Question of the Day - 22 February 2014

We recently changed our whole email system and things were in a state of flux when the raw results to our last Reader Poll went live last Saturday. We don't wish to deprive you of some interesting feedback, however, so allow us to present some of your comments below, which we'll also addend to the archived survey results.

We'll start by saying that, no sooner had we conceived of and launched this poll, than the demise of several other iconic Vegas elements either were announced, or else popped into our head as an afterthought when it was too late to add them. Among these were:

• Bally's Sterling Sunday Brunch: Held in the space occupied by the Bally's Steakhouse, a four-decade veteran of the Strip dining scene, the Sterling Sunday Brunch experience had been around for longer than we could remember and set the bar for all the other gourmet buffets in town. Along with its signature lobster omelets, oysters, caviar, eggs Benedict, rack of lamb, broiled lobster tails, and classic bananas Foster dessert, this was the only "champagne brunch" in Las Vegas to actually serve authentic Champagne, from the Champagne region of France! We saw a couple of different bubblies offered over the years, but the norm was Perrier Jouët and the wine waiters ensured that it flowed as freely as you wanted it to, which helped (somewhat) to justify and mitigate the hefty $85+tax price tag that was in place when this closed, earlier in the month. Allegedly, the new steakhouse will be serving its own brunch, but we doubt somehow that the old vibe can possibly be matched, so we will take this opportunity to bid adieu to an old friend and will endeavor to look forward to the new and different Bally's brunch without prior expectations.
• Jubilee!: We may have been perennially annoyed by the silly exclamation point and having to type it every time we referenced this show, but the fact remains that tired and tacky as it had undoubtedly become, this is the longest-running show on the Strip and the sole surviving showgirl spectacular that was as much a part of the whole classic Las Vegas image as neon signs, the Rat Pack, and old mobsters. It's coming back soon, but like the steakhouse/brunch at its Bally's home, we doubt that "new" Jubilee! will bear much resemblance to the old one, and we just wonder if this heralds the imminent extinction of the showgirl? We hope not, but could someone stick 'em on an "endangered" list for us, just to be on the safe side. Thanks.
• New York-New York entrance sign: It wasn't up there with such iconic lightfests as, say, the Stardust marquee or the facade of the Riviera, but still it was yet another bit of "old" Vegas that bit the dust when it came down recently as part of the whole revamp of the facades of NY-NY and the Monte Carlo. At least this sign found a good home in downtown's Neon Boneyard.
• Chinese New Year chips: While we're not chip (or any other kind of casino memorabilia) collectors ourselves, we know that a great many of you out there are and that the novel $8 chips that casinos would issue to celebrate the Year of the Dog/Pig/Snake/Rabbit etc. represented some harmless fun that might actually turn into a decent profit, if you held on to your your limited-edition novelty for a wee while. The practice of casinos basically "selling" these souvenir chips at their cages had been going on for years with none of the powers that be seemingly caring too much, but over the past two years all that changed and it looks like these will now be a thing of the past. Too bad. To this category we'll also Silver Strike -- those increasingly rare slot tokens issued by special slot machines that actually have a face value of up to $200, or even more, due to their .999 silver center insert, but which are vanishing off the face of the casino floor.

Okay, so there's our (additional) two-cents. As far as your feedback is concerned, we purposely specified "recent" or "about-to-happen" losses, since we wanted to limit the scope of this survey as much as possible to the here and now. Hence, much as we also mourn the passing of the Stardust and the Glass Pool Inn and original Binion's Horseshoe, this is not the forum in which to weep for their passing, since these properties have all been gone (if not forgotten) for some time now. So, what follows will generally be limited to more contemporary losses, although we may indulge you here and there (as we're about to do right off the bat, in fact!):

• "I voted 'other' in the poll. I was going to vote for 'The Sirens of TI Show,' then I realized that it is a microcosm of what has become prevalent up and down the Strip, and that is the disappearance of the 'theme' concept altogether. Gone is the Egyptian theme at Luxor (I don't know what's going on there anymore), the lions at the MGM, the live tigers at the entrance to the Mirage, the mystical desert-like settings of the Sahara and Aladdin. Even Caesars Palace isn't as 'Roman' as it once was as it trends toward 'luxury chic' (Pure Nightclub, Nobu, etc.) We don't ever bump into Cleopatra and her Roman court wandering around the casino anymore. We used to be able to travel from the South Pacific to Egypt to India to Rome to a deserted island to the Saharan Desert and back again, all in an afternoon; soon we will just be able to go from mall to mall to mall... One can only hope that subsequently, Vegas will do and reinvent herself once again."

• "I miss the Barbary Coast most of all. It was a cozy, homey casino and I loved staying and playing there. Although some of the staff is the same, South Point is just not as friendly. I know it's not a recent loss, but still felt deeply!" [Ed: We let this one slide, since so many others also picked the same choice.]

• "My comment about the poll is that I miss EVERYTHING that is going away, but I voted for the Hawaiian Village entertainment because we went there almost every trip."

