Vegas is amusing, but not for kids

Brad Evans, Las Vegas

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.

Two Ferris wheels on the Strip? Vegas is not for kids.

I first came to Las Vegas in 1953 and worked as a musician through the 1970s, so I have seen the many changes that have occurred in town. Folks, this is not a town to cater to families. It wasn’t built for that.

When Bugsy Siegel built the Flamingo, it was to cater to the adult gambler. The hotel offered great food, drink entertainers and gambling. Years later, big hotels decided to cater to kids and built amusement parks on their properties. Parents brought their kids but the didn’t spend money in the casinos.

Now we have not one, but two Ferris wheels going up on the Strip. Don’t these casino moguls learn from past experience? Casinos are for adults with the drinking, gambling and entertainment offerings; not amusement park rides.

If Las Vegas wants to build an amusement park, build it on a large piece of property well away from the Strip and downtown. Let the adults who want to enjoy Las Vegas do it without a bunch of young families bringing their kids to the Strip.

Las Vegas does not have to be another Atlantic city boardwalk, Coney Island, Magic Mountain, Seven Flags or a Long Beach Pike with the rides and carnival attractions.

It was bad enough when the city officials built the ugly canopy over downtown and made downtown into a park. Rustic downtown Las Vegas was a great draw, now a kiddie playland on the Strip. Come on.

The “Entertainment Capital of the World” title is becoming a joke. When is the last time you saw an entertainer’s name on a Strip marquee? It’s all production shows, magic shows and carnival gimmicks. Name talent in lights in no more. Believe me when I say Las Vegas is not Las Vegas anymore — it’s becoming a cheesy carnival midway.