very cool that as other nearby hotels have supposedly voiced stricter and more militant garage regulations for the time period of this event, The Plaza has found a way to be friendly and capitalize on the event and the inconveniences which go along with it.

The fastest speed predicted for the race is 190 miles per hour, and I have read that this is believed to occur on Bonneville Avenue.

This will be my only post today (Friday).

Good job Plaza!

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Neon And Wheels

The Las Vegas Grand Prix has events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (April 6, 7, 8, 2007).

For my money, Fremont Street is blowing The Strip away for excitement, and a Las Vegas feel.

While The Strip has architecture, Fremont Street has neon. I am a little burned out on the covert contest being held on The Strip - the contest to bore me to death with tan brown and beige.

Monte Carlo, Aladdin/Planet Hollywood, Wynn, Caesars Palace, I am talking about YOU!!! Stop tanning me.

The Grand Prix brought me to Fremont Street for the first time in a while, and it was a good change. I have missed the neon intensity. The foul smell at the 4th street side wasn't around this time. Maybe downtown is worth more attention from me.

Okay the pictures. Here we have three photos I took this week. Two of them are of a race car which is parked in front of Fitzgerald's on Fremont Street. The third photo is a look of 4th Street near Fremont Street, with the Grand Prix barriers and fences in place.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - The Streets

The Lady Luck Hotel, (one of my favorite names) has been closed for more than a year to be renovated. I don't think any renovations have taken place; the place just sits there dark. In one of the shots with this post, you can see the street (Ogden) set up for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and in the background is the dark Lady Luck.

Another shot looks up Ogden toward Main Street, with Ogden barricaded and fenced in for the race. Right now, at every crossable intersection, there is a concrete barrier which is left ajar so that people may still cross the street. On race day the barrier will be moved in line with the others, and crossing will be done by temporary staircase crossovers. These temporary crossovers do not have ramps or elevators or escalators, so for people who have difficulty with mobility there may be problems getting around.

In yet another photo, Fremont looking up to the El Cortez shows half of the street ripped up, and traffic only one way. There is a lot of construction going on in this old area, and combined with the traffic disruptions that will be caused by the Las Vegas Grand Prix, downtown will be difficult to drive around, especially for people unfamiliar with the area.

The streets are very crowded and lively, and aside from the difficulty of traffic, this ought to be one of the better, more exciting times to visit Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Fremont Street Experience

The sound and light show at The Fremont Street Experience was themed to auto racing, with frequent in-show ads for The Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Usually there is a rotation of the shows which play hourly in the evening. I only stayed to watch one of them, but would be surprised if they were not ALL related to promotiong the race this upcoming weekend.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Street Preparation

At the east end of The Fremont Street Experience, 4th Street is walled in with fences and concrete barriers, in preparation for the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. People driving on 4th Street can get a feel for the experience of driving on the race course, as the road is still open to traffic, though it is walled in and has racing related ads on the crossovers.

The Fremont Street Experience Light And Sound Show (at least the one I saw) was all Grand Prix related. It was done well, and I actually liked it for the content and presentation, rather than just the oddity factor.

In another post later today I will display some of the light and sound show. By the way, the crowd on Fremont Street struck me as unusually crowded for a Tuesday night.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Fremont Street

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is this weekend. On Las Vegas Boulevard in the area of The Strip, there is no sign of the race. I haven't seen any promotions for it there.

On Fremont Street, and the downtown area, it is a different story.

Streets are already closed off, or partitioned off, with concrete barriers and fences, forming the gauntlet which the race will run through.

Here are 2 shots from Fremont Street.

The sign was located near the Main Street end of The Fremont Street Experience(the side with The Golden Gate and The Las Vegas Club). I'm sure the sign is located elsewhere as well.

The race car on display is in front of The Four Queens Hotel.

Today I will be posting a lot throughout the day, as I tend to my laundry and other nonsense.

Of particuar interest may be shots of the streets already walled in for the Grand Prix. Those and others from downtown Las Vegas will be posted today.

Planet Hollywood - Las Vegas - Breaking News!!

Breaking News: planet hollywood sign

The Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, has had the PLANET portion of the rooftop PLANET HOLLYWOOD sign put in place. The sign at this point remains dark at night.

The Aladdin Hotel is becoming The Planet Hollywood Hotel.

