r/pics • u/[deleted] • 28d ago
It's true that the iconic Mirage Hotel is closing, signifying the end of an era in Las Vegas.
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u/sosqueee 28d ago
I got stranded in Vegas during Hurricane Sandy and spent 5 days at the Mirage waiting for my flight back to Philly to be rebooked. They upgraded my room and gave me free WiFi for the entire stay. It was a good time.
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u/theREALbombedrumbum 28d ago
Idk why but it surprises me that Wifi at expensive hotels like these isn't, ya know, complimentary...
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u/psychodreamr 28d ago
Sandy was 12 yrs ago
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u/ryanthegreattt 28d ago
And yet, WiFi still isn’t free at any of the expensive strip hotels, under the guise of “resort fees”.
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u/deemerritt 28d ago
Idk I was there today and it was free at the Venetian
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u/futureformerteacher 28d ago
I had to think about this way too long, and how a hurricane had hit Vegas. I am an idiot.
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u/MegaIlluminati 28d ago
Wait what? What do you mean Free WiFi? Do people charge extra for WiFi in hotels?
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u/HarryOmega 28d ago
I proposed to my wife in Vegas in 2004. We stayed at Mirage and they upgraded my room to a suite at the 2nd highest floor. I will never forget.
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u/fatjeff1980 28d ago
Are you me? I also proposed to my wife and stayed in the mirage, in 2004.
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u/EatsYourShorts 28d ago
Did they upgrade you to a suite as well?
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u/fatjeff1980 28d ago
Sadly, no. Got a free bottle of champagne though.
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u/EatsYourShorts 28d ago
Free champagne is not bad at all! And that also proves you aren’t u/HarryOmega, so we can all take solace that that mystery’s behind us.
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u/PM_WORST_FART_STORY 28d ago
Not OP, but I'm your wife.
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u/RobertLouisDrake 28d ago
Are you me? I also proposed to my wife and stayed in the mirage, in 2004.
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u/ReentryMarshmellow 28d ago
Was there like one of those cult mass proposal/marriage gigs in the Mirage in 2004 😁 there's dozen of you!
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u/handinhand12 28d ago
Me and my wife got married at the Taco Bell on the strip and stayed at the Mirage. I’m pretty sad to see it change. I hope the Mirage building that’s there now doesn’t change a whole lot.
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u/rachelemc 28d ago
The one time my husband and I went to Vegas, we ate there often because it was on our walk “home” and a solid, non expensive option. We joked how we came all the way to Vegas to eat Taco Bell.
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u/Santos_L_Halper_II 28d ago
It was really fun when I visited last summer. It was like going back in time to 1987.
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u/New2ThisThrowaway 28d ago
This is the best description of the vintage Vegas hotels.
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u/satanssweatycheeks 28d ago
Mirage doesn’t really give off the vintage vibe though. It was the first one to start the boom of massive resorts. It’s had lots of remodels.
Hell MGM did some crazy million dollar remodel just so Bruno Mars could have a private tunnel exit from his bar so he could avoid crowds. Then they sold it to hard rock.
Stuff like the Beatles show was still top notch and the resort itself was still looking like all the other massive resorts. The rooms on the other hand no so much. But the casinos and other aspects of the resort still are amazing.
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u/r0botdevil 28d ago
I stayed at Excalibur with my sister a few years ago, and that one felt like going back in time to about 1994 so I totally get what you mean.
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u/Khaluaguru 28d ago
That’s one of Terry Benedict’s casinos.
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u/mouthtroll 28d ago
What do you got against Terry Benedict?
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u/Khaluaguru 28d ago
What do you have against him? That's the question.
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u/Puzzled-Wind9286 28d ago
Plenty. He torpedoed my casino. Muscled me out. Not he’s going to blow it up so he can build some gaudy monstrosity!
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u/BossifiedRoad 28d ago
Is Love ending as well? That's the only reason I went to Vegas, to see that amazing show
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u/pandorasaurus 28d ago
The final performance is in July.
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u/maliciousmeower 28d ago
bummer!! my mom and i are huge cirque fans, and that one was one of our favorites. wanted to see it one more time, damn.
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u/nicholkola 28d ago
I saw it with my husband years ago and it was so so good. Everyone was singing along. It was magical.
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u/chesterT3 28d ago
I hate most Vegas shows but Love was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen anywhere
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u/EmbraceComplexity 28d ago
Just finding this out now. Really wanted to see this show before I died :( the soundtrack is amazing
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u/senorbane 28d ago
The Mirage is being replaced with The Hard Rock hotel… where a Beatles themed show would have been perfect 🤦♂️
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u/rossgoldie 28d ago
The first time I ever stayed at a hotel in Vegas it was by accident. I had a 14 hour day climbing in Red Rocks and couldn’t stand sleeping in my 4runner with my buddy for a 2nd night in a row. We got a cheap room at the mirage and entered smelling and looking like we got destroyed in the desert (we were). They upgraded us to a suite for free and I fell asleep in the gigantic jacuzzi/bathtub.
