Random Vegas The original trains used on the Las Vegas Monorail were from Walt Disney World. When they debuted, they simply connected Bally’s to MGM Grand. (@LasVegasLocally) TwitPic of the week The Queen of the Strip, as she was known, basking in the morning glow of a sunrise shared by @_GrandpaD . The Stardust Super Pylon marquee was remarkable for so many reasons. The font, the shower of stars and how the pylons were designed to disappear at night. They were planted blue to do the same thing ...
May 12, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 492
w/ Josh and Tony This week, we are drafting our favorite Vegas Movies. The game is simple. Pick your favorite Vegas movies. The trick is we are all drafting from the same pool of movies and a movie is only available to be selected by one person. This is NOT a list of the best movies set in Vegas nor is it a game to select the most valuable movies. There is no score, there aren’t winners or losers. This is just a chance for us to talk about some of our favorite Vegas movies for whatever reason we...
May 08, 2024•30 min•Ep. 486
Random Vegas The Fountains of Bellagio are not the first dancing fountains to exist in Las Vegas. The original debuted in 1955 at the Royal Nevada. They were simply called the Dancing Water’s and consisted of 4,000 jet streams and lights revolving and swaying in sync with waltz music. They could accomplish heights has high as 50 foot. The attraction was universally liked however the Royal Nevada thought they could offer this show instead of headliners. The property struggled and closed 3 years a...
Apr 28, 2024•32 min•Ep. 491
360 Mail Bag is our opportunity to address your feedback in a causal conversation between friends.
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 487
Random Vegas In 1968, Las Vegas could lay claim to the 3 tallest electric signs in the world. The Dunes at 180, the Frontier at 184 and the Stardust at 188 feet tall TwitPic of the week How can you not be proud of that collection of properties? Specifically, it feels like MGM treats @LuxorLV and Excalibur like unwanted commodities. Which is funny because they bought Mandalay Resorts, one of the most profitable gaming companies in history, with a portfolio that primarily catered to the middle cla...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 490
Okay. Let’s start by addressing the Elephant in the room. Las Vegas was racist. Really, really racist. Not Alabama bad but Las Vegas was known as the “Mississippi of the west” and I’m certain it wasn’t a compliment.
Apr 20, 2024•7 min•Ep. 323
Random Vegas Nick Mazzolo. You may not know the name but you certainly know his work. Nick was cast as a table games dealer in 3 blockbuster titles. Rain Man in 1988, Casino in 1995 and Vegas Vacation in 1997. TwitPic of the week In a picture that looks like it was taking on the pool deck of the Plaza years before it existed, this picture, shared by @FSELV definitely captures the best the Las Vegas Club ever looked, years before her transformation into a faux baseball stadium on the roof. All of...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 488
I’ve said this before: if I had a time machine, I know exactly what I’d do with it. No, I wouldn’t steal a sports almanac or try to get my parents to kiss at the big dance. I’ve already graduated high school, so I wouldn’t use it to pass my history final, either. No, I would head back in time at 88.8 miles per hour to the Copa Room at the Sands in 1960, to see the greatest show one could see for $5.95. Dinner included. Like many of you, I have a decidedly romantic view of “old Vegas.” A time whe...
Apr 10, 2024•30 min•Ep. 479
Random Vegas Tropicana’s nickname was the “ Tiffany of the Strip ” because it was said to be the shape of a necklace when viewed from an arial perspective. TwitPic of the week This is another property I have an irrational affinity for. Like the Fontainebleau today, the Landmark was a project that stalled for almost a decade before it was completed. Unfortunately, she wasn’t finished by someone who had a passion for her and therefore she struggled. Once it did open it was no longer the tallest bu...
Apr 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 485
The Tropicana was a unique property in the evolution of Las Vegas. While ownership was consolidated all over the city, it managed to remain independent, relatively speaking. When older properties on the strip were imploded so new projects could replace them, Tropicana remained and instead was reimagined. Step inside and it was clear this was not another Super Casino. The property was able to capture the charm of old Vegas while evolving to keep up with modern tastes. The perpetual David to the c...
Apr 02, 2024•26 min•Ep. 482
Random Vegas Sammy Davis Jr was supposed to be in 3 major movies about Vegas. We all know he was in the original Ocean’s 11 but did you know he was supposed to be cast as Elvis’ sidekick in the movie Viva Las Vegas? But producers thought that much star power would distract from the story so he didn’t get the part. The third was Diamonds are Forever, a movie he actually played himself in but it got cut. It can now be seen as a part of the movie’s deleted scenes. TwitPic of the week What’s special...
