Another Las Vegas Icon Closing Its Doors: Say Goodbye To Cleopatra’s Barge

Las Vegas has opened and closed a lot of places, and attractions over the years. And now another iconic attraction, Cleopatra's Barge, will be gone for good.

Cleopatra's Barge will no longer be a part of Caesars Palace. No more barge surrounded by water with hydraulics moving it. It was a must-see attraction when going to Las Vegas. No implosion. But the space is going to become a more upscale bar.

We all know Las Vegas has made implosions; the kind of productions that are seen in movies. They're often complete with cameras and crowds. And a few of those studio worthy implosions have been used in movies.

The implosion of The Landmark in Las Vegas was used in Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks."

The Sands was used in the Nicolas Cage movie, "Conair." Producers found out it was going to be demolished, so they used it for the plane crash in the movie. And they made an actual plane crash.

I went to the implosion of The Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. I worked at the comedy club for many years, and the implosion of The Riviera was an invitation event. Tables set up in a nearby parking lot, complete with bars, food, and favors.

It was sad and beautiful at the same time. Another piece of history gone in seconds.

The Tropicana in Las Vegas will soon be closing. You can bet its last days will be a spectacle. The property has been around for a long time. There is no word yet on whether there will be an implosion. But it will close to make way for the Oakland Athletics new stadium.

Aside from the written history of Las Vegas, there isn't a lot of structural history left. Is newer always better? Not in this writer's opinion. But -- all in the name of progress I guess.

Still, I will miss that Cleopatra's Barge. My father's band worked on that barge, and so did I. And I hung out there, drank and danced with friends, like so many of you did.

Bon voyage, We will miss you.

We understand why Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf may be a little upset.

The city lost two major sports team, and potentially a third one, to the "gross desert" of Las Vegas.

In an interview with ABC7, a local news station in the Bay Area, Schaaf divulged her unfiltered feelings about Vegas, and let's just say that Sin City locals are not too happy about her comments.

“You’ve got to be much more environmentally focused when you are developing on the precious California coastline than in the gross desert of Las Vegas,” Schaaf said to ABC7 regarding the Oakland Athletics' potential relocation to our city (#FreeTheAs).

After this interview, social media ignited with comebacks from Vegas residents, who shared many memes, humorous posts and sassy responses to the mayor's comment.

We also feel the need to defend our city. Vegas is many things, but we definitely won't tolerate slander from California. Here are top ten reasons why Vegas is better than Oakland.

California state taxes are 12.3% for athletes. Along with that, Oakland has an income tax rate of 9.3%. With 81 home games, each player is taxed at that rate. By just moving to Las Vegas, each player is giving himself a 21.6% pay raise! #FreeTheAs.

Have you seen Oakland besides the "coast?" It reminds us of Kale and Sadness. Not necessarily in that order.

Since the Raiders left Oakland (twice we might add), and the Golden State Warriors also deserted Oak Town; we’re sure that the A’s feel like leftover outcasts of a sporting community gone wrong. 

According to Roadsnacks.net, Oakland is the fifth most dangerous city in the U.S., and the most dangerous city in California based on F.B.I. Statistics on Violent Crimes Per Capita. 

Someone from our station, who's from Toledo, Ohio, said he's been to Oakland once. However, he couldn't tell much of a difference between Toledo and Oakland other than the people in Oakland were much angrier. 

Oakland is in the Bay Area. Let’s face facts…the best part of Oakland is underwater. And this could be a legitimate future for the city. According to the New York Times, the Bay Area is sinking and meeting the rising sea level! Researchers suggest that by 2100, a great portion of the region will be submerged, flooded or damaged due to rising sea levels. 

Our mayor kicks your mayor’s butt! With that being said, as Las Vegans, we are not going to take Schaaf's comments lying down, and neither is Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Put politics aside for a minute because Mayor Goodman for sure protected our own here and even threw a whole lot of shade while doing it too!

Yes, the cost of living in Las Vegas has increased. But according to www.bestplaces.net, if you made $134,000 in Oakland, you will only need to make $80,000 in Las Vegas to live comparably. No wonder everyone is deserting Oakland. Why pay $64,000 more a year to live in the 5th most dangerous city in the U.S.?

Let’s face it. With all the tourists that come to Vegas from Oakland each year…this is where Oakland comes to be cool. As we all know, no one ever brags about being from Oakland…at least not in this millennium!

According to an article by KQED, a public radio station in the Bay Area, people are fleeing that dilapidated place.

Look at comment #2.. “I’m looking very hard at moving to Nevada!”

Most people recognize that Nevada and Las Vegas are superior in every way!

https://www.kqed.org/news/11672549/leaving-the-bay-area-where-people-are-going-and-why