MONDO TIKI + Las Vegas History Tour on Easter Sunday?

I have produced historic architecture tours in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley for the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee and the Museum of Neon Art (MONA). I also did a photo safari of Vintage Vegas which I presented to the Modern Committee.

So I had this crazy idea to rent a small touring bus and do a Post-Mondo-Tiki tour of historic and architectural Las Vegas on Easter Sunday ending with a pilgrimage out to see the old Stardust MOAI (by Bamboo Ben's dad - a good religious experience for Easter Sunday). I would need to collect a small fee to cover the bus rental, but would anyone else be into it?

[ Edited by: Futura Girl on 2003-02-14 20:30 ]

If you book it, they will come. Or at least I will, let me know if you get that going. hey, I picked up a parts catalouge for CB for classic Falcons from Macs Auto Parts. I'll bring it to the Mai Kai show at the Lava Lounge. By the way, how's your cousin Cherry Capri doing? Keep an eye on her, I think she's after your man!

[ Edited by: suicide_sam on 2003-02-15 15:07 ]

Bamboo Ben's GRANDFATHER. (sorry, but nobody seems to get that right.)

I am happy to hear that there is enough of old Vegas left to warrant a tour, and will gladly join the coach. Our bus tours are always the funnest!

I have researched the strip pretty thoroughly in the past and there isn't enough in a way of extant original 50's structures to support a tour, IMO. There are some little motels that aren't famous or anything, but they're old. Maybe the Trop has a motel wing left. There is a cute nine-story tower at Stardust that is modern-esque. The first high-rise on the strip was the Riviera. If you look real hard you can pick out that structure from all the expansions added over the years. There are some towers from the late '60's that are not very distinguished. The only cool ones left are at Caesars; they just finished re-skinning those in the last year or so and removed the stone screens from all the towers. They no longer have that famous look. They did leave the stone screen up along the long drive toward the porte cochere that runs alongside the fountains, I am glad to say. Well, unless they ripped that out in the last few months and I didn't hear about it.

The whole tour would consist of the guide pointing out the window and telling us what used to be there. Downtown is intact, though. It would be a hoot to go over to YESCO's sign graveyard.

[ Edited by: floratina on 2003-02-19 17:33 ]

Where is the old AKU tiki the Stardust used to have out front?
Have they sold it? I haven't been to vegas in ages.
(new year's)
-Lounge

It's in the middle of a lake! Mostley white now from all the bird shit! We got to build a bamboo raft and get that sucker!!!!

Bamboo Ben's GRANDFATHER.

oops- sorry ben - i knew that, too - so no excuses.

floratina - c.b. and i visit vegas often and yes you're right, the strip is mostly gone and gutted, BUT there are still gems scattered here and there both on and off the strip - no not the grand old casinos of days past, but still good stuff abounds if you know where to peek. plus, i am not opposed to appreciating the new breed of fantasy architecture that exists on the strip now. For all we know it won't survive the next 50 years either! so the time to check it out is NOW and see what we'all will look back at fondly and say... Remember the day they imploded the Venetian :wink:

Ok then... I will seriously look into arranging this. I am so excited because my friend, Eric, who does all the tours at Museum of Neon Art has expressed interest in helping out!

(chiming in late as usual) Naomi and I would love to join this tour, if it works out. And if we make it to Vegas - we haven't decided for sure yet if we can come for that weekend.

But it sounds like fun. Last time I was there for business with a rental car I drove around a lot of cool stuff that was neither downtown nor on the strip. That main road (Boulder Highway?) has tons of googie motels. And you get the sense when you visit them that they're a hair's breadth from the wrecking ball. So maybe some of that might be part of the tour.

-Randy

Aloha Cherry,
No worries. It's kinda a joke now. Eli and my Dad were totally different, but the same in a way.

!MONDO!

Man-- this sounds GREAT, but I don't know if I'll be around, as per the Law Of Vegas*. Depends on how early on Sunday, and how long it will go.

-mig
*Law Of Vegas: "Vegas REALLY starts to suck after two days, or on Sunday... whichever comes first."

This tour is happening, but it's on Friday night... look here:
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=2935&forum=4&34