Today is the day that the Stardust closes. I have seen numerous casinos open since I arrived in Las Vegas back in July 1999, among them the Palms, Paris, the Aladdin and Wynn Las Vegas. (I just missed the openings of the Venetian and Mandalay Bay earlier that year.)

Closings have been common too. I was here when the Desert Inn (where Wynn Las Vegas now stands) closed in 2000. On the Strip, the Boardwalk and Westward Ho both closed earlier this year. But the size of the Stardust makes this by far the most significant property to close since I arrived. Certainly, there will be many secrets that vanish with the Stardust. The movie "Casino," of course, famously fictionalized the days of mob involvement with the hotel.

In the Sun today, reporter Liz Benston, takes a tour of the Stardust, checking out Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's suite in the East Tower as well as finding at least one mystery door. The hotel's contents will be auctioned and I will have details on the Buffet when I get them. Also, in the Sun, Kirk Kerkorian sums up probably what a lot of people are thinking today: "Do I feel any kind of nostalgia about the Stardust? Absolutely. ...But as far as taking it down? Listen. What do you do? It's progress. You've got to keep going along."