You don't know what you've got til it's gone. We've all heard it, and what is it about the "old Vegas" that was so much better? Well, a lot of things, and what is it that makes Las Vegas better now than before? Well, I'd like to know.
There's a good web site; "inoldlasvegas.com" that has some great pix and videos of the way things used to be. If you wanted to get into the Sands to see the "Rat Pack", you had better be wearing a tux, and your gal better have on an evening gown or you ain't gettin in.
The gambler was King, and treated like royalty. Comps were given freely to those who put up the dough on the tables, and the ladies? They played the slots while the men smoked cigars, drank hard whiskey and rolled those bones.
Downtown was in, and the strip? There were a few "Carpet Joints" way out there, but if you wanted the "Nitty Gritty", it was "Glitter Gulch" all the way.
Benny Binion, twice convicted for murder was granted a gaming license, and the Stardust was busted for "Skimming" the take.
If they caught you cheating, you were lucky if you just got your knuckles busted with a ball peen hammer! They're still finding bodies out there in the North Vegas Desert.
Nowadays it's the corporate mindset, and you're just a number. Tourists get into restaurants and shows in cut offs and tank tops, and you are tracked via your players club card. You hit as jackpot and some young assistant manager is hitting you with an IRS form.
You can't go to the bathroom without a camera on you, and a computer facial recognition program takes a picture of the distance between your eyes, so they know who you are.
Is this a good thing? Do we wonder why Las Vegas is in trouble?
So tell us, what is it about Las Vegas that used to be better, and what is it about Las Vegas now that you think is an improvement.
Personally, I'm losing my fervor with all the new ways the bean counters are squeezing me for nickles and dimes, and even pennies these days.
I Long for those Good Old Days!
There's a good web site; "inoldlasvegas.com" that has some great pix and videos of the way things used to be. If you wanted to get into the Sands to see the "Rat Pack", you had better be wearing a tux, and your gal better have on an evening gown or you ain't gettin in.
The gambler was King, and treated like royalty. Comps were given freely to those who put up the dough on the tables, and the ladies? They played the slots while the men smoked cigars, drank hard whiskey and rolled those bones.
Downtown was in, and the strip? There were a few "Carpet Joints" way out there, but if you wanted the "Nitty Gritty", it was "Glitter Gulch" all the way.
Benny Binion, twice convicted for murder was granted a gaming license, and the Stardust was busted for "Skimming" the take.
If they caught you cheating, you were lucky if you just got your knuckles busted with a ball peen hammer! They're still finding bodies out there in the North Vegas Desert.
Nowadays it's the corporate mindset, and you're just a number. Tourists get into restaurants and shows in cut offs and tank tops, and you are tracked via your players club card. You hit as jackpot and some young assistant manager is hitting you with an IRS form.
You can't go to the bathroom without a camera on you, and a computer facial recognition program takes a picture of the distance between your eyes, so they know who you are.
Is this a good thing? Do we wonder why Las Vegas is in trouble?
So tell us, what is it about Las Vegas that used to be better, and what is it about Las Vegas now that you think is an improvement.
Personally, I'm losing my fervor with all the new ways the bean counters are squeezing me for nickles and dimes, and even pennies these days.
I Long for those Good Old Days!
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