Las Vegas Through My Eyes – Part VII

note: This week I read that another classic Las Vegas show, La Cage Aux Folles, is closing after a run of more than twenty years. Those of you who never got to see this famous female impersonator show really missed a treat, especially in its younger days when the star of the show, Frank Marino still looked like Joan Rivers. I knew the show was doomed when I noticed that Frank's plastic surgeon was unable to keep up with the frenetic pace of Joan's.

As we got to know our new home, we were somewhere between residents and tourists. We were still overcome by the excitement of it all, yet we began to understand what happened "backstage" as well. The late 1990's in Las Vegas was an exciting time. So many cranes dotted the skyline at one time that locals began to joke that the crane was the state bird of Nevada. New neighborhoods popped up and were populated seemingly overnight. Each morning on our way to work, we would note that another letter had been added to the top of the Monte Carlo's new hotel tower; "M", "MO", "MON", etc. The newspaper was always full of commentary on whether the Stratosphere was a monstrosity or an icon, and even a devastating fire couldn't slow its construction. We couldn't wait for the opening of the next big hotel, many of which were built off-strip and catered to locals. Each new hotel was bigger, more lavish, and filled with more amenities than the last.

Then it happened - The Invasion of the Crumb Snatchers. Yes, yard apes, curtain climbers, nose pickers...children. Always a playground for adults, hotels began to take notice that people with children had two things going for them - they had money and they were old enough to gamble. Topless shows began to offer "covered versions". The MGM built an amusement park. The Monte Carlo built a lazy river. The Hilton opened a Star Trek attraction. A Gameworks opened on the Strip. The inside of casinos began to look like the outside of the It's A Small World attraction at Disneyworld; strollers were everywhere.

For some, Las Vegas had changed for the better. Parents could now bring their children to swim with dolphins and ride roller coasters. But for me, the shine was off the apple. The elegantly dressed audiences that filled showrooms began to be replaced by flip flop wearing masses. On the locals scene, casinos began installing bowling alleys, movie theaters, and even indoor playgrounds. The casinos didn't care who filled their slot machines and family-friendly entertainment began to replace adult-themed entertainment all over town. The Walmart crowd had discovered Las Vegas and had claimed it for themselves.

As the city grew, so did the surrounding suburbs. On the one hand we were happy to no longer have to drive twelve miles to the nearest Home Depot. On the other hand, we found ourselves living in a smaller and smaller geographical circle. For me, the end of the excitement of Las Vegas came when parents began to complain loudly about a billboard's photo of a topless woman hiding her nipples with a pair of dice. I thought the billboard was fabulous. But the casino succumbed and took it down. Prada bags were out. Diaper bags were in.

To be continued...