Downtown LV

Downtown Las Vegas has this unique charm. It strikes me as a cross between the city's retro Rat Pack era and National Lampoons Vegas Vacation, $1.99 buffets anyone? I remember years ago (I'm about to age myself here) when there was no laser light show, Vegas Vic waved hello, and the hot blonde on top of the Glitter Gulch flirted with the crowds below by tossing her long leg.

Downtown Vegas came along long before themed hotels, mega casinos, dance clubs, and five star restaurants. I vividly remember walking along Fremont Street as a child with my grandfather. We approached the Golden Nugget, which at the time was one of the ritziest casinos. Through a window we could see a high stakes game of Black Jack in progress. Within 5 minutes, one of the players lost $10,000... A LOT of money to a 12 year old. That was the first time it really dawned on me that this was unlike any place on earth (I'm exactly not sure was the lesson meant to be taken from the experience. It probably had something to do with learning the value of a dollar... still working on that one)

Regardless of life lessons, Downtown is still a fun place to visit for an evening. As the urban renewal continues, I look forward to the one-time gem shining bright again.