If you’ve ever wanted to get more of a taste of the Mob experience than a meal at your local Sicilian eatery provides, look no further than Las Vegas. In the 1940’s the Cosa Nostra (literally “our thing”) transformed this sleepy Nevada town into a glitzy mecca of the rich, not-so-rich and even occasionally the newly rich. In the process mobsters such as Vegas founding godfather Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, along with the likes of Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Meyer Lansky, got very wealthy and in Siegel’s case, very dead.
If the Cosa Nostra is your “thing” there are four things you need to do in Vegas. First off, check out the Mob Museum (mobmuseum.org), located at 300 Stewart Avenue in downtown Vegas near Fremont Street. It’s situated in the city’s former federal court where some of the proceedings of the Kefauver Hearing on Organized Crime were held in 1950. “Bugsy” missed these, having been “whacked” (Mafia slang for executed) in 1947 at the Beverly Hills mansion of his girlfriend, for “skimming” or stealing money from the construction of the Flamingo Hotel.
Highlights of the Mob Museum include the bullet-riddled wall where Al Capone eliminated his competition in Chicago in the famed St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929. Also don’t miss the barber chair in which Albert Anastasia, head of the Gambino family and “lord high executioner” of what became known as “Murder Inc.” died. He had a little more taken off the top than he bargained for when he died in a hail of bullets. Though it was never confirmed, “Crazy Joe” Gallo was reputed to have boasted of himself and four associates, “You can just call the five of us the barbershop quintet.”
Step two is to do the Vegas Mob Tour. According to their web site: “The Vegas Mob Tour is a two and a half hour bus tour that reveals the sordid history of Las Vegas….You will hear about the notorious gangster/casino builder Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel and infamous mob enforcers Tony ‘The Ant’ Spilotro and Frank Cullotta. Guests learn the truth about casino boss Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal, as well as celebrity deaths, suicides and many other strange and puzzling Nevada mysteries.”
When you’ve gotten yourself orientated with the Mob Museum and Mob Tour, it’s time to get your feet wet in step three, the actual Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Tropicana, a hotel once linked to gangster Frank Costello.
This attraction lets you play the role of an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island, New York, in which you meet with “Big Tony” and his associates, then make choices that can lead you to being a “made” member of the Mafia, turning state’s evidence and going into witness protection…or screwing up and getting “whacked.” (My fate was the latter one by the way…next time I’m going to “rat them out.”)
En route through your interaction with real and virtual actors, you can peruse an amazing collection of artifacts and information related to famous Las Vegas mobsters.
Finally, if you haven’t had enough murder and mayhem, I’d suggest the CSI Experience at the MGM Grand. Developed by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the attraction sets up three different scenarios. You get to wear a nifty CSI vest and have to peruse a crime scene and make notes on what you see. Then it’s off to the crime labs to sort out clues and formulate a theory as to what happened. You review the autopsy findings and then give your results to your boss, Gil Grissom. The experience is exciting, interesting and educational. If you find one crime scenario isn’t enough you can do the other two at bargain rates!
IF YOU GO
Photo Credits
All Photos By George Burden – All Rights Reserved
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I think you put your finger on it, though actually the ancient Romans tended to have taste much in keeping with the Mafia goombas. They borrowed their ideas from the Greeks then went way over the top with it. Glady you enjoyed the article!
Wow, you know, you’re right, George! The connections between the over the top opulence of the Romans, and the mafia guys, is unmistakable. I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. And it was only heightened in my experience by the fact that I was staying at Caesar’s Palace! Too funny!
George, great article – I’ve read about the mafia and watched Mobsters, but I didn’t know there was so much mafia history on display in Vegas.
The funny part for me – I stayed at Caesar’s Palace for a business convention. My room had – no joke – flocked red velour wallpaper, and everything except the mirror on the ceiling. Wandering through the hotel and casino, there were greek statues, gaudy furnishings and it all looked comical. I thought “this is a mafia goomba’s idea of class.” It was all so overtly cheesy I couldn’t believe it.
We went to one of the sessions and a bunch of guys were staring out the window. Topless women at the swimming pool. (Of course I looked)
They never had the convention there again. It just wasn’t a business atmosphere, and I guess someone figured that out. 🙂