Five Things That Could Replace The Riviera (but won't)

Why doesn't The Riviera just end it already?

The Stardust is gone, and when Echelon Place opens in 2010 it will be a very hot spot. It would be good synergy for The Riviera to close shop, implode, and build something new to open shortly (12 months or less) after Echelon Place opens.

If The Riviera was demolished, and on that spot The Stardust was built, it would be a step up.
It's an old place, and I would like to like it, but I don't.

Here is a list of 5 things I would rather see at the site of The Riviera:

1-The Stardust (could have just brought the stuff from across the street).

2-The Sands.

3-An automat. (Bring it back. Face to face interaction is overated.)

4-A drive in movie theater. For that matter, how about a drive in movie theater at Echelon Place?

5-A Las Vegas sign museum.

I certainly realize that the profit per unit area for some of these ideas would be too low, considering what can be made on The Strip. This isn't intended as an authentically persuasive argument, just something to get the mind thinking.

If any of the five items I listed, replaced The Riviera, would you go?

Las Vegas Grand Prix

There will be a Grand Prix in Las Vegas sometime between Friday 6 April 2007, and Sunday 8 April.

Have you ever read the same sentence a few times, and still not known what you just read? Because that is how I feel after viewing the official website for the Vegas Grand Prix. That is why I am unsure when the actual race is, though I suspect it is on Sunday 8 April.

I downloaded a pdf of the race course, but the background on the pdf is red, (not printer friendly).

The best I can do as far as information goes is to provide a link to the official website of the 2007 Vegas Grand Prix.

http://www.vegasgrandprix.com

Tropicana In Todays Paper

Here is a late heads up that there is an article in the 27 March 2007 Las Vegas Review Journal about The Tropicana Hotel turning 50.

The article can be found in scetion E page 1.

The Tropicana can be found on the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana.

Apparently The Tropicana opened on 4 April 1957, and thus will turn 50 on Wednesday next week.

Cake will be served to guests throughout the week, and there will be giveaways and prizes every Friday for the rest of 2007.

Project City Center - Las Vegas Nevada

Here are two shots I took in the vicinity of Project City Center, as seen from the backside. If the parking garage at Monte Carlo still exists, I do not see it. Later this week I might be at the Monte, so I guess I will find out definitively what the parking situation is like.

Leaving Las Vegas - A Success Story

Tonights post was going to be about the movie Leaving Las Vegas, and why I think of it as a success story, rather than a sad movie, but I haven't the time to really get into it. So, back to my archives to present another Las Vegas billboard, as cheap filler material in between the substantial posts I have already done, and will surely do again; sooner or later.

Stardust - Pre Implosion Demolition

Here is a shot from Las Vegas Boulevard, of The Stardust, approximately 5 weeks before the implosion.

Frontier - Las Vegas - Ross & Supremes, Elvis

I am very surprised to have just become aware that two major music events have taken place at The New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

• Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at The Frontier in 1956.
  
• The final performance of Diana Ross And The Supremes was at The Frontier on 14 January 1970.
  

An album was released of the final concert of Diana Ross And The Supremes, entitled The Final Performance. It strikes me as incredible that a live album, let alone such an important live album, was recorded at The Frontier.

I have been to The Frontier many times, and am going to make it a point to go there again this week, with the specific intention of really observing the place. I wonder if I have been walking past photographs of these musical events without realizing it.

The Frontier has been in the news lately, regarding the possibility of it being sold and closed.

Las Vegas Billboard Nostalgia

From my collection of Las Vegas billboards which I haven't seen in a while, comes this one from Industrial Avenue in Las Vegas. The right side of the ad seems not well presented. Still though, it was worth stopping for to get a good shot. (Industrial is now largely renamed Dean Martin.)

The website in the photo might not be clear. It is mgmgrandnightlife.com which actually just goes to a nightlife tab on their regular website.

The Westward Ho - Las Vegas Nostalgia

This is The Westward Ho, as it looked on the day it closed forever.

17 November 2005.

I have other photos from that day, photos of:

• tv trucks with raised antennas


• farewell signs across the street at The Riviera


• signs which tell patrons The Westward Ho is closing

This photo is my favorite though. It reminds me to go in a little deeper, to look a little further.

