Fremont Street Experience, the Original Vegas Strip

IMG_8311Fremont Street is classic Las Vegas for tourists.

My daughter Mallory said the original Las Vegas Strip was what she really thought Vegas should be. The old casinos are here – Golden Nugget, Fremont, and Binion’s. They were among the original casinos in the early Vegas days.

IMG_8318The TV series “Vegas” (CBS, 2012-13 season) was based on the original Strip. The show starred Michael Chiklis and Dennis Quaid. It was a good show that didn’t get the ratings.

IMG_8315Mallory and I arrived just as the Fremont Street Experience was wrapping up the light show featuring the music of classic rock band Heart. The show alternates artists’ music, including Bon Jovi and Queen.

IMG_8290We did enjoy watching the Queen show, which featured “We are the Champions” and “We will rock you.”

IMG_8385Showtime starts with all the lights on the casino going dark. Then, the light show starts on the canopy that runs a couple of blocks on Fremont Street.

We had dinner at the Bay City Diner at Golden Gate Casino. The home-style cooking was quite tasty.

After dinner, we hit the slots. Neither of us is a big gambler. We played the penny slots. I started out with $10. I doubled it. Mallory suggested cashing out. But, did I listen to my kid? Nope. I saw my winnings drop to zero by the time I was done.

As I said, Mallory really liked the Fremont Street casinos. She joked that the casinos were the kind that should have “rock, paper and scissors” or “Guess the Number” games, like the “casino” in “Vegas Vacation.” IMG_8302

At Binion’s, we saw a car that once belonged to Elvis. He apparently signed it over a secretary or someone like that.

IMG_8292Jack Binion’s car was also on display.

IMG_8294The street has vendors galore, selling things from souvenirs to caricatures to face moldings. We watched several of the artists at work.

IMG_8320We had a great time visiting the original Strip. It was great seeing my daughter enjoy the Fremont Street area.