During the 1980s and early 1990s, as the Strip became ever more glamorous, the downtown area – including the stretch along Fremont Street known as Glitter Gulch – went further and further into decline. City fathers and casino owners alike agreed that something had to be done to reverse the process and took action to see that it was. The resulting efforts have revitalized the area. There is even a new hotel-casino under construction – the first to be built in the area in decades.
The heart of downtown has earned its name for reasons that become obvious as soon as you set foot here. This is one of the brightest places on earth – so much so that you can stand on the street at midnight and read a newspaper. Even before the Fremont Street Experience was conceived, the country’s leading neon designers and lighting engineers were strutting their stuff here.
For 20 years after its incorporation, entertainment in Las Vegas was limited to a few bars and brothels in the redlight district downtown. The legalization of gambling and arrival of 5,000 dam-construction workers in 1931 changed all that. Casinos opened on Fremont Street, and tourists began to arrive. World War II personnel and their families gave Las Vegas another population surge in the 1940s and casino building continued apace after the war – as it does to this day.
For a memorable meal, try Florida Café Restaurante Cubano. Don’t wander away from the bright lights after dark. High crime areas still exist not far from Glitter Gulch. Arrive a few minutes before the hour to see the light and sound show at the Fremont Street Experience. Then explore the shops and casinos or enjoy the stage entertainment until the next show begins.