Las Vegas In The
End Times!
There was quite a bit of drama leading up to my Vegas trip for both the city and for myself. All that manure dealing with the Formula One drag race, the Oakland A’s and their collective aggressive wish for a baseball stadium was seen as wearing the residents out.
My little piece of drama related to this trip paled compared to what the city was going through and some of my trips of the past, but there was a chance that it wasn’t going to happen thanks to some third party reservation shenanigans.
Still, I had this almost dark curiosity on HOW this F1 project was gumming up the works and a recent hacker attack affecting MGM Resorts properties wetted my appetite of this variation of The End Times Vegas-style. My Vegas fanboy and Urban Rat freak flags were flying high when I boarded the Silver Rider shuttle that went from Laughlin to Vegas early Monday morning; so early in fact that I made it to Downtown Vegas a quarter till 10 a. m. It certainly felt that I had a whole day of Vegas ahead of me!
I arrived at the Bonneville Transit Center and had to walk the five blocks to the Four Queens. I didn’t mind the walk as it served a bit of a warm up for what’s to come….a lot of freakin’ walking. I had a room with my name on it but I was so early that I had to wait about 4 hours for it to be ready. No problem. So, I had them hold my luggage and set out upon the landscape with no real solid plan for the next 2 and a half days.
The cheapest souvenirs on any Vegas trip (other than debt) are players cards!
I walked through Fremont Experience east bound towards East Fremont District and for a Monday morning, it was pretty busy. As I walked further down Fremont, towards El Cortez, my excitement (Vegas and End Times related) was partially replaced by calmness. This was because I haven’t experienced any level of urban exploration in years….and as this was a solo Vegas trip, I wasn’t chained to a set schedule by someone else; the schedule was loose and fluid.
However, just before I headed out of the Experience, I checked my weight at the very-UN-scientific scale in front of the Heart Attack Grill, sensing the amount of walking I will soon be doing, I wanted to see, if possible, how many pounds I might burn off by the end of this trip. 233. Check…..moving on.
My urban investigation peeked when I saw the latest old motel has been lynched by the wrecking ball; the Peter Pan Motel and much like the motels in the area, only the sign has been saved, standing like a tall cactus without its stingers. This has been a bit of a pattern with many abandoned motels in the City Of Las Vegas; get rid of the buildings and keeping and refurbishing the sign for future use.
However, these unofficial landmarks are not as lucky as the Furgunson Downtown Motel as it went from a motel to a full mixed use complex with stores and offices with a courtyard for social events, live music and a bar. This former motel is not too dissimilar from the Container Park, only without over doing the Containers and not so much on the retail stores. You could day this Motel is the serious older sister to the fun loving younger Container.
I suspect if the Peter Pan sign survives this stage it will join the growing motel signs collection placed in the island section of Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara Blvd and JUST past Fremont Street….and yes, I took pictures of the new additions, too.
In this early part of my trip I spent an hour in the most unglamourous part of Las Vegas that you can (reasonably) safely walk through; the residential area of this official city between Fremont and Charleston before they cross over. The only way I can explain my interest with this area is I currently live in Bullhead City where, at least in my part of this city, the large make up in my neighborhood is littered with old mobile homes of various conditions, empty lots and expansive mini-mansions lining the Colorado River guaranteeing almost NO view of the river from the sidewalk with very little trees and safe.
Vegas may also be a part of the Mojave Desert like Bullhead City, but the triangle within Fremont, Charleston and Las Vegas Blvd. offers a contrast to Bullhead. There are characteristics of a desert city but there are enough trees and vegetation (a. k. a. green!) that you don’t get washed out of the consistency of sand. On the other end of this urban spectrum (from my days at Manhattan Beach) this area is also blissfully absent of mini-mansions. The closer you go towards LV Blvd and the downtown area a few condo/apartment buildings will crop up, however there’s not so much the snobbery looking down on you.
Plus, I can’t help but imagine what this whole city looked like, say, 60 years ago. Yup, my weird old retro day dreams floods my mind happily like walking on clouds…...
The houses are strictly middle class, but they don’t look hopeless as some of ones in my neck of the woods. Interestingly enough, as you get closer to LV Blvd/Downtown, a lot of the old homes become converted office buildings for lawyers and doctors…..and what has to be one of the finest book stores I ever seen, The Writers Block….complete with a “porch” over looking the corner of Bonneville and 6th St., located in an arts building featuring a theater.
Since photo taking was not a priority on that first day, I don’t have much crib notes, but I do have a memory of walking down Charleston and witnessing a guy barely wearing a small piece of denim shorts wearing a Trump flag as a cape and holding up a handmade sign screaming “HONK IF U …..” and the rest I couldn’t make out as the sign was his flag and the writing style was drunk lazy. He was parading himself waving the sign and a free hand down the sidewalk trying to get a reaction or two.
