On June 20, 1999, I went to Vegas on my quest to find history to begin this site. It wasn't until after I came back that I realized that I chose the anniversary of Ben Siegel's death to visit the Strip. He died on June 20, 1947.

I chose the New Frontier for my place of abode. This is the second lady of the Strip and even though she doesn't resemble the Hotel Last Frontier. She is the second generation of the second lady and I needed to stay there.

My daughter, son-in-law and myself went into The Frontier either right before or after the strike ended to use the bathrooms. I was shocked and saddened by what I saw. The resort was dirty, empty and very depressing. My only thoughts was that this and the El Rancho is what started the Strip. Without R.E. Griffith would the Strip even exist today? I don't know but it was a shame to see what occurred to this very, very important property (could lady luck be so cruel to its own?)

On June 20, 1999, I was quite surprised at what I saw. The casino/lobby area was clean, bright and full of people. Slot machines were clanging away and the air was happy-go-lucky. The desk ladies were friendly, and accommodating. The bellhops should be performing there. They were joking around and giving me a good-bad time as I kept going back to get things out of my bags while the room was being prepared. Cocktail waitresses were patrolling every inch of the casino making sure everyone had a drink and was satisfied (a plus in my book at any resort). Every employee had that "Welcome to My Home" attitude that I'm sure is making R.E. Griffith and William Moore proud to know their dream still remains and is doing fine on the Strip.

When I got to the room it was evident it was old and under remodeling but it was big, the windows opened, and it was very airy and comfortable.

In its own way, the New Frontier decided to send me home with a gift. I was sitting at one of the slot machines waiting for my shuttle when I decided to thrown some quarters into it. I put three in and then another three. Out came $60.00 worth of quarters. The long gone dream weavers saw to it that I went home with a little thank you gift.

I was personally glad that Mr. Ruffin is attempting to turn the New Frontier around to the status on the Strip to which she should have. That homey feeling is all around and hopefully, the second lady of the Strip will succeed, and stay the dream come true that she was built to fulfill so many years ago.

I started my quest. Up until that time, only Imperial Palace was helping me with my site. I met up with friction from quite a few resorts, but a few decided to help by giving me packets with information. I walked back to Frontier with packets from Circus Circus and Stardust. Tropicana and Caesars asked that I write a letter with my goals and they would review it.

What surprised me is that how little the "higher-up" employees knew of the resorts they worked at. When I work at any establishment I try to find out the history just to see what kind of place I'm working for. I am in the minority I guess. I got more information from the long-time guests, cocktail waitresses, and bell captains. These people seem to be "in the know". At the New Frontier, Pat Thomas and Debbie Rush were very knowledgeable and their first-hand knowledge was vast. These ladies were up on the history from not only the Frontier, but some of the other resorts as well.

The second one to impress me was the Stardust. The lady I spoke with (I think her name was Shelly) knew the history of the Stardust, was very helpful and nice to talk with. She lent me a picture of where the Royal Nevada was that you see on both the Royal Nevada and Stardust's pages.

I went to see Hall & Oates at the Desert Inn. I try to stay away from the shows at the Desert Inn as it still stays with the rule of tipping the host to get a good seat. I personally never believed in this as I pay good money for the ticket so why should I pay more to get a good seat? I've been to the Las Vegas Hilton, Bally's, Sahara, Monte Carlo, and Caesars Palace to see shows, and Desert Inn is the only resort that still abides by that rule. Hall & Oates were excellent as always, but I wouldn't have gone to the Desert Inn if they weren't playing there.

In all honesty though, the people are very nice at the Desert Inn. I lost my slot card and had to reapply. These ladies were in very good humor and every helpful. Another place where the cocktail waitress is right there all the time. I like the resort, just not the showroom.

I usually walk up and down the Strip but I wanted to see what transportation routes were available for people who don't think walking was the number one way to go. Again, the people at the Frontier were helpful in telling me about the trolley. I went over to the Fashion City Mall and the doorman was just wonderful. A true delight to talk to. He explained the trolleys, their routes and all my options. He gladly helped people at the mall by hailing cabs and explaining to all what their options were as well. A great guy!

I took the Strip trolley and unfortunately the one I got on had its air-conditioning broken. The ride itself was very uncomfortable due to the heat but it was interesting to see it stop at the resorts.

I then walked over to the Excalibur and took its "people mover" to the Luxor. This was nice as it is all inside. I personally like the Luxor and hope to one day stay there when the prices aren't as high.

Now I needed to see Mandalay Bay in the worst way. I call this resort the "wild card" on the Strip. I believe the Strip needs a wild card. It was the Silver Slipper for years. The underdog, the crazy place that always the strange happened at. The Mandalay Bay had problems with the Lenin statute and the street name change, and with loyal fans of the Hacienda hating this huge building welcoming people to the Strip to replace their "home" away from home. I saw a "monorail" sign and followed it. Boy, now that was a problem. It was like a maze to find it and I was going to give up when I finally found it. The monorail turned out to be a treat. It goes from Excalibur to Luxor to Mandalay Bay and its a scenic route.

I personally liked the Mandalay Bay. It had that happy atmosphere. I asked one of the employees where I could find Lenin's statute and he broke up laughing. He told me the way and when I asked him why he was laughing he stated that statute was a thorn to Mandalay's side. It caused a lot of controversy which made people want to see it. To be honest with you I didn't ask Mandalay to help on this site as it was so new, I got all the information from reading the opening announcements in the papers.

