On my way home from Salt Lake City and Alt Summit, I stopped overnight in Las Vegas. While I'm not much of a 'Vegas person', I do have a major obsession with old neon signs, so the bright lights of Vegas, especially the vintage lights, do hold an attraction for me. I got into town late, but thought I'd take a quick walk around my hotel to grab some photos of my favorites of the lights nearby.
Other than being really affordable and having great signage, I choose the El Cortez as my home for the evening because it is one of the few Vegas hotels to have retained it's original facade (they added on next to the original hotel). The Spanish-style hotel, owned by Bugsy Siegal for about 6 months in 1945, is also one of the only hotels where you can still play slots with quarters.
The medians and walkways near the Fremont Street Experience serve as the Neon Museum, with many vintage Vegas signage relocated to the area. While I appreciate that this wonderful signage was saved, it's a bit unfortunate that the bright lights of modern Fremont Street (and in the case of my favorite- the Chief Hotel sign, even the scaffolding of the zip line) can obscure what were once the brightest lights in Vegas.
After seeing how affordable rooms in Vegas can be, the mister and I are talking about returning soon. I'll definitely be seeking out more of the historic neon signs there for my collection of photos. If you ever visit, I'd encourage you to look beyond the modern glitz and glamour for a bit to appreciate what remains of old school Vegas.