Random Vegas The first Vegas resort to have topless showgirls was The Dunes. (@ POVblog) Twitpic of the week A single, solitary sultan, standing astride on top of a roof, hands on hips, somehow intimating that he has a large cock. That last part may be my own inferiation but lets not open that can of worms or acknowledge the fact that I may have just made up a word. Regardless, this marquee was a bad ass monument to a remarkable gambling den. The Dunes would later replace said sultan with the ic...
May 08, 2022•59 min•Ep. 280
Random Vegas The iconic Barbary Coast signage designed by Buzz Leming featured Tiffany-style glass, a burgundy and gold color scheme and a 19th century-style lettering that is known as "Barbary Coast Block" (Neon Museum) Twitpic of the week The Mirage Volcano. It’s time to enjoy it while we still have it. As sad as it can be, change is the only constant in Las Vegas. We’ve lost some legends along the way. The Sands, the Stardust, the Dunes were all lost in favor of progress, some better than oth...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 279
Random Vegas In 1999, the Stardust signed a 10-year deal with Wayne Newton for a reported $25 m per year, the largest entertainment contract in Vegas history at the time. But after 5 ½ years Newton ended his run and was replaced by George Carlin in April 2005 Twitpic of the week I’ll admit it, this is the first Twitpic of the week that I’m not 100% sure where this is located. My educated guess is the Stardust but my experiences with her were so limited. Still, she seems to have the same level of...
Apr 24, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 278
Random Vegas In France, the movie “the Hangover” was given the title “Very Bad Trip”. In Spanish-speaking countries, it was called “What Happened Yesterday” (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week A moment in time capture by @_GrandPaD ’s father in 1964 featuring the Stardust, a legend in her prime. Still sporting the original road marquee as well as the properties original frontage. Adding to the glamor is a parking lot full of vintage vehicles. We’ll, back then they weren't vintage but you know what...
Apr 16, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 277
Random Vegas Private dances at Vegas strip clubs require the dancer to always keep one foot on the floor, preventing straddling, dry humping, and other erotic positions. (@kinziroze) Twitpic of the week Its about to happen again. An icon of Las Vegas signage will be going away, making the strip a sadder place. Of course we are talking about the Mirage volcano, expected to be destroyed to make way for the Hard Rock Brand. In order to bring something even more iconic, the Dunes had to go. Most lam...
Apr 10, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 276
Random Vegas The Mirage hotel’s gold windows get their color from actual gold dust used in the tinting process. Twitpic of the week An easy way to get my attention is to share a picture of one of Las Vegas’ legendary resorts under construction, like the one shared by @las_when of NYNY in the early stages of construction. I’ve no handyman skills so construction or renovation of any kind is magical to me. Watching Vegas resorts evolve and develop their footprint always makes me smile as well as sh...
Apr 03, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 275
Random Vegas In the late 40s, ownership of the Flamingo saved 30 cats marked for euthanization and gave them a home and a job Not only did they kill the mice and rats at the Flamingo but overachieved by taking care of them in the surrounding area as well. Eager to show off what a good job they were doing, the cats would often bring the remains of their prey to Flamingo staff who would then have to quickly hide the remains, so guests didn't see. So valued were their services that they learned the...
Mar 27, 2022•52 min•Ep. 274
Random Vegas MSG Sphere @Venetian will be the largest spherical structure in the world at 366-feet tall and 516 feet wide. The project is expected to be complete in 2023 ( edmtunes.com ) Twitpic of the week Elegant in black and white, legendary at all accounts. Caesars Palace, unlike Flamingo, is a property that has weathered many storms and still managed to keep attracting high rollers. Captured by @las_when , this photo from 1971 shows the property after its first expansion tower. Today, not o...
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 273
*Premium Content Preview Patreon.com/360Vegas While many architecture academics have criticized Las Vegas for its lack of substance, there may be no better example of this elitism than the scorn directed towards the Stardust. For better or worse, history points to the Stardust as the defining moment when Las Vegas no longer required a jacket and tie to gain entrance to. Instead of celebrating the brilliance in the Stardust’s minimalism, it was trashed for focusing more on the exterior signage an...
Mar 19, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Random Vegas Before Paris/Caesars could do anything to the Eiffel Tower replica, such as the addition of the light show, changes have to be approved by France (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week It’s a rare occurrence in Vegas but when it happens it's as magical as a neon. Snow in Las Vegas, the clean and beautiful white dressing everything you know into a winter wonderland. Contending for even better than the view is the fact that snow doesn’t typically stick around any longer than an afternoon. ...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 272
Random Vegas Del Webb was a private person, egoless. He wouldn't even allow himself to be paged in any of his properties. In fact, he remained so anonymous that one former employee tells a story about a time Webb tried to get on a service elevator at the Sahara to go to the offices in the penthouse. An employee stopped Del, asked who he was and when he claimed he was Del Webb, the employee told him, unless he could prove that, he wasn't allowed to use the service elevator and turned him away. La...
