Simon Lezama, 27-year-old tourist from Odessa, Texas, drinks beer as he cruises around the pool area at the Riviera hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
Posted on 05/25/2007 2:05:06 PM PDT by devane617
There's lazy, and then there's Las Vegas lazy.
In increasing numbers, Las Vegas tourists exhausted by the four miles of gluttony laid out before them are getting around on electric "mobility scooters."
Don't think trendy Vespa motorbikes. Think updated wheelchair.
Forking over about $40 a day and their pride, perfectly healthy tourists are cruising around Las Vegas casinos in transportation intended for the infirm.
You don't have to take a step. You don't even have to put your drink down.
"It was all the walking," 27-year-old Simon Lezama said on his red Merits Pioneer 3. Lezama, a trim and fit-looking restaurant manager from Odessa, Texas, rented it on day three of his five-day vacation, "and now I can drink and drive, be responsible and save my feet."
The Las Vegas Strip is long past its easily walkable days. Casinos alone are nearly the size of two football fields. That doesn't count the hotel rooms, shopping malls, spas, convention centers, bars and restaurants.
And that's just inside. For tourists who plan to stroll from one big casino to another, there are crowds, construction sites and long stretches of sun-baked sidewalks between.
A tourist could accidentally get some exercise.
"We're seeing more and more young people just for the fact that the Strip has gotten so big, the hotels are so large," said Marcel Maritz, owner of Active Mobility, a scooter rental company whose inventory also includes wheelchairs, crutches and walkers.
Most of those using the scooters are obese, elderly or disabled. But many are young and seemingly fit.
The number of able-bodied renters has grown in the past few years to represent as much as 5 percent of Maritz's business, he said. The company, which contracts with some casinos, has a fleet of about 300 scooters.
"It makes it a lot easier for people to see everything," he said.
At full throttle the scooters open up to about 5 mph, though crowded sidewalks allow little opportunity for such speeds. They can go anywhere wheelchairs can - elevators, bars, craps tables - but are banned from streets. They come with a quick operating lesson, an instruction booklet, a horn and a basket.
"At first, I figured it was for handicapped people, but then I saw everybody was getting them. I figured I might as well, too," Lezama said.
Las Vegas has other transportation options, although each has its problems. The Strip is regularly clogged with cabs and drive-in tourists. A double-decker bus system, dubbed the Deuce, often gets stuck in the mess. A $650 million monorail with stops at eight casinos has been plagued by poor ridership, perhaps because it runs behind the resorts, well off the Strip and out of sight.
Police and casino workers often use bicycles.
Some find the notion of using a device intended for disabled people unethical.
"It's the same principle as parking in a handicap spot," Mike Petillo, 64, a disabled tax accountant who recently visited from New York City.
Several hotel bell desk workers - who handle most of the rental requests from tourists - said they try to discourage people who do not appear to need the scooters from renting. But refusing the self-indulgent is not really an option.
"You can't really discriminate against anybody," said Tom Flynn, owner of Universal Mobility. "We don't require a prescription or an explanation of why they need it."
Michelle Bailey, a slender, apparently healthy 22-year-old, used a scooter to get around a recent pool tournament at the Riviera hotel-casino. "Four-inch heels," she explained with a laugh, pointing to her lipstick-red pumps.
But Troy Burgess, a 21-year-old optician visiting from Detroit, said he considers it "immoral" for an able-bodied person to rent wheels. And not only that, but "you probably wouldn't pick up too many chicks on that scooter."
I do my part to help define ‘Las Vegas Lazy’ down every chance I get!
We left early in the morning (late Nov) and the trip across the high desert was one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever taken.
I would point out a spot to my wife to look at and a half hour later we would arrive. It seemed like it was just across the road
Truly every American needs to see where you guys live for the sheer beauty and surreal landscape.
It is hard to imagine native Americans lived there for thousands of years and people in horse draw wagons crossed it.
I was just there a couple weeks ago. What struck me was the social divide.
Ghost Bar, Pure etc. = young, fit, well dressed people sucking down $300 bottle service vodka.
Downtown, Freemont Street etc. = Over-weight, slovenly folks looking for free drinks at the quarter slots.
I feel the same way.
Well, places like Ghost Bar are for younger people looking for pickups, etc. The Palms is an unusual place in that it has a young, hip image and yet attracts its share of locals of all shapes and sizes.
