![]() ![]() Stroll down the famed Strip and behold the finely aged Vegas cheese that is Caesars Palace. Though increasingly hard to find, the gloriously gaudy legacy of Vegas' golden years lives on. UNLV college students and adventurous tourists have largely replaced the shady-looking street urchins who once plagued the area. If you’re looking for where to eat, the hipster-geared shops and eateries of the metal cargo-shipping bins of the Downtown Container Park are only a few steps away. Nowadays the intersection is crammed with old buildings-turned-nightspots. Less than 10 years ago the sketchy corner of Fremont and 6th streets was no man's land, frequented only by the most dedicated of budget gamblers playing at the vintage El Cortez casino. ![]() Witness the gentrification of downtown's Fremont East District. Unlike the 1990s when old casinos were being demolished left and right, remodeling and repurposing make financial sense in today's tough economy. Instead of a date with dynamite, the old girl's bones were dolled-up and reanimated as the glitzy SlotZilla. Prior to "The Riv" biting the dust a different approach was taken with the legendary Sahara hotel, shuttered in 2011. One casualty is the Riviera hotel, a favorite haunt of the Rat Pack and a filming location for movies ranging from the original "Ocean's 11" to Martin Scorsese's "Casino." After a 60-year run the hotel closed its doors for good in 2015 to make way for a future expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center. And the storied casinos of Sin City's '60s and '70s heyday have been dropping like flies lately. The King swivel-hipped his way out of the building long ago, of course. Vegas is constantly reinventing itself, discarding the old and donning the new. And when the tumblin' dice reward you with stacks of chips that are oh so nice, you'll sing “Viva Las Vegas!” It's all here in a 24/7 desert bacchanalia that on occasion makes Dionysus and his pals come off like amateurs. Chase Your Dreams in Sin City With its neon flashin' and one-armed bandits crashin', this bright light city is bound to set your soul on fire.
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