After getting back to the Four Queens to officially get my room and baggage as well as taking a short nap, I knew I had to hit the Strip to check the drama….and if those prediction were correct, I would have to take the Monorail from the Sahara to MGM Grand to avoid traffic on the Strip.
When that ride was done, I had to make a trip and pay my respects to the Tropicana before it would turn into baseball stadium mush (I think). The “Trop” was my first Vegas resort so I to take some pictures and apply for a players card with the name on it. Those free plastic cards were an alternative souvenir choice as the only other thing that officially had the Trop logo was a set of red towels going fer $35. I didn’t even like red.
I then went my way northbound, walking up towards “the damage” I was hearing and reading about. The closer I got to the heart of this F1 mess, which was in front of the Ballagio fountains, the line from ‘Fear & Loathing’ kept repeating in my head….’Don’t burn the locals!’ and judging from the effects like cutting down the trees in front of the fountains, leaving the fountains on with no view from the street, the traffic jams, the politics that F1 was trying to pull off before, during and after this trip, it was a forest fire of pissed off people; locals and visitors.
It was night, but the congestion of cars and people were easy to see and the mood was thick; some still had their fun, but others were openly grumbling. While walking through the MGM, I stopped by their large gift shop and where indeed selling F1 gear as well as other MGM properties…..and nowhere else! Seems F1 is keeping this whole gig to themselves….including who watches it in person as the pedestrian bridges over the strip was being blocked out (doubt the public will not access to them though). They are planning licensing fees to all of the business along the track or their views will be blocked but due to protests have since cut it down to $50,000…..and the battle goes on…
I made a pit stop in the Food Court On the Strip (next to the MGM Grand) out of curiosity, just to see what fast food joints that not in MY neck of the woods. They were a few but I had an eye on Popeyes, even though we had one open in Bullhead City. I had been hankering for Popeye for quite sometime, so I decided to break my ‘no fast food (outside of In & Out)’ rule and dive in.
I had chosen the Blackened Chicken combo. When I asked about the sides, the man at the counter said only fries were available for this combo. It was about 14 bucks but as I pulled out a $10, the man grabbed the bill and tossed it into the tip jab, “That will make the manager happy” he carefully mumbled as she by-passed the register and hollered out my order to the kitchen.
When I got my order, it came with mashed potatoes and gravy and mac & cheese. He didn’t say anything and I didn’t say anything….other than thinking him. THAT was a cheap deal that I wasn’t expecting and wasn’t complaining about.
That night I got as far as Wynn before I realized it was getting dark and walking the remainder to downtown would be a challenge….especially after dark, so I bravely waited for what I was predicting to a packed bus….and sure enough, it arrived packed! As I bravely boarded, the driver put his hand over the fare machine and was telling everyone the ride was free. It was meant to calm the nerves of weary costumers, but once the B. O. went a-mono-a mondo, it hardly made a dent.
It was a moment like this I was glad of two things: 1) I had my flu and the recent variation of Covid shots and 2) I packed a couple of masks…..for moments like THIS! As I bravely boarded the bus, I managed to slip on my mask and I suddenly became unpopular. Not many wanted to be reminded of the many dangers of this trip. Well, the way nature works through diseases like Covid, better them than me. However, as more got on and some struggling to get off, my little act of survival was kinda forgotten….I though I heard some loudly mumble ‘Later, Mask Wearin’ Mother Fucker!’ as we all escaped the end of this ride.
For a Monday night on Fremont Street, it was jam packed with touristy stuff; people, noise, noise pretending to be music and one too many Green Bay Packer fans as there was a Monday Night Football game happening that night.
The ‘noise pretending to be music’ part came courtesy of the four stages under the canopy that draped Fremont…..all of which were active at the same time!! In fact, I think I suffered hearing damage from standing near the corner of Fremont and 1st street where two bands from the left (in front of the Plaza) and right (next to Circa) collided inside my brain. What songs where they playing? What genre where they attempting? Who the fuck knows…..it’s loud drunk noise designed to distract you from Las Vegas legally pick-pocketing your money from your wallet….and it was trying to make my hearing away from me.
It was moments like this I miss the cheesy lounge music days of yore and as I escaped into the less-noisy casino floor of the Golden Nugget, I found the cheese I longed for. Inside the Rush Lounge next to the blackjack tables were a couple of guys who called themselves ‘Jamit!’; one on drums and the other play guitar/bass, getting down on some 70’s R&B, Soul, Disco titles with early 80’s songs sprinkled in. Sure, just drums and a guitar, but the musical limits didn’t matter as they had a lot of spirit and gumption to pull their set off while half of the bar were dancing and serving the tip jar.
