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The Nation's Pulse
Fear, Loathing, and Airport Cocktails
One journalist’s tribute to the glories of Cold War Las Vegas.
This summer, I was one of the millions who visited Las Vegas, America’s gambling mecca in the Nevada desert. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, over 3.3 million people visited Sin City in June 2011, the last month for which data was available. If you were one of those folks, you are likely to have taken at least a few pulls on a slot machine, but you probably never left the glittery confines of Las Vegas Boulevard — The Strip. You missed out.
Critics claim that Las Vegas lacks any real culture. To be sure, it is a city whose skyline is comprised primarily of tacky miniaturizations of architectural masterpieces from other corners of the globe. A city which beckons us to bring our sense of adventure (and our wallets) and engage in acts of debauchery that would not stand with the other members of the Lions Club back in Dubuque. A city where a towering hotel-casino might open to great fanfare only to be demolished less than 20 years later in a public spectacle replete with fireworks.
Vegas, in a sense, mirrors our best and worst traits as a nation. It is at once swaggering, boastful, unapologetic, optimistic, transitory, excessive, youthful, naive, impatient, and perhaps a bit too confident for its own good. There is a palpable restlessness, a constant drive for reinvention. Risks are encouraged and met with spectacular triumph or ruinous failure, but rarely anything in between. The critics usually harp on the seemingly disposable and inauthentic nature of the town, but in their haste to focus on the superficiality, they neglect a unique and often surprising history.
Miss Atomic Bomb Goes Toe-to-Toe with Khrushchev
The Atomic Testing Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, tells the story of the Nevada Test Site, America’s primary nuclear weapons proving ground from 1951 until 1992. The tale is told from a refreshingly patriotic, unabashedly pro-American perspective. A series of videos highlight recollections from former test site workers who are clearly and rightfully proud of their role in helping to win the Cold War. In fact, some alums of the nuclear testing program are museum volunteers and trustees.
I toured the museum with a more liberal minded friend who griped that the exhibits did not offer enough “alternative perspective.” Without missing a beat, I pointed to a wall on which hung a particularly bellicose quote by Khrushchev. Something along the lines of: “We will achieve nuclear dominance and then crush lazy capitalist American swine like ants. And then deal with pesky moose and squirrel once and for all!” I might be paraphrasing just a bit. But that quote was the counterpoint she sought.
Despite emphasizing the positive role that America’s nuclear arsenal played in maintaining peace throughout the Cold War, the museum does not turn a blind eye to the complexity of the issue, addressing for example the atmospheric radiation that led to the end of above ground nuclear testing, and the ultimate international cessation of test detonations.
While the museum concerns a topic that is dead serious, it’s also surprisingly fun. Some exhibits are even suitable for children, such as a display of Atomic Age toys and pop cultural memorabilia and the “Ground Zero Theater,” which uses film and special effects to simulate the viewing of an atomic detonation from an observation bunker. The museum experience caps off with a quirky gift shop which sells scholarly books on the atomic program, alongside whimsical novelty items. (Connoisseurs of Z grade cinema should use this opportunity to pick up a copy of The Beast of Yucca Flats. Tor Johnson of Plan 9 from Outer Space fame wanders through the Nevada desert as a nuclear scientist irradiated in a horrible accident. When he finally meets his demise, it is perhaps as moving as Terms of Endearment, and far more entertaining).
Visitors to the museum also gain perspective on how detonations about 75 miles outside of the city limits impacted tourism in the 1950s. Casino owners were initially concerned that the rattling of foundations and occasional shattering of windows would scare away Mr. and Mrs. Middle America. So they turned the blasts into a spectacle, the brightest of lights in a city preoccupied with light. Rooftop viewing parties were held; high rollers bussed out into the desert for a closer look (and a picnic meal). The Flamingo casino spread the word to food and beverage departments up and down the Strip about the new “Atomic Cocktail.” The city crowned a Miss Atomic Bomb, whose image is available on a t-shirt in the gift shop. Even business names reflected fascination with the Bomb; this past January, Atomic Liquors, the oldest operating bar in Las Vegas, finally closed after operating continuously since 1951.
The Zombie or: How to Unwind after a Nuclear Apocalypse
Hopefully the museum charged with preserving our atomic heritage won’t close its doors anytime soon. Just a short ride from the Strip, it is woefully under visited. Allan Palmer, the museum’s executive director, recently estimated that the attraction sees 120 visitors on a typical weekend day — in line with a small museum, but far less than any given shop on the Strip.
If you do make the trek out to the Atomic Testing Museum, you might want to rest your brain with a drink or two afterwards. I suggest Frankie’s Room, a relatively new addition to the Vegas bar scene. Frankie’s, in keeping with our atomic theme, is a faithful reproduction of tiki bars that opened across the country during the middle of last century as servicemen returning from the Pacific ushered in a South Seas exotica craze. Knock back one of their delicious, rum based cocktails like the Zombie and imagine you are at the Cross Spikes Club (an impromptu haunt on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands where soldiers hung out in advance of the July 1946 test detonation known as Operation Crossroads). Hungry? Stop by the Peppermill Coffee Shop, a garish on-Strip restaurant that serves up generous portions at reasonable prices along with “old Vegas” atmosphere. Scenes from the movie Casino were filmed there.
