(26) Riviera vs (10) Venetian
The Riviera was the first hotel I ever stayed at in Las Vegas. It has been in operation for 59 years and it’s still going strong. Since my initial stay, I have not returned to the Riviera but it isn’t because I had a bad time. It’s because there is something pure, almost sacred about one’s first time in Las Vegas that should be left undisturbed.
The memories live on in the form of pictures, capturing moments filled with sounds from iPod dock speakers, livers overrun by Grey Goose, and heads full of ignorance.
Looking at pics from the pool, many years past its prime, I can’t help but think about the celebrities and parties the hotel hosted. Rather than give you the rundown of my first time, I’d rather share fun facts about the Riviera that make my memories that much sweeter:
- Frank Sinatra lived in a suite while performing at the property in the 1990s
- Notable performers in 1970s – Dean Martin, Steve Martin, Pia Zadora, Burt Bacharach, George Carlin, Phyllis Diller, Liza Minelli, Jimmie Walker
- Ninth casino opened on the Las Vegas Strip
- Englebert Humperdinck made his Las Vegas debut at Riviera Hotel & Casino in 1969
- Famous clients at the Men’s Salon and Celebrity include MC Hammer, Burt Reynolds, Liberace and Joe Pesci, among others
- Riviera Hotel & Casino is a pet-friendly hotel (no need to stay at Early’s Apartment)
If these walls could talk, imagine what they shouldn’t say.
