Ponderosa Drive

1989 was quite possibly the third biggest year in Las Vegas history. It only falls behind 1944 (when Ben Siegel bought the Flamingo) and 1960 (when Sinatra, Davis, and Martin held "The Summit” at The Sands).

From the late sixties, Las Vegas began to rapidly deteriorate when the Rat Pack was quickly leaving their glory days behind and retiring to Variety Shows, and making regular appearances on shows like Laugh-In and Hollywood Squares.

Throughout the seventies, the Las Vegas luster continued to fade as generations changed and one-name performers like Streisand and Presley were replaced with relative unknowns or Hollywood has-beens.

However, two events converged to bring Vegas back into the national spotlight.  First, hotelier Steve Wynn financed construction of Treasure Island and the Mirage using junk bonds. As these 300+ room properties began to unfold, so too, did the new fantasy aspect of Las Vegas – where pirate ships and man-made volcanoes stood proudly outside the entrance instead of gaudy old neon signs.

1989 also marked the rebirth of UNLV Basketball. Jerry Tarkanian (better known as 'Tark the Shark') sat on the sidelines, biting a white towel while his Runnin' Rebels dominated NCAA Men's Basketball. The entire starting line-up consisted of kds that would be future NBA stars. They seemed unstoppable, but with Vegas, truly anything could happen, even with the hometown favorites.

However, amidst the renaissance, Las Vegas still had its rough outer edges. Paradoxically, most of this was only witnessed in back rooms and penthouse suites.
That's where I come in.
"