Question of the Day - 16 August 2010

If you didn't catch the last LVA Reader Poll, we asked you which casino you miss the most. We received so much excellent feedback, we're running your thoughts in this column for the next two days. Here's Part I.

• "We voted for the Stardust. Our first trip by ourselves we stayed at the Westward Ho (also a grieved loss) while my husband was recuperating from a broken ankle. The Dust was easy to hobble to and we fell in love. We always played there on every trip back and were upgraded to a suite for one stay  (very classy and elegant). The last trip before it was demolished we took a picture of my husband under the sign – and there were tears in his eyes. It’s so sad to see a pile of rusty rubble where a proud jewel once shined."

• "Frontier - The ice cream in the afternoon. :) "

• "The Horseshoe. Yeah, I know it is still in existence, but not the Horseshoe I remember."

• How can you leave the Holy Cow off your list? Best spot on the Strip. [Ed: Ooh, yes, we had some fun at the Cow, too : )]

• "Lady Luck always had the best free-play offers."

• "I voted for the Debbie Reynolds.  I never even made it there before it closed.  But to me it represented another fun bit of Vegas class...in a weird way."

• "We used to enjoy playing craps at the Aladdin. The table personnel there were laid back, personable, and professional. Always had a good time whether we won or lost. Very well could be the same personnel staffing the Planet Hollywood, but definitely a different vibe and different clientele now, so we rarely go there anymore.

• "This was fun to think about, though I found I had a tough time answering. I had several on the list that all jumped out at me, and all going back to when I just started visiting the city. Ultimately I chose the Dunes, as that and the Sands stood out to me as 'old Vegas', and though I only stayed there one night, they treated me much better than they did at the Sands. The Dunes had certainly seen better days by that time, but it still had this great feel just to be in the place. Still, I could have easily picked the Sands, the Mint, Stardust, Silver Slipper, Westward Ho..."

• "I voted "other" simply because it's not just a single casino that will be missed, but rather the nostalgia of the whole era that involved the Aladdin, Stardust, Dunes, etc.....and even the Westward Ho. The old lights downtown with the Mint, the Lady Luck, and others are also missed. It's an era that's missing, not a single casino.

• "I miss the Castaways on the Strip, torn down to make way for Mirage. They had a small casino, friendly staff, good pays on dollar slots (97.5% pay on carousel machines), great bargains in the coffee shop, good small hotel and pool with low room rates. You couldn't get lost or lose friends there. All that's left now is the wooden carved 'Pagoda of luck' along the fence outside Mirage (if it is still there). The Stardust was a true gem. Great progressives at the bars. Friendly staff. Beautiful suites. Easy comps. A deep pool with expansive lawns surrounding it. Good food at the coffee shop along with one of the last (if not the last) counter seating. EASY in and out. Excellent shows. AN AWESOME sports book, and ... the list goes on and on. My second and third choices are the Frontier and the Ho. Thinking, in this bad economy, many more people would be visiting if these properties were still standing. They were inexpensive vacation spots and served a large adult market that has some how been forgotten in this era of 'metaresorts.'" [Ed: The Jain temple you refer to is now in Caifornia; see QoD 4/6/2008.]

• "Miss the scary Clown from Boardwalk (Holiday Inn) that watched over the strip.  That thing always reminded me of Pennywise from Stephen King's IT." [Ed: We think you're the only one, LOL!]

• "Like many, I miss the 'Dust. I really liked the old East Tower rooms with a balcony. They were old and worn but they were all right. I could always get a room in that tower and felt like I was already ahead at check-in. I hit about one-third of my career Rryals at the Stardust and once found a $100 bill on the casino floor that obviously fell out of someone's pocket because there was no one standing anywhere near it when I found it. There was the legendary book, complete with real characters, and a couple of the friendliest bartenders I have ever met working the casino bars. God I miss it! Ashes to ashes indeed."

• "The Desert Inn is what I miss the most about modern Las Vegas. It was all class, unlike anything today. I loved the high ceilings, the lack of noise, the lack of KIDS, and I loved the dealers who were the nicest and best in town. The restaurants and pool were wonderful also. There will never be anything like it again, sadly."

• "We stayed at the Sands the first 5 years we went to Vegas.  We loved the garden units in the back , plus, we loved the free coffee mugs they gave away. We still use them."

• "I miss the Hacienda because that was the first casino I ever went to.  I was just over 21 and I had such a good time."

• "The reasons we chose the Westard Ho over all the other choices are many, as follows: location; entertainment in the lounge every afternoon; free afternoon ice cream social; coffee and donuts for 5 cents each; footlong hot dogs for 99 cents and large strawberry shortcake; large 99-cent margaritas; entertainment upstairs; a small and old fashioned casino with a pleasant atmosphere where we enjoyed playing slots and video poker."

• "Stardust - I do not miss the 'roach motel' in the back, but I remember when they had one of the best sports books in town and a 3 a.m. bowl of beef stew for 25 cents and a glass of beer for 5 cents - and you could buy refills!  Great lounge area too."

Thanks again for all the feedback, everyone -- tune in tomorrow for Part II.