Binion's Horseshoe

In my first trip to Vegas, I ended up going Downtown straight from the airport. I think everyone remembers the first time they saw Las Vegas. Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of lights, noise and action.

Of course, since this photo was taken, the city has built the Fremont Street Experience canopy. You can't drive down Fremont, or take a cab in the footsteps of Hunter S. Thompson, but the memories live on in photos such as this.

Binion's is now part of the Harrah's Corporation and a few years ago, Ted Binion died in a still unsolved case, but the Binion legacy is what put Vegas on the map. Gambling halls are now resorts, and although poker is back in fashion, the masses still prefer to play their poker on a video machine.

Vegas may not have much of a visible history, but if you can sort out the legends from the facts, you'll find that it's one hell of a story.

                    - Art Whitton