Oh my beloved Fremont Street. What have they done to you?
I never knew the old Fremont Street. I've only been coming to Vegas since it became an Experience. But I enjoyed the carnival/bazaar atmosphere. It was like a street fair on crystal meth, with local entrepreneurs elbowing for space among the more established booths selling cheap t-shirts and baubles and an opportunity to have your picture taken with a "Chippendale's dancer."
Apparently the city has cracked down on the vendors, and now it's just like a crappy neighborhood festival. Gone are the parrots and the albino snake, only to be replaced by the same hand grenade drink glasses you see on Bourbon Street. There are 2 or 3 bandstands, so there's no escaping the oldies covers or ersatz zydeco. The light show has been improved, but it's never been anything more than cheesy to begin with. The occasional homeless person wanders into the bright lights, but I didn't see any pimple faced young teens hoping to score their first lay. Were they all driven out when "The Casino" started shooting at the Golden Nugget?
Even the cleaned up Fremont Street Experience used to be a little edgy. Now it's just boring.