Open letter to Derek Stevens

Although I fully appreciate everything you have done and are doing to downtown, I implore you to try and keep the idntities of the properties decidedly different. It seems the GG is becoming more like the D, concerned the LVC redo will be more of the same. I miss the Mermaids, and La Bayou vibe, and sinse their closing downtown hasn't been the same for us. We have started making the transformation back to the strip. The things that made us love downtown seem to be disappearing under the canopy. Whereas Fremont East is changing for the better, it seems the opposite under the canopy. The frozen drinks are all the same, weak and lacking in character, we soo miss the concoctions of la bayou, and the snack bar at mermaids as well as the free beads, and spins. Are there others out there that feel the same? I would ask you to post.

 

Mermaids was Great, I loved the Cheap Piping HOT Shoestring French Fries (I didn't like it when they changed to the fatter fries) And The Ultra Cheap Nathans Hot Dog.
After eating a buffet earlier in the day, The late night Munchies at Mermaids always did the trick.

 

Mermaids, deep fried Twinkies and those hot dogs were fucking awesome.

 

I was just going to say the deep fried twinkies....and the oreos too.
We had a plastic football-shaped cup from Mermaids (we kept change
in) but it got old and broke.
Loved the snarky cocktail waitresses who were always yelling
at everybody to "play the slots or you don't get a drink" too. Good times.

 

He may or may not (like right) know what he is doing but if he doesn't fill the void someone will. I think (and except for sigma derby don't care for gig or d) he will make a solid impact on the downtown audience. There is only so much to go around to be "out there"

 

I do not miss Mermaids or La Bayou. Not much better than sitting at the machines at the local Albertsons to me. The food was geared towards 18-22 y.o.s. I don't think 18-22 year olds have that much money to keep a casino/hotel in business. The D is geared towards the 20-30 crowd and it looks like the GG will be looking to the same crowd. I would like to see the LVC geared towards a more mature, but not old crowd...maybe the 40-50 year old age group...play some classic rock and at a decibel level that you can hear the person next to you speaking.

 

I agree with you smerrian but I am thinking fat chance that this is going to happen. I hope I am sadly mistaken.

 

I don't know Blues...I think he understands that the GG and The D are essentially the same places; he'd be a pretty piss poor business man if he tried to triplicate(?) a business model that may already be losing it's luster. I'd look for him to go a completely different direction with LVC.

 

Heck, I miss Glitter Gulch—and I only went in there once or twice. What's downtown Vegas without a little naughtiness?

 

I always called it Sassy Sally's up to the end!

 

That is probably from the time when all Fremont was called Glitter Gulch

 

Ya know, I really don't remember the term "Glitter Gulch" being that common back in the early days of my experience with Las Vegas ...

 

I think the new place will just be an upscale version of GG and D to compete with the GN. Like the GG and D it will cater to the younger crowd but also to the richer crowd IMHO. Not sure how that will be done since the richer people are older and don't like the "noise" that the D and GG offer.

 

I hope LVC becomes its own person and represents what Downtown is supposed to be all about - NOT THE STRIP! Those quirky little joints made it unique, as do the buskers. Yes, I like the busker atmosphere, fun in the street. It's been going the wrong direction since Slotzilla.

 

Wikipedia - Prior to the construction of the Fremont Street Experience, the western end of Fremont Street was the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and movie that wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of neon signs, like cowboy Vegas Vic, earned the street the nickname of Glitter Gulch.

 

I think DT is gearing up for a clientele they can service for another 20-30 years, as opposed to those who may have another 2 or 3 trips left in 'em.

There’s just no nice way to put it…business looks to the future, not to exist to satisfy those hoping Johnny Carson’s making a return or the Four Seasons to put another hit on the charts. Pining for the “old days” is fine… I get it, I’m 59… but were the old days really all that great or did I just like being 25? I’m thinking the later. Sure you have more money now, but be honest, you’re also more judicious about parting with it. Kids will run up the credit cards, while the old fogies are going to bed at 7 p.m., riding the WAX bus, splitting a $4.99 buffet and looking for nickels on the sidewalks.

Certainly, they appreciate and value your business, but I just don't see them rushing to "cater" to it to any great extent.

 

YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

 

I love what he's done with the D and GG. As long as the gambling odds are better I'll continue to spend more time and money downtown than on the strip. That's the only thing I request. 3/2 blackjack with some playable VP and of course the Sigma Derby.....The half dressed dealers have got me to spend more time at the D than other places lol.

 

You have to think that downtown cant get too over the top fancy,. As it is now the cap is at golden nugget. LVC could top that with a nicer place putting great pressure on the gn so maybe thats whats going to happen. of course as long as the ther places are around there will always be the lower end of the spectrum. Cant make the place too nice and alienate too many people and also if its gets crazy people will just stay on the strip. So there is a fine line there.

A nice place would be great but keep the downtown vibe, almost impossible to get rid of it anyway so might as well lean into it.

Derek is a smart guy who seems to know what people want so i have faith in him to make it cool . Look at the d and gg, he has done a great job with both and did not over do them.

 

I went into mermaids once and stayed just a minute and never went into Glitter Gulch or La bayou but I didn't look at them as LV landmarks I just looked at them as low end places that went in when DT was suffering. I just don't think that with the investment that Stevens is making that he is going for a low end experience. I think it will be more strip like than some DT lovers will want.