Mar 31, 2024•54 min•Ep. 483
Random Vegas Vegas has been attempting to go smoke free since the early 90s. The first casino to ban cigarette smoking was at Silver City Casino in 1991. Vegas Pic of the week It was the original mega sign. Not quite a super pylon but big enough that it was a statement piece. The champaign tower at Flamingo, shared by @_GrandPaD , stood as a beacon for the property for years while she was a low-rise building. The cylindrical structure lit up at night with glowing bubbles that cresecendoed into t...
Mar 24, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 481
Nothing special is probably a very good way to describe the Royal Nevada. Not that it wasn’t nice or well located, it just wasn’t memorable. Think Monte Carlo Vegas and its luxury on a budget theme. Mix that with the opening of 4 new Vegas properties in 1955 and the answer to the question is yes, Vegas was over built.
Mar 23, 2024•5 min•Ep. 322
Random Vegas The office of Sam “Ace” Rothstein and the Tangiers sports book in Martin Scorsese’s Casino was filmed on the site of an unopened casino at the Jockey Club ( Vintagelasvegas.com ) Vegas Pic of the week This is a photo I didn’t even know existed and it blew my mind when I found it, like I’m sure it’s going to blow yours. It’s a picture of the Dunes, mid-evolution from a motel to a high rise. I found it at vintagelasvegas.com . Here we still see all the original façade with the Diamond...
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 480
Premium Content Preview Benny Binion is a Vegas legend. Many of the policies and procedures he put in place to run his casinos are standard operating procedure today. Making everyone feel like they were someone was the key to establishing loyalty and more importantly, return business. At Binion’s, you knew you were getting a good gamble with a fair shake. For more information about Benny Binion, check out the following lvstriphistory.com The Players: The Men Who Made Las Vegas The First 100 Shar...
Mar 16, 2024•9 min•Ep. 255
Random Vegas Many of YESCO’s contracts for the signs it manufactured were lease agreements that included service contracts for the life of the lease. When the lessee eventually removed the sign, the contract stipulated that it be returned to YESCO which either recycled the signs parts or retired the sign to a designated boneyard lot at the outskirts of Las Vegas (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon) Vegas Pic of the week This week’s winner from VintageLasVegas.com is another snapshot in ti...
Mar 10, 2024•56 min•Ep. 478
Random Vegas In the late 1940s, the state of Nevada’s slogan was “If you can’t do it at home, come to Nevada”. (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon) Twitpic of the week Icons, paired together in a beautiful union. The Sands cylindrical hotel tower, the classic, original, Sands egg crate marquee with the name Frank Sinatra on it as the headliner in the Copa Room. For a time, it didn’t get any more iconic than these brands together. @Summacorp shared a lovely photo of this moment in time, sp...
Mar 03, 2024•41 min•Ep. 477
Random Vegas In 2003, Las Vegas tried to buy a commercial slot during the Super Bowl to promote tourism to the city. The NFL stepped in, citing a contract that allowed it to reject any ad related to sports betting, even though the spot didn’t include any overt references to gambling (Forbes) Twitpic of the week It’s amazing to think that today, this is all Circa. The Las Vegas Club, Golden Goose, Glitter Gulch and Sassy Sally, shared by @_GrandPaD , gone. Granted Sassy Sally was Mermaid’s at the...
Feb 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 476
This is one of those projects that I would have loved to see make it to the strip; and who knows, we may still get it one day. Yes a space theme has failed before in Las Vegas but come on, it was Bob Stupak behind it. Just like Luxor before it, I wonder how long those themed attractions will last. Another problem with a space themed resort is how quickly things can look dated. $5 billion dollars is a crazy price tag for a concept that is clearly targeting the middle class. Only time will tell if...
Feb 24, 2024•5 min•Ep. 321
We recently released the 360 Vegas show review for X-Country, and Mrs Jaydubs complained that we spent half the review talking about Fantasy. I can’t help it, though. Fantasy is the litmus test by which all other Vegas topless revues will be judged for a long time. Note: I have in the past referred to Fantasy as the Gold Standard of Vegas topless revues, and thought I was very clever for coming up with that. Then I saw the same words on a Fantasy poster on the way into Luxor and realized I was j...
Feb 14, 2024•16 min•Ep. 347
Random Vegas Built in 1982, the 2-story building that was the Oasis Casino @Dunes was supposed to be comprised of two components, a casino on the 1st floor and a restaurant on the 2nd floor. The restaurant never opened and the space remained unused until its destruction in 1993 ( vintagelasvegas.com ) Twitpic of the week Here is another @summacorp picture that mesmerizes me with all the history going on. For example, we know that this is 1968 because they are working on the fountains in front of...
