BACK IN THE LATE 1980'S WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING TO LAS VEGAS FROM LOS ANGELES .... THE FIRST CASINO HOTEL YOU CAME UPON WAS AN UNFINISHED ROMANESQUE THEMED WHITE 3 STORY MOTEL HOTEL TO BE OPENED AS THE CENTURY OR THE CENTURION CASINO. ... FOR YEARS' THIS HALF FINISHED CASINO SAT IN THE DESERT SUN ... EACH VISIT I REMEMBER IT GETTING MORE AND MORE DETERIORATED ... IT EVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE DESTROYING ABOUT 1/4 OF THE PROPERTY... LOCATED ON THE LANDING PATH OF THE AIRPORT AT SUNSET BLVD. AND THE STRIP .... WAS A BIG PROBLEM. THE F.A.A. WOULD NOT LET THEM BUILD A TOWER DUE TO FLIGHT SAFTEY.

THE PROPERTY WAS SOLD OR LEASED TO A NEW GROUP WHO OWNED PART OF THE CLARIDGE CASINO IN ATLANTIC CITY ... THEY FINISHED THE CASINO HOTEL / MOTEL WITH A BROWN SOUTH WESTERN THEMED ABODE LOOK ... AND OF ALL THE LOUSY NAMES ... THEY CAME UP WITH " VACATION VILLAGE"? ... DUMB AND DUMBER ... EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS A TIMESHARE SALES SCAM PLACE. I SOLD MY OLD MERCEDES TO ONE OF THE OWNERS ... HE BOUGHT MY 240D DIESEL FOR HIS DUAGHTER GOING TO COLLEGE. WE HAD LUNCH AT THE LOUSY BUFFET UPSTAIRS, WE TALKED ABOUT CASINOS AND THEN HE CASHED ME OUT. HE DID GIVE ME A CANCELLED $25 CHIP AND A PAIR OF DICE, HE KNEW I WAS A COLLECTOR. THEY SOLD THE CASINO DICE OUT OF A VENDING MACHINE NEAR THE CAGE. THE OWNER ASKED ME TO INVEST $5 MILLION FOR A 25% STAKE IN THE JOINT ... I GRACEFULLY DECLINED ... I KNEW IT WAS GOING DOWN FAST... AND WAS RETIRED. I MET MICKEY MANTLES OLDER BROTHER WHO WAS THE BJ PT BOSS FOR THE CASINO. LATER THEY CHANGED THE BAD BUFFET UPSTAIRS TO A CHINESE BUFFET ... WORSE AND SMELLED LIKE OLD FISH AND ONIONS. THEY EVEN TRIED A DENNYS AND A TACO STAND ... BAD IDEAS ... BAD MANAGEMENT ...THEY HAD LIVE MUSIC AT NIGHT IN THE LOUNGE... BUT ONLY BUMS AND LOSERS ATTENDED. NOW A BIG FRY'S ELECTRONIC STORE SITS ON THE PROPERTY AND A BIG INTERSTATE 15 /215 INTERCHANGE DOMINATES THE NEIGHBORHOOD .... JUST ANOTHER CASINO PROPERTY THAT NEVER REALLY WORKED ... THANKS FOR READING MY POST ... YOUR COMMENTS ARE MOST WELCOMED ... RICH BURGEL