• "We miss the 99c shrimp cocktail at Golden Gate and the Deli where it was served. I know they are sprucing it up over there and I like seeing them busier, but just wish they could have found a way to keep that. Getting it at Du-par's for more money is just not the same."

• "The huge Christmas tree and Christmas lighting in front of Caesars Palace. Just like the Sirens of TI show, the big Christmas tree was free and didn’t really do anything except change colors, but it was so cool. There are several obligatory things you must do when you go to Vegas -- to gamble of course, stay up way late, drink to your heart's content, pig out at a buffet, and take lots of pictures, just to name a few -- and that Christmas tree at Caesars was a great picture-taking opportunity and, unlike the Bellagio fountains or the volcano at the Mirage, the ree was only up during the holiday season, which is what made it so special snap a few selfies in front of it while it was up.

• "'OTHER': The old thing I used to enjoy all the time, but no longer can, is the unobstructed colorful view of the Strip from high up in a downtown hotel. Within the last few years, several super-tall nondescript structures (most of them probably condo buildings) have gone up between downtown and the north end of the Strip and they block the view terribly. This is a real bummer. And apparently for no good reason: Almost all of the visible sides are dark, i.e., no lights on, so they may be completely uninhabited (or even were never finished). I wish they would tear these monstrosities down so that the nice view is restored."

• "I miss the old show at Treasure Island – not the one with big boobs in slutty outfits!" [Ed: Here, here! Not that we object to either, but the old show was deliberately camp and cheesetastic; the new one was trying to be sexy and succeeded only in being embarrassingly crap and incoherent, in this (female Brit.) writer's humble opinion.]

• "I will miss the Horse A Round bar at Circus Circus in the midway area. Where else in Vegas can you still go live out a moment from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas anymore? Horse A Round was one of the remaining few until the marketing geniuses turned it in to a ice-cream parlor. The whole world has gone mad!"

• Triple Play, because it was a fun hangout and because anything is better than a Dotty's or Jackpot Joanie's or whatever the heck it’s gonna be." [Ed: Yep, we didn't hang out much at the recently shuttered Triple Play, but we do miss Michael's Pub and rue the onward march of those chains that have also recently swallowed up Meatheads, R Bar, etc., etc.]

• "I also miss the original Mirage volcano eruption without all the drum sounds choreographed into it now. It was much more like a real volcano eruption the original way."

• "Having looked over the list, I am probably one of a few who miss the OLD Gold Spike before its recent purchase and cleanup. I always enjoyed the interesting mix of people you would run into."

• "I miss Rio's Masquerade Show in the Sky. Best free show in vegas for years." [Ed: Doh! We knew there was something else we'd forgotten to list.]

• "I miss the Boardwalk Casino with its announcements blaring on the sidewalk as you walked by. We've stayed at both Aria and Cosmopolitan and they are nice places to stay at; however, City Center is a big glass skyscraper that you can see in NY, LA, Houston or any big city. There was more Vegas 'flavor' in the Boardwalk than you will find anywhere in City Center."

• "Though I voted for the Tiffany ceiling at the Trop, I feel the same way about the TI Sirens show and the MGM lion exhibit: All being eliminated for more of the same." [Ed: Since the poll went live, the good news is that there may yet be a stay of execution for the glass ceiling at the Trop -- fingers and toes crossed. It's not actually Tiffany glass -- we like it better than Tiffany and it was a custom design for that casino. Meanwhile, while the free lion exhibit has gone, you can still go see the lions, and their cubs, and in a much more intimate setting -- it's just that it'll cost you 40 bucks now. Check out this review from our good mate at Vital Vegas.]

• "I miss the old O’Sheas. We always made sure we went there once every trip. The plan was always stay an hour or two but we'd end up staying much longer. They always had the most fun and happy drunk people! (Usually!) P.S. You guys are the best!" [Ed: Cheers!]

• "What I miss the most is the piano player at the Golden Gate. It was classy old Vegas. Sadly, they have gone along with the rest of the casinos and their dancing dealers."

• It's been gone a few years, but Caesars' Magical Empire was always a treat. In fact, in 2001 our wizard for the evening made the engagement ring that I placed on my fiance's finger appear from nowhere." [Ed: You had a personal wizard and he "magic'd" you a free diamond ring? Heck, we'd really like to get that dude back, too! Just kidding but yes, the Magical Empire was fun. I actually basically lived inside that attraction for a week while filming once; at one point there was a power outage while I was in the restroom and it actually spooked the crap out of me haha!"

• Coin-only slot machines (and the plastic cups they used to have to hold one coins) [Ed: These have made a bit of resurgence -- you can at least now find coin-in and/or ,a href="http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/ctable.cfm?id=30" target="_blank">coin-out machines at a number of casinos on the Strip and downtown, not to mention several "locals" casinos.]
• Low-price 24/7 coffee shops at most of the casino/resorts [Ed: Yep, good call on this one]
• Banks of pay-phones at every casino/resort [Ed: Ah, yes, we remember those too...]
• Keno boards everywhere [Ed: Look out for an upcoming QoD for the current lay-of-the-(live-keno-)land