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.

i started going to Vegas in the early 70s and flew there from Chicago at least once a month. Rooms and meals were cheap, the casinos were smaller and more intimate and I couldn’t get enough of Vegas.

But I finally lost all interest in the place and stopped going there for good. Unlike before, the hotels all have resort fees, you now get charged for valet and self parking, both of which used to be complimentary, room rates and food prices have soared, and the casinos continually find new ways to relieve you of your money. The payout on a blackjack went from 3/2 to 6/5 and they’ve also added a “000” to roulette wheels. I’ve absolutely had it and will never step foot in that greedy place again!

Higher rates and resort fees and expensive food are all things that I encounter everywhere and certainly not reason for me to single out Vegas and avoid it. To me, it is still like no where else on earth and is fun and exciting but I like to gamble. Maybe if someone had no interest in casinos it wouldn't be as appealing although the restaurants and shows and people watching are still amazing. I don't drive when there but agree that it was a real crappy move to eliminate free parking.

Drivers in and around LV are just wild. Never count on someone stopping at a red light. Crazy speeding and weaving on the highways. And I'm from Boston where I thought we had lousy drivers!

Personally, I've never understood the allure of Las Vegas (knowing full well it's nothing like it was depicted in the original -- real -- "Ocean's Eleven"). Among other things, it's just too darn hot 11½ months of the year! Granted, I'm also biased since I grew up in the Bay Area and our go-to place was Reno.

The market for Vegas is meant to be 20-somethings, YOLOs, who drink and gamble heavily. It hasn't been targeted to families for decades, and it's certainly not targeted towards families schlepping their 2-year-olds around at 2 in the morning with their giant strollers.

We were most recently there spring break 2023 and 2020 after an 8-10 year hiatus. We don’t gamble at all but enjoy the shows and restaurants and shopping. Usually do a few days there then head up to Zion for remainder of week.

It’s definitely more expensive now but so is everything everywhere. Before Covid I could go to my local hamburger joint for a burger, frees, beer and it was $15 all in. Now it’s $20. Feels like everything but my salary is 30-50% more.

Not everything stays as good as it was when new. Mon Ami Gabi is certainly part of that, unfortunately. I had good (and complementary) bread at Eataly, of all places. Do recommend. The condition of the streets and traffic enforcement (or lack thereof) are a mess, for sure, and the only real downside IMO.

Not at all, I went three times last year and enjoyed each trip greatly. :tu: I rented a car on two of those trips, just to have the appropriate freedom to getting around. The other was in March so not too hot to walk around.

I'm off to Vegas in around 3 weeks have been visiting on/off for around 15 years. But after having a child, i've had a 5 year break so interesting to see how it feels this time around. I've always loved the place but nothing ever compares to my 1st and 2nd trip. I'll have a Vegas virgin with me this time so at least they have nothing to compare to!

That's the spirit---go there with a good attitude! Are you dragging the child along---that might be a different experience.

Absolutely not! Although does my younger boyfriend count as a child? Who knows

Given the title of the thread, I thought LV was getting autonomy from Nevada and or the U.S.

yeah, he qualifies. Have fun. I don't think I know any Vegas virgins but that would be fun.

Agreed that LV has drastically went downhill and is not nearly the same as it used to be. Pre-Covid I would frequent at least 3 times per year - I have only been back once would never have imagined changing up my leisure time for anything else. Heading to Atlanta for the first time rather than going to LV for next USA vacation. Something different to see and do and have no regrets. Service levels and cleanliness in the hotels are sickening as they just don't care. I had comped rooms at any Caesars properties last visit and chose to stay elsewhere and pay for my room. Nickel and dimed everywhere. So many places to see and travel too with Casinos everywhere - No regrets.

Do yourself a favor and believe the 3 star reviews.Yes it’s a nice looking massive complex but it’s run by corrupt ownership & management.The 3 properies should be at least 4 stars but they rip off Hilton H members
Simply look elsewhere IMO
Despite a beautiful looking property and sometimes attractive pricing there is so much wrong with property business behavior I
could write a book the list is so long with their failures
Sad as it could be the best of Las Vegas with decent ownership and management

The addition of the Raiders and to a degree the Golden Knights haven't helped either in terms of service. The possible addition of MLB and NBA will just make it a city with lots of international flights, a convention business and multiple US sports teams, like Miami, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. Heck, Miami and Phoenix have nearby casinos.

I still love it, have been five times since August 2022, was there last week and will be there again in August.

Vegas has always been a dump. In the old days, it was louche, so it had its appeal. Now it's just crass.

The entire focus of the strip is on taking as much of your money as possible before you leave. It's considerably more tolerable if you're drunk/high the entire time you're there. Otherwise the reality is a bit overwhelming, and not in a good way.

Beyond the strip of course there's a pretty substantial city with plenty of decent people.

I'm just back and I cannot believe the prices. Absolutely insane. It was always expensive but this was just a whole new level. That was my 9th and last visit I think.

Indeed, as I mentioned up above. Yes the GBP vs USD isn’t great, food and drink is still very very high (plus tax and tip :rolleyes:) it’s far better value in other parts of the US. The fact a Starbucks is around $10 when all is said and done, yet around £3/4 here, it’s offensive

The thing that got me, was that food in a ‘cheap’ food court such as burger, pizza etc was so expensive. $11 for a slice in the flamingo and that’s without tax. $28.99 for burger fries and a drink?

We headed over to Ellis island and got 4 slices of giant pizza and 2 bottles of water for $11! The strip is just robbery

Yep, I’ll be swinging by Ellis Island on my next trip in August for sure! Got a good deal at Encore for $149 a night plus fees… but got some F&B credit. Other than that I’ll be ducking and diving to get good deals. Hate being ripped off!

I'm from San Diego and I purchased property here this year as a long time investment.Add road rage into your proper assessment
and that car insurance is 100% more than Cali and that will show just how accurate you are:tu:
I'm an ex New Yorker and I'm stunned by the lack of enforcement,wreckless driving, crashes
and deaths daily as if its business as usual.Perfectly normal here.
Yet I love the dining entertainment and sporting event options here.No other place like it IMO anywhere else in the world.
Not a gambler at all.

Thats a great price!

I was suprised at Ellis, I’ve never visited on all my previous trips and my partner was miffed at the walk in 40 degrees but it was worth it. We liked the relaxed vibe and the pizza was amazing!

Only other good cheap eat we found was ocean bar grill in miracle mile, oh and in’n’out burger!

A good steak anywhere was like $80 dollars with nothing else no sides.

While the drive up the Las Vegas strip is interesting, our tour of the entire Las Vegas Metro Area by rental car, showed it has to be the most unattractive area in the country. The area is just plain ugly!

Another thing I noticed was how many really fat, ugly and terrible looking people are in town. So many people with huge neck and facial tattoos. So many people looked like someone who is on a website of mug shots. Ugly, ugly, ugly!

Drove to southern Utah and the whole mood changed in St George Utah. People were so nice and more attractive and wholesome. And the area was beautiful!