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Reflections after 30 years

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Turtleman, May 7, 2015.

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  1. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    June 1 will mark 30 years since my first Vegas trip and first casino experience. Keeping things uncharacteristically short, I was sent by my new employer to work a convention booth. I had two days' notice and seriously considered coming up with a myriad of lame excuses to keep from going! I had never gambled (outside of the stock market), had no desire to go to Vegas or a casino, knew absolutely nothing about any of the games, and was totally intimidated by the prospect of going.

    Let's just say it was one helluva experience. Coming up on my hundredth (well, maybe 98 or 99th) Vegas trip, three dozen to Atlantic City, over a dozen to Mississippi, Aruba, etc., the rest, as they say, is history. I just haven't decided if I should celebrate or wear a black armband! :)
     
  2. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Well, not to admit my real age but I'm coming up on my 40th Las Vegas anniversary shortly.

    My first trip to Las Vegas was the most enjoyable and relaxing vacation of my life! For close to 40 years I've been looking for that experience again.

    I never found it.

    But I've had a great time looking for it! :)
     
  3. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    2015 marks 42 years for me. I've totally lost track of the number of trips, but well over 100.
     
  4. Joe Strummer

    Joe Strummer VIP Whale

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    Congrats Turtleman !
    ( and dmr ) -
    I'm somewhere around 25 yrs of The Vegas Experience.
    And I too.......was really not interested in vacationing w/ my buddies -
    in Vegas.
    I had never gambled.......and never had a thought about Vegas.
    I was going just to play golf w/ my buddies.
    And as "dmr' posted -- I have been trying to find that FIRST TIME Vegas feeling - ever since !
    *
    NOTE :
    I have met TURTLEMAN + Ms. Gecko at MSS ---
    I only recognized Turleman's hat and took a guess "Hey ?.....is that guy from Vegas Message Board "?
    Turns out Turtleman was talking to Joe ( and his wife ) at the Boar Bar -- a couple of VP tops away from me.
    Small world ?...............not in Vegas !
    *
    Hey Turtleman,
    You should give us a couple of past experiences from all those years.
     
  5. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    39 years for me. Fell out of my chair the very first time I played Blackjack, little suspecting that this would become a Breeze trademark as the years went by.
     
  6. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    Be careful what you wish for; I could write a book about my Vegas experiences. Actually, I have; I just haven't attempted to get it published or blogged. It's very long.

    BTW: I hate to nitpick, but this is the second time you've mentioned recognizing me from my turtle hat. Truth be known, I don't even own a hat. We were carrying our good friend Vern the Turtle! :) I may also have been wearing a "I Love My Turtle" shirt. That sure was a fun meeting at MSS.
     
  7. Don the Dentist

    Don the Dentist LV resident

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    My first trip to Las Vegas was in 1969. I stayed at the International (aka Las Vegas Hilton, LVH, Westgate).

    Moved here in 1991. Best thing I ever did.

    Don the Dentist
     
  8. hotreds

    hotreds Illegitimi non carborundum!

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    My first trip to Vegas was 2014. I'm almost 60, so I gots a lot of catchin' up to do!
     
  9. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Very first trip was in 1979. I only stayed/played a few hours at the Flamingo, and then flew home to Houston - but hey - I gambled & drank so it counts! I was 22. ~sigh~ Oh, to be young again!
    So anyway, 2015 marks my 36th year visiting our mutually favorite city about 80+ times.

    One of the fascinating things about going 1-to-4 times a year for that long is that you really do see the city as it changes...it is much more a progression, rather than a dramatic thing.

    Of course, you tend to really be emotionally impacted by the few dramatic things that do happen;
    1. The end of the Stardust, Barbary Coast, Westward Ho, Desert Inn, the Sands, Dunes & Aladdin...
    2. The wonderful "promises" of the monorail...(none of which came true).
    3. The 'closing' of Fremont to vehicular traffic and the completion of the canopy & the FSE light show...
    4. The MGM fire & them building the new hotel...
    5. The opening of the Mirage... trust me - it was a very big deal.

    The other stuff? It all seemed to sort of happen naturally...
     
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  10. hotreds

    hotreds Illegitimi non carborundum!

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    We really love the monorail! What promises weren't kept?
     
