The Desert Inn a long time ago..........

I don't know if it's legal here but why not a few from the past. I'm still pretty young for a vegas tripper but I've been to some of them that no longer exist.

A few years back....my how time flys, my wife thought it was a good idea for use to see Don Rickles at the Desert Inn.

Now I had been to the desert inn on a number of occasions before. I usually used it as a watering hole during my earlier trips when I had more money in my tennis shoes than in my wallet, plus I was up for exploration...why not I was young. After my first few trips to vegas I don't think there was a slab of sidewalk that i hadn't trod upon...and both sides too.

Anyway, the desert inn. I think that was the Hughes hideout long before me. What a classy place. I think what I liked best was that it was slow. So here I walk in sweaty with my kahki shorts, t-shirt, ball cap, Michigan backpack, and tennis shoes. It was nice and cool and slow, real ritzy. Slots were spaced nicely apart and sparse. Most of the hotel guests seemed older, well dressed, definately a step up from some of the other party spots.

I played some machines, had a few beverages and made my way to the sportsbook area. This area was sharp too. Nice woodwork and a lot of history. Seems like I saw some real cool horse and golf stuff. Names like Arnold Palmer come to mind. Can't tell you much about the golf there because I don't know but I think it was a pretty lucrative course, probably hosted some good tourneys.

Anyway theres always a spot in my heart for a slow classy clean upscale place and for some reason I thought that was it. I didn't feel out of place even in my less than business condition.

Well can't say that I played a lot there but I remember gettting a silver $10coin in one those win a coin machines. I played a few quarter slots too. I think the tables were a little high for me or maybe I felt a little out of place for those tables, can't remember.

The Show. We dressed up for that, I think a suit and a dress. Opening act was a girl singer, real classy with the band and orchestra. I liked that part of the show. Then don rickles. I really didn't like Don. He ran around talking about jokes with a world war II mentality. I think he hit every ethnicity out there. Jewish, Poles, Dutch, German....really didn't fit into the melting pot we've worked so hard to produce. So I wasn't impressed. I think I would have rather had someone tell dirty jokes then ethnic ones. Anyway, sort of a dissapointment. I think old Don's still around, not sure where, maybe he's moved up to the next century...I don't know, probably will never see him again.

Anyway, I thought the desert inn was a nice classy clean quiet oasis from the run and gun casinos that the strip is or was made up of at the time.

So Grant, I hope I'm not out of place here but some of the old pros might even be able to expand on this one.

If you noticed I have the Maxim avitar. This was the first hotel I stayed at in Vegas...Wow was that neat back then. Maybe I will do an old time trip report for it someday.

Well anyway, there you have it, I was at the Desert Inn. Is that where Wynn is building???

Posted by doctor_al

Nice. I never got to see the DI, picked up the Vegas itch late. But I've heard several folks speak well of it. The Bellagio before Bellagio, sounds like.

Posted by gregrio

I saw it on a family vacation when I was very young......we stayed
at the MINT...pool was on the roof (very cool for a little kid)

I can remember our folks standing in front of the nickel slots to hide us at the DI......
(as we tried to reeeach up high, put a coin in and pull the handle)
we were in line to see Red Skelton.

"misales", you post is dated 4-5-05..."is that where Wynn is building" HELLO!
...sorry, I thought you might have heard the news.
Yeah...that's the site all right. Wynn bought it for his wife's birthday
five years ago, then blew it up to build WYNN LAS VEGAS

Posted by genna

I remember the Desert Inn. Your discription of it was right on the money. They used it to shoot Vegas starring Robert Urich many moons ago.

Posted by Grant

misales,

Nice report! Thanks for sharing.

Yes, Greg is right about the location. And the Westin is on the site of the old Maxim.

Posted by grannyvegas

Years ago watched a lounge act at Desert Inn the gal was terrific. Cant remember her name or the name of the band. But it was quite a good act. We enjoyed going there more for the lounge acts than the gambling. Never stayed there but did enjoy the casino.
The one place I do remember is The Dunes. We spent most of our time there on our first trip to Vegas many moons ago. The lounge acts played tell early in the am. Would stay and drink and watch the acts tell time to get an early breakfast and then head for bed. Now days couldnt do the staying up all night.