Las Vegas Golden Gate Hotel & Casino

The first structure to house Las Vegas's most historic hotel was built in 1906. Opened as the Hotel Nevada, it was sold to a group of San Francisco investors in 1955; the famous shrimp cocktail, which started a Vegas tradition, dates from then. The Golden Gate's casino is small and crowded, but offers an authenticity that might be just the antidote to the faux-European sameness of the Strip. Ceiling fans beat back the smoke over the tables, where low rollers play $3-$5 blackjack in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. The crowning touch is the piano player who serenades the deli diners; the sound of tinkling ivories wafts into the pit, making it the only place in town where you can shoot craps to live Scott Joplin or George Gershwin.

1 Fremont St, Las Vegas