The Las Vegas Hotel Room Refrigerator

I am hungry and short on time, so here is a quick post about food, to let you know the franchise of the royvegas.blogspot.com blog is still open.

The room refrigerator at The Mirage Hotel is one of those prestocked, electronically monitored, terror boxes. If an item is even lifted up to just look at, it will be charged to your account before you have time to place it back down.

Prices were like this:

Red Bull: $5.50

Coca Cola: $3.75

35 MM Camera w/Flash: $19.00

It's a beautiful refrigerator.

Recent Las Vegas BillBoard Nostalgia

Not too much time for my usual early morning post today, so from my archives, here are two billboards which I liked, but have not seen for a long time. If you were in Las Vegas in 2005, you may well remember the billboard for Ra, it was heavily saturated.

Las Vegas - The Stardust - Lightning Hit Sign

Lightning and Stardust.

The north side of The Stardust had a large rotating sign with three sides. It was changed regularly with movie theater style letters, and served the purpose of advertising meals and events.

In August 2004 something happened to the sign. Apparently it was struck by lightning. The damage looked like a small explosion and fire.

Nobody reported actually seeing it being struck, but for more than a few days after, the damage remained for everyone to see.

The sign was repaired after more than a week. It might have been two weeks, as I remember being surprised at how long it remained in damaged condition.

Once repaired, the sign served out its job until it was removed during the demolition phase, a month or two prior to the implosion of The Stardust.

Las Vegas - Westward Ho Expansion - Short Lived Oddity

Las Vegas buffs will enjoy this, as this item is of a short lived oddity.

Just north of The Stardust was The Westward Ho. In January 2005, The Westward Ho opened an establishment on the west side of their property, and called it simply The Ho.

The Ho had a gas station, a grocery store, and a small casino; but no hotel or motel. It was located on Industrial Boulevard between The Stardust and Circus Circus.

In November 2005 The Westward Ho closed for good. And approximately one week later, The Ho on Industrial also closed forever, even though it had been open for less than one year.

I went into The Ho only once. I remember there was a guy on a stage singing karaoke. He was horrible. The place was so unreal in a defective sort of way, that I felt like a complete observer from some future time.

Now you too can be an observer from that future time. The Ho is gone, so is The Stardust, and yet here you are looking back at them both.

To put it in some perspective, it was set up like this.

The gas station pumps were the first thing encountered when entering from Industrial Boulevard. If you walked in the first doors, you entered a grocery store. The grocery store was spacious, but didn't seem to have as much as it should have. If you continued walking, you could go through a door or doorway (whatever it was) and enter the bar and games area. They had a few live tables, and low rent machines, and a bar on the left. The bar, if I recall correctly, was somewhat similar to a Chock Full O Nuts restaurant, in shape. And behind the bar was a stage, on which horrible karaoke was sung.

Here is a photo of this wonderful and short lived place. To the left, you can see the Industrial Boulevard entrance to Circus, and to the right, in the distance, you can see the familiar horizontal lines of The Stardust. Between the two was The Ho.

Las Vegas - Al Stewart Concert - Sunset Station

Henderson, Nevada

Al Stewart, most popular for his song Year Of The Cat, will be performing at Club Madrid in Sunset Station, on Saturday 24 March 2007. Tickets start at $15, probably less than an Al Stewart CD. Of course, some of you might suggest that $15 is 15x the cost of an Al Stewart CD.



Anyway, if he is someone who you would like to see in concert, probably to hear his most well known song, this is an excellent opportunity.



Sunset Station is in Henderson, Nevada, not Las Vegas. It is a 20 minute drive from McCarran Airport. The drive and the area are good, and one probably need not be armed to the teeth in order to feel safe.



Club Madrid is a small club. There would be no such thing as a seat being too far away for this concert. I imagine that it will be set up with round tables and chairs, though I am really not sure.



5 Reasons To Attend:


1-You always wanted to hear the song live.
2-You always wanted to visit Sunset Station.
3-No Mosh Pit.
4-Okay that's 3 reasons not 5.


The cafe at Sunset Station has very good food and seating. Parking is easy.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion - More Aftermath

Five Hundy By Midnight http://www.fivehundybymidnight.com - (The Original Las Vegas Podcast) featured my comments about The Stardust implosion, in their recent Show #111, so I have decided to post some more Stardust photos, beginning with this set from the aftermath.

