Mark and I went to the implosion of the Sands Hotel and Casino last Thursday night. It was amazing to be there to witness it firsthand. I've seen many on television, including Veteran's Stadium, but being there was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We decided to walk down the boardwalk instead of trying to drive or take the jitney, and it was the right thing to do. The city was packed, and the closer we got to the center of town, the thicker the crowds. By the time we arrived, we couldn't get close enough on the boardwalk and decided to try the beach. The beach was wall-to- wall-people-I wish I had a picture or video of the scene. There was not one empty space and behind the crowd the water twinkled with the lights of the many boats taking in the show from the relative serenity of the ocean.
We ended up on the dune between the boardwalk and the beach, and by about half an hour before the implosion went off, the dune was packed too. The crowd was so close that I couldn't see the beach or boardwalk anymore, just the Sands tower to the right and Bally's in front of us. All the lights were out in Bally's VIP lounge and we could see the people lined up at the windows to watch the show.
At 9:30 the fireworks started-we were on the wrong side to have the best view, but saw most of them go off all around the building; lights set up inside the tower flashed at the same time. After about ten minutes of fireworks, the countdown began and ten single blasts of light and sound ticked off the seconds. The initial explosions went off, shaking the ground and taking out the support beams at the back of the building. There was a very pregnant pause, and then gravity kicked in and the tower just fell onto itself, back to front, so the last thing we saw was the Sands logo.
What a scene-everyone went crazy during the fireworks, but after the countdown there was a moment of silence that was louder than words; take a look at the video and you'll hear it. As the tower fell, the noise began again; the yells and whistles adding to the experience as the tower turned to dust.
I've been in many crowds before, but never anything like this-the entire boardwalk, beach, and dunes for blocks around was just a mass of people; I could see the ones close to me, but only feel and hear the masses.
We were both exhilarated and even though we walked the two miles home against the wind, the boardwalk flew by under our feet!
Sands implosion
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