Just finished reading the new "Las Vegas of the 50's" book -- lots of fun to see pictures of the old places. Now I'm trying to visualize if it's possible to put together a "fantasy tour" of a few places in Vegas that remain relatively unchanged amid all the new construction and remodeling of the past 30+ years. A so-called time travel tour of yesteryear Vegas...if you have the imagination to block out all the new properties.

Here's what I would include on a 50's-60's tour. Let me know what places I'm missing:

1.Start downtown at Binion's Horseshoe...eat in the (basement) coffee shop in the original building, which has had only minor updates in recent years. Remember when you could frequently see Benny and/or Jack holding court at the first booth on the right as you entered the coffee shop? In addition, go to the top-floor steakhouse, if your willing to pretend it's the Top o'the Mint restaurant of years ago.

2. For a 50's-60's gambling ambiance, the best places downtown are probably the original wing of Binion's, plus the Golden Gate.

3. The El Cortez still has part of the original structure, now incorporated into newer parts of the casino and hotel. It's hard to describe the ambience, other than lower-market locals.

4. For a vintage non-casino dining experience, you have to include a meal at the Green Shack.

5. Most LV Strip properties from that era have been closed and replaced, or if still operating, have demolished and remodeled all the older areas. For example, the DI has an all-new facelift; the Flamingo no longer has any of the original Bugsy Siegel-era low-rise rooms. Technically, the 2-story wings at the Stardust, and the original 9-story Riviera tower still exist from this era, but there's not enough ambience to feel like the clock's been turned back in either case.

My vote for a vintage Strip experience would be (a) gambling in the original circular-domed casino at Caesars Palace, as designed by Jay Sarno in the 60's; (b) followed by a meal at the Bacchanal, complete with wine goddesses and belly dancers. To help with the illusion, wear lots of gold chains, but leave the leisure suits in the closet, please!

6. In Henderson, the Eldorado has a time-warp feel to it, unless it has been remodeled recently.

7. For entertainment, a casino lounge with Keely Smith would fit the bill nicely. (Where does she perform in Vegas now, anyway?_

8. For a slots experience, I would look for the old chrome-plated Mills and Jennings type machines. However, I can't think of any casinos in Las Vegas that still have them -- am I overlooking them anywhere? (On my last visit to Tahoe, Bill's Casino still had some of these machines in operation, and there may be others in Reno, but none that I can recall in LV.)

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OK, that's my quick time-travel trip to the remaining remnants of older Las Vegas that still exist. Better experience them quick, before they vanish too!

Do you have a favorite older LV (or Reno, etc.) location that evokes ambience of the gambling mecca in its earlier days? If so, I'd like to hear about it.