Earlier posts of mine have shown some of the implosion aftermath, as well as shots of the debris cloud as I sought air. If you are new to this blog, you will find some of these photo sets on earlier pages.

Las Vegas - Elvis Tribute - Imperial Palace

Billboard trucks are very common on Las Vegas Boulevard. Some advertisements are not seen as much as others. Such as this one, which Elvis Presley tribute fans might appreciate. It is advertising Legends In Concert, appearing at The Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. The truck was seen at Cathedral Way and The Strip.

Las Vegas - Golden Palm Hotel Closed Permanently

Las Vegas - Golden Palm Hotel Closed Permanently

On the west side of I-15 and Tropicana is The Golden Palm Hotel. I was going to do a piece on the oddities of this place, and just found out that it closed permanently on March 12, 2007.

Thus ODDITY #1 - The Golden Palm Hotel was often so empty, and the restaurant was closed so often, that even though I was in the parking lot a few hours ago photographing the place, I did not know that it was closed while I was right there.

Shortly after photographing the place, a friend told me he thought that it was for sale. Then in my photos, I saw a sign which said it was closed for demolition. Lastly, I visited their website, which I never knew existed, and it explains they closed to become a "high rise condo-resort-casino." Before I saw that, I speculated that the site could one day be a gas station; to which my friend said it wasn't big enough.

The Golden Palm Hotel used to be a casino. At some time they stopped being a casino, and it appears that the only change they made was to take a magic marker and cross over the word "casino." Take a look at one of the photos I will include with this, and you will see the magic markered out word.

By the way, that was ODDITY #2.

ODDITY #3 is that at one time, it was an IHOP. Or at least the restaurant was. The IHOP letters can still be seen on the outside wall, although I am not sure how well it will be visible when I upload.

ODDITY #4 is that the restaurant would close for weeks or months at a time, while leaving the neon OPEN sign on. Then when the restaurant would reopen, the OPEN sign would be turned off.

I ate there once, and it was unimpressive. The next night, the place was closed. Then it opened a few months later, only to close again a few days later.

Throughout the openings and closings, they have kept up banners which proclaim Best Of Las Vegas from the local newspaper The Las Vegas Review Journal. I don't know what that is about.
A sign prices rooms at $29.99, but it was suggested to me by someone that they ought to have put up a sign which said "Free Is Expensive."

I never stayed at the hotel. I only ate at their restaurant once; and walked into and back out of, their lounge. The lounge was sort of a dark room with a bar at the left, a band area all the way ahead, and some vending machines on the right. I don't remember what they were vending. I think they had some chairs and tables too.

As you will see in one of the photos, The Golden Palm Hotel was within sight of New York New York, and the other places at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana. Usually tourists only come to this side of Interstate 15 in order to go to major places such as The Rio, so The Golden Palm Hotel has probably been invisible to most.

I am happy to bring a little piece of this oddity to you here, in this tribute to The Golden Palm Hotel, which closed the day before The Stardust was imploded.

Across the street from The Defunct Golden Palm Hotel is a Standard gas station which looks like a Chevron. Maybe it used to be a Chevron. Something very odd about that intersection.

For the record the location of The (Defunct) Golden Palm Hotel is 3111 W. Tropicana Las vegas, Nevada 89109.

Farewell to The Golden Palm Hotel; a real Las Vegas oddity.

Las Vegas - Treasure Island - 2 Years Ago

In keeping with the post beneath this one, here is a photo of Treasure Island, from 26 months ago. Shown is the escalator/elevator over-road walkway being constructed from Fashion Show Mall to Treasure Island.

Las Vegas - Two Years Ago

Yesterday I posted a photo of The Barbary Coast from 2005. As I looked through my collection I noticed changes from then and now. Here then is a list, with accompanying photos, of changes in the way things are in Las Vegas from two years ago.

1-Barbary Coast was Barbary Coast.

2-Caesars Palace Flamingo side tower was still under construction, nearing completion.

3-The Stardust Theater was still called The Wayne Newton Theater.
3b-The Stardust still existed. Now it is gone.

I'd like to mention here that during the last days of The Stardust, I had the opportunity to walk out on the stage in the theater, and will get to posting those shots of the theater as seen from the stage.