Feb 27, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 271
Random Vegas 49% of Las Vegas workers are at a high risk of being replaced by robots and other forms of automation technology, according to a new study. Casino dealers have a “probability of automation” of 96% - highest among all professions in the us. (@LasVegasLocally) Twitpic of the week The tweet that brought this picture to our attention, originally shared by @Las_when , came from @Vital Vegas. It said “Caesars Palace kindergarten picture”. Not only did it make me laugh but it is a pretty a...
Feb 13, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 270
Random Vegas Louie Anderson once lost $80K in an LA card room. That same night he rented a car, drove to Vegas, took out a $2K marker at Bally's, won $110K playing blackjack, tipped the dealer $20K, and flew back to LA to film a TV commercial at 7 am. (@lasvegaslocally) Twitpic of the week Debatably the best the Golden Nugget ever looked. It’s true that its most recent incarnation suits the target market they look to attract but it lost its personality. It exchanged a vibrant display full of ani...
Jan 30, 2022•52 min•Ep. 269
Random Vegas Another story about Benny’s Binion’s bravado. Benny used to drive from Vegas to Texas alone semi regular. One time he picked up a hitchhiker. At first the two didn’t say much to each other until the hitchhiker ask Benny “What would you say if I told you I got a gun on me?”. Benny replied “I’d say we’re even”. Benny then pulled the car over and the hitchhiker got out Twitpic of the week This week, @pixvegas777 shared a reflection that inspires one to reflect on life, neon and chance....
Jan 23, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 268
Random Vegas The slots on a roulette wheel where the balls land are called “pockets” (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week Contemplation. A mind set many who listen to this show have no doubt had on multiple occasions while casting a gaze at all the majesty Vegas offers. @TastyOldMan captured one of those moments, enjoying the view of the strip from in front of Bellagio and her fountains. There are moments in life when one must stop and smell the roses, or the scent of a casino, and soak in all the ...
Jan 16, 2022•44 min•Ep. 267
Random Vegas The pirate skull signage at Treasure Island was only on display for a decade, from 1993-2003 and is identified as the signature symbol of the Family Friendly marketing concept. (Neon Museum) Twitpic of the week This week’s winner is another look behind the curtain. This time, it’s the Flamingo, the oldest property on the Las Vegas strip. Although none of the original structure remains, she still sits as an icon. The views shared by @MaverickHeli continue to show the majesty of Vegas...
Jan 09, 2022•55 min•Ep. 266
Random Vegas Vegas casinos won $1.3 billion in November, one of the highest figures ever. It’s the 9th straight month of casino winning exceeding $1 billion, another all time record. The previous record was 8 consecutive months between Oct 2006 and May 2007, right before the great recession hit (@lasvegaslocally) Twitpic of the week Oh Stardust, how we miss thee. Frontier can go fuck itself. No, I’m just kidding about the Frontier. Here we see former properties on a densely populated north strip...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 265
Random Vegas 58% of restaurant and hotel employees intend to quit their jobs by the end of 2021 (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week A beautiful picture of a beautiful property. Balconies and roof top pools were both things you couldn’t do successfully in Vegas. Cosmopolitan proved that wrong. At 4.4 acres, it’s the best use of available space in Vegas history and offers one of the best views of strip for people to enjoy via your balcony. Again, @MaverickHeli gives us a unique perspective as only t...
Dec 19, 2021•44 min•Ep. 264
Random Vegas Dancing dealers at one popular Fremont street casino bring home upwards of $1800 in tips a week, twice what regular dealers make. (@LasVegasLocally) Twitpic of the week If you can’t be on the strip at least you get a great view of it. @MaverickHeli gives us a gods view of the Stratosphere tower. Well, maybe not a gods view considering you can get a view like this via apple maps. Either way, it’s a great pic because it showcases all the stuff properties make a concerted effort to hid...
Dec 12, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 263
Random Vegas In Bulgaria, if your palms itch, it's considered bad luck and gambling should be avoided. In Serbia, it's the opposite. Itchy hands means luck is on your side, expect a win. (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week It’s a shame that the Neon Museum didn’t rescue this part of Vegas history and repurpose it like it did the La Concha main lobby, now the main lobby to the Neon Boneyard. It was right up there with the Flamingo marquee as the best neon sign on the strip. The only thing that woul...
