The city of Las Vegas has a unique way of celebrating romance, and Valentine’s Day is no exception.
Today is the grand opening of the city’s newest attraction, the Mob Museum. The opening falls on the anniversary of Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre -- the day when Al Capone killed seven of his enemies in Chicago some 83 years ago.
The new establishment might be a history museum, but it boasts some pretty high-tech stuff. Gone are the days of having to block other visitors’ views just to read the tiny placards on the wall about your favorite artifact. The Mob Museum has replaced them with interactive touch screens. You can also listen to FBI surveillance tapes and partake in a machine gun-shooting simulation.
The museum also features a film by the Hollywood screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi -- you might know him from works like “Casino” and “Wiseguy” (you know, the one the film “Goodfellas” was based on).
Not surprisingly, the museum cost a pretty penny to develop -- a whopping $42 million -- almost all of it footed by, you guessed it, taxpayer money, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Needless to say, not all Vegas residents are pleased with the city’s newest attraction. Some are doubtful the museum will earn all the money back: It’s located downtown, where businesses compete for customers not only with each other, but with the Strip as well.
But just like the district where the museum is housed, the building itself is historic. Forbes reports it’s a former Las Vegas post office and courthouse, and the courtroom was turned into an exhibit because of its history. The infamous mafia attorney (and the city’s former mayor) Oscar Goodman defended many a mobster there, including Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Anthony Spilorto.
And yes, you can get married there -- it is a courtroom, after all.
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