4-Westward Ho was still open. In fact not only was The Westward Ho open two years ago, but so was their short lived Ho on the Industrial Boulevard side. (The one with the gas station and grocery store.)

5-Wynn was not yet completed, though it was nearing completion.

6-The Trump project was nothing more than a sign on the corner of Fashion Show Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard. Not even the sales office was built. Now the actual tower is nearing completion.

7-People still crossed the street between Treasure Island, and The Fashion Show Mall, on ground level. That was always a dangerous and difficult intersection for both cars and pedestrians. Now it is crossed by an escalator-elevator crossover. Treasure Island can be accessed directly by the crossover. Two years ago it was still being built. By the way, an added benefit of the crossovers is that at the right time, you can find scofflaw entrepreneurs selling bottled water at $1.00 each.

8-Palazzo, the extension of The Venetian, was nothing more than dirt being primed. It is now built to a significant degree.

I'm going to stop there at 8. Going on to 10 is too regimented. And even 10 items would be way too short to list all the changes. Bourbon Street, South Coast, on and on the list can go.

I won't be representing all of these items photographically in this particular post, but will do so in upcoming posts.

Las Vegas - Barbary Coast Nostalgia - St Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day. Here is a nostalgic shot from The Barbary Coast in 2005. I wonder if Bill's will run the same special.

Las Vegas - The Riviera - A Night About Nothing

This evening I did something which yielded almost nothing. I visited The Riviera.

Ten years ago I used the bathroom there. Then two years ago I think I walked through. I've never used their self parking though, so that was the reason I gave myself to visit the place.

First of all, I learned that the driveway which looks kind of cool, dropping below street level on The Strip, is not self parking. Going north on Las Vegas Boulevard, I followed the arrow signs and made a right on Riviera Boulevard. I never knew that it was called Riviera Boulevard. I had always called it, "that street across from Circus Circus."

Well I made that right as the arrow indicated, and was getting awfully close to The Las Vegas Hilton before another sign indicated self parking. I took a picture of the sign with the Las Vegas Hilton in the background. It seemed I was closer to it than The Riviera.

Anyway after making the right, it's another few turns until getting in the garage, and I imagine that when the place is crowded, the system quickly breaks down. Only thing nice about the self parking was that it had a view I did not expect. Unfortunately I have learned this several days after The Stardust was imploded.

By the way, I used the staircase, as the elevator seemed unnecesarily creepy. Maybe it was just the desolation and darkness.

Entering through the rear, it felt like I was walking through a major bank office building in New York. It sucked.

I followed the pathway patterned in the carpet, past closed stores, and into an odd angled hallway which made me feel as if I was going the wrong way. I kept my focus on the carpet path and finally got to the main area. I walked around twice because I was hoping to stumble upon the real main area. After two circuits of the place, I knew that that was the real main area.
The night was comfortable and they had the doors wide open to let people in. Or out, as in my case. Up the few steps and out the door, and I was on Las Vegas Boulevard, right near where I had made the original right turn that began this roundabout.

I crossed The Strip and walked in the direction of The Stardust. There is a McDonalds between the dirt lot which was The Westward Ho, and the dirt lot which was The Stardust. Funny place to put a McDonalds, between two dirt lots. This McDonalds is boasting with a sign that they will be turning into a two story McDonalds soon. I am looking forward to attending the implosion of the old one.

Right after McDonalds is a fence which before it was a fence, was the entrance to the sports book side of The Stardust. Two men were sleeping in the street against the fence. I took their picture.

Up the street some more is the remains of the main sign of The Stardust. That was the main entrance. Across Las Vegas Boulevard from the old main entrance is a souvenir store which I imagine got some good traffic from The Stardust. Now, the place wasn't out of business, but I was surprised to see it closed. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't remember seeing it closed, and anyway I don't think t was even midnight. I took a picture.

I took a few more shots of The Area Formerly Known As Stardust TAFKAS, because I have been photographing the place so intensely for many months that I do not know what to do now. Then I headed back in the direction I came from.

The last time I was in this area, it was smoked out from the implosion, so I decided to walk through Circus Circus in order to see if the air had yet cleared. While I am happy to report clear air, it was also hot. Hot air under the big tent. Outside it wasn't hot or cold, it was simply comfortable. Inside Circus it was actually hot.

