If
Las Vegas was born the day that Bugsy
Siegel borrowed a million dollars of Mafia
money to build a casino in the middle
of the wastelands, then The Flamingo is
the spiritual seed of the city that grew
to represent “something from nothing”.
Set on the famous four corners of Las
Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Road, it represents
the very heart of The Strip.
The Flamingo now lives in a different
Las Vegas. Gone are the classy days that
saw JFK share space with Frank Sinatra.
Instead The Flamingo sits amidst a vast
collection of much larger (and much louder)
neighbours that all try to get the attention
of the hundreds of people who walk the
strip looking for their very own piece
of the action.
Its true claim to fame (and the thing
that gives the building its namesake)
is a large bird sanctuary complete with
its own flock of live Chilean flamingos.
All of this is set in realistic wildlife
habitats that make you forget that you
are surrounded by mile upon mile of barren
rocky wilderness.
Another excellent thing about The Flamingo
is its sign. This is an original piece
of the old Las Vegas that lights up at
night and gives but a small taste of what
it all must have looked like before 1970;
It is one of the few left outside of Freemont
Street.
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