At the MGM Grand I jumped their monorail to Bally's. Not too scenic as it goes behind the resorts but informative when you want to see the backside of the Strip. I personally enjoyed it. There is trouble finding the monorail at Bally's though. It quite a trip to get to it but nonetheless I liked it.

I went over to the Bellagio and what a beautiful resort. The waitresses were great. I had just sat down at a slot machine to rest and she was right there asking if I needed a drink. Well, that's all I needed to stay and play. I figured I would be there awhile waiting for my drink but she was back in what seemed to be a few seconds! Well, now I had to stay awhile and enjoyed the slots. I could never find the monorail though unfortunately. I looked for it but couldn't find it. I know it goes to the Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo was great in providing with a picture of it for the site, but I don't know where it is. To be truthful though, I didn't look for it at the Monte Carlo. I got playing the slots and forgot about it.

Even though my trip overall was disappointing in the lack of help and knowledge about the history of the Strip from the higher-ups, the resorts themselves were great and it was great to walk up and down the Strip seeing all the ladies standing so proud.

I did go to one of my own personal favorites, Barbary Coast. I always seem to win there and this time was no exception, I found a friendly slot $.25 machine that paid me $316 after only inserting three quarters. I always get good vibes from that place and as my daughter always visits the Tropicana on her stays, I have to go to the Barbary Coast. My other favorite is Bally's. Not for the gambling as I never won anything there, but for the employees. The cocktail waitresses are wonderful and when its slow, they answered all questions I had and at 3am I found one that was really nice. I think I gambled there way too long because of her. She was very knowledgeable and hopefully she is still there when I go back.

When I returned I was pleasantly surprised in that in the two weeks following my stay, Excalibur, Luxor, Mirage, and Tropicana decided to help and sent me everything.

I do have a protective nature towards a couple of the resorts. Bally's (old MGM), and the new MGM. There is much confusion as to these resorts. I have been told by dozens of people that the new MGM is the one that had the fire. This, plain and simple, isn't the truth. Bally's is the old MGM and the one that had the fire, and of course because of that, the one I feel really safe in. I was a legal secretary and at two of the law firms I worked for were involved in the "MGM Grand Fire Litigation." I know first-hand what this resort's fire system is like and its now totally safe. I can tell you I go to Bally's on every visit and I've seen George Carlin and Hall & Oates at the resort and have no second thoughts about being there. I learned the Odyssey slot machine there and I'm usually there in the wee hours of the morning 'cause it has that comfortable feeling. I think both resorts have had bad publicity because of this fire and I get over-protective of the two of them.

The new MGM I like because I win there at the slots. I miss the Wizard of OZ display that used to be there but hey, it had to update itself and I understand that. They also were very helpful in giving me information and understood my frustration at people telling me that the resort was unsafe because of the fire. Unfortunately, after the initial help, I can't get them to provide me with further information, but I still stand by the fact that this resort is getting a bad rep and I truly admire Kerkorian for not giving up on his dream. He moved it down the street but he believed, and that's what mattered. I also liked the idea that he didn't tear down the Marina and incorporated it into the MGM plans. It was probably most economical for him as the Marina was a solid structure and why tear down something that works, but I still think its great he kept the old and incorporated it into the new. I hope to one day stay at the Marina part of the resort.

The two disappointments I did have was with Siegfried & Roy, and Lance Burton. I wrote to both of them because of their wealth of knowledge on the Strip. Siegfried & Roy were at the MGM and Frontier before they made the Mirage their home. Burton was at the Tropicana and Hacienda before making his home at the Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, they didn't respond to my letters and I was hoping to hear from them regarding their knowledge of the Strip and the resorts that gave them their start. I haven't been able to go to Siegfried & Roy's show but I did catch Burton's. In all true honesty, this guy is great! I sat there during his show with my mouth open the whole time in true amazement. Even his opening act is fabulous. It was a juggler but he was juggling chain-saws, etc., and he was fabulous. I hope to catch Burton's show in the future again even if I can't get him to help.

At the other side of the Strip, I visited the Riviera. I like the Riviera. I can't help it. Something about it that I like to go there and hang out. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I like the atmosphere. I was going to the buffet there but couldn't find it. I asked a few people but I kept getting lost. I always try their free spin of the big slot machine.

I wanted to get pictures of the Thunderbird/Silverbird/El Rancho and tried to sneak in. I got caught. They were tearing down the front of it when I was there. The security guard was cool though. I told him what I wanted to do and asked him to take pictures of the porte cochere. I was so surprised when he agreed. There he was standing there taking pictures and a couple of the construction workers radioed him asking him why he was taking pictures. I thought he would get embarrassed but he just answered them that a girl wanted pictures taken so he was taking pictures. You could hear them laughing when they radioed back with a 10-4.

Sahara, Sahara, Sahara. What can I say about that lady. I go to the Sahara when Jeff Dunham is playing there but to be honest with you, I normally ignore her because she is so far from the other resorts. Unfortunately, I think other people do the same. When I got there construction was going on and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go in. I did and since I found the buffet right away I stayed. The buffet was simply terrific! Great assortment of food and I bought the paper and the waitresses/waiters left me alone. This particular buffet allows a person to get their own drinks which I like so I could relax and read without being bothered. I stayed and gambled and to be honest with you I liked being there. Bennett is doing a wonderful job at updating this fine old lady and I hope people will ignore the fact that she is "way down there."