LIVEMagazine #219 October 9, 2015

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The East Fremont District in downtown Las Vegas is
undergoing revitalization, thanks in part to the efforts
of the three-year-old Downtown Project. A group of
entrepreneurs are making big strides in raising the
once-seedy neighborhood to a place of civic pride.
If ever there were a time to use the
highly infectious and overly used
term “cray cray,” it’s to describe the
Fremont Street Experience.
This is the land of ultimate debauchery where the once glittery and glamorous
meets the just plain weird. Lined with vintage hotels, restaurants and bars
spanning the four-block corridor and covered by a giant digital screen, this
downtown Las Vegas destination is the ultimate block party. There is a myriad
of things to do and see, including shopping at specialty kiosks, riding zip lines
and watching free concerts and costumed buskers of various levels of sobriety.
Home to the world’s largest projection screen, the Viva Vision canopy is 90
feet above the ground and spans 1,500 feet in length, roughly the size of five
football fields. Featuring more than 12 million LED modules and a 555,000-watt
sound system, the light shows run every hour and last about six minutes each.
But these aren’t the only free shows you’ll see, especially after dark.
Each night, there is live entertainment scheduled for each of the three concert
stages. While there is a multitude of talent like musicians, artists and contortionists,
with the pretty cool comes the pretty heinous. Prepare yourself for a
jaw-dropping experience where the people-watching is uniquely interactive,
and the alcoholically-lubricated crowd is usually massive and a bit rowdy. Keep
in mind that many of them have left even their loosest morals at home.
Once a family-friendly destination, the Fremont Street Experience has morphed
into a kind of otherworldly dimension where the average Vegas party-goers
converge with an erotic freak show. Comparable to a train wreck, you won’t be
able to look away from many of these street “performers” who are unlicensed
and mostly-naked, pushing the city’s limits on lewd and lascivious behavior. It’s
a little like old Vegas meets Venice Beach Boardwalk -- only grittier and with far
more booze.
But the party doesn’t stop at the end of the Fremont Street Experience.
Dubbed Fremont Street East, there are a handful of eclectic bars, lounges and
even a coffee bar/record store/two-story art gallery just another block down.
SlotZilla at Fremont Street Experience is a 12-story, slot machine-inspired zip line attraction
and is one of the best things to do in Las Vegas.
SlotZilla offers two ways to fly, the lower “Zipline” and upper “Zoomline.”
The Zipline costs $20 and starts off 77 feet up. Flyers land halfway down the Fremont
Street Experience pedestrian promenade, between the Four Queens and Fremont casinos.
See our SlotZilla FAQ.
Both the Zipline and Zoomline are now open!
The Zoomline is $40 and takes off more than 10 stories up (114 feet) and whisks flyers
1,750 feet, all the way down the Fremont Street Experience, to a landing platform at the
city’s most historic casino, the historic Golden Gate.
The upper Zoomline provides even more thrills by sending flyers prone, or “superherostyle,”
for an unprecedented view of the party that never ends at Fremont Street Experience.
We guarantee it’s unlike anything you’ve ever done before, and are unlikely to
ever forget! Flyers travel down the zip lines at up to 40 miles per hour.
The multi-million dollar SlotZilla is the world’s largest slot machine, and features Las
Vegas icons such as over-sized dice, a martini glass, a pink flamingo, coins, video reels, a
giant arm and two showgirls.
The 37-foot-tall showgirls adorning SlotZilla, one on each side, were inspired by two
real-life models, the women who dressed as showgirls to accompany former Las Vegas
mayor Oscar Goodman to his many public appearances. Their names are Jennifer and
Porsha. That could win you a bar bet someday!
SlotZilla’s zip lines were built in collaboration with Zip-Flyer, experts in zip line engineering
and installation. Check them out.
The SlotZilla Las Vegas urban zip line is unlike any other experience in Las Vegas, or the
world, and is guaranteed to quicken your pulse and absolutely rock your world.