Las Vegas a City Without a History

The Cosmopolitan

May 15, 2011

Las Vegas has to be one of the most amazing cities there ever was.  It is a city that should not be.  Ecologically it is a disaster.  It is a city without a history.  Well it does have a history, rich and colourful but any buildings depicting that history have been torn down to make room for newer, taller, bigger, glitzier casinos and motels.  The only thing remaining from some of these old casinos is with any luck the original neon signs that are slowly being restored for display along Fremont Street.  We have not been in Las Vegas during a casino implosion but we have seen several casinos go.

We stayed at Bob Stupak's Vegas World during our first visit to Las Vegas.  Shortly after it was demolished for the new Stratosphere.  I think it was the next trip we were able to visit the Sands Casino, home of The Rat Pack, for the last time.  It was imploded the same year to make way for the very impressive Bellagio Casino.  We had a routine were we always stopped at the Klondike casino, a cheap dive that most would be scared to sit on the seats, but it was always our first stop in Las Vegas.  They had 10 cent roulette, $1 blackjack and food that likely could show you views of Las Vegas you really didn't want to see.  The drinks were cheap but really drinks in Las Vegas are free if you are gambling anyway.  I think there were about 30 slot machines and that's it.  Yet is was our tradition to stop there.  The last trip we arrived to find the Klondike gone, without leaving so much as a sign, just an empty lot.  Gosh we miss that place!  We were there the year Frank Sinatra died and oh my gosh what a sight to see the strip go dark in his honour!  I think that was the last year for the Holiday Inn casino and the Westward Ho casino.  This year we were saddened to hear the Sahara Casino was slated to close on May 16.  We made one final trip there but it was almost as good as closed by then.  The guys didn't get a chance to ride the rollercoaster, the floor was practically bare, the shops were marked down to 50% off and the atmosphere was dismal.  I moseyed up to the bar to get a drink in a souvenir glass.  The next time we visit the Saraha Casino will likely be nothing more than an empty lot with the starts of a new casino being erected.

So it goes with Las Vegas.  The only place the history exists is in pictures and memories the media and tourists have.  It is a shame though because Las Vegas has such a rich history.  Oh sure there are a few small museums dedicated to the history of Las Vegas but historical buildings are gone, always being replaced for the new.  In some ways this is part of the attraction of Las Vegas!

Garden Gnome
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