My family moved to Las Vegas in the early 1970s, and spent more than two decades square in the midst of it all. We lived in apartments behind the Riviera and next to the Landmark, then, later, a block away at Desert Inn and Paradise. Both were so close to the Las Vegas Convention Center that I could walk there faster than I could unlock my bicycle and ride over. And as impressive and intimidating as the big hotel-casinos seemed to me, nothing was as alluring as the Convention Center — especially its spaceship-inspired rotunda.
A lot of my childhood revolved around the Convention Center. As much as it was, and remains, a place for trade shows (like this week’s Consumer Electronics Show), it was also a major community gathering spot. County fairs, sporting events, concerts, the local outlet for the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon — the rotunda and modest exhibit halls carried a lot of weight for the townies. I probably spent more of my youth at the Convention Center than any other place, and not just because I figured out all the secret entrances. Where? Loading docks. Always loading docks. Also, there was a door on the Desert Inn side of an annex building that often did not close all the way. Truth be told, I snuck in a lot!
Highlights? Top of the list was CES and Comdex. That’s where I first saw karaoke, played Activision until I was shooed away, and, as a new teen, ducked into the “adult expo” (which later morphed into the AVN). We went to the old Jaycee State fairs, a Stray Cats concert, and I hung out with my grandpa Morrie to see wrestling matches featuring his favorite, Baron Von Raschke, executing his famous move, “the Claw.” The most daring sneak-in was easily to catch a visit from then-president Ronald Reagan. Honestly, the Secret Service should consult with neighborhood kids before major events.
I know growth is important (even when it destroys old apartments filled with memories), but I miss the old space, as well as a time when the machines of commerce in our city were both for us and, to a much greater extent, about us, too.
More Appreciation Index:
🎤 The kitschy allure of the lounge lizard king!
🏠 The oldest building at UNLV
🗞️ The valley’s long-gone alt-weekly papers