O.J., Area 51, and Doom Town
If you want to make a deeper hands-on connection with Atomic Era Vegas, visit the Neon Museum, actually a desert boneyard full of decommissioned signs dating from the early days to the present. The centerpiece of the collection is the relocated and reassembled La Concha Motel, a Googie masterpiece whose sweeping lines scream “space age optimism.”
Perhaps you will decide to take a tour of the test site itself. Tours, which depart early in the morning from the parking lot of the Atomic Testing Museum, are only offered once a month and book up months in advance. At the time of this writing, all of the remaining 2011 tours are booked, as well as the tour for January of 2012. The Nevada Test Site, recently renamed the Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 to those in the know) is an active Department of Energy facility currently used for the disposal of nuclear waste and hazmat training, amongst other activities — hence the limited number of tours offered and tight security on the site.
About the Author
Bill Zeiser is a communications consultant living in New York City and a 2012 Publius Fellow of the Claremont Institute. Follow him on Twitter @BillZeiser.
Pecos Pete| 9.1.11 @ 7:22AM
12% unemployment and here comes King O next week to fix the problem. Bombs away.
Denver Todd| 9.1.11 @ 7:38AM
Las Vegas is also a wonderful place to view mid-century modern architecture.
Mike D.| 9.1.11 @ 8:06AM
I took this tour not too long ago. Humbling to stand at a point in the middle of nowhere that for a short burst of time was the temperature of the sun. I love cold war history, growing up in the 50's and 60's with the whole duck and cover mentality.
Dustoff| 9.1.11 @ 10:08AM
LOL.... Me too Mike.
The best part. Below ground (bomb shelters) My neighbor had one for years. It finally became a play room for the kids until the wood steps rotted away.
Mike D.| 9.1.11 @ 10:52AM
My dad actually started to build one in the basement during the cuban missile crisis. it ended up as the workroom/shop. Started out as cement block walls then finished with wood and paneling. Scary times. The sound of the Thunderbolt II siren on the firehouse roof when it was tested at 1PM first Saturdays of the month still sends chills down my back.
Occam's Tool| 9.1.11 @ 1:20PM
Check out IGY video by Donald Fagen. Nice tribute to the Bomb Shelters.
hardcard| 9.1.11 @ 8:17AM
You forgot to mention harry reid and the cowboy poets festival. Isn't that where Elivis lives ?
POST American| 9.1.11 @ 9:09AM
'Duck and cover' was, we learn, dreamed up
by Bernays and the Tavistock Instiitute to
create a standardized consciousness built
around trauma.
-----All this on the eve of the equally
FAKE and utterly capstone set up 60's dope 'culture'.
A bit painful to realize the culture of your
youth was not only NOT yours ---but wasn't
even created by youth.
Drunken Sailor| 9.1.11 @ 1:51PM
Put down the bong dude. I'm sure it hard o see your PC monitor through that smoky haze but trust me, Infowars is not the go to site to study our history.
Dan Mathewson| 9.1.11 @ 5:10PM
Evidence? Where's your evidence?
PolishKnight| 9.1.11 @ 10:55AM
Thank you. Wonderful article. Next time in Vegas, I will need to go check this out!
KyMouse| 9.1.11 @ 10:59AM
We recently rented "The Atomic Cafe" (1982) from Netflix, and noticed that so many of the movie's government warnings about Communism, which were supposed to make us laugh, had the ring of truth.
The Soviet Union was indeed ruthless toward the people it enslaved at the end of World War II, and it did indeed want to destroy us. "The Atomic Cafe" inadvertently compiled many examples of how right our government turned out to be, and how important a strong nuclear deterrent turned out to be.
Al Adab| 9.1.11 @ 11:24AM
We won, they lost, in no small part due to our willingness to test and develop weaponry. It is a lesson the Left never learned, but which we must not forget.
Occam's Tool| 9.1.11 @ 7:15PM
Correct as usual, Al. Freedom has a price.
Ghastlyone| 9.1.11 @ 11:18AM
I've lived in Las Vegas my whole life. Born and raised.
This city is the epitome of "feast or famine".
Oh and by the way, next time any of you readers are here for vacation, you should take a quick jaunt down to East Las Vegas. It really has turned into a shithole over the years. All the illegal mexicans have done a fine job of transforming it into their home.
Al Adab| 9.1.11 @ 11:26AM
Is there any reason why any of us should visit and help the economy of Harry Reids' state? It is though a perfect example of living off the wealth of others. They don't build those hotels with their own money. Tourists come, leave money and go home.