  11. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Originally, the proposal was for phase 2 to run all the way downtown. There was supposed to be a stop on Bonneville & Main Street, then continue downtown. Then phase three was going to be the airport. Now I may have my phases reversed, but that was the grand scheme. Anyway, a monorail from the airport to downtown. The limo/cab lobby put a stop to that.

    The Ice House, a very high tech bar/club invested heavily ($1,000,000+) counting on that. They were very close to Bonneville on Main Street. No monorail, they went belly up.
     
  12. hotreds

    hotreds Illegitimi non carborundum!

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    Indeed, going DT would have been great! Maybe the strip casinos had something to do with that.
     
  13. Jonnyvegas

    Jonnyvegas Low-Roller

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    This thread made me realize that this year's upcoming trip will be the 20 year anniversary to my first trip.
    That trip was with 2 really good friends. We partied hard and hung out with showgirls. I think I flew back on the red eye w alcohol poisoning. The last 12 trips have been w the gf/wife Including our wedding back in '04.
    Much different trips over the years but everyone of them tons of fun.

    - - - Updated - - -
     
  14. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    First & foremost was the promise that it would access McCarran.
    Second was the early promise that it would run down LVB... they dropped this one pretty quick - even before they bailed on the airport - but I remember.
    Another early promise was that it would eventually link downtown to the strip... I can't recall if this last one was an actual promise, or more of a "hopefully, we can do this in the future" sort of thing...but I recall talk about it.

    But the airport thing...that was a broken promise for sure.
     
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  15. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Pretty sure you do! :beer:
    Sorry about the post above this one...I didn't see that you had already responded.
    I'm pretty certain the airport connection was the early phase that was promised & the downtown one was to be later.

    Do you remember the early plan of running it down/above LVB? The stops were something like:
    1)Tropicana 2)Flamingo 3)Sands 4)Desert Inn 5)Stardust/Riv 6)Hilton/Convention-Center.
    The 'downtown' connection was gonna be later, and was to cost an extra ticket, as the "line" was to end at the Hilton.
    You would have to pay separate to get downtown.
     
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  16. Joe Strummer

    Joe Strummer VIP Whale

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    Ah Yes !.....The Ice House !
    I was on another Vegas Board + one of the member's
    had something to do with that place.( never found out exactly what ? )
    A bunch of us went in there ( early on ).......
    The owners thought they could keep treading the bottom line,with day time lunch business
    until that rail was bulit.
    Of course, ....didn't happen.
    One of the funny memories was pulling into the Ice House ( dirt ) parking lot --
    with a sh*tload of people stuffed into somebody's car -
    and immediately "bottoming out" in some dirt hole !!!!
    *
    The Monorail was one BIG political football ---
    the "lobbying" and payoffs must have been SWEET for a few.
    **
    I can remember walking from the strip to my Holiday Inn ( on Koval ?...I think ?) -- Gone, now -
    and taking a shortcut thru the rubble of the new Venetian ? construction site.
    How I was able to do that ?.......?
     
  17. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Well, they successfully torpedoed the extension to downtown and are doing all they can to stop the expansion to the airport!
     
  18. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    I think based on ridership levels they decided that the monorail wasn't worth the expense to expand to downtown. I kind of have to agree, I don't think they would have the riders to keep that leg afloat.

    I have to agree with the airport leg though, there was a lot of opposition from the taxi companies to kill it. I think it would have been great as many people would be taking the monorail from McCarran to the strip (and downtown). I figure that taxi companies would probably lose at least 15 to 20% of rides (if not more) if there was a monorail from the airport to the strip.

    We are in a similar predicament in Honolulu. They want to build a rail around town and outside of town and it will go through the airport area. Lots of opposition from taxi companies and others but eventually it was decided to use the airport as one of the stops along the rail route. The only problem is that the rail won't go near Waikiki so Ala Moana shopping center may be the closest rail stop to Waikiki.
     
  19. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Dupe delete me
     
  20. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    It's been so long I forgot when I first went to vegas. Was gambling allowed for 18 year olds in those days? The one embarrassing thing I remember was my mom took me to vegas for my 18 or 21 bd and we went to the Jubilee show. All the time she kept looking at my face to see how I would react to seeing topless women. You have to remember in the early 80's tv shows didn't show as much skin as today so we had to sneak to look at playboys for our thrills (lol).

    Too bad, if I knew then what I know now.........
     
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