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Page 14 • Cognotes 2014 Annual Conference
Ten Things You Didn't Know About Las Vegas
By Lissa Townsend Rodgers Special to CNN
Not many cities evoke as many instant associations as Las Vegas.
Maybe you think of the Rat Pack, showgirls and mobsters sipping martinis. Or perhaps it's bachelorettes and bros on a bender that everyone hopes won't end up on Facebook.
It's a town whose story has been told thousands of times, in books such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, movies such as “Casino” and televisions shows from “Vega$” to “Vegas.”
But there's much more to the city than just sin. More than half a million people live in Vegas, and there's a lot about Vegas you might not know:
1. Down with the old, up with the new
No town turns over real estate like Las Vegas. The Wynn inhabits the site of the storied Desert Inn; the Bellagio has totally obliterated the Dunes. Planet Hollywood still has some of the Aladdin buried inside, while the Sahara is being gutted and repurposed as the SLS.
There's still a Flamingo, but Bugsy Siegel didn't run rampant there — the final remnant of the original hotel was torn down in 1993. A small plaque in the garden indicates the location of Siegel's personal suite, which had bulletproof glass, earthquake-proof walls and a trapdoor in the closet leading to escape tunnels.
2. City of culture
Las Vegas is a big museum town — in its own way.
We have the Neon Museum, a dazzling pile of obsolete signage, from vast casinos such as the Stardust and Moulin Rouge to roadside motel dice or the smiling shirt advertising a dry cleaner.
At the Mob Museum, you can see Kefauver's courtroom, where mafiosos testified before senators, as well as the bullet-riddled brick wall from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
The National Atomic Testing Museum has history, science, and bombs. Dream of driving the 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II at the Auto Collections or check out Gypsy Rose Lee's g-string at the Burlesque Hall of Fame or visit the brand new Polaroid Museum.
3. Downtown
When people think of Vegas, they think of the Strip, but recently, the older Downtown area has been pulling focus.
Online retailer Zappos moved in, and CEO Tony Hsieh started the Downtown Project, aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood through investing in real estate and small businesses (and a huge music festival).
A number of the older casinos are getting facelifts, while new bars and restaurants open at an ever-accelerating rate.
For entertainment, the Smith Center has high-end offerings. Conversely, the Fremont Street Experience offers classic rock-themed light shows, concerts of cover bands.
4. Conventioneers!
There are thousands of conventions in Vegas every year, from 150 people for the Nevada Court Reporters Association to almost 150,000 for the Auto Expo.
There are the well-known ones such as CES (premiering the newest technology, from smart phones to spoons that post your calorie count on the Internet) and the AVN (the porn convention).
We welcome the movie stars of Cinemacon and the messengers of Interbike, the Bar & Nightclub Expo and the National Hardware Show, the Renfaire fans and the Trekkies.
5. Skeletons in our midst
At the center of the Las Vegas Strip two enormous, unfinished structures stand in rust and darkness, incongruous to the nearby glitz and glitter.
There's the Fontainebleau, kin to the famous Miami hotel: 68 stories high, 70 percent completed, $3 billion spent, five years vacant and rotting in the sun. Across the street was the legendary Stardust, busy until the day it was closed in 2006.
6. The famous casino that isn't The Tangiers was the setting of “Casino,” perhaps the best movie made about Las Vegas; the Tangiers is also a recurring plot point/location on “CSI.”
However, the Tangiers doesn't exist. Some folks assume it was torn down, when actually it never existed.
7. Everyone plays Vegas now The Vegas headliner is no longer a crooner in a toupee and pinky ring. The pediment of Caesars Palace is adorned not with the visages of Jupiter, Apollo and Venus but Elton John, Rod Stewart and Celine Dion. Britney Spears bumps and grinds at Planet Hollywood, while Boyz II Men brings harmony to the Mirage.
8. More than slots and dice Gambling is no longer the main motivator of a trip to Vegas.
The nightclub is one of the new draws, as lavish megaclubs seem to open every month with over-the-top decor, four-figure bottle service and a roster of superstar DJs. A more mature crowd is lured by the city's status as a foodie destination.
The classic steakhouse and coffee shop offerings have expanded into a dazzling array of restaurants, from exquisitely prepared tasting menus with meticulously paired wines surrounded by museum-quality art to comfort food of all cultures, served under bright lights to finger-licking crowds.
9. Halloween every day There are many people in Las Vegas who make their living pretending to be someone else. Elvis impersonators work big showrooms, casino lounges and wedding chapels, so it is not uncommon to see a man in white jumpsuit and full sideburns buying kitty litter or pumping gas into his Honda.
10. Where Vegas is still “Vegas” The Golden Steer Steakhouse has been velvet wallpaper and sirloin since 1958. The Huntridge Tavern and the Hard Hat Lounge are both Kennedy-era dive bars, the first with an attached drugstore and lunch counter, the latter with glorious pulp-art murals. The Riviera may have go-go dancing dealers and a British pub, but it's still got the smoked mirrors and brass trim of its ‘70s prime.
Extra! Extra! Read All About …Poster Sessions
The 2014 ALA Annual Poster Sessions will be held at the ALA Annual Conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Poster sessions were introduced to the American Library Association at its 1982 Annual Conference in Philadelphia. They are an effective forum for the exchange of information and a means to communicate ideas, research, and programs.
Poster sessions may present any of the following:
- a description of an innovative library program
- an analysis of a practical problem-solving effort
- a report of a research study
Poster session participants place materials such as pictures, data, graphs, diagrams and narrative text on boards, and during their assigned time periods, participants informally discuss their presentations with conference attendees.
The ALA poster sessions will occur on:
Saturday, June 28
10:30 a.m.-12:00p.m., 12:30-2:00 p.m., and 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 29
10:30 a.m.-12:00p.m., 12:30-2:00 p.m., and 2:30-4:00 p.m
There will be no poster sessions on Friday, Monday or Tuesday.
Be sure to attend this unique way of networking and finding out what is happening in other libraries across the nation.
Internet Room
Open to ALAmembers, the Internet Room in the Exhibit Hall is open during exhibit hours. It is managed by ALA's Internet Steering Committee and staffed by volunteers.
Get Your Bid Entered in the ERT/Christopher J. Hoy Scholarship and Artist Alley Silent Auction
The 16th Annual ERT/Christopher J. Hoy and Artist Alley Scholarship Silent Auction will feature numerous quilts donated by the ALA BiblioQuilters and friends of ERT. The Silent Auction will also feature original art donated by participants of Artist Alley in the exhibits. Check the ALA website closer to the conference for details on items to be auctioned, and plan to stop by during the conference. Bidding ends on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
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