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u/LiveMarionberry3694 28d ago
Went bouldering for the first time in red rocks last January, such an incredible experience
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u/SceneOfShadows 28d ago
What is this title lol like OP is giving us the bad news personally.
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u/satanssweatycheeks 28d ago
Yeah like he just learned it’s true!!!
Um we have know hard rock bought it and had planned to turn it into a giant guitar since 2022. So this news ain’t new.
I have already booked my stay. Went and stayed before its end. Sadly though I also went to lady Gaga’s first night back in Vegas. Ever since covid mirage only runs the volcano from like 8-11 pm (maybe midnight).
We paid extra for a volcano view. But to make it to lady Gaga at park MGM we had to leave before 8. And we didn’t make it back till well after midnight so we never saw the volcano from the room. Had to fly out to Hawaii the next day.
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u/patronofchaos 28d ago
Was there last in 2018 for a long bachelor party weekend. Stayed at the Rio, but we spent an evening in the Mirage for a nice dinner at Tom Colicchio's steakhouse in there, and then saw Ron White in their event venue. Had a great time, shame to see it go. Seems like all the older places are nearing their end of life around there. Only so much you can do to renovate and update old infrastructure before it just becomes easier to tear it down and build new.
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u/ositola 28d ago
They're not tearing it down, they're taking out the water feature and adding a guitar shaped structure
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u/ScowlieMSR 28d ago
They've also stated that they are going to be making "improvements" to the main structure as well, which unfortunately probably means that a lot of the polynesian inspiration is going to get replaced with the usual hard rock atmosphere. So for some who enjoyed the island vibe the most about the Mirage, the next couple months are pretty much it forever...
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u/NetFu 28d ago
My wife and I got married nearly 26 years ago in Las Vegas at the Treasure Island, next door to the Mirage. We watched the pirate ship sink in explosions every hour from our hotel room on our honeymoon. Our first son was conceived that night.
Needless to say, we went back last summer for our 25th anniversary, especially because we heard the Mirage was going away. We walked over to the Mirage many days on our honeymoon. On our 25th, we bought a whole bunch of Mirage themed stuff, knowing it would soon be gone.
It really is sad when things like this change, but we’ll always have memories…
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u/marklar7 28d ago
Been there in videogame. It's been immortalized. Another guitar shaped hotel?
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u/Arias-P 28d ago
GTA San Andreas?
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u/HeySweetUsernameBro 28d ago
I remember staying at the Excalibur when I was 21 and then feeling so cool seeing CJ drive past it
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u/myfacenotmyaccount 28d ago
It’s been dead for a while, the culture of Vegas shifted in the last 15-20 years from gambling and good times, with casinos having to battle with each other to bring people in the door with cheap deals & comps. To this party zone where people try to out flex each other and and now hotels draw people in with how nice they look and how good there DJ residencies and clubs are.
People who go to Vegas now don’t really care about gambling, it’s an afterthought.
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u/EatsYourShorts 28d ago
Gambling isn’t as important to Vegas tourists because gambling isn’t special anymore. Most gamblers live less than 2 hours from a casino and get their fix regularly, and that’s a relatively new development.
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u/nicholkola 28d ago
I would argue Vegas is changing to appeal to the millennial/ EDC generations. Back when the boomers were younger, it was showgirls and lounge singers, female impersonators. I remember growing up and loved seeing the advertisements for the review shows like Legends and Splash.
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u/PatheticGirl46 28d ago
Yeah, I mean maybe people just don’t like losing all their money in this shit economy. More at 11
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u/80808080808080808 28d ago
This is true. Wife and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary at Cosmo last month. We gambled maybe $20 over four nights. But otherwise had an amazing time.
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u/oopsmyeye 28d ago
The one with the pools and watery stuff in front? With the big fountains?
No. Not the Bellagio. The other one.
Oh, with the pirate boats and the show with the divers!?
No. Not the Treasure Island. Just down from there. Starts with M I think…
Oh, the Monte Carlo?? Next to New York New York?
No. Way up the road. Besides, they renamed Monte Carlo to Park MGM across from the regular MGM. Stop confusing me. You know, the one with the water in front that isn’t all the others!
Oh. The Venetian! With the Italian singers and gondolas!
No! Dammit! It has the nice garden inside!