I picked up a free copy of What's On magazine; Stevie Nicks is on the cover and she looks good, in sepia.

Back across the street, followed the carpet path, to exit out the back, and up the creepy staircase; to eventually come home and write this, a night about nothing.

Las Vegas - Elvis Tribute Artist - Trent Carlini

Someone over at http://lasvegastalk.com asked about Elvis tribute artists appearing in Las Vegas. When I saw the billboard this evening, and remembered the question, I had to take a picture.

Trent Carlini http://thedreamking.com is performing at the Sahara.

[Regular post to follow shortly.]

Las Vegas Photos - Boardwalk Hotel

A photo of the Boardwalk Hotel from a year ago. This was 2 months after it closed, and 2 months before it was imploded. The site is now part of Project City Center.

The Boardwalk was on the Las Vegas Strip just north of The Monte Carlo.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion - Aftermath (group b)

Before and after photographs of The Stardust in Las Vegas. Here we see the main face of The Stardust as it looked while still open in October 2006, and a comparison photograph looking the same direction the day after the implosion.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion - Aftermath

Well, The Stardust is gone. Even though I watched the implosion in person, coming back in daylight and seeing it all destroyed, was uncomfortable.

Right after the implosion, the darkness of night, and ensuing debris cloud, made it seem as if The Stardust was still there. When the building dropped, the dust came on very thick. At that point the building could not have been seen, even it it was still standing.

Walking away there was still the point of reference, the vertical arms which had held the now-gone main sign. The sign arms and lower display section were partially visible as the cloud rolled across Las Vegas Boulevard. So except for the very moment of seeing the building drop, there was no moment to look over the site and allow the new visual impress of an open lot to set on my mind. To replace what my mind knows and expects. To confront the phantom perception.

The time right after the implosion was spent getting away, and getting air, and feeling dreamed out while walking through the oddball pseudo snowstorm of dust on a warm night, through darkness and white ground, and past neon lights softened by the haze. Just hours earlier I had walked those streets among great numbers of people. But after the implosion, and after a brief time spent getting air at a store, Las Vegas Boulevard had become rather desolate. Stragglers here and there. Everyone else had already found a place, whether it was their real destination or just nearby shelter.

It it is no wonder that when I returned the next day, in the light of afternoon, that I was uncomfortable at seeing clearly, what the clouds and action had obscurred when The Stardust was imploded.

Las Vegas - The Stardust Implosion - More Details

The way it began.

Multiple syncrolite beams of white xenon turned on in a fanned out formation. They all were raised to a vertical position, forming a cohesive beam of light. This beam of light then tipped over so that the right corner of The Stardust was illuminated. It remained like that for 4 seconds, and then went dark.

This movement seemed to me to be a sort of salute, similar to the manner of performing present arms, with a saber.

After the salute went dark, the fireworks began.

Five individual firework shots were launched in succession from left to right. This volley of five was done three times, and upon the 15th shot (the end of the 3rd volley) the full force of the fireworks came on.

Fireworks are artistic, and it is difficult or pointless to present logic in order to substantiate a particular color or shape. But somehow this particular display was the perfect display to represent The Stardust. It wasn't just a random variety of fireworks thrown to the sky with the main concern being coming in at the agreed upon cost.

This display looked like what The Stardust would have looked like, if The Stardust was a fireworks display instead of a hotel.

The final fireworks shot was at 3 minutes 21 seconds after the first. It ended distinctly, and was the equivalent of a drummer striking a snare three times.

In the momentary still, the crowd cheered the end. But the building came back to life with an encore the likes of which I have never seen.

The building became lit with fire at the center bottom, and like a fast fuse, the fire ran to the left and right; it went up the sides and met again at the top center of the building. Some more firework shots were launched over the The Stardust as the entire front perimeter was ablaze and flashing incredibly. And then the number 10 lit like a fire on the entire face of the building, and the crowd which was long since in the hands of the performer, called out, ten, nine, and so on, as one fiery number blazed into another until reaching "1."

The flashing continued at the perimeter. A simultaneous launch of 5 fireworks shot not too high over the roof, immediately followed by another simultaneous launch which crowned the first five. Then the thunder of the actual implosion began. The building collapsed, from the center and left side first, and the right (Las Vegas Boulevard side) falling into the center of the building. The center of itself. The smaller building which was also imploding at the same time was quickly obscured by the smoke.

