ira Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I'm spendin' a week in Vegas chillin' out from all the changes I've been thru this year.I'm havin' a GREAT time...I'm not a gambler...but was brought up on Frank Dean Sammy Don Rickels...Love the place...love the heat...love the dessert.Saw a great show last nite...Rat Pack Revisited...Mel (Curlew) joins me tomorrow...and one thing we're doin' is seein' "Love"...The Beatles show from Cirque De Soleil.Vegas is a mixed bag for some...Do you guys love it or hate it?...Just curious....Signed..."A Jew In The Dessert". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 It ain't what it used to be, that's for sure. Used to be able to see acts like Sammy Butera, The Checkmates,etc ...IN THE LOUNGES! That stopped by the mid eighties. With casinos everywhere, just not worth the trip...IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid C. Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Too bad I didn't know, Ira. I just passed through there Sunday afternoon on my way to the biggest traffic jam in the world between Primm and Barstow. We could have had lunch. Took me eight hours to get home, twice the normal drive time!Vegas can be a lot of fun. Where else can you go out and rent a machine gun? Seriously. We used to go a couple of times a year to see shows, go to various races, the RenFaire, etc. Always have had a good time there. Lots of bargains to be had there considering the economy these days. Vegas is hurting, big time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Signed..."A Jew In The Dessert". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 John...according to the Bible...which forgive me friends...I don't take verbatim..."Jews In The Dessert"...seems to be a time-honored tradition for my people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 truly time-honored!!!but s/b "desert" not "dessert"Of course we goyum like our dessert even while in the desert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 In Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's and 70's...Jews...Irish and Italian people all were culturally intertwined..."John...From The Block" knows SO much Jewish stuff...It makes me "Ferklempt". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Ira....that was a GREAT time to grow up in Brooklyn! Now please pass the noodle kugel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 What I remember about staying in Vegas the few times I was there is any time you ask for directions—at whatever hotel you're staying at—how to get to a show or the elevators or the restaurant or the bathroom, every person you ask starts by saying, "You walk through the casino..."Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlondeVelvet Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 What I remember about staying in Vegas the few times I was there is any time you ask for directions—at whatever hotel you're staying at—how to get to a show or the elevators or the restaurant or the bathroom, every person you ask starts by saying, "You walk through the casino..."Bernie There's a Bill Engvall joke there!!"Here's your sign"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Looking forward Friday nite to see "Cirque de Soleil's "Love"...their Beatle themed program...also concerned about how hurricane will effect my gettin' back to Jersey Saturday...AND how it'll effect Jersey in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I could write a book about the Vegas scene from the 50's on...every year until the early 80's our family took 2 or 3 water skiing vacations a year to Lake Mead, with the mandantory pilgrimage into town every night- the changes were staggering in scope. Great memories! Here's a pic of my Dad's side of the family (including my Mom, his 4 sisters and their spouses) at the Sahara in the 50's:I think I see a Jew in the dessert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 What a photo. I wonder whether or not that was from a dinner show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ira, it's The Venetian Hotel that was supposedly built by a Jewish man for his wife. Also, I believe upstairs is where Michael Jackson shopped at. That was on film for a story about his life about 10 years ago. And if you dine off the main strip, the meals are reasonably priced, if you go out to eat alot. And how about the show that does impersonations of several singers?Also, somewhere there are two museums that show the Mob's influence on early Vegas. One of them does a reinactment by actors portraying some of them. One of the museum's even consulted with an ex-mobster's son, who is not a mobster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Beautiful photo Kirk...today you see people in sleeveless tee-shirts and multiple tatoos...BTW...I was LUCKY to change flights...hurricane is wreaking havoc...instead of 8/27 to Newark...I'm fortunate to find 8/29 overnite to Philly...thru Cleveland stopover...AND a $64 rate at The Excalibur...I'm almost kinda glad I gotta stay a little longer at a time when I've had a year with SO many changes.BTW Mike...thanks for your advice and that great fact re The Venetian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ira, I can think of worse ways to spend a couple of extra days!I think one of the biggest game changers in Vegas was Caesers Palace. It was probably the first Mega Casino. The real paradigm shift was, believe it or not, Circus Circus. Before it was built there wasn't that much for kids to do while the parents gambled. There were only so many gift shops. The Hacienda had a go-kart track and a mini-golf course. You could always go in the pool, but, if you weren't staying at the hotel your folks were gambling at, it was a bit of a problem. The Showboat had a great bowling alley. But, Circus Circus was really the first to provide kids with as much fun as their parents were having. That picture of my family at the Sahara was actually from 1964 and it was a dinner show. Even the paper frame the photo came in is pretty cool. Here's the front and back: Can you imagine that today...for additional prints, just write the photographer at the hotel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missm Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I love Vegas and probably always will!! Steve, is right in that so much has changed over the years....but it is still a great place!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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