Analysis
A huge response to last week's poll. No big surprise that the non-smoking casino option garnered so many votes, especially in light of the response to the smoking ban poll we ran last year. It's been tried in the past and didn't work – just not enough customers to sustain it. But times are a-changin' and Bill's Lake Tahoe's been smoke-free for over a year now and survived, so you never know.
There was much jostling among the next few positions as the week wore on, with the neon museum starting mid-field but winding up in the #2 spot. We like this idea, too, but it has to be done right. While the current setup, which is not much more than a neon scrapyard, isn't ideal, we like the accessibility of the signs and the informal setup, which is certainly evocative and affords some great photo ops. Something that retained some of these qualities while protecting and restoring the signage (wouldn't it be great to see them all lit up at night?) would be an excellent idea, as was rescuing La Concha to house the visitors center. We're not so crazy about randomly shoving old neon signs on Fremont Street or the Strip, where they just seem out of context these days and liable to get visually drowned-out by all the other eye candy. Just our two cents worth.
The pro sports team was a surprising 3rd place (how to make the Mayor happy!), while the strip-club-inside-a-casino idea was less so, (we've had heaps of QoDs on the topic over the years). We'd put a new Wet ‘n Wild above either, although we realize that's more of a locals' priority – try getting through an entire summer here with kids without a water park and you'll know why we miss it so much. Still, if the new Las Vegas Wet project ever makes it off the drawing board, we'll get a water park and an indoor ski slope, drought-permitting.
As to your "other" suggestions, they were both plentiful and interesting, although in the main unlikely to come to fruition. Here are some that caught our eye:
*"Just kidding of course, but how about 3:2 blackjack?" [Ed: Dream on!]
*"A 1950s-type lounge with a piano bar for the older crowd would be nice." [Ed: Hmm. There's Napoleon's at Paris and the Fontana Lounge has reopened at Bellagio. Check out the QoD archives for 11/1/07 for more suggestions.]
*"An all-gay casino." [Ed: Several votes for this.]
*"A White Castle hamburger joint." [Ed: Now you're talking. A.C. would vote for that.]
*"Free WiFi access." [Ed: It's been discussed. If the current Google experiment works in San Francisco, this one might just happen.]
*Although even the Luxor's trying desperately to "de-theme" these days, we received a whole raft of ideas for themed resorts, including: "A future-world themed casino, where you could design your own fantasy vacation" [Ed: Check out the Palms – what more do you want?!]; "Wizard of Oz-themed casino" [Ed: Nooo!! The MGM Grand kind of tried that to some extent. As long as it stays green, that's good enough :-)]; and "A German/Bavarian-style hotel-casino." [Ed: Think you'll have to make do with the Hofbräuhaus.]
*"Live money BJ tournaments, like we had at the Stardust and Frontier."
*"A new family theme park, like Six Flags or Legoland – somewhere other than Adventuredome at Circus Circus, so we don't have to go through a casino with our kids." [Ed: MGM Grand experimented and failed, but see above re Las Vegas Wet.]
*"Legalized prostitution in Las Vegas – regulated, clean, and (hopefully) cheaper than it is now."
*"Quiet slot machines." [Ed: Nice idea, but forget it!]
*"Would like to see a major national/international industry or profession based here, to offset our gambling/Sin City image."
*"More (and good) 7-day package deals."
*"Full nudity shows in Strip hotels."
*"Below-ground garage parking." [Ed: Good idea, but maybe earthquakes are an issue?]
*How about an aquarium?" [Ed: Actually, we have a half-dozen or more already