Nov 28, 2021•57 min•Ep. 262
Random Vegas Giant tall slot machines generate 23% more revenue than the regular kind, per gaming professional (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Never has the metaphor “through the looking glass” been more appropriately applied to Vegas than it is in this week’s winner, brought to us by @Fox5vegas . In addition to the massive amounts of “only in Vegas” experiences, it also has many things you can find elsewhere. But here, they are slightly askew with some special Vegas magic. Case and point, Mon...
Nov 21, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 261
Random Vegas When Jay Sarno would play craps downtown at the Horseshoe, Ted Binion, casino manager at the time, would deal the game himself. It was the only way the game would move as fast as Sarno liked it. He didn’t want the dice to stop rolling. Fun fact - He always played the pass line even though the odds are better on the don’t pass, Sarno said he didn’t like to bet on failure. Twitpic of the week Two awesome things in the photo. First, it’s a picture of Caesars early on in its constructio...
Nov 07, 2021•30 min•Ep. 260
Random Vegas 98% of MGM Resorts salaried employees got the covid vaccine by the Oct 15th deadline. Only 90 employees nationwide decided to quit due to the mandate. (@LasVegasLocally) Twitpic of the week I love this picture but it isn’t inspiring monolog. I think the only thing I miss at today’s Cromwell is Barbary Coasts exterior neon. But I can’t lament about it when you consider what significant renovations did to it. It’s definitely better off. It may have remarkably more douches in it but fo...
Oct 31, 2021•58 min•Ep. 259
Random Vegas In 1971, the Silver Slipper became the first property on the strip to hire female dealers. (lvstriphistory.com) Twitpic of the week Before the giant rainbow signage we previously remember Fitzgeralds having, there was a sign that is remarkably similar to the sign it has today at The D. I’m in no way insinuating that this sign inspired its current incarnation but in earnest. This week’s picture from @VitalVegas is what caused this coincidence realization. Gotta love those huge old sa...
Oct 17, 2021•52 min•Ep. 253
Random Vegas In July of 59, the New Frontier was the only casino in town who let their dealers grow mustaches, a fad at the time. The property said they did it for two reasons One, it made them look like gamblers Two, they looked different from any other dealers in town Twitpic of the week He’s iconic. Only Vegas could make a cowboy stay relevant by outlining him in neon. Seeing Vegas Vicki resurrected at Circa to her original operating self only wets the pallet for Vic to return to motion. Howe...
Oct 03, 2021•33 min•Ep. 251
Random Vegas In April of 1964, the Silver Slipper had its gambling closed on a dice cheating charge. Gaming officials said that the slipper had been operating a crap game with “flat dice”, dice shaved on one side so that the winning combination of 6 and 1 did not come as often as it should, giving the house an extra percentage over the player Twitpic of the week The year is approximately 1972/73 and the original MGM Grand is almost complete. It would go on to be one of the largest hotels, not ju...
Sep 26, 2021•35 min•Ep. 249
Random Vegas In April of 1962, the Nevada Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of an $85,000 personal injury suit against the New Frontier The suite was attempting to hold New Frontier liable for a fall the plaintiff had into a planter in the lobby It was decided that the fall was a result of the plaintiff's intoxication and not the negligence of the resort Twitpic of the week In a world before color photos, I’ll bet things were even more grand when you saw Vegas in living color. Not just the neon...
Sep 19, 2021•28 min•Ep. 248
Random Vegas An employee at Wynn Resorts desk stated that the company has received over 12,000 cancelations since the 2nd mask policy was implemented (@svoth1) Twitpic of the week The Stardust, in all her motel glory. It’s hard to imagine the casinos we know today as motels but that’s how they did it in the old days. No property better showcased that than the Stardust shared by @GrandPaD . Traditional architecture thought so little of it they nicknamed it the Painted Shed. That didn’t seem to im...
Sep 05, 2021•33 min•Ep. 247
Random Vegas Of the million dollars in fines levied so far in 2021 by the FAA, $112k are Vegas related. 7 of the 9 incidents involved passengers flying into Vegas. Top violations include drinking alcohol not purchased from airline and not complying with the mask mandate. Fines ranged from $9-$15k. Twitpic of the week Pretty much every building built since the Landmark topped out at 31 stories was built taller but that doesn’t diminish the feeling the Landmark exudes as a skyscraper. Something ab...
Aug 29, 2021•41 min•Ep. 246
Random Vegas The original Vegas Vicki was a hostess role at the Pioneer Club created in the early 60s, two decades before the famous neon sign of the same name. ( vintagelasvegas.com ) Twitpic of the week She was a shithole at the end, there is no debating that but the memories Imperial Palace gave so many is invaluable. Memories of low limit gaming tables, dealertainers and movie quality theming come flooding back when you see the photo shared by @UCVegas . Just like most properties we’ve lost ...
Aug 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 245
