It's amazing how much different it looks now. I realize it's 18 years, but still.... I wonder how much different the strip will look in 2033?!
it's always a struggle to believe that things will change as much in the next 18, 50, 100 years as they have changed in the past 18, 50, or 100 years. vegas is definitely in a slower pace of change right now because of the lingering effects of the great recession and competition with macau.
This isn't specifically on topic, but I thought I'd share it anyway. This weekend, my aunt gave me a pic of my dad standing in front of a Bally's Triple 7 slot in Las Vegas after he'd won a $150 jackpot. Adjusted for inflation, that's around $1,100 in today's money. Apparently it was a big deal back in the day!
Hello all, still a relative newbie here, but this thread seems like fun. Here are some photos I took on the evening of Thursday, April 8, 1993. I only stayed one night at Caesars; I was on an epic 17-day road trip around the western U.S. What's funny to me is that at the time, I remember being "underwhelmed" by Vegas, and it would be 12 years before I ever went back. Of course I was travelling alone and not by nature a gambler. Naturally since then I've become a huge fan. It's fascinating to see these pictures now. Not only is Caesars so different, but TI was still under construction (see covered walkway). What else do you see?
Wow, love the older pictures! Some of them were taken before I was born. Anyone know where those members of the site are now and why they dont post anymore? Im sure they have some good info about vegas back then. Btw, why did post show up in my feed? Post before mine was back in september.
I'm still here. Blackjack started the thread but doesn't come around much anymore. My wife and I still go to Vegas at least twice a year. Our first trip was back in 1978 and we stayed at The Marina which is still part of MGM Grand. It was a different world back then. You had to tip the maître d when you went to shows. The bigger the tip the better the seat. We saw Tony Orlando and upon entering, the maître d waved us off and didn't even take a tip because all the seating that was left was in the nose bleed section. The early bird gets the worm. Keno runners were abundant at all the cafes. One thing that hasn't changed a whole lot are table minimums. Five dollar tables were plentiful back then but are still around today. Just not as many on the strip. Of course the comp system was totally different. I think I like today in that you get points for playing slots and video poker. Table games were more the way to get anything back then. I think downtown still gives off the old Vegas vibe. I do like the way the strip has reinvented itself. Basically I like Vegas then and now. Buffets, gambling, cheap rooms, looking for where the deals are. There really were no "gimmicks" back then. It was a gambling town. They didn't want you sitting in a club. They wanted you to gamble. Even though I can now gamble almost anywhere, Vegas is still my favorite gambling destination. The changes will keep coming. We have to roll with the punches.
Im sure and sounds like you have a wealth of information. If you have any other photos to share, that would be great! I can only imagine how it was back in the "old days".
i just revisited this thread, since it's quite old. The pictures posted bring back very fond memories. I can see the Frontier sign, as well as the Desert Inn sign across the street. the Sands still also brings back older memories. It was the real rat pack stuff kind of place. Those walks from the Stardust (about the location of the camera) south to the Sands seemed like wasteland at that time. thanks for posting those pictures.
Here's the opening credits of Elvis' Viva Las Vegas movie. It contains a lot of footage of old Fremont street.