They closed glitter gulch and now they went to extend the canopy all the way to the Westen. Seems like the area is headed down hill from my prospective.

You are right LT, you are one of the few who appreciate Fremont as it is today. As soon as they put a volcano show on Fremont I am moving my play to Reno.

Here's the latest news, courtesy of Las Vegas Advisor and the very helpful PR representative we contacted at Boyd Gaming:

"We havent set the exact date yet. Mid-March is the best I can do at this point and we will likely not announce the date until about 10-14 days out. Clark County doesn't issue the requisite permits until about four hours prior to the event, so that if the viewing public was to become too much to handle, they could delay the implosion in an abundance of caution.

"That said, we will have some limited fireworks, as we plan to make it a news event symbolizing the beginning of Echelon Place, our new $4 billion mixed-use resort destination.

"As for what will be demolished, it will simply be the steel/concrete structure that is left - pretty straightforward and if you have a moment, take a look at the Stardust tower and you'll see what I mean - it's almost hard to see because the only thing there is the frame and you can see right through it."

The new frontier is soon on it's heels as the next to demise. www.vegasyesterdayandtomorrow.com has great overviews of all of the plans for vegas, gambling or not.

I know they are consolidating the properties into huge mega resorts but I really wish they would use all that vacant land around the Sahara before they tear down any more of the older hotels. For the record, I really don’t like the mega resorts, they are just too darn big for easy use. I much prefer the great variety and ease of use found Downtown. I think you could fit all of Downtown from the MSS to the Plaza to the Western into the CP property with room to spare.

the new theme is no theme.. While names like "echelon place" and "montreaux" will accompany the new developments, there will not be one theme per se.. These will be "mixed use" and will all share the common points of hotels, SHOPPING, condos, and restaurants. Gone are the days of the over the top theme hotel where they try and transport you to a far off land in every way. With Hollywood enjoying the vegas lifestyle, they are building to cater to the well-to-do that want that getaway condo. Also, they are trying to build Vegas into a viable hip, urban, modern and cultured city-not just a playground with "the other part of town" that houses the city's residents. There are a few master plans that include no gaming and will be districts dedicated to the arts. For as much money as that town generates, the citizens of it deserve a vital, viable downtown and infrastructure that will attract corporate headquarters and business development. I think developers are seeing vast potential to grow Vegas from the core, and it's not a bad idea! I will miss the good old outlaw days, but every city must adapt to remain vital.

That town has changed a lot over the years but it is still easier to get a100 people into $50.00 rooms than one person into a $5,000.00 room. That is why I am sold on Downtown Las Vegas. I suspect that in my life time the Downtown look like the mega resort Strip of today and who know what the Strip will look like. So enjoy it while you can.

Can anyone tell me when they implode something how does it affect the surrounding buildingS? i cant even remember what is right next to the stardust, man we went there and saw Wayne, how sad...but anyways, how does it affect the strip? like how long is clean up etc...anyone?

Tex-

It is a very well-controlled & contained implosion. Essentially they get the building(s) to collapse in on itself, which is why it is called an implosion, not "explosion." As a previous post mentioned, just about everything but the concrete and steel frame will already be gone by the time they do it. If you ever see a listing on the Travel Channel called "1-2-3 Vegas!" this is a good one hour documentary on past Vegas implosions of the Sands, Dunes, Landmark and Hacienda. It is re-run every couple of months or so. That end of LVB will most likely be closed for a few hours, but if its done right, there shouldn't be that much debris to clean up on the Strip itself.

Big clouds of dust will escape the main site. Powdered concrete that looks like snow and considering the age of the building, Lord knows what else., asbestos? It settles quickly and can then be cleaned up. Depending on the wind, it could move over the surronding area but I would guess they will try to plan it so the wind puts the cloud on site or on the vacant land behind it.

I would like to see it.