360 Vegas
Las Vegas News, Reviews and Vintage segments that look at the people, resorts and events in history that make Las Vegas the greatest city in the world.
Episodes
Random Vegas
The Fountains of Bellagio are not the first dancing fountains to exist in Las Vegas. The original debuted in 1955 at the Royal Nevada. They were simply called the Dancing Water’s and consisted of 4,000 jet streams and lights revolving and swaying in sync with waltz music. They could accomplish heights has high as 50 foot. The attraction was universally liked however the Royal Nevada thought they could offer thi...
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Random Vegas
In 1968, Las Vegas could lay claim to the 3 tallest electric signs in the world. The Dunes at 180, the Frontier at 184 and the Stardust at 188 feet tall
TwitPic of the week
How can you not be proud of that collection of properties? Specifically, it feels like MGM treats @LuxorLV and Excalibur like unwanted commodities. Which is funny because they bought Mandalay Resorts, one of the most profitable gaming com...
Random Vegas
Nick Mazzolo. You may not know the name but you certainly know his work. Nick was cast as a table games dealer in 3 blockbuster titles. Rain Man in 1988, Casino in 1995 and Vegas Vacation in 1997.
TwitPic of the week
In a picture that looks like it was taking on the pool deck of the Plaza years before it existed, this picture, shared by @FSELV definitely captures the best the Las Vegas Club ever looked, years...
I’ve said this before: if I had a time machine, I know exactly what I’d do with it. No, I wouldn’t steal a sports almanac or try to get my parents to kiss at the big dance. I’ve already graduated high school, so I wouldn’t use it to pass my history final, either. No, I would head back in time at 88.8 miles per hour to the Copa Room at the Sands in 1960, to see the greatest show one could see for $5.95. Dinner included. Like ma...
Random Vegas
Tropicana’s nickname was the “Tiffany of the Strip” because it was said to be the shape of a necklace when viewed from an arial perspective.
TwitPic of the week
This is another property I have an irrational affinity for. Like the Fontainebleau today, the Landmark was a project that stalled for almost a decade before it was completed. Unfortunately, she wasn’t finished by someone who had a passion for her and therefo...
The Tropicana was a unique property in the evolution of Las Vegas. While ownership was consolidated all over the city, it managed to remain independent, relatively speaking. When older properties on the strip were imploded so new projects could replace them, Tropicana remained and instead was reimagined. Step inside and it was clear this was not another Super Casino. The property was able to capture the charm of old Vegas while ...
Random Vegas
Sammy Davis Jr was supposed to be in 3 major movies about Vegas. We all know he was in the original Ocean’s 11 but did you know he was supposed to be cast as Elvis’ sidekick in the movie Viva Las Vegas? But producers thought that much star power would distract from the story so he didn’t get the part. The third was Diamonds are Forever, a movie he actually played himself in but it got cut. It can now be seen as a part ...
Random Vegas
Vegas has been attempting to go smoke free since the early 90s. The first casino to ban cigarette smoking was at Silver City Casino in 1991.
Vegas Pic of the week
It was the original mega sign. Not quite a super pylon but big enough that it was a statement piece. The champaign tower at Flamingo, shared by @_GrandPaD, stood as a beacon for the property for years while she was a low-rise building. The cylindrical ...
Nothing special is probably a very good way to describe the Royal Nevada. Not that it wasn’t nice or well located, it just wasn’t memorable. Think Monte Carlo Vegas and its luxury on a budget theme. Mix that with the opening of 4 new Vegas properties in 1955 and the answer to the question is yes, Vegas was over built.
Random Vegas
The office of Sam “Ace” Rothstein and the Tangiers sports book in Martin Scorsese’s Casino was filmed on the site of an unopened casino at the Jockey Club (Vintagelasvegas.com)
Vegas Pic of the week
This is a photo I didn’t even know existed and it blew my mind when I found it, like I’m sure it’s going to blow yours. It’s a picture of the Dunes, mid-evolution from a motel to a high rise. I found it at vintagelasvega...
Random Vegas
Many of YESCO’s contracts for the signs it manufactured were lease agreements that included service contracts for the life of the lease. When the lessee eventually removed the sign, the contract stipulated that it be returned to YESCO which either recycled the signs parts or retired the sign to a designated boneyard lot at the outskirts of Las Vegas (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon)
Vegas Pic of the we...
Random Vegas
In the late 1940s, the state of Nevada’s slogan was “If you can’t do it at home, come to Nevada”. (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon)
Twitpic of the week
Icons, paired together in a beautiful union. The Sands cylindrical hotel tower, the classic, original, Sands egg crate marquee with the name Frank Sinatra on it as the headliner in the Copa Room. For a time, it didn’t get any more iconic than these brands t...
Random Vegas
In 2003, Las Vegas tried to buy a commercial slot during the Super Bowl to promote tourism to the city. The NFL stepped in, citing a contract that allowed it to reject any ad related to sports betting, even though the spot didn’t include any overt references to gambling (Forbes)
Twitpic of the week
It’s amazing to think that today, this is all Circa. The Las Vegas Club, Golden Goose, Glitter Gulch and Sassy Sally, ...
This is one of those projects that I would have loved to see make it to the strip; and who knows, we may still get it one day. Yes a space theme has failed before in Las Vegas but come on, it was Bob Stupak behind it. Just like Luxor before it, I wonder how long those themed attractions will last. Another problem with a space themed resort is how quickly things can look dated. $5 billion dollars is a crazy price tag for a concep...
We recently released the 360 Vegas show review for X-Country, and Mrs Jaydubs complained that we spent half the review talking about Fantasy. I can’t help it, though. Fantasy is the litmus test by which all other Vegas topless revues will be judged for a long time. Note: I have in the past referred to Fantasy as the Gold Standard of Vegas topless revues, and thought I was very clever for coming up with that. Then I saw the same...
Random Vegas
Built in 1982, the 2-story building that was the Oasis Casino @Dunes was supposed to be comprised of two components, a casino on the 1st floor and a restaurant on the 2nd floor. The restaurant never opened and the space remained unused until its destruction in 1993 (vintagelasvegas.com)
Twitpic of the week
Here is another @summacorp picture that mesmerizes me with all the history going on. For example, we know that ...
Random Vegas
After a 4 month remodeling and a rebranding, in 1963, Lucky Casino, formerly known as Lucky strike, reopened with the largest sign in the city of Las Vegas at 160 feet tall. It held that titled until it was surpassed in 1964 by the Dunes turret marquee towering 180 feet tall. Lucky Casino is now the middle part of Golden Nugget Fremont St frontage.
Twitpic of the week
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