Posted on 09/17/2015 10:15:38 AM PDT by Vigilanteman
Don't get me wrong, there is STILL a lot I like about Las Vegas: cheap flights, lot of choices, inexpensive rental cars and relative proximity (six hour drive) to three of the four most important people in our lives: our grandchildren.
But this time, we agreed to a three night stay at a brand name hotel along the strip in return for listening to a time share spiel, which we politely declined.
It is a LOT different from the Las Vegas I knew as a pup when I was single and working in the LA area and my kid brother was also single and a cook at the Lady Luck Casino on Fremont Street. In those days, I could take a morning bus from a shopping center and return 24 hours later for a nominal fee. My kid brother and I would hang out, gorge ourselves on reasonably priced food, play nickle poker and admire all the nearly nekkid females in the casinos, at swimming pools and walking down the streets. It was guy heaven and it didn't cost a lot as long as you just looked.
So, while I expected change, I was shocked at the magnitude of the change. Reasonably prices food is hard to find. If you go to a brand-name commoner chain like Denny's a little off the Strip, it is there but the places are packed be people looking for the same thing. Beyond that, knowing a local namely, my elderly Uncle who no longer drives, but we took to a place called Boulder Station which is FAR off the beaten track and caters to locals and an occasional bus tour, or take out such the "world famous" Port of Subs which is in a Shell gas station not far from our brand name hotel, food is priced almost as bad as New York without their hot dog and snack carts.
In fact, the source URL shows my credit card receipt from the Port of Subs, where we paid nearly $12 for two small bags of chips, a soda and subs which would cost us about $8 at a Sheetz or WaWa here in Pennsylvania for 2-3 times the selection of ingredients and breads.
Still, it was one of the best eating bargains in the area by far. But look at the slip . . . everywhere in Vegas has a space for tips-- even if you wait in line, take it out, eat at the counter and do everything but sit and be served as is a normal prerequisite to expect food on tips everywhere else in the country.
Lordy! They want you to tip on already overpriced food? Even the buffet at Boulder Station wanted tips where you got your food cafeteria style and wait staff did nothing more than bring your drinks. Hey, but at least the food here wasn't overpriced.
And don't get me started on the hotels. They are only lightly occupied these days (the reason we were getting three nights for the city occupancy tax of $9 per day), but they still have a lot of people standing around doing little, including jealously guarding a luggage cart, which would've been handy for check-in and check-out, but I didn't want to p*$$ anyone off by offering an insufficient tip, so we ponied our own damn luggage in and out.
And where did all the foxy nearly nekkid women go? You can see them on billboard and billboard sized bused driving around, but their numbers are scarce compared to when I was a pup. The cowboys and manly dudes you used to see have all been replaced by metrosexual men in tuxes and pony tails which, I suppose, is why there isn't much market for nearly nekkid women anymore.
Yeah, Bugsy died pretty hard.
It stayed in Vegas?
When i was a pup and would go to Vegas
CircusCircus wasn’t used as a dumping ground for parents,
Freemont was still kool.
If I were starving to death, I'd walk out into the desert to let my bones bleach before paying $60 for soup and a sandwich.
It stayed in Las Vegas?
-PJ
Oh but the presentation was fabulous....
Lol! Just dawned on me: Bugsy Siegel (from my earlier post), and Bugs Bunny (from a more recent one).
You got three nights in a strip hotel for $9 a night? Which hotel and how did you do it?
Vegas is getting family friendly... We were there in March for the race...lots of families...
Corporatization happened to Las Vegas. That, and Kalifornians.
I worked there for 30 months recently.
In the early morning I would do reflection photography on the strip. A tall Pike coffee at a casino Starbucks with the captive customers: $4.00. Normal prices at a Starbucks 3 miles away.
Boulder Station is on Boulder Highway, a popular stroll for prostitutes, along with Tropicana west of I-15. However, don’t expect good looking women.
Go to Sumerlin west of downtown LA, and further to the Red Rocks park. Beautiful scenery and normal commercial institutions, people and pricing. A bit like southern California.
There’s no reason to go to the strip except photography, poker and shows. Everything else is better away from the strip.
It’s not a bad place except for three summer months, but you can adjust. Housing is dirt cheap for a newish place.
Interesting post, thanks. I used to live there and my mother lived there up until 2008 when she died.
Whenever I would visit her she wanted an occasional ride to the strip and I don’t remember it being more overpriced than restaurant food in most places (mostly overpriced everywhere in my opinion) but that was back before 2008. Maybe it’s gotten much worse.
Most of the time we stayed away from the tourist stuff and it seemed pretty normal to me. But again, that’s nearly a decade ago.
Anyway, your piece was interesting. You are a good writer.
Here I am, holding my wife's hand, and they think I'm going to grab a flier trying to get me to go to some porn/prostitution place. What was really appalling were the old, Mexican-looking women handing out those fliers.
But even with the the street hustlers, we've managed to have a good time in Vegas.
First day, they told me that was all they were designed to do, but they could have their maintenance man fix it. Up until that moment, I'd never heard of a brand name hotel that didn't have a functioning fridge.
Last spring when we stayed in Vegas just to catch the flight home, a budget Travelodge, $55 total for the night, including fridge, microwave and on-site coin laundry. The rooms were neat, clean, free so-so breakfast and airport shuttle by an older guy who was happy for a $2 tip.
And the monorail which took you around the strip (not a far walk from the Travelodge) for free is now $5. I don't know if that includes tips or not.
Don't care at all for smoking myself, but my philosophy is that smoking goes with gambling and drinking like fornicating goes with cat houses. Since I don't care for any of these activities, I avoid said places.
Still, there are some other hotels in the Downtown area, Binion's, Four Queens, to name a few. In those, you can find some older restaurants that still serve up a decent diner-style breakfast around the clock. Those hotels are a bit run down, but they're hanging on because people still go there for no-frills gambling, drinking and staying in the rooms, I suppose.
Freemont Street can be a bit of a freak show at times, but it is a draw, and can be entertaining. There are "showclubs" in the area, but I've honestly never even stopped into one...just not willing to spend that kind of money now that I'm older.
To answer your question about the expense though, it's just simple supply and demand. People are going to Vegas for all kinds of entertainment, both domestic and international travelers. Vegas has changed to accommodate them, but everyone pays more for it.
Do they still have free drinks in the casinos? The last time I went was in 2001.
One has to sit through a rather boring Time Share Spiel!!!
Cheap flights? Where? I’m not finding them. Used to go to Vegas 3 times a year, usually at cut rate prices. I can still get a good deal on a hotel, but the airfare from Pittsburgh sucks.
Unfortunately, from what I hear, Vegas is becoming crime ridden. Always was a haven for pickpockets and purse snatchers, But now there are gangs shooting at each other. At one time, the police did a good job of keeping crime low on the Strip. Now, not so much.
I love Vegas, but lately, I’d rather stay home. There is a casino not too far away and I can get entertainment right here. Much less costly and no need to fly.
Thanks Yogi.
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