radiolarian

Exactly. The Cosmo was packed and lots of people were just hanging out and passing through. We were pretty much able to play whatever slot we wanted.

I visited all three of those hotels. The Venetian/Palazzo is the only gaming area I did not see.

”Packed like it was opening day” refers to the mass of people at Cosmo.

gengar

Yeah, it was the "opening day" description that was elucidating. For those who haven't been to a Las Vegas casino on opening day, it is typically jam-packed with randoms milling around who only want to see stuff / take pictures / etc. and very few people actually gambling.

azepine00

We drove by this weekend and stopped by Chinatown to get food - it was monday evening but most places were packed. Operating at reduced capacity perhaps but still indoors with waiting lists, busy parking lots and people wondering around. Not sure if this was local or more likely LA crowd... We ended up with takeout, left LV at 8:30 pm in heavy traffic along I15 and only got home by 2:30 am.. that's the worst i've seen that late - lack of flights and through traffic returning from AZ and UT probably contributed to misery..

gengar

Definitely the typical LA crowd. Lots of people avoiding flying and driving this weekend from CA due to the hysteria.

Did you happen to see a bunch of buses parked around? I'm curious if people were avoiding those too, or if even those were business as normal.

SinglePapa2

holiday's over. I'm afraid so is Vegas. What can possibly pull it out of the rut...?

gabbygrrl

We are heading there next weekend, from the East Coast. We're fine with masks, hand sanitizer, etc. We are a group of 6-are there a lot of outdoor dining options? In our area, indoor dining is very limited. It's strange to have not been inside to eat anywhere since March.
I read that a lot of the casinos are not allowing smoking right now-is that true?
Any info on car rental struggles? We have a rental through Hertz at the airport and I've heard there have been 2-3 hour waits just to get on the shuttle to the counter.
Some in the group booked hot air ballooning, escape rooms, pool cabanas, zip lining, etc. Doing our best to keep to ourselves busy and not in large crowds. This trip has been booked and rebooked a few times, and we're finally hoping to give it a go.

azepine00

no buses anywhere recently..

DenverBrian

A vaccine, obviously.

gengar

Makes sense. Those are usually a Chinatown staple every long weekend. Of course, maybe all those people drove in cars instead, which would help explain the traffic both in-town and on the way back to CA.

SinglePapa2

But what about the next 12 months or so? What will survive that long?

Boraxo

I find this bizarre but I guess my risk tolerance is just a lot lower than the folks who are packing the casinos. While I am not cooped up at home, I try to spend as little time indoors as possible in the company of strangers - no indoor dining, no mass transit, no air travel, etc. If everyone did this I am sure we could rapidly reduce the COVID numbers and get closer to normal. But I guess gambling and partying is more important to some.

I could see visiting Vegas for outdoor activities and outdoor dining. But I don't surmise that's what's happening here.

ijgordon

I'm going to guess that there probably aren't...


Even at 9pm, it's close to 90 degrees.

lindaiah

For how long? Until what? That, to me, was the original problem -- flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals became 'stay home and don't go anywhere' for an indefinite amount of time. Until?
What is "normal?" When the numbers drop, then does everyone go back to "normal" and watch the numbers rise again because everyone's gone back to 'normal?' Then what?
It's all so frustrating, isn't it...

azepine00

Pretty sure you can find decent outoor dining - dry 90F in the evening without sun is perfect for that.
You can go to Lake lv resorts to get more space. Overall while traffic from LA is heavy overall numbers should be lower without any conventions or international travel so it should be possible to find smth suitable with flexibility. I bet midweek is very quiet.

gengar

Especially when COVID-19 hospitalizations in Nevada are less than half what they were when the lockdown here started, despite the Strip being open and full of tourists and locals alike. Our government and elected officials have completely bungled the pandemic with unclear messaging and constant changing of stated goals, all while injecting a heavy dose of cronyism and favoritism that's ravaged small businesses and disparately impacted the lower/middle class. Just look at how poorly Clark County (Las Vegas' county) School District has implemented distance learning for the beginning of the new school year, despite that they had 6 months to prepare for it. Or how the Strip casinos are effectively open with very few restrictions, but local bars are getting cited for having their bartop gaming machines turned on. It's really pathetic.