Devolution of Vegas- still a great destination, but with problems
 

We are in Vegas for a week, our first trip here in ~ 5 years. We have been coming to Vegas nearly annually since the 1980s and wanted to pay our respects to the Tropicana.

Here are the recent changes we have observed:

---the escalators and elevators serving the pedestrian overpasses are in even worse disrepair than ever. Last Sunday there was only one operating escalator on the walk from Paris to the Tropicana (say bye bye) and even one of the elevators was out of service. This a particular challenge to the mobility impaired and to parents pushing strollers.

--like everything post-pandemic, food restaurant prices have increased. We were sorry to see that the good baguettes at Mon Ami Gabi restaurant, which used to be complimentary and plentiful ("take one home with you") are now $5.25 each, for example.

--due to apparent lack of maintenance the white line lane markers on the streets have practically disappeared, making driving a bit of a challenge

--running red lights is prevalent and purposeful. We have witnessed 6 red light runners in 6 days and our kids have also witnessed this phenomenon. This is not the same as speeding up to clear the intersection on a yellow light. Drivers just observe that it appears safe to run the solid red light at any time, sometimes without even slowing down. The last time I can remember red light running was in a taxi in the 1970s from the zona rosa in Mexico City to the airport in the early AM. Our taxi driver failed to stop at most red lights.

Still a marvelous town, but still not the magical Mafia run city of yesteryear.

For me as a Brit, it’s the cost of everything which is now eye watering, compounded by our weak £. When other Brits visit they can’t believe how much everything costs. At least as a seasoned Vegas visitor, I know how to get cheap eats and gambling, but it’s too expensive by far.

Ahh...such memories of the Tropicana and their swim up black jack bar.
Even cheap stuff in Vegas is crazy expensive but I do get a lot of priceless entertainment out of it.

Indeed -- a friend and frequent LV companion uses a wheelchair and the nonfunctioning elevators at overpasses has become a bit of a running joke unfortunately.

The sole cause of this is our crappy, post-Brexit exchange rate - thanks Nige and Boris :rolleyes:. At an old-school $1.6/£ Vegas bar and restaurant prices would compare favourably to UK equivalents. And hotel prices can still be a massive bargain for the quality if you avoid peak weekends and play the comp game well.

Last time I was on the Strip was in 2010 and last year was there after 13 years of break. Changes were so bad and shocking that I intend not to visit Vegas on my own (means - spending my own money to get there and pay for lodging) and I will purposely try to avoid staying around strip.

Not only prices have skyrocketed o everything (day parking - $20-$25 at most hotels, buffet for dinner will cost around $75 per person with taxes/tips, Mc on strip - $18 for a burger), but we witnessed open drug use on street, people passed out lying next to Bellagio fountains, homeless people taking 'shower' at another fountain in broad daylight, trush around...Yaah, bough 4 day ride tickets for monorail that closed without announcement at 6PM forcing us to get 2 cars with Uber that charged $25 per car/ride for 2miles trip.

I could not recall any positive memory from 2 days stay. None.

The Las Vegas Monorail is slated to be decommissioned in the near future due to operating losses and the inability to obtain spare parts.

https://www.casino.org/news/end-of-t...egas-monorail/

It never seemed to meet our needs, except back in the days of the Las Vegas Hilton

I agree that Vegas is in a period of decline, which had begun before COVID but which greatly accelerated then. Once the tourists stop coming (due to all the issues invisible mentioned), the big conglomerates that own pretty much everything along with the local government will realize they need to clean things up again.

And count me as one of the only people in the universe who has always seemed to like the monorail. I found it a convenient, clean, and safe way to get from place to place. Could it have been more convenient, for example by running up and down the strip instead of on its rather odd route off to the side--sure, but it worked for my needs. I'll be sad to see it go.

I also enjoyed using the monorail during several visits between 2010 and 2015. Once I actually moved to Las Vegas for 32 months in late 2018, I used the RTC busses much, much more -- at half price because I was already 60 years old. :)

https://www.rtcsnv.com/

Maybe I am the oddball but I still find LV as fun as ever. Yes, prices have gone up but that is true for a lot of entertainment. Still fun casinos, shows, restaurants, shopping, people watching, scenery, pools etc. I am lucky to get some comps and I am as excited as ever when I go.
The problem for me with the monorail and/or the tram is that they are so far to get to. I end up thinking I may as well just walk or uber.

Perhaps the monorail is not ceasing operations but may be "repurposed" in the future.

At least that's what its owner, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, says.

I supposed it could be repurposed to ship's ballast, or?

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/...uture-3031071/

It's amazing how the marketers of Vegas have been able to turn an extremely trashy place into some sort of luxury destination in the minds of many citizens around the world. The only issue is, once these visitors actually visit Vegas they realize it's not all that it is cracked up to be. The party people and the gamblers will keep coming but the golden age of Vegas as a fun getaway for the masses is being ruined by greedy corporations, poor governance and rampant homelessness/drug use. Perhaps a microcosm of the USA as a whole.

I still enjoy going there for a night or two once every two or three years, but I enjoy gambling and some might call me trashy.

Many people enjoy downtown Las Vegas, specifically Fremont Street. It is more walkable. There are several hotels in the area, and the Mob Museum is nearby.

https://themobmuseum.org/

If you like the outdoors, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is well worth visiting, provided you have a car.

https://www.blm.gov/programs/nationa...ed-rock-canyon

Be prepared for sweltering heat in LV in the summer.

Have to agree, was there last May and it was way more expensive that last time i was there in 2019, restaurants seemed to have raised prices 30% at least and then changed the tipping percentages from 10, 15, 20% to 18, 20, 22% plus the abundance of fees from parking to ever increasing resort fees which don't offer anything of use bar free Wi-Fi. Corporations taking over all the casinos has ruined it as a fun varied destination, even gambling sucks, the table minimums have been raised and Poker rooms are disappearing too.

Doubt I'll go back for more than a couple of days and then only to break up a road trip between National parks. I'd like to go for the F1 but they cost is insane.

On the lifts/escalators for the crossings, they've always been fallible, its a common issue. Also the strip, particularly on the East side stinks of weed and there's numerous homeless there now laying about, dont recall that from previous visits.