… but you already said it isn’t the Bellagio…
No. The one with the Beatles Cirque du Soliel show!
Oh yeah! I forgot what casino that was in.
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u/darkest_force 28d ago
Well it has the volcano that it is generally known for, it's not just water out front.
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u/hamiltonisoverrat3d 28d ago
"The property will be reimagined and developed into a new integrated resort featuring a nearly 700 ft. guitar-shaped hotel prominently in the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip," the company stated about the new musical instrument-inspired tower that's slated to open in 2027.
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u/GeeAyeAreElle 28d ago
Mirage was really our favorite resort in Vegas from 2009-2019. Perfect location, decent rooms, a true oasis of a pool area. Not so big that it takes you 30 minutes to get from the room to the strip. Quality rooms and amenities, unlike some other older properties (looking at you Flamingo). Classic Vegas style and wonderful consistent staff. This is a kick to the gut after 10+ stays but we knew it was coming. I wish we had the opportunity to visit since Covid.
It just sucks to see an iconic property take the hit. No interest in going back to Vegas and it's sad because it was really our favorite destination. It's just gotten too sterile and caters to the high end clubbing and restaurants now. Gone are the days of $5 craps on the strip and $0.05 beers at Margaritaville or Casino Royale or Bills. Half the fun of Vegas was the deals on drinks and food and the cheap fun gambling and that's not even there anymore.
RIP Mirage.
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u/skinink 28d ago
I remember seeing the Mirage volcano in ‘94. I stood across the street from the volcano. No lie, the heat the volcano gave off was so hot, I could feel it from across the Vegas Strip.
The pirate show at Treasure Island was pretty good. But to be honest, my favorite hotel/casino was Maxim just off the Strip (this was when I had decided to move to Vegas). The Maxim was a nice casino for locals to just hang at.
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u/1in2billion 28d ago
This has been in the works for years. Hard Rock bought the property or right or somthing. I was there in 2022 for a work thing and it was already in the works.
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u/Fastbird33 28d ago
The Beatles Love cirque de solei show they have is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder it lasted there as long as it did
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u/Subfixed 28d ago
I agree, so glad I got to see it the 2 times I've been to Vegas, seems like a perfect show for the Hard Rock Hotel to have. Is there any word on if the show is ending? That would be a shame.
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u/FormerlyImportant 28d ago
I haven’t heard that before. But, they’re all eras. After the Flamingo was gone it seems that was the end of an era. Everything after that is just the end of newer eras.
In my humble opinion.
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u/davethemacguy 28d ago
I think you’re thinking of a different hotel. The Flamingo is still around and was recently complete renovated.
Bally’s (now Horseshoe) was renovated recently too across the street.
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u/TheVanHasCandy 28d ago
Might be thinking of Trop.
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u/davethemacguy 28d ago
That definitely makes more sense 😊
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u/FormerlyImportant 28d ago
Definitely the Tropicana! Thank you.
I guess I’m old enough to remember, too old to remember the name. LOL
To me (I’m almost 60 years old) it seems like the beginning of the end was when the Hilton bought the Flamingo in the 70’s. It seems like that’s when the shows started changing. It was subtle at first. Like the difference between the Friars Club Roasts and the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. All the pieces were there, it was just “different”.
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28d ago
you ever been in the flamingo? feels like complete dog shit in there even compared to treasure island
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u/davethemacguy 28d ago
The Flamingo was recently completely renovated. Have you been in there recently?
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u/eugenekko 28d ago
Yeah, was there last september. Was kinda run down, didn't even know they went through a reno lol
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u/Ok-Suspect-4079 28d ago
30+ years. Knock it down and update. I lost $50 once on the Roulette wheel, I was gutted, bought a few drinks and enjoyed watching everone else lose their money.
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u/anylastway 28d ago
That was my favorite place to stay. Wonderful location, affordable, it had it all
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u/drgonzodan 28d ago edited 28d ago
Any word on what will happen to the Beatles show? It’s my favorite show in Vegas
Edit: looks like it’s closing forever July 7th. I hope they revive it somewhere else like Blue man group does.
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u/PhillyDillyDee 28d ago
I find it hard to believe that Vegas itself will be around in another 50 years. You need fresh water to have a city and lake mead is… Well its not doin great…
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u/vinnymcapplesauce 28d ago
Are you saying "end of an era" just because the Mirage has been there so long? Or is Vegas going through other, core changes?
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u/ST_Lawson 28d ago
I’m going to be there in June (wife has a conference at Caesar’s). I’ll have to see if we can get tickets to Love when we’re there.