Feb 11, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 475
Random Vegas After a 4 month remodeling and a rebranding, in 1963, Lucky Casino , formerly known as Lucky strike, reopened with the largest sign in the city of Las Vegas at 160 feet tall. It held that titled until it was surpassed in 1964 by the Dunes turret marquee towering 180 feet tall. Lucky Casino is now the middle part of Golden Nugget Fremont St frontage. Twitpic of the week So much development goodness in this picture it’s not hard to see why @summacorp shared it. Set in what looks like ...
Feb 04, 2024•45 min•Ep. 374
Random Vegas The Caesars Palace marquee has caught on fire twice. In both cases, Tom Jones was the featured artist on the billboard at the time ( vintagelasvegas.com ) Twitpic of the week Ever wonder what it looked like when your Grandparents were on vacation in Vegas. Well, thanks to @_GrandPaD , we can relive that moment poolside at the Stardust in the 1950s. How do I know it’s the Stardust, you say? Easy, look at the top of the building. You can see the unmistakable outline of the original St...
Jan 28, 2024•49 min•Ep. 373
Random Vegas In Vegas history, 3 signs have been knocked down due to high winds. The first was the Silver Slipper in May of 1978. The second, in May of 1991, was Bob Stupak’s Vegas World sign. The third was the Hilton sign, the tallest free-standing sign in the world at 365 feet, had the top portion of the sign collapse in July of 94. The incident caused designers to be questioned how a sign designed to withstand winds of over 100 mph fail at 70 mph. The sign was repaired, then totally replaced ...
Jan 21, 2024•47 min•Ep. 372
Patreon Exclusive Content Many regard Jay Sarno as the father of the themed casino as well as the mind behind family friendly Las Vegas. His contributions to the strip, Caesars Palace and Circus Circus, are complete opposites on the theme and customer base scale. While he was many things, a womanizer and a gambling addict, no one can dispute that he was also a visionary. Jay Sarno was exactly what Vegas wanted during a time when all its current owners were being scrutinized by attorney general B...
Jan 20, 2024•9 min•Ep. 258
Random Vegas A typical arcade game makes about as much per day as a typical slot machine (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Here @summacorp shares a time before the Golden Nugget consumed all of its western casino competition to acquire the Fremont footprint they have today. It was also the initial incarnation of their greatest exterior façade with the bullnose corner of Fremont and 2nd St, known today as Casino Center Blvd. Knowing what it would become it looks kind of cute. Especially next to w...
Jan 14, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 371
Random Vegas One day of running a 90-second ad intermittently on the Sphere is $750k (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Magical…well, to someone like me this is magical. To the layman this is an old picture of Caesars Palace, shared by @Summacorp , before the retheming in the late 90s/early 2000s. This is so mesmerizing because you don’t often see pictures of Caesars during this time, in this case 1982 and without the lights turned on. This was a time before I knew Vegas so to me, it’s like a mag...
Jan 07, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 370
Random Vegas About one in 3 U.S. Adults said they thought the tipping culture “has gotten out of control,” according to a survey conducted in May 2023 (Review Journal) Twitpic of the week The photo by @Las_when doesn’t date the picture but this is how the Stardust looked when I got the one and only chance to visit the property in 2006, just months before it closed its doors on Nov 1st. The lamentation of properties lost has a long tradition in Las Vegas. However this move has gone down in histor...
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 369
Random Vegas Allegiant Stadium generated $2.29 billion in economic impact to the city of Las Vegas including $128 million in tax revenue (@mickakers) Twitpic of the week Following last week’s holiday theme, @_GrandpaD out did himself with a collection of various Vegas locations themed for the holidays. Everything from Stardust’s Aku Aku tiki statue with a giant Santa hat on to more views of Fremont St with decorations strewn across the street. Our favorite this week was the view of Stardust’s or...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 368
Patreon Content Preview Patreon.com/360Vegas At times the Aladdin has been called “The Vegas Jinx”. History has documented a long line of potential suitors who, when they took their shot, missed. In a town where the house always wins, it’s not only an anomaly when one doesn’t, it’s also a cautionary tale. It isn’t as simple as build it and they will come. Theme, location, timing and in some cases luck is needed to be a successful Las Vegas resort. If your interested in learning more about the Al...
Dec 23, 2023•18 min•Ep. 257
