Downtown Is Dying

I know many of you love downtown, never go to the strip and will disagree vehemently with me but IMHO downtown is dying despite well intentioned efforts to keep it afloat. I was there twice last week and.... yawn. I saw the FSE light show a couple of weeks after it opened in the mid 90's and it was cool. Now almost 20 years later it's pretty much the same. The light upgrade they did about 10 years ago...makes no difference. As I was watching the "Heart" show last week I kept thinking "this is no different'/better than it was when it first opened".

Binions has never been the same since Benny died, the LVC is gutted (maybe it will be decent if/when it gets redone), the 4 Queens and Fremont look the same as always. I do get it that many like the "old time" look and feel. And that's fine to a point. Yes it's great to be able to walk quickly from one casino to another. But is it really? There isn't much difference between the places. The "D" wasn't impressive despite the new owners. Low cut outfits and fishnets on a few of the dealers in front 4 tables at Binions? Yawn. Very average looking dancers in the pits? Yawn. Maybe if they were good looking....

Cheap food is fine but for the most part you get what you pay for.

Doing the zip line was fun. Once.

Cheaper gambling is great if your gambling budget is geared that way.

I am by no means saying the strip is "better" or anything like that. There are plenty of cons about all of those places too.

But as someone who has gone to Vegas regularly for 25 years and use to love downtown and appreciate "vintage" Las Vegas, now it just feels old and stale to me.

As with many things in life it's all a matter of personal taste and for those of you who still love downtown that's great, it's all about doing things and going places that make you happy. There's just nothing downtown that will make me go back there again for the next few trips.

Wow.I believe this is the first negative post I've seen about downtown in quite a while.But you are right,it is about personal taste.I still like downtown except for the temporary construction down Fremont st.

Yes, this is definitely about personal taste. But in the end I think that for people that it all boils down to what they are looking for.

I myself am looking for one or more places that offers good rules and pay schedules in combination with a good returning Slot Club and the possibility of getting a very cheap or Free room (and maybe even some Freeplay) with not that relatively much play (coin-in) required Versus what it takes to get much of anything out of the Strip Casinos.

For me, other kinds of entertainment (other than casino play) is not high on my list. On my most recent visit (from 3/11-3/13/13), at least at night there seemed to be a decent amount of people on Fremont Street.

Certainly in Downtown, at least for gaming and food values, you're more likely to get better deals (at least if you are at the lower denomination levels or have a lower amount of disposable income to deal with).

RecVPPlayer

Well Oscar put a lot of LV money, time, and effort into the Downtown. IMHO without it Downtown would have been buried several years ago....we like the Strip but not the distance between casinos-- Downtown and any night you are there when the shows are running the place is packed....several casinos are betting aganist Downtown dying and hopefully they are thinging in the right direction....Yes the Vegas Club---MSS (needs a total facelift)----Binions have slipped and really I have never missed the first two I mentioned at all......I guess that's why each individual likes and dislikes keeps the world going........

Mickey,

Basically, I would agree with you. Personally, I visit LV about six times a year.
I fit the Bellagio, Ven demographic, but you know what, the strip is getting stale to me .
The prices are ridiculous. The food options are over the top. I don't need night clubs or another Cirqu show. Comps are getting harder to get.

I do mix some business on some trips, and the strip is great for that.
But when I am there to seriously gamble, drink a little too much, and enjoy a good but not terribly overpriced meal, I find myself exploring more of downtown. Actually my plan for the rest of this year is to split my time between Downtown and the Strip.

Hey, things run in cycles, maybe its time for a change .
Good luck.

Downtown - 9/6 JoB instead of 7/5, drinks every 10 minutes instead of every hour, Value instead of What the Market Will Bear, and a great Vibe. We go to the strip to see the BIG shows, but other than that we love MSS, 4Queens. and away from Downtown - LVH.

Tonyrob

I find the strip has become really expensive food wise/ table limits on the weekend and most hotels have resort fees. Downtown drinks come fast, they appreciate your business and it's easy to move to another casino. We spilt our stays as well between the 2....

I certainly understand the allure of cheap food/gambling/rooms. Hell, I've stayed downtown many times over the years. But the last few times I've been downtown....bored me. The LVC is depressing as hell with the hotel closed and old plastic sheets covering most of the tables. Tshirts are being sold at the check in desk at Binions. As I mentioned in my original post the light show is beyond lame now. Sure in the mid 90's it was something unique and fun. Now almost 20 years later it's certainly not and that's even with spending $17 million to "upgrade" it. Neonopolis sounded good on paper. In reality... nothing special about it at all. Closing most of the street to traffic was a great idea. I don't know what the answer is and maybe no answer is needed since I appear to be in the vast minority.

Downtown has always been a conundrum. Much of it's appeal is giving customers the "old time" Las Vegas look and feel. But it's very hard to remain static in a city that is so dynamic. Yes there has been some remodeling and some room renovations but the overall look and feel of the area is the same.

Now that Wynn, Exber, Binion, Gaughan et. al have been replaced by Landry's, Tamares Group, and TLC Enterprises it's hard to be very optimistic...

We have been recently torn on downtown. While we love the comps we are getting (free suite at MSS, free food & play), we miss the lack of a pool, spa, and shows. Our free food is limited to Boyd properties and is getting old. I love the fast drink service and the fact people at the MSS remember us/what we drink from trip to trip and we only go out twice a year. While we don't need the clubs and night life there is just something lacking. Heck--even out at the Suncoast we had the option of the pool and movies. I don't know--maybe downtown will be reserved for our winter trip.

Golden Nugget has a good pool.