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Poll : 07 November - 20 November 2018

Q:

Here’s a fun one we haven’t run for around a decade: What do you miss most that's disappeared from Vegas? The last time we conducted this survey, the choices were all from “the past few years.” This time, the sky’s the limit (which reminds us to include Vegas World).

Of course, we can only include so many choices before the list is so long that you have to scroll all the way to China. So we’re including the main hotel-casinos and attractions; if you have others (for example, if you came here in the ’30s and ’40s and you miss the Sal Sagev), please tells us all about it in the comments.

And thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions.

A:
16066 Total Votes
hotel rooms without resort fees
6% (900)
free parking
5% (798)
3-2 on all blackjack games
4% (569)
Stardust
3% (549)
99-cent shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate
3% (539)
casino funbooks
3% (534)
24-hour coffee shops
3% (526)
Pirate Show at TI
3% (424)
coin slot machines (and plastic cups and change girls)
2% (376)
Westward Ho
2% (355)
Barbary Coast
2% (342)
Horseshoe (when it was run by the Binions)
2% (318)
Riviera
2% (302)
customer service
2% (284)
O’Sheas
2% (274)
themed casinos
2% (264)
full-pay Deuces Wild (abundant)
2% (259)
Former B Connected players club (Boyd Gaming)
2% (257)
Sahara
2% (249)
Lions at MGM
2% (243)
Star Trek the Experience
1% (230)
Imperial Palace
1% (209)
$2 steak at the Horseshoe
1% (187)
Frontier
1% (184)
Lady Luck
1% (182)
dressing up for dinner and a show
1% (181)
Frank Sinatra
1% (181)
Siegfried & Roy
1% (180)
original Rio cocktail waitress uniforms
1% (179)
Las Vegas Club
1% (170)
Rat Pack
1% (170)
Du-par’s at Golden Gate
1% (163)
Elvis
1% (161)
Aladdin
1% (157)
Desert Inn
1% (150)
Fitzgerald's
1% (148)
Sands
1% (147)
Sigma Derby
1% (144)
Boardwalk
1% (143)
Steve Wynn
1% (143)
Dunes
1% (141)
Jubilee!
1% (132)
Danny Gans
1% (128)
Benny Binion
1% (123)
Bob Stupak
1% (121)
class
1% (120)
Deli at Golden Gate
1% (116)
video poker (and VP promotions) at the Frontier
1% (112)
Bay City Diner at Golden Gate
1% (109)
Folies Bergere
1% (109)
Monte Carlo
1% (108)
Jackie Gaughan
1% (106)
the Mob
1% (105)
Vegas World
1% (105)
Silver City
1% (104)
Holy Cow!
1% (95)
Liberace Museum
1% (93)
Silver Slipper
1% (91)
Showboat
1% (90)
Nile River Ride at Luxor
1% (89)
Oscar Goodman (as mayor)
1% (85)
Mermaids
1% (83)
All of the above!
1% (82)
Liberace
0% (80)
Hacienda
0% (74)
full-pay Pick ’em
0% (73)
Silver Strike slots
0% (73)
Vacation Village (free spin)
0% (71)
Magical Empire at Caesars Palace
0% (68)
Flip-It machines
0% (67)
Sassy Sally
0% (64)
$1 late-night chuckwagon buffet
0% (63)
Debbie Reynolds
0% (61)
George Maloof at the Palms
0% (58)
Lance Burton
0% (56)
Castaways (Strip)
0% (52)
MGM Grand amusement park
0% (52)
Pasta Pirate at the California
0% (51)
Landmark
0% (49)
Gold Spike
0% (48)
Wet ’n Wild (on the Strip)
0% (47)
Elvis-A-Rama Museum
0% (46)
Sam Boyd
0% (45)
Amtrak
0% (40)
El Rancho
0% (38)
White Cross Drugs
0% (38)
original Baccanal restaurant at Caesars
0% (37)
99-cent strawberry tall cake at Silverton
0% (36)
$9.99 crab legs at Palace Station
0% (35)
Frank Rosenthal
0% (32)
4-Joker/5-Joker full-pay VP at the Plaza
0% (31)
Jolly Trolley
0% (31)
Speed rollercoaster
0% (31)
motion-simulators
0% (30)
Bugsy Siegel
0% (29)
Little Caesars
0% (29)
Henny Youngman
0% (26)
Comdex
0% (25)
High Roller rollercoaster
0% (20)
Moulin Rouge
0% (20)
Blue Angel (motel and statue)
0% (18)
Kirk Kerkorian
0% (18)
Tropicana Golf Course
0% (18)
Tony Spilotro
0% (17)
Block 16
0% (13)
Moe Dalitz
0% (11)
El Rancho Vegas
0% (8)
Green Shack
0% (7)
Regina’s Pizza at the Fiesta (our own lost favorite)
0% (6)
faro
0% (4)
Poppa Gar’s
0% (2)

Analysis

The results of this poll won't surprise anyone. 

