Skip to main content

Las Vegas 2023

In this episode - Las Vegas September 2023 . . .

Einstein once said, “Not all knowledge needs to be useful, and sometimes, it can be just for pure pleasure.” That could be what downtown Las Vegas represents - a place of pure pleasure. I was amazed by the dramatic contrast between the historical and modern experiences during a recent visit to Las Vegas to attend the RE+ Solar Show at the Sands Convention Center.

Whatever your preference, starting your morning with a positive attitude is crucial, and having a nutritious breakfast sets the tone and fuels your body for a productive day. The short-order cooks were busy preparing meals at Denny's Diner, and the restaurant was bustling with activity. The lively and energetic atmosphere was infectious. Upon entering the diner, I noticed all the booths were already occupied. But I quickly grabbed an empty seat at the counter, an excellent vantage point to observe everything. The waitress was friendly and efficient, skillfully handling the seating of customers, taking orders, refilling coffee cups, and delivering plates of delicious food to the diners. The customers chatted as they enjoyed their meals, and the plates were cleared promptly, making room for new patrons. Overall, it was a seamless and enjoyable dining experience.

After a long day at the Convention Center (attendance of over 40,000), our colleague (Thang) requested a unique Las Vegas dining experience that could not be duplicated anywhere else. Since the places we called on the "Strip" were fully booked, I suggested Fremont Street, the old “downtown” Las Vegas developed in 1925.

The development of "Sin City" gained momentum in the mid-20th century, particularly with legalizing gambling in Nevada in 1931. This laid the foundation for the city's transformation into the entertainment and gaming capital it is known as today.

The "Fremont Experience" is very different from its past. The cross streets are blocked, and when you enter the circus-like atmosphere, your body is pounded with sounds that resonate, remarkable light shows, dazzling displays, strip clubs, gambling casinos, and live bands - in short, a wild party atmosphere to compete with the modern Monolith Casinos on the “Strip.” If you’ve ever seen James Bond's “Diamonds Are Forever,” you may recognize some classic landmark locations. Speaking of landmark locations, we headed towards the El Cortez Hotel and Casino at the South End of Fremont Street. This hotel has a rich history dating back to the early days of the city's gaming industry. Built in 1941 by Marion Hicks and John Grayson, the El Cortez began as a relatively small gambling establishment with a Spanish Colonial Revival-style building.

The infamous mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, who built the Flamingo Hotel with headliner Frank Sinatra on the Las Vegas Strip, purchased the El Cortez in 1945. However, his hotel ownership was short-lived; he was assassinated in 1947. After Siegel's death, the El Cortez changed owners several times during the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, the hotel underwent multiple renovations and expansions, with more rooms added to the hotel and its casino facilities updated.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, the El Cortez operated as a downtown Las Vegas Casino, catering primarily to locals. It retained its classic and nostalgic ambiance, in contrast to the Mega-Resorts that were being built on the Las Vegas Strip.

In 2008, the El Cortez was purchased by the Epstein family, who have maintained the property's historic charm while making necessary upgrades. They invested in refurbishing the rooms, preserving the classic neon signage, and enhancing the casino floor. The El Cortez was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 to preserve its unique architectural features, and it is recognized as one of the last remaining historic hotel-casinos in downtown Las Vegas. Despite its historic charm, the El Cortez has kept pace by introducing modern amenities and gaming options while maintaining its classic Vegas vibe.

We had a delightful dinner at Siegel’s, good friends, and great conversation. It was exactly what we were looking for - an authentic experience. My listening friends, it's important not to compare it to modern-day Denny's or choose this restaurant based on its Yelp ratings.


The El Cortez remains a popular destination for those wanting a more traditional and intimate Las Vegas experience.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Beyond Facts-The Deep Dive

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . .   This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...
4 comments
Read more

Chasing the Magic

In this episode, Chasing the Magic: How the Summer of ’98 Inspired the 'Ball Boys' . . .  Do you remember that feeling? The late-summer air was thick with humidity, radios crackling on porches, the smell of fresh-cut grass and barbecue smoke in the backyard. Every evening carried a new kind of suspense—the country holding its collective breath after every pitch. “Did he hit one today?” became more than a question; it sparked a nationwide conversation.   For me, and millions of others, the summer of 1998 wasn’t just another baseball season. It was theater, a movement, a time when the game recaptured something sacred. As sportswriter Mike Lupica said so perfectly,   “No matter how old you are or how much you’ve seen, sports is still about memory and imagination. Never more than during the summer of ’98, when baseball made everyone feel like a kid again, when it felt important again.”    Just four years earlier, the 1994 players’ strike had left the sport bruised...
Post a Comment
Read more

Retirement Talk

In this episode, Patrick & Huck: Retirement Talk . . .   We all get caught daydreaming sometimes, don’t we? Just like Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn might’ve done, lazyin’ by the river with a fishing pole in hand and the BIG wide world spinn’ in their heads. This morning, with coffee steaming and plans bubbling, I found myself driftin’ into a chat with none other than my imaginary friend–Huck Finn himself. Patrick: “Mornin’, Huck. Say, I’m mighty curious what you’d make of this retirement business.” Huck: “Well now, sit tight, ‘cause I’ve been thinkin’ on that too. Only thirty-one days 'til you're sixty-nine — whew! You're talkin’ ‘bout quittin’, hangin’ up your spurs, Givin’ the workin’ life its final good slurs. Ain’t got no debts, no mortgage, no fuss, Just clean livin’ and freedom waitin’ on the bus. Most folks’d throw hats in the air, cheerin’ loud and proud, But you? You’re starin’ out yonder, lost in some cloud. You're dreamin’ of cyclin' and books and guitar...
2 comments
Read more

Drifting with Purpose

In this episode,  Drifting with Purpose: What Huck Finn Teaches Us About Finding Your ‘Why’ . . .  Have you ever re-read a book and felt like it had changed while you weren’t looking? That’s exactly how it feels diving back into Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to be swept away again . It had been decades since I first met Huck and Jim. But here I am – older, hopefully wiser – and finding their journey down the Mississippi more powerful and more relevant than ever. This isn’t just another dusty classic. Twain's masterpiece is a living, breathing story – one that speaks through laughter, danger, awkward truth, and uncomfortable beauty. It’s a book that dares you to ask: “What kind of person am I willing to be?” Right now, I’m deep into Huck and Jim’s incredible journey, and what’s striking me the most isn’t just the plot or the river—it’s the voice. Twain’s masterful use of local dialect pulls you straight into the 19th-century Amer...
2 comments
Read more