roastebeefe

Design

I'm here to gush about Caesar's Palace Atlantic City. As someone interested in architectural design, this is one of the most fascinating properties I've come across. What makes it so interesting is that the property expanded in several stages, so while they've made obvious attempts to keep the theme cohesive, you can clearly see the historical growth of the hotel (not something you could see in a resort that was one-and-done and never expanded).

The first phase of the hotel was (I believe) a Howard Johnson. Probably a "typical" beach hotel with a courtyard and pool. I can't prove that from any old photographs (I've searched) but you can tell from the current configuration of the lobby, which is surrounded by rooms that look down into the lobby floor (e.g. once upon a time they would have faced an inner courtyard). Caesars must've eventually roofed over the courtyard, making an interior space for the Roman-forum-like interior you see today. THIS squat low-rise tower is the "original" structure, and you can still see it if you get a room that's eye-level with what they now call the Forum Tower. 

Fascinating, I know. Anyway, the next phase was a sort of brutalist glass highrise (Ocean Tower). Then they expanded across the street and built a secondary, Wild-West-themed casino. On top of this casino is a tower with a neoclassical facade (that Roman look).

The Wild West casino is pretty dope, btw. There used to be a great slot parlor surrounded by old-time facades, like a sort of Main Street USA (a la Disney) for vagrant crackheads to wander in and try their luck at the slots. Well, they closed most of it off for some sort of burlesque dinner show. Luckily, the huge room next door is still standing, with a bar featuring a model train, the sportsbook, and a dope-ass AMAZING mural depicting the Wild West which I honestly feel should get some sort of historical site protection. Behind the sports book there used to be some poker room spaces (eg for cash games and tourneys).

I talked to a security guard and he said the word is they can't get any dealers, so it's basically been gone for years. But damn, that was one of the most magnificent poker rooms I've ever seen. It was a Wild West saloon inside a larger "street" of old Western buildings. Helpful hint, don't walk out the exit to explore the faux rocks, because you'll be locked out.

Anyhoo.

So basically, you've got a sort of collage of three time periods showing evidence of the hotel's expanding footprint. A lot of the properties have the same story, like Bally's next door and the Tropicana. Interesting thing about Bally's is that they incorporated one of the oldest Atlantic City hotels into the property. There's a magnificent room on the mezzanine level with huge pictures of Atlantic City "back in the days" of Boardwalk Empire.

Used to really confuse me because the facade of that old hotel fits in completely with the Wild West facade of Caesar's expansion casino. For years I thought Bally's owned the Wild West casino and Caeasar's just had one of its towers on top, which would be pretty odd (even though they used to own Bally's brand as well). 

Probably not even remotely interesting to the average vacationer but it's fascinating to me. I was pretty stoked last time I stayed at Caesars's and was at eye level with the "original" hotel, which is pretty hard to see from most of the rooms. Incidentally, I think a lot of successful casino properties go through the same growth stages, resulting in a sort of collage of different buildings. 

So ya'll, any interesting thoughts on Atlantic City architecture?

Caesar's Palace Atlantic City Architectural RANT/RAVE

The Old Las Vegas

I agree, but I think the demand is low. The "average" gambler is expecting the contemporary look of your local (Indian Tribe) casino, which, now looks the same as the ones in Vegas. One surprise bucking the trend is Caeasar's replacing Harrah's New Orleans with a Caesar's property, Roman-themed and all. But I don't see anyone going back to the days of Old Vegas.

@b88f4b4056's bio

Am I the only one watching YouTube videos of people walking through casinos with a selfie stick? Anyway, recently enjoyed some YouTube tours of the older properties in Vegas, particularly downtown, with a few on the strip (actually, just one, Casino Royal, as they tore down O'Sheas recently and replaced it with a gentrified version and also turned the Barbary Coast into a bro/beta destination). 

They don't make 'em like these anymore. Low ceilings, jam-packed with slot machines, none of those wide aisles. Celebrity chef restaurants? No thank you, we'll do with Pizza Hut and Hot Dog on a Stick.

Anyway, the casinos downtown are particularly interesting to me. Their exteriors have that flashing neon-bulb look that's entirely disappeared from Vegas since themed hotels like the Mirage became the norm (don't get me started on the soulless, boring contemporary aesthetic that's popular today).

The interiors have that low-ceiling, slot-stuffed feel, but with a touch of the old west. You know, wood paneling, chandeliers that look like gas lamps in a saloon. This aesthetic combination (flashy vegas neon exterior and Old West interior) is f*ckign awesome and I hope it never goes away. Of course, it probably will, as all good things come to an end. 

Queue comment thread reminiscing about the good old days of Binions, Four Queens, and stuff like the $1 shrimp cocktail (long since gone from Gold Gate, relocated to Circa).

Hi everyone, I'm here to stack (hopefully). Personal interests include the weird fiction / cosmic horror of HP Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and August Derleth. Also a big fan of Star Trek (particularly Voyager). Not sure what else to say here, so I'll just bow out with some farting noises. 