“There was a time where I wouldn’t walk in there for fear of getting a secondary lung disease. Now, it’s as cool and neat as a place as there is in the entire downtown.” — Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, on downtown’s renovated Gold Spike motel-casino.
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Is it safe to walk there from/to Fremont Street?
The old Spike was so decrept that it had a certain charm for this once a year visitor. It was the sort of place that, after many drinks somewhere else, a guy could walk in with a few rolls of pennies and feel like a high roller. I liked second hand smoke and the puke/stale beer smell reminded me of college days. I drew the like on ever eating any food there.
The new Spike is good news for Downtown which badly needs a glimmer of life off of Fremont St., especially next to the ugly hulk of what was once the most fun casino in town, the Lady Luck. They need a greater variety of slots, 9/6 video poker and dare I suggest a lounge band for me to ever part with any serious pennies in the space formerly known as “Copper Canyon.”
I’ve made the stroll to the Spike and it’s quite safe. (Where’s Jeff_in_OKC, our resident expert on the Downtown casinos?)
As for the Lady Luck, given that its casino was on a distant corner of the block occupied by “the ugly hulk,” far from the pool, hotel towers, etc., it’s never been clear why its former owners felt it imperative to close everything *including* the casino, thereby cutting off the cash flow essential to refurbishment of the unlucky Lady.
My former Business Press colleague, Valerie Miller, told me several years back that the would-be makeover was meant to be financed out of the proceeds of several nearby taverns — a business plan so bad it shows you how out of touch with economic reality Vegas was five years ago.
Yeah, I remember that Lady Luck “plan”, with the hotel as an anchor for a string of bars on the street, and some of the hotel’s rooms converted into condominiums.
I’m sorry to say that I contributed to its “redevelopment fund” to the tune of about $200 in card club credit, which evaporated when they shut down the whole joint overnight. Too bad; I used to stay there all the time.
I wonder if customers’ card accounts were counted as “credits” or “debits” on the Lady Luck books.