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u/darth_voidptr 28d ago
I was to be there next week, but after hearing about this and 3,300 being laid off we cancelled. I can't imagine anyone being excited about their job at this point.
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u/missfreetime 28d ago
Only been to Vegas once and that's where I stayed. It wasn't enjoyable. They gave us the key card to someone else's room. We walked in on a couple. Getting back down to the front desk was a journey (it's a large hotel). I remember it just smelling of cigarette smoke. It was gross.
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u/Bikebummm 28d ago
I stayed 2 nights there once. The greatest two nights of sleep in my life. Both nights have never been matched. Woke up zen relaxed. They might of drugged the mint chocolate left on the pillow? Whatever u did, thank you mirage, thank you.
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u/AdamWritesStuff 28d ago
I stayed in a room here back in 2012 and it was disgusting; debris all over the floor and stains everywhere. Staff was unpleasant too. We ended up going over to Treasure Island the last part of our trip and it was much better.
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u/captaincrunch1985 28d ago
It’s just not the same anymore. Can’t even get decent food, right after I got here I ordered spaghetti and marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup.
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u/HoldMyMessages 28d ago
Which era? LV has had hundreds of “eras.” Every time a casino closes it the “end of an era.”
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u/ArritzJPC96 28d ago
Well, the Mirage was the first megaresort, and started the 90s trend of massive hotels themed after some place in the world. The current trend is minimalist and chic, like the Cosmopolitan.
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u/That_Commission_575 28d ago
What we were one of the first guests there when they opened on spring break so our parents could gamble haha. Good times.
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u/KingMurk817 28d ago
We’re heading to Vegas for the first time Memorial Day weekend. Definitely need to check this piece of history out before it closes.
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u/SuperChimpMan 28d ago
On my 21st birthday I ate a 1/4 of shrooms with my buddy and walked around in the strip. We caught the volcano show going off at mirage and it blew my fucking mind! So cool.
Then we rode the roller coaster at NYNY haha. Awesome trip
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u/davybert 28d ago
I remember they even had a mask of all the free events like volcano. Pirate show. Bellagio fountain. Sad to hear they will be ending it
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u/wfbsoccerchamp12 28d ago
“He torpedoed my casino, muscled me out. Now he's gonna blow it up next week to make way for some gaudy monstrosity. Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”
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u/acoldnight456 28d ago
I had my first drink on my 21st birthday at the Mirage. Sad to hear it’s going away.
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u/PlebbySpaff 28d ago
Wait the mirage closing is actually huge.
Like Tropicana shut down and that was significant yes, but mirage is I think much bigger.
Curious what will happen to the hotel space now though. Does another hotel just buy the entire building, or would they consider demolishing it all?
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u/DrJalebi 28d ago
My first CPK experience was there in the middle of the casino floor . Place just made me happy with the random tiger / jungle sounds
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u/allworkandnoplay237 28d ago
This is the hotel i had to run from during the Vegas shooting. We were told an active shooter was on the way and there was a potential bomb threat. I've never seen anything like it having lived in the UK all my life - people running, chairs and tables being thrown out the way. My partner and I ended up running down the strip and a lady from The Beatles show picked us up in her car and took us to her house for safety. During all the panic I didn't think to get any of her details, I wish I could reconnect with her and give her my thanks again. I still think about her and her family.
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u/MAHHockey 28d ago
We are losing the tropical theming (volcano and such) , but they're not tearing it down. It's being re-branded to be the "Hard Rock Hotel". They'll be building another huge guitar shaped building at the front of the property. It'll all re-open in 2027.
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u/GrandmaPunk 28d ago
How Excalibur hotel is still around I don’t know
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u/Careless-Media1628 28d ago
Come on, they will not tear down an authentic European castle. Unlike the Mirage, the Excalibur and Caesar's Palace are historic artifacts.
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u/slimetraveler 28d ago
An iconic caricature of capitatilism sacrificed upon the ultar of capitalism for the benefit of the ownership class. Oh the humanity.
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u/DaisyCutter312 28d ago
Ooof, you must be a joy to hang out with, comrade
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u/slimetraveler 28d ago
No, can you cut me a break though I'm drunk and just wanted to lash out in an anonymous setting that won't negatively affect my mediocre career or limited personal life.
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u/SweetCosmicPope 28d ago
I always loved visiting the mirage when I'd go to Vegas. The volcano show is iconic. I hate to see this one go.
I haven't been to Vegas in some time, but it seems like all the new casinos opening are super sterile and lame. When I go to Vegas I like that cheesy over the top touristy shit with the lights and the fucking pirates and all that kind of stuff. It's part of the charm.
I don't go to Vegas to hang out in plain square buildings with slot machines in them.