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Saturday, April 13, 2013

L for A-Z Challenge

L-Las Vegas, Nevada

 
 
 

 
Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.
 
 
 You can find the worlds biggest neon here...
 yes it is the cowboy of old and fortunately they have preserved it and the old town so that all can enjoy. No cars are allowed in the area and it is a wonderful place to walk and gawk:)
 
 
 
You will also find one of the most romantic restaurants here...
Hugo's Cellar located in the Four Queens Hotel and Casino  (been here and don't know that I would consider it the most romantic place I have ever been but they do give you a rose and you have several servers to cater to your needs.)
 
 
Here are a few tidbits for you:
 
 Over 60,000 pounds of shrimp are consumed every day here....as much as all of the U.S. and the
most popular?

  Shrimp cocktail



In the Chinese culture the number four is considered bad luck so at the Wynn
 
and other high towers they do not have floors that start with four so the elevators count 38, 39, 50, 51 etc.


If you have ever been on the strip you have not been in Las Vegas but rather on unincorporated land governed by Clark County. The Las Vegas City city limits starts at the Sahara Ave. northward. 84.4% of Nevada's land is owned by the federal government - more than any other state.


The first hotel and Casino was none other than the Golden Gate
 
It opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. It too is in old Town.

The famous Flamingo Casino and Hotel was named so by Bugsy Siegel (Iconic gangster) after the long legs of  his showgirl girlfriend (Virginia Hill).




Las Vegas is a fast moving and growing city and to date there have been 15 Implosions to make room for progress....
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
TOWER NAME
BUILT
DESTROYED
AGE (YRS.)
Landmark
1963
1995
32

The Landmark hotel was built in 1963, but didn't open until 1969. It stood tall and proud to be Howard Hughes' vision come true. The Jetsons-esque architecture was both loved and hated in the community.
In 1995 it became the second major property in Las Vegas to be imploded. (You can see the actual implosion in one of the scenes from Mars Attacks). It also had its last hurrah a month or two before the implosion by being the outside version of the fictional casino, the Tangiers in Martin Scorcese's film, Casino.
The Landmark was old, in bad repair, and unpopular. The Las Vegas Convention Center needed more parking, so on Nov. 7th, 1995...ka-blamo.
The 22-acre plot is still a surface parking lot which is becoming more valuable as time goes on. There are no immediate plans for developing the site. For more examples to here.



I know they tell you "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but don't you believe it for a second. Ever notice all those camera's in the ceilings?
 
Happy Trails



 

5 comments:

Nancy said...

It's hard to escape the camera anywhere in the world these days.

Vegas is a fun place to visit, but I'll never go back in July - too hot!

Dana said...

I don't think I'd want to live there, but I'd definitely like to visit!

Linda said...

I've been there! Amber was in a Masters Synchronized Swim Meet a few years ago. I stayed down in the old section on Freemont Street. A great place to visit and I love the new TV series set in the 1960's called 'Vegas.'

Granny Annie said...

I could go there for the shrimp alone:)

Zoanna said...

I love your armchair syle tour guiding approch. Makes the little known facts quite fun to learn about. I chuckled at kablamo. ;