The display was so incredible that when the implosion finally came, it did not seem real.

When the countdown numbers were lit on the building, I could not believe that I was seeing and experiencing what I was seeing and experiencing.

People stood thrilled and stunned by what they had witnessed. Then the smarter ones started to get out of the area, because the same smoke which obscured the smaller building was quickly obscuring all of us.

Somebody screamed "run." There is no point in merely speaking "run" it must be screamed.

There was laughter and shouting. The Stardust could not have been seen, even if it had still been standing. Walking north on Las Vegas Boulevard, I felt like I was in some bizarre mix of a dream and warm snowstorm.

After a brief stay in a store, I headed back out on The Strip. The Stratosphere could not be seen. The ground was white. Everything was odd. I walked north to Circus Circus, and sat down on a bench in a shopping area. I felt not well. The smoke or ash or whatever it was, had been intense, and was not over. Employees were walking around wearing air masks, (dust masks ?). Some people held shirts over their faces.

I drank water and called a friend. No answer. So I called the FiveHundyByMidnight.com hotline and left a message describing the implosion. I don't think that I made too much sense, and quickly bailed out of the call.

I think I said something like "Hi this is Roy and I am choking to death in Circus Circus."

Trying to revive myself I walked around, and went to a small grocery shop near a timeshare stand. The guy on line in front of me was complaining that if they were going to blow up a building, they should have let people know. He lit a cigarette as he walked out. I got some drinks and made my way to the garage.

Outside cars were covered in white. Some windshields had been written on comically, by running a finger through the ash of The Stardust. I made it to my car, and feeling somewhat better, called the Hundy hotline again. I was more coherent, but probably not as funny as my earlier distressed call.

Exiting out the Industrial side, I drove south. Off to my left I saw a beautiful crescent moon not too high. Something was odd about seeing it. Then I realized that I was able to see the moon because The Stardust no longer stood to obscure that point in the sky.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion (group C)

Here in group C, is the aftermath. The dust cloud came on heavy and fast. At first everyone was just looking at it, and then running from it.

The 4th photo from the top shows a group of people being turned away from entering a store. Petty authority. Later some of us were let in the store through a back entrance by an employee who found us behind the building trying to get some air.

The ground was white. Cars - parking lots - the Circus garage, all white with Stardust.

I wrote a very heartfelt post yesterday, http://royvegas.blogspot.com/2007/03/stardust-end.html if you like what I am doing, give it a read.

I am shocked and delighted that The Stardust was sent off in as incredible a manner as it was. These photos do not do the end justice. The experience of The Stardust finale was the single most incredible thing I have ever seen.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion (group B)

Look at the top photo in this group. The number 2 is showing lit up on The Stardust. After the fireworks there was a countdown from 10 to 1, in fire numbers to initiate the implosion.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion (group A)

The Stardust was lit up in changing colors prior to the fireworks and implosion. When I first got on The Strip I saw The Stardust awash in colors, then I saw the great numbers of people hanging around. It was like a giant party in the streets, the parking garages, everywhere.

Las Vegas - Stardust Implosion - Unbelievable

A short post to get this out there. More extensive later.

The Stardust implosion was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Absolutely mindblowing.



The Strip was filled with people, milling about everywhere. The Stardust was illuminated throughout the night, in an everchanging selection of colors.



Fireworks were launched, and it was longer and much better than I expected. So much better, that I had to change memory cards late in the fireworks display, but shortly before the implosion. That was unnerving. (I took a little more than 700 photographs through the night.)



As the fireworks were coming to an end, The Stardust seemed to ignite in selected lines of fire. Then the countdown to the implosion occurred, with the numbers of the countdown lit in fire (or whatever it was that resembled fire) on the face of The Stardust.



Then the implosion. It did not seem as loud as the garage implosion. Maybe I am just becoming jaded, as this was my second implosion in a week.



The smoke cloud was much more significant than I had expected. It rolled quickly, and the entire area became white. Not just smoke - it was actually thick particulate matter.



I am going to post this now, and save greater detail for a later post. I have yet to go to sleep, but will have many photos up today.