Old Vegas, the Trop, UnWine, and Me

I love old Las Vegas, which is more meaningful now since most of it is gone, imploded in the heady days of the late 80s, 90s, and early in this decade.  We’ve seen the likes of the Aladdin, the Stardust, the Sands, and the Hacienda disappear into Vegas’ past.  We’ve seen the beautiful Desert Inn yield to the twin bronze glass monoliths of the Wynn and Encore.  In the rush to constantly reinvent itself, it seems as if Vegas lost a little of its soul.

And then there’s the Tropicana.  When I first went into the Tropicana some 25 (!!!!!) years ago, it was a dark and smoky place with the usual casino carpeting, table games, and omnipresent slots.  But what really got my attention were the guys in suits – the pit bosses – unobtrusively supervising behind the tables. Each one looked as if he could have been an extra in The Godfather.  It was great.  Vegas’ storied history at its finest.  Today, the pit boss is just as likely to be a small woman in heels as he is a burly guy in a suit, and the table games area is now bright and airy.  It’s not until you walk back into the old section of the hotel that you really feel that you’ve gone back in time to the glory days.  Let me explain.

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