The days before resort fees, paid parking, and 6-5 blackjack are most missed, along with casino funbooks and the awesome 99-cent Golden Gate shrimp cocktail (which we too voted for and miss a lot). Otherwise, the top finishers are from the nostalgia department: the Stardust (with its great sports book, Lido de Paris, Olympic-sized pool, and cool little water jets out front), Pirate Show, coin slots, Westward Ho, Barbary Coast, the old Horseshoe, Riviera, and on and on. 

We were a little surprised that the personalities placed as low as they did: Sinatra came in at #26 and Elvis at #32. 

The bottom of the list is most interesting to us. A couple people actually remember Poppa Gar's, a long-time diner on W. Oakey and the Green Shack, the fried-chicken old-timer on Boulder Highway. A few miss faro (at least they claim to) and a few even miss Tony Spilotro (though we wonder what they miss about him). The Blue Angel and Moulin Rouge are less nostalgic to voters than we might've expected, while a couple roller-coasters and the old motion simulators aren't heavily lamented.

All in all, though, with more than 16,000 votes, this poll places in the top three vote-getters of all the polls we've ever run (going on 500!). 

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Comments

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  • Adam Cohen Nov-07-2018
    No poll
    There is no poll to vote on 

  • Sandra Ritter Nov-07-2018
    Where are the Choices?
    Right now there are 0 choices.

  • Deke Castleman Nov-07-2018
    little glitch
    Sorry about the choices. All fixed. 

  • Reno Faoro Nov-07-2018
    MEMORIES
    GREAT MOMENTS ROOM AT LVC, MEL EXBER , SPORT DISPLAYS AT LVC, HOT TURKEY SANDWICH AT LVC, GEE JOONS AT THE SHOE , 8 CRAP TABLES FULL AT THE SHOE, 100 X ODDS, 'CERTIFIED', PALACE STAION MONDAY FOOD DEALS,the 'SHOES' POKER ROOM-JAMMED  FULL, JERRY'S 48 OZ PRIME RIB -I DID IT.PULLMAN GRILLE AT MSS.,STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE at MSS. OPENING BUFFET AT THE MIRAGE ,1993 ?At the time numero uno.BATISTA'S HOLE IN THE WALL, -back in the day.SAMMY DAVIS performing - anywhere !!

  • Pat Higgins Nov-07-2018
    P Higgins
    Free parking.   Easy comps.  I am very cheap!!!

  • Toni Armstrong Jr. Nov-07-2018
    Also missing these...
    Daiquiris at La Bayou (downtown)... Omnimax (Caesar’s Palace) ... Heart of the West lesbian music festivals (Hacienda then Stardust) ... Shag With a Twist musical (Plaza) ... Little Legends celeb impersonation show (Planet Hollywood?) ... $2 craps (Silver City) ... when Boyd still appreciated Ruby-level players ... the blimp that briefly operated and let anyone buy a ride!

  • Derick Nov-07-2018
    VP
    Obviously the abundant FP video poker. The easy host comps after few hours of play.  The quick $20 tip room upgrade. 

  • Steve Caldwell Nov-07-2018
    Steve caldwell
    Bourbon street, Maxim, and oasis

  • Frank Mabry Nov-07-2018
    I Miss the Most
    The almost outdoor crap table at Slots of Fun. The $1.99 Pound of Pig at the Plaza.

  • primatejrw Nov-07-2018
    Sky parade at the Rio
    Am I the only one who misses this?

  • John Marmas Nov-07-2018
    John Marmas
    I really miss the sound of real coins dropping from the slots, especially the silver dollars.

  • Boogieman888 Nov-07-2018
    One more missed item
    The strawberry shortcake at the Westside Deli at Circus Circus after the $1.49 Big Dog with chili. I have not been back since!

  • Hobbs Nov-07-2018
    Fremont Street
    Fremont Street  WITHOUT THE EXPERIENCE!!
    Pullman at MSS

  • Ray Nov-07-2018
    all missed
    I listed about a half dozen, mostly old gone hotels (more entirely gone than just remodeled and rebranded), but then also checked "all of the above" since we really do miss a lot of old Vegas things. It would also be interesting to know how many people vote, not just the total number of choices. 

