The black building is the Dunes Oasis casino. It's about where you would enter Bellagio at the bridge from Bally's. Serendipty 3 would be over to the right.
Not to show my real age, but ... Here are a few taken downtown on NYE, 1970s, exact year uncertain ... This one above I remember taking very distinctly. My dad and my brother boosted me up above the crowd, each holding one leg. The cops had the west end of Fremont blocked off up to the Plaza. Traffic jam approaching the blocked-off area.
What great photos! If only there were some way to put color into those, I bet they would just be incredible with all the neon of the down town.
Thanks (blush). I have a few 90s vintage downtown shots in color, but really nothing in color before then. Back in the 70s the selection of color film for things like this was limited and expensive. We did have the so-called High Speed Ektachrome (ASA 160, IIRC) but that would not have worked well for high-contrast scenes such as Fremont St., where the brightness range can go from surface-of-the-sun bright to black-cat-in-coal-bin dark.
How about this ... I do have more of the NYE shots, plus I have some I took in 2005 shot from more or less the same angles. I had these up on kind of a rinky-dink web page for a while, but that's Not Ready For Prime Time. Let me do a quickie blog post of the then and now shots and I'll post the link here.
Here ya go, surf here: http://omababe.blogspot.com/2011/06/downtown-las-vegas-then-and-now_06.html Enjoy.
Yer very welcome. And, not to shamelessly promote, but you might also enjoy a few other Las Vegas related postings I've done over the years ... http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/08/stardust-to-dust.html http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/10/dust-of-stardust.html http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/07/final-frontier.html http://omababe.blogspot.com/2008/05/on-carnival-court.html http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/05/sin-city-nights.html (I think I'm missing one in there ... oh well ...)
I found this on flickr. Looks like a lot of vintage photos of vegas http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_vegas/ Check out this ad for Don Rickles in 1963 and check out the show times http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_vegas/2484899499/ Hilarious... Can you believe the guy came on at 5:10am? My first time in Vegas I saw Rickles at the Sahara in 1976.
Old Vegas pictures I'm sure this link has been posted before but for newer members, a great look at early Vegas. The Stardust pictures are just amazing for those of us lucky enough to have stayed there. http://www.whenthemobranvegas.com/slideshow.html Edit: Also one shot of Park Casino downtown which is now Main Street Station.
Actually, I have an autographed copy of his book, from a local book signing when it was first published.
Love all the old cars as well........... Also notice how everyone dressed up as well. Even the pedestrians were wearing coat / tie back then.
