Sahara closes on Vegas StripSahara se închide pe Vegas Strip
The venerable Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, where Elvis Presley stayed while filming „Viva Las Vegas” and the Beatles stayed when they performed in Sin City, dealt to its final gamblers and checked out its last guests Monday after six decades.
Visitors streamed through the casino before officials shut the doors, picking up souvenirs at a near-empty gift shop, playing $10 blackjack and visiting with dealers and bartenders one last time. The Sahara is remembered as one of the Rat Pack’s favorite haunts and where an emphasis of lounge acts set standards for other joints that followed. Don Rickles, Johnny Carson and Louis Prima entertained here, and its first performance was from Ray Bolger, who played the scarecrow in „The Wizard of Oz.”
Owners SBE Entertainment decided earlier this year it was no longer economically viable to keep the casino open on the north side of the Strip, where several projects have been planned but shuttered the past few years. Instead of celebrities and lounge acts, the Sahara became known in recent years as home to round-the-clock $1 blackjack, the NASCAR Cafe with a six-pound burrito eating challenge and a replica of Dale Earnhardt’s race car.
Venerabilul hotel-cazinou Sahara din Las Vegas Strip, locul unde a stat Elvis Presley in timpul filmarilor pentru “Viva Las Vegas” sau Beatles-ii in timpul concertului din Sin City, a impartit ultimele carti jucatorilor si a eliberat ultimele camere in ziua de luni, dupa sase decenii de functionare.
Vizitatorii s-au napustit in cazinou inainte ca proprietarii sa inchida definitiv usile , cumparand suveniruri dintr-un magazin aproape gol, jucand blackjack pe 10 dolari, stand cu dealerii si barmanii pentru ultima oara. Sahara ramane in amintirile tuturor ca si cazinoul lui Rat Pack si un loc unde se stabileau noi standarde. Don Rickles, Johnny Carson si Louis Prima au sustinut spectacole aici, iar spectacol tintut aici a fost sustinut de Ray Bogler, actorul care a interpretat rolului sperietorii din Vrajitorul din Oz.
Detinatorii SBE Entertainment au decis la inceputul acestui an ca nu mai exista suficiente resurse economice pentru a mentine deschis acest cazinou in nordul The Strip, unde mai multe proiecte au fost propuse, dar fara a fi dezvoltate in ultimii ani. In loc de celebritati si locuri de relaxare, Sahara a fost cunoscut mai mult pentru blackjack-ul de un dolar jucat non-stop, Cafeneau NASCAR unde avea loc concursul de mancat burrito si o replica a masinii de curse a lui Dale Earnhardt.