The Flamingo is a new building, as are virtually all
buildings in Las Vegas. To see something of the original town
you need to go to Fremont Street which is the old town near
the railway station, the main mode of transportation back
when. Be sure to stay until night to see the modern light
show. Fremont has about the only original architecture and
feel, once you get away from the overhead canopy. That is
also the area of the cheapest hotels. It is somewhat sleazy
but I think it was back then as well. Beware the panhandlers
and keep your money in a secure inside pocket.
Las Vegas has two main TV shows, but is begging
for some mystery books and plenty of material is available
with a history of outrageous characters. The architecture is
wonderful, something stolen from everywhere and overdone. You
may want to walk into the Luxor Pyramid just to see totally
too much.
Not in books but needing to be are the
Stratosphere Tower which is the tallest and can be seen all
over the valley, and the Voodoo Room which is a bar at the
top of the tower at the Rio Casino and hotel which is
smaller, lower, and more comfortable, I think anyway. Both
day and night views are spectacular.
It has been a couple of years since I visited and
the town changes drastically with constant construction. The
newest and flashiest casino-hotels are at the extreme south
end of The Strip as Fremont Street is the extreme north end.
This is roughly ten miles long and serviced by buses and a
trolley. Do NOT jaywalk. Tourists are mowed down in droves
with any number of deaths reported each year. Traffic is
horrible.
A relative used to work for one of the
hotel-casinos so I heard a few good stories. The whole
shebang overwhelms me but would be ideal for a series of
mysteries. The Benion (sp?) Murder of about seven years ago
got lots of play but was rather pathetic in the details and
the two defendants got off in a later trial. The medical
office (no Gil Grissom then) wrecked the case before it was
properly investigated so everyone has theories as to who did
what to whom. At least one TV movie was modeled closely on
it. The best part of the real case was when Sandy Murphy, the
strawberry blonde girlfriend, left a pair of black panties
behind at the jail, and the police brought her a sampling of
panties so she could take her pick, but none of those were
really hers. I feel that those panties are now in a gold show
case in some casino office.
Eating is cheap if you use the buffets,
especially at the casinos that cater to the huge local
population of retired people on budgets. Those are usually
the smaller and older casinos behind the flashy new ones.
Beer and cocktails are free in most casinos to those who sit
for long periods at the slots. Tip the cute waitress in the
skimpy outfit well and you can drink a long time if you want.
You can walk yourself to death because the casinos are
enormous so bring your most comfortable shoes. There are no
windows for daylight and no clocks in the casinos in order to
keep players mesmerized so be sure to have a watch if you are
on any sort of schedule. Have a picture ID on you at all
times, and the younger you look, the more you may be asked to
show it.
Sitting in a corner and watching will bring you
any number of pleasurable incidents. On my first visit a
lifetime ago, I played slots beside a woman who was working
two machines as fast as she could when a man so drunk he
could barely stand, shifted and weaved constantly while
talking to her, tried to get her to leave "to go get
married." She told him not to bother her.
Enjoy your trip,
Victoria
ejmd__ <
ejmd__@ntlworld.com> wrote:
Can anyone offer any tips on hardboiled
sightseeing in Las Vegas and San Francisco for a tourist on a
tight schedule and a limited budget?
Obviously, a visit to San Francisco will have to take in 'the
plaque' and John's Grill, but what else should be on the
agenda for a whistle-stop race around town?
And what about Las Vegas? While I imagine the current
Flamingo will show few, if any, traces of its origins, it'll
be something to see. What else is there to put on the
must-see list?
ED
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