Before our tour of the Neon Boneyard, we had a little time to kill so we walked around the Freemont area of Las Vegas. As far as eccentric roadside attractions go, and in the lexicon of the Rat Pack, this place is the livin' end, Charley. Big, bulbous retro casino signs dare you to come in and swing, baby swing. Inside, these casinos are a more rundown version of the ones on the strip, and their patrons are a bit more, shall we say, earthy too. But the signs are way, way cool. We were here in 2004 and saw the place all lit up and it's like you stepped back to 1962. If the casinos on the strip really wanted to do something different, they would build an exact replica of the Sands or Flamingo circa 1960, Las Vegas's glorious Mob-run era. Until then, this area reminds you of the old, the real, the groovy Vegas. We weren't able to see the place after dark this time but it was still worth the trip to see the mind-boggling craftsmanship behind this lost art form of neon and bulb. Ring-a-ding-ding!