It was also the time I started to see many YouTubers with their camera poles out recording themselves running from end of Noisy Drunk Fremont to the other making duck faces and without knowingly bumping into people. There was one familiar YT’er, The Other Me, siting in his usual corner at the outside bar at Four Queens, greeting his fans. Obviously, this will be the closest I will ever get to see a celebrity in person, outside of almost seeing Bill Cosby back in 1977…...but that’s a whole other detail.
The next day was a FULL day and I decided to try many of the cheap eats that where in still available in Downtown. I tried the special at Stake & Bake stand at the new food court at the Fremont. For $5, you get a single Stakeburger, a small drink and quite possibly the smallest and skinniest fries I ever seen. As you can imagine, for the price, there wasn’t much inside the burger; a thing of lettuce, something of ketchup and a pickle or two. The patty was small(-ish) but I really couldn’t taste it if it weren’t for the buns and the condiments that were included. But, hey. Five bucks is five bucks…..a better deal than White Castle to be honest, a place with much smaller burgers at bigger prices. Go figure.
I did make plans to go to Paradise Palms, a mid-century neighborhood located behind the Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway, but not before making a pit stop at the Las Vegas Commercial Center, a mega outdoor mall with a MUCH bigger parking lot in the center. The lot is so big that walking across it was like trek across the desert without the sand. The Center still had a few old stores with a mixture with new businesses moving in with their own flare of decor; bright colors, large structures and whatnot. The Center was making bold moves to bring itself up and rebuild within the city and I approve.
A big bonus was that on the opposite side of the lot was a mini-mini-mall tucked away called New Orleans Square, a constrained complex with its own center court. There were a couple of small club/casino and a bookstore. Did the ‘New Orleans’ name match the style of this section. Nope as I suspect the name was placed waaaaay back in the day and the whole Commercial Center was a center of Vegas….around the 60’s. Still it had held on to some of the N. O. trappings of yore with a couple of street lamps straight out of Bourbon Street, a small surviving trappings from its past that pleases my heart till no end.
The crown jewel is this part of the trip was a bookstore called Avant Pop Bookstore (above). It certainly caught my eyes with its bold lettering that populated the windows with ‘New’, ‘Used’, ‘Books’, ‘Book Restoration’, ‘Subversive’, ‘Underground’ and so on. When I later went to their web site, I noticed the magical word ZINES! I also noticed that the place was closed. Damnit! I made it as serious point to make a return visit VERY soon.
A uselessly interesting facts about this part (to me) was that their address is named after Liberace AND this was the second establishment within this city that shares the New Orleans Square title. The other is an apartment complex northbound on Maryland Parkway. Does THAT place has anything to suggest the uniqueness of N’waleans outside of the name? Nope, as per usual with apartments of today, there is no theme outside of the sign.
After much gawking and photo taking, I made my long-awaited way to the mid-century center of Vegas called Paradise Palms.
I’ve heard this area for the past 5 or so years from mid-century enthusiasts and it does live up to most of the hype. I wasn’t there for long and I was down only about three streets before I left (it was hot and getting late), but many of the houses were indeed in most of its original shape and color. With what small sector I managed to see of the Palms, I was impressed and made a mental note to come back for more.
I then took the Flamingo Blvd. bus to the strip to finally witness the F1 damage in daylight and it looked nastier without the night blanketing it. It looked so rough that I didn’t bother taking pictures of the “main” area in front of the Bellagio and its fountain. The ‘Don’t Burn The Locals’ manta came back into my head and that question, “Why leave the fountains on?!” followed by “Nobody can see the damned things from the street!!” were right behind. The combination of cynicism and disbelief clouded my observation, so I made my away from this mess went to the In & Out Burger in the questionably named Linq Promenade which, in my mind, is quickly becoming the home of the most unused zipline in the whole city. At lease, the one on Fremont St. Experience dazzles you with the light and sounds from the canopy before the fear kicks in. The Linq has you face to face with nothing and gravity-pulling death….oopswhatagiveaway!!
On the way northbound on the Strip, I saw the F1 stands building in front of that’s left of The Mirage and its volcano, not as big as the Bellagio but punishing never the less. I did take SOME pictures for my files but that was about it. On the way further north I tried to take a closer shot the brilliantly insane monstrosity that is The Sphere but even on the pedestrian bridge connection the Palazzo and the Wynn the view wasn’t so good. The monorail is the only safe close-up to that big LCD ball without getting lost through The Venetian. The photo evidence of the ball I managed to take was from Maryland Parkway Blvd. on the way to Paradise Park. Yet another mental note fer next time.
