Why are there thousands of footprints all over the parking garage at the Sahara?

Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The Sahara’s garage is one extreme example of a copycat phenomenon that has left its prints in casino garages across Southern Nevada.

Some say it started at the Stratosphere. But it’s impossible to know where or when the first tourist was drunk or bored enough to pull off a shoe and slam it on the ceiling or a low-hanging beam.

“It’s usually young people — a guy picking up his girlfriend and walking her across the ceiling,” said one casino official. “I’m not sure why they do it, probably because they can.”

Why the Sahara’s collection is the most notable is likely the product of low ceilings and an old garage that hasn’t had a new coat of paint in some time, said Jenna Novotny, the property’s marketing manager.

“People have had a lot of opportunity to do it,” she said.

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