Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is the on-site half-price tickets booth for shows. The casino itself is large and
friendly, more brightly lit than other casinos along Glitter Gulch with a faded but
classy decor.
$-$$$
With the exception of the Golden Nugget (p. 50), the classiest of the
downtown properties all come from one mothership, Boyd Gaming. It's this cor-
poration that's responsible for
Main Street Station
555
(200 N. Main St.,
between Fremont St. and I-95;
%
800/465-0711 or 702/387-1896; www.main
streetcasino.com; AE, DC, DISC, MC, V),
the
California Hotel & Casino
5
(12
Ogden Ave., at 1st St.;
%
800/634-6255 or 702/385-1222; www.thecal.com; AE,
DC, DISC, MC, V),
and the
Fremont Hotel & Casino
(200 E. Fremont St., between
Casino Center Blvd. and 3rd St.;
%
800/634-6182 or 702/385-3232; www.
fremontcasino.com; AE, DC, DISC, MC, V).
And while they're far from cookie cut-
ter in their looks, they share a common pricing scheme—on weekdays, you'll
likely pay between $40 and $80 for a room, with weekend pricing hopping
between $50 and $125. They also share a common clientele, as Boyd Gaming
owns Vacations Hawaii, which brings thousands of Hawaiians into Vegas every
year on air/hotel packages, bunking most of them at these three hotels. For those
of us outside the Aloha State, this is bad news because it means that it can often
be near impossible to find a room at these properties at certain times of the year.
Very, very bad news actually, as these three are real gems.
Most impressive of the bunch,
Main Street Station
was originally opened in
1992 as a fee-for-entry, casino-cum-museum, designed with high Victorian
panache and filled with exquisite antiques and artifacts from the era. When Boyd
came in, they renovated, added rooms and dropped the fee, but you can still take
a self-guided tour (ask for the brochure) of all the pretty antiques, placed here and
there, sometimes roped off or spotted through the glass wall of an elevator. If
you're like me, you'll love just wandering through this place, it's that lovely. Stop
first outside and peek into Private Car 92, the 1903 Pullman Rail Car, which was
originally built for a railroad prez but eventually bought by Buffalo Bill Cody to
use as his home on wheels while touring the country with his wild west show (car
100 next door is just as ornate). Take a look at the flickering street lamps—they
first held back the darkness in the Central Square of Brussels, Belgium until they
were dismantled prior to World War I for safekeeping (and eventually brought
here). The wonders continue inside: A massive mahogany apothecary cabinet,
with its hammered tin relief panels, beveled glass, and labeled drawers, gives the
front check-in area the look of an Old West hotel. Go into the center of the casino
and into the buffet area, look up, and you'll see elaborate chandeliers, some taken
from opera houses in Paris and San Francisco; the stained glass windows have simi-
larly impressive pedigrees. You'll also enjoy dining here, as Main Street houses
three of the best affordable eateries in Vegas: the Courtyard Buffet (p. 108), the
Triple Seven Brewery (p. 94), and the Pullman Grill (p. 96).
Renovated in 2006, the guest rooms are the most modern part of the hotel, but
still give off the air of refined pampering you'll get downstairs, with striped celadon
green, navy, and light blue bedspreads so pretty I coveted them for my own home,
large gilt-framed mirrors opposite the cushy beds (for that voyeuristic Vegas
touch), excellent mattresses, and thick carpets. Bathrooms are older, but spotless,
with those new curved shower curtain rods that are becoming so popular. Can
