[hsg9000]

Originally Posted by demoknite

downtown now is very rejuvenated compared to the 90s.

Very true. The downtown of now is much nicer. There are times when I prefer it to the strip.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Golfinnova

Say what? The entire property was gutted and new flooring, carpet, furniture, beds were replaced at the D. The decor is now dark gray and red whereas Fitzgeralds was old vegas in whites, greens and no money was put in the property by Don Barden whereas Derek Stevens has put a ton of money into it.

Don't know what property you're thinking of but the difference between The D and Fitz is like night and day.

My ex worked at the Fitz for several years. That property was in need of a makeover back THEN (and it was years and years ago). One thing that was probably a casualty that would be sad, was their steakhouse "Limericks". That was a nice, white tablecloth, steakhouse at a very reasonable cost. Does anyone know what replaced it?

[Raiderman]

It had been years since I was at the Fitz so I probably just don't remember it all that well. I didn't mean to slam the D at all, it was nice for $30/night. We ended up in a smoking room unfortunately, but the bed and carpets looked new. We did NOT like the techno that was absolutely BLASTING on the casino floor. Made it very hard to gamble at the tables because it was so loud. The restaurant upstairs was good, but I can't remember the name. It's all subjective, but I feel that the Nugget is a nicer hotel/casino.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Granted I was only there for 2 days/2 nights, but I was amazed at the contrast between the Vegas Strip and the downtown/city centre. Basically no skyline to speak of, it was more befitting of a city of 50,000 with no charm, and lots of really rundown looking areas. I was also robbed of $20 (well not robbed, but taken for) at a bus stop off the strip near downtown. I was only there because I had lost my camera and I was looking at it at the Fremont street experience.

I know the focus is on the strip, and that probably steals a lot of business, but for such a 'world class' destination as Las Vegas, why can't they do more to make downtown attractive? It felt so deserted and unwelcoming. Why not move some more establishments there, instead of having them all on the strip? Fremont St is pretty cool but there should be more. Maybe a bit more greenery, or at least desert vegetation, malls which are safe with surveillance, shopping centres, condos.etc.

When I think of downtown Vegas, I think of Fremont street and how can anyone really think it is run down? Ok, the hotels, other than the Nugget are old and couuld stand a face lift, but downtown is what Vegas is all about for those of us who have been enjoying the city for decades. I would never want to see it changed too much. When we want the expsreince of true class and glamour we spend time on the strip. When we want to be reminded of real Vegas and days gone by, plus visit with some fun people, from all over the country and play some games without using our entire gambling budget we spend time downtown. There are some great restaurants, the light shows are fun and the atmosphere is festive all the time. Of course downtown isn't for everyone, but it works for us. Before the Fremont experience was added it was truely a pit, but not anymore.

[BBMW]

The problem with downtown as a gaming center is that the casinos themselves are outdated and obsolete as structures. Look at the newest casinos (mostly on the strip, but also some of the newer locals properties) and what they have downtown, and you can see vast differences. The newer casinos are bigger, and horizontally sprawling, with lots of different attractions in one complex. The downtown casinos are much smaller, and really can't get bigger without tearing them down, and combining multiple properties into a single complex. This would also require reconfiguring the street grid downtown to accommodate this.

If they wanted to redevelop downtown as a non-gaming area, all the existing buildings around the FSE would probably need to go, the entire area would need to be rebuilt in a different configuration, and there's no guarantee that anything they built would be successful.

[von949]

^^^^^
If they tore everything down and rebuilt, then we would most likely have 2 separate strips. The long Vegas strip and the short Vegas strip.

The short strip would be full of Cosmo and City Center type places.


Posted from Nokia 8210

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I did go there, it's kinda cool. The whole complex had a more old style, Wild west vibe to it. I remember actually searching all around there for my camera, which I thought I'd left there the previous night when I was at the Fremont Street Experience. Turns out I'd left it in the cab.

Say what? GN had a "wild west vibe"?

Maybe 30 years ago....

And BTW, if you got taken for $20 by a scammer...no sugar coating...you're an idiot.

[nevadaned]

Downtown Las Vegas is always a great discussion topic. We, as a city, have been trying to cleanup and spur economic activity Downtown but excluding a few exceptions we have not succeeded. Downtown, at least the area around Fremont St Experience extending south towards Charleston has great potential.

The problem is:
Some of the areas east and north of downtown are some of the worst, most depressing and crime and drug-addled areas I have seen concentrated all together. I am not saying the area is as crime ridden or economically depressed as some areas in other larger cities but if you factor in the desperation factor I think it would rank amongst the worst. Blocks and blocks of weekly motel rentals, pawn shops, drug dealers, prostitutes, drug addicts, sleazy video poker bars etc. It is this that I see as the biggest impediment to downtowns revival. There are just too many low lifes and degenerates in the immediate area whose only goals in life are to get cigarettes, booze, drugs, or a few dollars to drop in VP and would do most anything to get a few dollars to do so.


I am not dismissing downtown Las Vegas, I want it to succeed, I want to be proud of it. We all want a vibrant area with museums, parks, theaters, and a diverse business community. Unfortunately the only real businesses in downtown right now are casino and government related. We all know what kind of people are drawn to those two professions (Joking...kind of).

Change always happens slower than we think but we can all see some light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Tony Hseish, Zappos, and all of the positive momentum they are building up. This might sound bad but in order for successful entrepreneurial professionals to want to relocate their residences or businesses downtown we need to clean up the areas directly north and east of the current area where most of the economic development has been happening and planned for. It's almost like we need to set aside an urban renewal area downtown that will assure those investing in downtown a clean slate without all of the current ills of the area.

I will probably be railed against for suggesting this but what would be better for the economic and community development of Las Vegas than assuring individuals and businesses who might invest in downtown that the city is committed to the revitalization of the area. I know we can't kick all of these people out and raze their apartments and motels but this something that must happen for downtown to ever have a chance of being a 'nice' place again.

[LV2ndHome]

Originally Posted by Ryan_Eagan

I was trained at and worked for Foxwoods in CT. The biggest thing I noticed about LV in general, but worse in downtown, was how lax the dealers are! We sat at one table for about an hour at Binions earlier in the week and watched the dealer perform at least 3 fireable offenses.

Shshhsshshhsssss...

Lax dealers are a good thing.... for some of us.

(Foxwoods & Mohegan Sun have legal vulnerabilities due to sloppiness too.)

[_redbird_]

Why would anyone want to visit LV one time and then want it to have a skyline like "other cities"? Why can't you just appreciate vegas for what it is and not for what you think it should be? I never go to any city and try and tell them to "improve" their city by adding tall buildings so it would look like other metros.