Excellent pictures Ron. Agree with Al... didn't they move that geo-dome to Center Stage at Plaza?? Sands was really quite a small hotel, compared to the other giants surrounding it. When hotels started topping 2000 rooms as a rule, I think that's when it's days became numbered. It makes me sad to know the only two times I was in Vegas while it was open, I was underage and couldn't visit it.
Thanks for the pics Ron. It's a great blend of the new era beginning and the old soldiers getting ready to be put out to pasture. It's kind of like what's going on now with IP, New Frontier, and Stardust to name a few.
Nice Pictures Nice Pics! Thanks Becky and Ron. The Sands sign showing Tito Puente as the attraction brought back an interesting memory. I was working a convention back in the early 80s and after dinner we went over to Cleopatra's Barge for a few drinks and some dancing. (I was still a young buckaroo then!) and Tito Puente and his band were playing the Barge. That was a fun night!!
I just love these pictures. Being a such a newbie to Vegas, I like to see what it looked like before 2002 (first year I came to Vegas). It amazing how the Strip was so...empty.
"One day, Tito Puente's gonna be dead and you'll be saying that you've been listening to him for years." Bill Murray, Stripes
Caesars 1976 My mom found some pics from a trip in 1976. My father passed away in 1997 and my mom spent most of the trip in the room due to illness & she doesn't remember a whole lot. She remembers seeing Wayne Newton and going in MGM (Ballys) but that's about it. According to her, there are more pics somewhere. She thinks my brother may have them so hopefully I'll get more to post and be able to piece together a trip report long past. I know dad was in Dunes at some point because he brought me home a dollar token from there. Here are the pics mom found - most are of the room at Ceasars (love that retro decor). In the pic of the sign, you can see the Dunes and the old Aladdin in the background.
I like the pillar at the foot of the bed. When did pole dancing start?? Who would think that 30 years later Gabe (welcome back) Kaplan would be playing poker for a living.
I hope you guys have a broadband connection.. I will fix the file size when I get back home.. Here are some pics of my grandparents and their friends in the old Vegas. The Flamingo and Golden Nugget treated my grandpa pretty well... You guys have a happy 4th.
Excellent pics VA!!! Is your grandfather still alive? I bet he has some stories to tell. Nothing says "Vegas in style" more than a private plane to get you there. I'm going to take a guess based on the entertainers that this was somewhere around 1977-78. Were the room & pool pics taken at the Flamingo? I'm going to have fun analyzing these pics. Very nice!!
Thanks. I am glad you liked them. My grandpa died a few years back, but he shared many stories with me.. I think I was born with my Vegas/gambling addiction but his stories helped grow it. My grandma is still around and I love to talk to her about Vegas.. She truly had some great times in Vegas, however, she's not one to advocate gambling. All of the pics are from a trip in 75. The room pics are from the Flamingo and I believe the pool is also. Next time I am back in town, I'll scan some more pics at my grandmas.. I will still get the large file size fixed. Probably tomorrow. I am too lazy to fix and re-upload the pics in a smaller file size tonight..
Time to bump this up since today is Jimbucc's birthday and his '78 pics were the inspiration for this thread.
I had an old footlocker that I carried around ever since college that got dumped about six or seven years ago. Unfortunately, it had a bunch of pictures I took in 1994 with the half-built Stratosphere tower as seen from the window of the Sahara. It was also my first (and last) visit to Circus Circus. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about Vegas in 1990 when I made my first visit, and didn't have a camera with me when I made that trip. We spent most of time bouncing between Mirage, Caesars, and the Dunes. In fact, I had no clue about basic strategy and whatnot, so the only souvenirs I came home with were some dollar tokens from the Dunes and a few porn flyers (had never seen anything like that before, and just had to share them with the college roommates!) Mikey
Pics from 1981 I went to Vegas for the first time at 19. My dad won a trip for job performance, and my mom couldn't go, so I took a week off college and went with him! I'll never forget that trip...my pics are with a cheapy little camera, so sorry abouy the quality. I have more I want to scan and post, so I will try to get to that this week since next week we'll be basking in the Nevada sun! I'll send the rest of what I have to Blackjack since I can't get the file size down far enough...
