My favorite Vegas sign

This sign directing motorists to the Asian-American Cultural Center stands directly in front of the Gold Coast  casino (above right) on the north side of Flamingo Road a little west of Interstate 15. The arrow can be seen as pointing into the Gold Coast, though it actually directs drivers to turn onto Wynn Drive, which forms the western border of the Gold Coast property.

What’s great about this sign is that the Gold Coast, the favorite casino of local Asian players, does function as sort of a cultural center, in that gambling is very important in East Asian societies. The Gold Coast has two excellent Chinese restaurants, Ping Pang Pong and the Noodle Exchange, and is always full of Asian  players. It has a massive table games area for a casino its size to accommodate the Asian players’ interest in baccarat as well as other table games.

Below is another sign, this one behind the Gold Coast off Valley View. It’s all in Chinese except for one word -- comps. It’s hard to believe there’s no Chinese equivalent, but there you have it. If anyone can translate the rest of the sign, I’d love to know what it says.

The Gold Coast is the nearest casino to Las Vegas’ linear, strip-mall Chinatown, which runs west from Valley View along Spring Mountain Road, a few blocks north of the Gold Coast. Two other locals’ casinos popular with Asian players are Palace Station, on Sahara Avenue just west of I-15, and the Orleans, on Tropicana a little farther west of I-15. Like the Gold Coast, the Orleans is part of the Coast chain owned by Boyd Gaming.