And much of it is family-oriented. This town is not about kids. It's about gambling, from one end to the other. She's lived in Vegas since 1966, after coming out from Chicago. Photographer Beau Rogers and I used her local knowledge when we ventured downtown.
Downtown is where the older casinos and hotels are located.
It's the real Vegas, where the locals hang out. Fremont Street, otherwise known as Casino Row in the downtown district, has been blocked off permanently for about four blocks. It's like an outdoor mall, covered by a high-tech canopy that produces scintillating light shows accompanied by music. Marvelous Motown sounds highlighted Tuesday night's eight-minute show and prompted an outbreak of dancers up and down the street. We hit most of the casinos downtown, losing a quarter in most of them, thanks to the notorious one-armed bandits.