Mourning East Fremont as it once was.

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t expect this to make sense to 99% of the posters here and certainly not to the Anti-Downtown crowd but that small percent who knew the area in years past as I did will understand.

Just a few years ago only the brave and/or foolish ventured east of Las Vegas Blvd. In less than a month a bunch of us are staying right in the heart of the area at the El Cortez, I know I am. Some are casually going to the Western for Karaoke after dark like it’s no big thing. What a change a few years makes. Economically it is a boom for the area and that may be a good thing but the changes are not without a cost to the shabby cool and maybe dangerous charm of the area.

Most of the dive joints are cleaning up beyond recognition. Few realize that at one point not so long ago the El Cortez looked a lot like the Gold Spike. Don’t get me started on how much the Gold Spike has changed lately, some say for the better but I have my doubts. The now demolished Ambassador was a good place to get robbed or worse. The Atomic was a hangout for heavy dealers and bad folks of all kinds. The Western was a much darker, seedier, smoky and sticky place that it is today. Bad as they all were, there was a certain honest charm about the derelict people, places and things for those who dared to seek them out.

As East Fremont is becoming more like the area under the Canopy was a just few years ago and the area under the Canopy is becoming more like parts of the Strip, I must admit that some of the magic goes away for me. In other words, if anyone can do it, then some of the fun goes out of it for me.

Mourning East Fremont as it once was.

We%26#39;ve been staying downtown for the last 4 years or so... so I have a little idea of what you mean! Took us two years to venture outside the canopy...last trip we went into the El Cortez a few times...your right there is a different kind of ';appeal'; there. I think you have to be the kind of person to appreciate it and not look down on it- I love Vegas history so to me it feels more ';real'; there than the strip- or yes even parts of downtown in general.

That being said.... one night we saw some strange happenings down there.... police squads looking around for someone- quite a few and we saw a few shady characters duck back in the door at the El Cortez...cracked us up...we still went in...but man we were a little scared there for a bit! Maybe thats the deal...we%26#39;re danger junkies!! Maybe its something to do with where we live (we live about 3 hours South of Chicago!)!

So... its probably just a natural progression for some depending on what their ';tolerance'; and interest level is. I%26#39;m glad we explored outside the canopy...love the El Cortez...even with all its seediness and grime! As a matter of fact I carry one of their poker chips in my person as a good luck charm! But I%26#39;m not ready to book my room there yet!! Don%26#39;t worry- there are plenty who will never even find it interesting enough to make it anywhere near ';the place to be'; or even ';the place to see'; ...and I bet some on here who will come along fairly shortly to remind us of what a nasty dirt hole they think it is!

So enjoy your little hideaways! Kick back and have a drink (check the glass first though! hehe) and watch the tourists come through...enjoying the fact that in these places you don%26#39;t feel like one!

Missy

Mourning East Fremont as it once was.

Yeah, it really sucks when dumps are cleaned up and drug dealers, hookers, and other felonious CRIMINALS are run out of tourist areas.

Jeezzzzusss, chitown, you must love the ghetto bars on the South Side of your fine city...

Chitotown,

I love your guts and honesty in dealing with the ';other'; side of vegas. My husband would love to go on one of your crawls before everything cleans up. I have made my living dealing with the ';misfits'; of society (work in a prison, volunteer at a homeless shelter), I do have some understanding and admiration for your point of view. I always describe it as dealing with the ';invisible'; members of our world. You give them a brief moment of visiblity.

You mean my Gold Spike t shirt is not as cool as it used to be?

Change is the way of all things. One can either ride the dragon or be crushed in its wake.

East Fremont was not always a depressed neighborhood littered with the veritable dregs of society; although, it has always had its share of flotsam from the saloons and brothels which were historically located in the Downtown area.

But it devolved into its current state only after years of being a reputable neighborhood with a mix of motels, govt buildings, car lots and storefront commercial uses. While a great many factors contributed to its decline (with the average family moving from motels into themed hotels being among them), the revitalization of the zone has been a target for at least a generation now.

Enjoy what you can before the transition is completed in another few decades.

Like I said my observations were not for everyone but I guess you learn a lot about such things in Searchlight Nevada, population 576.

Yes that was me in the south side Chicago bars but then I moved up north and hang out in similar places on the north side.

Look for me at Dukes or Jarheads, both places that I have shared with Loomis.

FYI - Hal, Ghetto is no longer PC

chitown: I hear what you%26#39;re saying.... I miss the old days of being able to ';cruise'; Fremont Street on a Friday night ............. in my car! When I was in high school (yeah Valley!), that was pretty much ';the'; thing to do for those of us who weren%26#39;t able to go into the casinos.

And, no, I am NOT over 50! (almost, but not quite there yet) This was back in the late 1970%26#39;s.

Thanks.

I just heard from an infrequent poster, my good friend The Mailman, who I first explored the area with years ago. Not in the 70’s but in the bad old days none the less. He is down there right now spending a week based in a Vintage at the El Cortez.

He says the Western has banned certain people, based more upon criminal element and lifestyle choices than anything else, with hopes of drawing more of the tourist crowd, even going so far as to remove the Juke Box that used to boom out Hip Hop and Rap all the time.

He reports that the Gold Spike is not the old Gold Spike it is mostly redone, very nice and trendy today with few remnants of the dirty old place left. They even moved the bar and the “Purified Air” sign is probably gone for good.

I know such dives in Chicago and if you have the right attitude and know the ropes and how things work in such places, there is a certain unique quality to it.

Most people have no such experience and will just write the area off. Which is very well and good since a loud mouth fueled by the wrong attitude while flashing a lot of valuables will only lead to trouble.

It is not a romantic notion and it is true that I have heard a lot of BS down there and also a lot of wisdom, mainly based upon “don’t do what I did” and I am a better or at least more thoughtful person for it.

Some of it I have shared here and with folks first hand as it happened on the various Crawls through the years.

As it fades away, I shall miss it.

I heard that some guy from Illinois kept raving about the seedy spots and the people started visiting in droves. With all of the economic influx, the companies started cleaning up. What bitter irony!

Seriously though, I guess it could go two ways-either get worse and then have places condemned eventually, or the other choice, which is to invest in a facelift. I would hope that having the jail down there will always keep some scoundrels lurking.