Downtown is more run down and frequented by locals and folks coming in for a good, cheap time. They’re not going for the quick pickup.
I actually had a good time at the Palm for the first time. MTV was filming some kind of show and we hung out with the crew for awhile.
I’ve never been to Vegas for “fun,” but it seems like the last place I’d go on a budget.
I like The Palms a lot. Solid food court, they just upgraded their buffet, and an affordable cafe & tex-mex place make it a nice place to grab a bite relatively cheap and have fun.
Somebody is always filing there, it seems. The tattoo parlor had a reality series on A&E, I have heard. Gene Simmons and crew were there a couple of months ago for his reality show, etc.
You can have a good time in LV on the relative cheap, if you try. Especially if you love to eat. But its best to have some extra cashola to gamble a bit.
Ours is too. The other day I actually saw a young couple, and BOTH of them was using them. I'd say they each weighed at least 350lb. I thought about pulling the power on one of them just to see what they would do. I wonder if they would just sit there and call for help, or walk away from it. I wonder if they would have brought a bigger cart to tow their fat ass away. lol
In my mind, it’s a “work city,” like Chicago or L.A. However, it’s the best “work city.”
Like the next casino down the road!
Mark
I am getting so many good tips here. I thank you all.
My son (21) and I are going to LV mid July.
We are staying in town at the Golden Nugget.
I will rent a scooter for 2 of the 5 days since I have bad legs.
I still need some help:
What is the best transportation from the airport to downtown?
Where do they rent scooters?
We are on the cheap. Entire 5 day trip from DC is $960.
Includes RT air and hotel.
I love the tips here on cheap meals.
Downtown, Freemont Street etc. = Over-weight, slovenly folks looking for free drinks at the quarter slots.
New Vegas vs. Old Vegas. Count me on the New side of the ledger, although keeping up with the Hiltons and Lohans can get damned expensive. ;)
To get from/to the airport to Freemont, you can get a shuttle bus (cheapest), cab (second cheapest) or limo (least cheapest) outside by the taxi pick-up. Depending on how many people are in your party, the taxi can be about the same as the shuttle.
Avoid the cheap buffets and even most of the not so cheap buffets. You will get lots of extraordinarily bad food for your money. Better to go into a mid-ranged sitdown place and eat a nice meal in a relaxed atmosphere.
LV is like any other “major city.” It’s a get what you pay for deal. The myth that the high rollers are subsidizing the cheap buffets with their enormous losses at craps and blackjack is just that, a myth.
Golden Nugget is a nice place, probably the best on Fremont Street (downtown/’old vegas’). That’s a nice place to hang out, with plenty of cheaper games ($2-5 blackjack, 1cent, 5cent, 10 cent slots/video poker). The Golden Nugget buffet is good, but the cafe is better.
Be sure and stop by down the street at the Golden Gate for their great 99 cent shrimp cocktail (though I always go for the $2.99 jumbo shrimp cocktail, both are great bargains).
Not far from Fremont Street (2 short blocks away) is the Main Street Station, which has a great buffet, too.
Check out http://www.vegasexperience.com/ for some info on Fremont Street, which is where you will be staying. Lots of live music and antics.
The best way from the airport to the Golden Nugget is a cab, or a shared shuttle. Make sure the Shuttle takes people to Fremont street hotels. Just ask.
I don’t know about the scooters, sorry. Call ahead to the Golden Nugget and ask for the concierge - they may know.
You got a great rate - enjoy your stay!
We have people drive those down main streets in town in all kinds of weather. Guess who bought them?!
Isn't that the truth. After coming from a state with drenching humidity I don't think I could drink enough water and I have never seen my skin so dry in all my life. I felt like parchment paper no matter how much lotion I slathered on.
Simon Lezama, 27-year-old tourist from Odessa, Texas, drinks beer as he cruises around the pool area at the Riviera hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
Simon Lezama , 27-year-old tourist from Odessa, Texas, drives his electric mobility scooter at the Riviera hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Friday, May 18, 2007. "It was all the walking," Lezama said on his red Merits Pioneer 3. Lezama , a trim and fit-looking restaurant manager from Odessa, Texas, rented it on day three of his five-day vacation, "and now I can drink and drive, be responsible and save my feet."
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