I made it to Resorts World to check up on this place and its noisy dead mall entrance. The first floor looked 85% occupied but not so much the second level as if it served as an echo chamber for the noisy nightclub at the far end, serving as a distraction from the emptiness.
There was a new-comer within my eye sight and it was Fontainebleau….well, “new” is quite the stretch here as it has taken over 10 freaking years to open….from 2 bankruptcies and two owners and enough cottonballs to stuff the mattresses in New York City. Memories of its preview building located across the street, one of their billboards saying ‘Wasn’t that a shut show or what?!’ (approximately) and many abandoned building explorers/YouTubers boldly climbing the stairs to shot the buildings carcass, over looking the strip flooded the mind as I looked across the strip. However, the sidewalks in front of the place was closed and it wouldn’t open until mid-December. Thus, inked in for future plans.
I was tempted to go to Record City near Sahara and LV Blvd thanks to their late hours, but by now it WAS getting late and I got on a not so crowded (yet) bus to Downtown before dark.
Once in Downtown, I made the usual stop almost similar from the night before, though not as interesting with the Packers fans and the sonic crash from two acts at the same time. The only highlight of that night was a couple of “ghetto showgirls” showing of their ‘Fuck Biden’ flag looking for that alpha crowd….which was right next to a shirt stand selling Trump Gangster shirts. I went to bed early that night as I plan to get up early to poke around the Art District before I hit the shuttle back to the homestead.
I was up and early as planned, so early that I made another trek down East Fremont and I noticed a small crowd gathering in front of the closed Container Park. As I got closer, the number had climbed to 10 and there was a leader of the croup who identified himself as a tour guide (Micheal Lloyd Evens) and he was waiting for a married couple. We chatted and I asked him about the traffic and congestion happening on the Strip; he quickly said that he will not discuss the answer in front of his costumers. Fare enough. He then gave me his card.
I then made my way to the Arts District which is the streets of Main Street (mainly) and the wider Casino Center Drive (secondary). This was my first major exposure to this area as in the past I didn’t know EXACTLY where it was and I was unable to attend the monthly Art Walk thanks to timing and bad airline service (don’t ask), I was there for its first Halloween parade, but that was at night and the parade was the center of why I was there.
I walked down Casino Center and found the District and I was shockingly impressed. What I though that would look like a squeeky-cleaned gentrified saturated cesspool, turn out to be more organic than I was used to. Sure here were a few “boutiques” and art galleries but they were stores, bars, theaters, art work spaces and a couple of nightclubs, one of which had a mural of Don Rickles. The fact the area wasn’t clean at all added a nice touch; a homeless guy was resting on an art piece called Atomic Passage, a two bench piece with star brights on the sidewalks right next to them. With graffiti, trash, abandoned lots, old motel signs and such adding to the urban vibe, I felt relaxed and revealed that I wasn’t being mugged by a freakin’ Starbucks. I heard rumors that a hotel was being planed for this area….well, at the very least a hotel without a casino in this city is a tricky propitiation….so we’ll see what happens with that.
As mentioned, Casino Center Drive was the side street for the district and one of the widest in this city and thus, is one of my favorite streets, but like pretty much everything else in Vegas (F1 related or not) there’s the progress of construction to clog the works and one half of this broad baby was no exception. Still there were a few rough spots in this area that warmed my heart and made me hit myself for not investigated MUCH sooner than I did in the past.
As 11 am approached, I had to make it back to the Four Queens and pack up. From there, I had to walk back down to the Bonneville Transit Center to take the Maryland Parkway bus, but not before making a stop to take pictures of the porch of the Writers Block store. The bus ride to the South Strip Center was eventful only because while one lady was pulling Karen moment on another lady, a male passenger cut into the argument by yelling “Life is too short to fight! Just kiss and make up already!” Everybody laughed; that knocked the wind out of the drama and we all went back to minding out own friendly business.
As you might guess, I made my way back to the real world and trying to finished up these notes and this zine. I hope to go back soon to see that Big Blue a. k. a Fountainblue soon after it opens in early December. See what happens.
What was the take away here? Welp, this is one Vegas trip I spent less time on the Strip then any other trip I ever took. The brief run-in with F1 mess was a bit much for my mood and I wasn’t much interested in investigating IT any further. I suspect I was more interesting in the old OLD Vegas, the human Vegas, then taking a strong whiff of how much of this city will be steamed rolled over for the sake of desperate local politicians and desperately greedy outside billionaires. Hell, It’s hard enough seeing that Trump Tower off to the side serving as a foreshadowing reminder of its possible future.
…...oh, and I lost 3 pounds at the end of the trip. You take those small victories wherever you trip over them.