Revisiting Las Vegas

Okay, I have not been there recently, but I am helping some other people plan a trip. It is leading to a different kind of trip - down memory lane - especially because so much has changed.

Frequent readers may know that I don't gamble or drink and I am certainly not into strip clubs. Those were all reasons for me to not be that interested in going to Las Vegas. I started being interested in the early 90s.

This came from two related things: stories from a cousin on the amazing buffets, and stories about pyramids, castles and volcanoes from a mission companion. She was from St. George, and her retired father was driving a tour bus to Las Vegas to keep active. It sounded fascinating.

The reason I say those two things are related is because they are all from a time when Las Vegas was trying to broaden its appeal and draw in more people, including people who might be reluctant to go to a Sin City. You can bring the family!

Increasing your customer base sounds like a good idea, but there can be flawed premises. First of all, the idea that so many things could be free or cheap because they make it back on gambling falls apart if you draw in a bunch of non-gamblers. Even people who would gamble without their kids will probably do less of it if they come with their kids. Also, some of the ideas had technical or other difficulties.

The Luxor was built in 1993, about the time that I would have been hearing about it. I did not make it to Las Vegas until 2000. By that time, their talking camels and the barges were gone, as well as the Emerald City scene in the MGM Grand.

At that point, most of the attractions that were gone had been removed for more practical reasons. The lions in the MGM lobby were still there, as well as the hourly fight between Merlin and the dragon at the Excalibur, and the fight between pirates and a British navy ship at Treasure Island. The Tropicana had a free bird show that was really good, as well as a museum that was just a display case full of chips from different casinos that was not quite as good.

I went back for a quick trip in 2002, but most of out time was taken up with wedding party stuff. You could still do Star Trek stuff at the Hilton for sure; the bachelorette party was at Quark's Bar and Grill. I also know that the Mandalay Bay Brunch buffet was still good, and that it had become pretty disappointing by the time we went back in 2007.

The main thing I remember noticing then is how much dirtier everything looked. On the first trip I had been amazed by some of the beautiful architecture, which reminded me of Disneyland. However, Disney parks are much more conscientious about power washing and maintenance.

We went to the Neon Sign museum, which was still basically a junkyard then. The guide was a local who loved the history and had seen much of it. We discussed some of the closures, but also he was the one who told us about the Treasure Island show changing to a sexy fight between men and women pirates. It did not sound good, so we did not try and see it. Treasure Island no longer has a show.

Many of these changes were probably inevitable. There are still attractions, but far fewer free ones. The Bellagio fountains and the volcano at the Mirage still run on the strip, and there is still the Fremont Street Experience. Otherwise, for most things you have to pay. Some buffets are not as good, and they are no longer cheap the way they were, especially on the strip.

It doesn't mean that you can't have fun, but it's different. It makes planning somewhat different, and I will write a little more about that next week.

It is probably still true that you can get comped many wonderful things if you are a high roller, but I am not your source for that.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/question/2015-05-28/