Riviera closed May 4th

Thanks for posting such a well written and illustrated tribute. I agree that there's something depressing about replacing an historic casino with an expansion of a convention center. I'm not sure I can even follow the logic of expanding a convention center at the expense of hotel rooms that house the convention attendees.

I had suspected, but can now confirm by way of comparison, that my collection of Riviera photos is pretty lame.

 

A hotel sitting alone on the strip where it is just can't make it the way Vegas is setup these days. If your going to build it, it had better be next to the Encore or on the other end the Four Seasons. If Circus Circus was under MGM it would have died a long time ago imo. If your going to build on the strip you had better be a close neighbor and not a loner.

 

The only time I set foot in the Riviera was back in 2007 on my first trip to Vegas. We were poor young twenty-somethings staying for $30/night at the Circus Circus on a AAA vacation deal and we wandered into the Riv while we walked the Strip. Man, that place was rundown. You could see that it had been something special at one time, but it hadn't been updated in decades and everything about it was pretty seedy. It's too bad nobody could restore it to its former glory, because I bet it was quite the casino back in the Rat Pack days.

 

Very nice photos and story; thanks for posting it. All that should be posted permanently somewhere.

 

I love the photos and the story. The lone lounge chair in the garden sort of says it all.
I will miss the Riviera and i'm glad i took the bus up there last summer. It was depressing seeing it once again but i remember the good times i had in the 80's and the North Strip with all the hotels that are now gone.
I can only hope the North Strip makes a comeback in a couple of years with Resorts World and others to extend the Strip north of Encore.

 

Thanks all for the feedback.

I'm holding the torch for Circus Circus now, with Stardust, Frontier, Westward Ho, and now the Riviera gone.

 

I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if this has been asked and/or answered, but does anyone know if it will be imploded and if so when?

 

Didn't see this posted yet, but forgive me if it was: Great article by David Schwartz in Vegas Seven:
http://vegasseven.com/2015/05/07/last-days-riviera/

 

Are the lights completely off at night now? Just a graveyard across from Circus Circus?

 

Still no mention of the plans for that marvelous, iconic sign....

 

Before: http://41.media.tumblr.com/ad381b077f80229bf4d004717bef445c/tumblr_nl5zktntQe1s0vozto1_1280.jpg

After: http://36.media.tumblr.com/ba1b05d6ffec07bd21ac0f95a0d97db3/tumblr_nl5zktntQe1s0vozto2_r1_1280.jpg

Butt, on the other hand...........

 

I heard the Butts got stolen. Any updates?

I'm betting someone on this board has it in their living room, rubbing a cheek for luck on their way out the door every morning.

 

That before and after is cool. I don't think the butts were stolen but props and costumes from the show.

$200k worth of stuff apparently. I never heard that it was recovered though...

I'm hoping to see the butts at PH when I'm there next weekend if they're out.

 

Yeah, the Bronze Butts Beauties weren't stolen, just some props. According to their Facebook page, they are setting up their dressing rooms at the new theater. Not sure when the date will be announced for the statues and for the Crazy Girls Revue, but it's possible it may be next weekend
I go June 7th, Call me crazy, but i may actually inhabit the theater with an actual ticket to Crazy Girls.
In case anyone missed it: http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/shows/the-crazy-girls-will-be-back-planet-hollywood-photos

 

Riviera is gone!

http://www.rivierahotel.com/

el gono, kaputsky, shuttered, kicked le bucket!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riviera_

yep, sure am sad I never got a chance to see them crazy chickas.

Does Vegas really need yet one more convention center? Looks like the bad economy is hitting gambling in the rear, and AC and Vegas are looking for other means to make $$$.

 

Obviously the place wouldn't have closed their doors if they were succeeding in what they were doing. It'll eventually be a good thing for Vegas.

 

I think it will go a long way toward helping revitalize activity on the north end of the strip... the drawback is that we won't see a bunch of fun, themed casinos emerging as a result, at least none more than have been planned long before the Riv was sold. Of course tacky-themed casinos are so 1990s.