Posted on 09/17/2015 10:15:38 AM PDT by Vigilanteman
Once you get away from The Strip and Downtown, Las Vegas is almost normal except for the expectation of tipping everywhere.
Next time we go, we're going to get out of town and stay at one of those $40 per night places in either Primm (south on I-15) or Mesquite (north on I-15). The drive isn't long for some healthy $$ savings.
Proximity matter, as well. Vegas used to be the closest gambling to Dallas. Then Shreveport opened about 3 hours down the road - an easy weekend driving trip. Then a couple of casinos opened an hour up the road - now it’s a same day trip for the price of 4 or 5 gallons of gas.
Atlanta is still a multi-day driving trip to NC. But sooner or later the Creeks will probably get a casino an hour or so west of Atlanta.
I think there’s a casino between Lake Charles and Houston. So that’s 3 metro areas where the gamblers don’t have to buy plane fare to Vegas.
You’ve always been able to trade but there aren’t many good trades available. Nowadays, you mostly buy the points to trade but the costs rival renting.
First let me say I don’t gamble or womanize.
I went to Vegas 20 years ago to a trade show expenses paid.
The strip was decent, it was clean (as in no trash on the sidewalks and road) and the food was great. There was lots of fresh fruit and the prices were extremely reasonable even cheap especially for the quailty.
Two years ago we moved one of our foster sons who was is in the Army from Fort Bliss to Fort Lewis. His wife wanted to stop in Vegas because she had never been there so we did stop. It was a dump. It was filthy, trash everywhere, hookers coming right up to me while holding my wife’s hand, bums living one street off the strip, buildings half built, buildings on the strip boarded up, and very questionable looking “immigrants” everywhere. Probably what stood out to me the most was the debauchery of a sexual nature that was much much more prevalent on the strip than 18 years earlier. It was very much in your face.
I asked a guy that worked in Vegas about my observation. He said that when the economy went done all the smut that was off to he strip came to the strip.
Search youtube, sort by date to get the newest vids, skip over the real estate listings and Bellagio fountains vids, you'll eventually get to some of those 'walking the strip' vids, then you'll see what I am talking about.
I could never spend enough time at a table to get free drinks. I am good at losing fast.
IOW, more like New York sans the hot dog and snack stands, eh?
Nice to know that there is something worth looking for if we decide to walk The Strip again. The porn slappers and trash was kind of a turn off this time. Didn't see any hookers, but that was probably because we were back and in bed by 9 pm.
Me too.
Vegas adapts quickly or else it dies.
It doesn’t want to die.
So instead of catering primarily to American gamblers, who happen to have many non-vegas choices, it’s pursuing younger nightclub/dayclub goers and chinese gamblers. These two groups have large disposable incomes. It makes no sense to me that they do, but they do.
The convention business and resorts are the two other pillars keeping vegas afloat.
When the water and then, power, runs out, i suppose burning man can come and take the place over.
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