  • 145tech Nov-07-2018
    Slots-A-Fun hot dog!
    Yeah, definitely unhealthy and something I saved for Vegas trips, but the jumbo hot dog at Slots-a-fun was my favorite go-to snack when in LV!  Combined with a cheap beer, it was my way of saying “screw you” to my normal diet of sensible food. Sad to see the experience replaced with a Subway franchise. 

  • O2bnVegas Nov-07-2018
    Augustus Cafe at Caesars
    Augustus Cafe was the best.  When they replaced it with that snooty place devoid of all personality (The Central?), Caesars lost my loyalty.  Augustus had the friendliest staff, wonderful food (best onion rings on the planet, artichoke dip), plus they had live Keno.  Of course live Keno died everywhere.

  • Ron Coventry Nov-07-2018
    victorian room
    Miss getting the steak and egg special at the Victorian Room at 3 am before we turn in for a couple hours..

  • Jim Nov-07-2018
    Missing
    Race for Atlantis 

  • Ron Olson Nov-07-2018
    GN
    The "gauntlet" of coin vp and special slots you had to pass through while waiting in line for the Golden Nugget buffet... and their bread pudding was worth talking about then!!

  • Texas Transplant Nov-07-2018
    Miss the chocolate shop in the back of the Riviera
    There was a small chocolate shop in the back of the Riviera that made their own fudge on premises!  Excellent.  Used to go to a trade show every summer at the LV convention center and would buy about $200 in different chocolates.  
    
    At the time I was selling and my main customer's buyers would attend the show.  They were ALL "chocoholics" and they knew that I had a "stash" of candy.  They made it a point to come to our booth at least a couple of times a day for a chocolate "fix". 
    
    My competitors couldn't figure out how I kept getting their attention everyday. Really miss the chocolate!

  • Donna Caltabiano Nov-07-2018
    Rio Mardi Gras in the sky
    I really, really miss the Mardi Gras in the sky. I rode in the show twice. It was such a thrill.  I actually cried when I heard it was closing and I couldn’t get there to see it one more time. I also miss the Lost Vegas gift shop near Fremont Street. And the Attic store for great old memorabilia. 

  • David Nov-07-2018
    David
    Coin slots were a blast. Always went to old town played the .50 slots and could count on a silver one now and then. 

  • John Foisy Nov-07-2018
    What I miss most
    The Buffet at Ballys

  • Nov-07-2018
    For John Marmas, et al.:
    You can still play slots or VP machines and have coins drop for your cash-out, if you just go downtown.  The El Cortez has a lot of those old machines, and there are probably still a lot at the Fremont, and maybe the 4 Queens also. You might also find some at the Plaza, Golden Gate, California and maybe even Main Street Station.

  • Duane Pfau Nov-07-2018
    coffee shops
    good food, good prices, and live keno at the 24 hr coffee shop

  • Frank Weston Nov-08-2018
    Commanders Palace
    Oh, how I miss the $18.80 3-course lunch and 25 cent martinis.  

  • Don the Dentist Nov-08-2018
    Horseshoe
    -Single deck BJ
    -Friday seafood buffet with king crab legs
    -$1,000,000 photo

  • Kevin Lewis Nov-08-2018
    Bargains
    I not only miss all the bargains, I miss not getting ripped off. Vegas is now about as attractive a vacation destination as Baffin Island or Calcutta.

  • Susan Johnson Nov-08-2018
    old vegas
    I guess we just miss Las Vegas as it was when we got hooked on going there.  Good VP, good food cheap and so many more things than listed here that made it so much fun!

  • Seamans Nov-09-2018
    choices?
    Casinos only want money. They will do what ever it takes to get it.

  • Paul Desalvo Nov-10-2018
    Freevalet parking or free parking
    I miss being able to jump  casino to casino on the strip using the valet.  Impossible to do now unless you want to walk ten miles in the heat.

  • Edward King Nov-11-2018
    Monte Carlo
    Specifically, the Pub (especially when it brewed its own beer) and the surprisingly good pool area.

  • Larry Hopson Nov-11-2018
    courtyard cafe
    I miss the $4 steak and eggs at the Courtyard Cafe at the Orleans.  

  • Tim Soldan Nov-11-2018
    The REALLY Free stuff
    I miss the free spin at the Sahara players club, the Free video poker at the Four Queens, the free slot machine at Slots-a-Fun next to Circus Circus (it actually gave you coins) and all the other places where all you had to do was show up and you could do it.

  • David Danto Nov-11-2018
    Hilton
    Missing the Hilton Double plays - the Hilton Honors benefits (free breakfast, room upgrades) while still getting Casino Freebies.  Las Vegas Hilton, Paris (while it was a Hilton) and more.

  • Loyd Vegas Nov-24-2018
    Poll
    Ralph's Diner at the Stardust.