Royally Flushed

Beautifully-rendered bunches of colorful spring flowers await at The Bellagio... if you just look up.

What do the Sistine Chapel and Las Vegas have in common?  Well, if you want to see the good stuff at either place, you’re going to have to stop walking (recommended if you don’t want to crash into other people,) throw your head back and look up.

While much is made of the crazy colorful carpeting found in casinos all around the country — and rightfully so – you also need to look UP as well as down to see some of the more remarkable design elements scattered throughout favorite casinos.  Nowhere is this truer than in Las Vegas where over-the-top design is simply commonplace and excess is the norm rather than the exception.  But hey, this is why we love the place! (more…)

Casino carpeting features intricate designs, wild colors.

It’s nice to know I am not the only person fascinated with the over-the-top colorful designs on casino carpets.  I have to confess that while walking through a casino or down a hotel hallway, I have been known to run into people - as well as inanimate objects – because I am so focused on what’s under my feet.  The exhuberant colors and the intricate patterns never cease to entertain me.

Well, David G. Schwartz, who writes extensively about Las Vegas, gambling, and history has several photo pages on his website, The Die is Cast, devoted to current and defunct carpets at casinos throughout the U.S.  Who knew?  His gallery organizes the carpet photos mostly by location but if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you’ll find his “Hall of Fame” page which features extinct carpets as well as extinct casinos…think Stardust and the Aladdin among others.

Schwartz is the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV and has a Ph.D. in United States history from UCLA.  Check out his website for lots of fascinating information.  After spending some time on his website, I definitely plan on purchasing his book, Roll the Bones, A History of Gambling.

Oh, and the carpet pictured above?  You can find it in all it’s dashing purple glory – at Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde, Arizona!