Old Soldier| 9.2.11 @ 3:01PM
Hey, it's also John Ensign's state! Wait... never mind.
Kingofthenet| 9.1.11 @ 1:08PM
What is Wikileaks password, it's available in a widely read book so it's hardly a secret.
Occam's Tool| 9.1.11 @ 1:19PM
Bill, it is critical to buy your copy of The Beast of Yucca Flats from Amazon, through the Mystery Science Fiction 3000 collection.
The Beast of Yucca Flats starred Tor Johnson wrestler turned incredibly bad actor (Jesse Ventura looks and sounds like he graduated from the Royal Shakespeare Company next to Tor) in one of the 'Great Roles" he turned in for Grade 'Z' Director Coleman Francis.
Coleman Francis, who looked like an unfunny Curly, was the director of three of the worst films of all time: "The Beast of Yucca Flats," "The SkyDivers," and "RedZone Cuba," which infamously has its theme song, "Night Train to Mondo Fine" sung by the golden voiced John Carradine.
Many people would rank Ed Wood as the Worst Director of All Time, but Ed's movies were models of narrative cohesiveness and fine acting compared to the Brilliant Coleman Francis Troika.
The only possible candidates for worst film of all time over "Beast" might be "Manos, Hands of Fate," directed by Texas Fertilizer Salesman (no, I am NOT making this up) Harold Warren.
All of these movies have been gloriously riffed by the boys at MST3k or Riff-Trax, and most are available in Mistied versionon NetFlix.
John II is NOT the only cineophile here. I am too, in my dark, dark way.
Livin La Vida Las Vegas| 9.1.11 @ 1:25PM
Been there - done that - had a great time. The Atomic Energy Museum is a fascinating way to take a breather away from the Strip and you just might learn something.
Must take exception with the statement, "Gone are the days of high technology in the desert." Moved to Las Vegas over 6 years ago to work in the Information Technology field and fell in love with the city. Las Vegas data center facilities are sought after locations for disaster recovery and data storage for businesses on the west coast. And, the business climate is much more favorable than California!
Tex Expatriate| 9.1.11 @ 2:16PM
I appreciated this essay, and the next time I'm flying or driving through there I'll stop long enough to check out the museum.
The first time I was in Las Vegas was 62 years ago when I was 12. It was a great city then, with no tall ugly garish buildings and plenty of afordable restaurants. I admit, at that age I was mostly impressed by nearby Boulder Dam. I was back again 9-10-11 years later, when Las Vegas was getting going pretty good, and I was mostly impressed by leggy waitresses. (Las Vegas was not yet home to thousands of expensive whores.) There were still plenty of affordable restaurants there. Twenty years later Las Vegas had begun to fill out its skyline, there were still plenty of nice leggy waitresses and dancers, and the whores weren't terribly overpriced! As the skyline grew and the costs associated with growth increased, I stopped going there. Everything, including a hamburger, was overpriced. If I passed through, I stayed in the airport, where all the amenities of Vegas had been located.
According to my in-laws, the one thing that hasn't changed too much is the quality of the saloons. You can still get a good drink there at a reasonable price.
Cabermon| 9.1.11 @ 6:33PM
If you enjoy The Atomic Testing Museum and are in the vicinity of Santa Fe, NM, take the short but lovely drive up to Los Alamos and visit the Los Alamos Historical Museum. Great history of the Manhattan Project and the development of The Bomb. Also, an excellent book on the project is "109 East Palace."
Occam's Tool| 9.1.11 @ 7:14PM
ABQ, NM has the National Atomic Museum. Awesome.
tabpetpc | 9.1.11 @ 8:57PM
it ended up as the workroom/shop. Started out as cement block walls then finished with wood and paneling. Scary times
Moe Blotz| 9.2.11 @ 5:00AM
As gambling becomes legalised in other states and the Injuns expand operations,Lost Wages will fade away as the pre-eminent destination for those who wish to piss away their dollars. Why spend air or bus fare to travel hundreds or thousands of miles when you can drive to Phluffya or Bethlehem or down Squirrel Hill and throw your money to the dogs?
POST American| 9.2.11 @ 11:20PM
---INFOWARS is NOW the second largest
online news source ---in the world.
ALEX JONES 'Man of the Year' last month
for Talkers Magazine. 30 new outlets in a
single week (he's NEVER lost an outlet).
RON PAUL winning most of the straw polls.
ALAN WATT filling in the background.
"The Globalists now realize they are
being exposed and that they are, in essense,
WANTED men. Word is spreading worldwide---"
-ALEX JONES
-------------------IT REALLY IS.
So now
"Come out from among them.
Do NOT partake of their sin."
--------------------------AMEN----------------------------
Craig Goodrich| 9.10.11 @ 4:12AM
My home is in Vegas. My house (underwater, of course), wife, kids, cats, books. Love the city, completely wacko though it is.
I, however, am in Indianapolis, where I found a job. Another victim of Democrat economics.