The coronavirus no longer exists!!! Party like it's 2019!!!!!

Originally posted by: O2bnVegas

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JMHO: I believe Covid-19 was floating around as early as the fall of 2019.  I have no evidence, just my belief.  We did trips to Vegas, Laughlin, Biloxi at least 6-8 times from October 2019 (flights x 2 for each trip) to March 10, 2020 when the virus was announced and Vegas shut down a day or two later.  In fact, we flew home from a six night Vegas trip on March 10, 2020.   No masks, no distancing, no over and above sanitization measures in place prior to that date, planes always full.  Why we didn't 'catch' the virus from somebody on a plane or in a casino is a mystery.  Thank God.  I took three tests, all negative.  I wasn't symptomatic, but testing was free and easy to get, so why not?  Husband tested once, negative.

 

Of course we immediately began masking and following all the recommendations once it was announced and continued until this day.  Will keep wearing the mask in public for a bit more.

 

My point:  I really have none, except the belief that Covid was circulating in the US much earlier than anybody knows.   I think a lot of us were very fortunate; we came close to someone who was asymptomatically shedding the virus yet we didn't acquire it.

 

Candy

 

 

 

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Originally posted by: Kevin Lewis

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Interesting how the Vegas/Nevada authorities, no doubt under extreme pressure from the casinos, have caved and decided to act as if the pandemic is completely over. Gather in large crowds! Cough on one another! Bring lotsa money!

 

IMHO only completely vaccinated people should be allowed to visit Vegas casinos. Now, wouldn't that be an incentive to sway the no-vaxxers?

 

This summer will see the infection of tens of thousands of people, and the deaths of thousands, as a direct result of congregating in Vegas. The awful part is that contact tracing will be impossible, and generally, people will sicken and die only after they've returned home. So, given that half of the hordes will be unvaccinated, which is well short of what's needed for herd immunity, Vegas will be killing people this summer.

 

But hey, the casinos will be making beaucoup bucks, and that's the only thing that matters, right?

 

(And before anyone flings chimp feces at me because I'm going there this week, I hasten to add that I'm fully vaccinated and will continue to observe social distancing and wear a mask at all times. Not that anyone else will, but...)

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Originally posted by: ksouth165

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 Kevin I'm curious as to why you say you will wear a mask at all times. Are unsure whether you are protected fully after being fully vaccinated? Or will you wear it as a courtesy to others to put them at ease?

 Obviously it's none of my business so I understand if you didn't want to answer, but I'm curious as to why  you go to Vegas? You seem to be anti- strip, anti-casino, or at least anti- casino operator. You call gamblers suckers, so I assume you don't gamble. Do you have to go to Vegas as part of your employment, or to entertain clients for your own business? Or do you enjoy the outdoor activities that Vegas offers ie. hiking, sunbathing, the day clubs. 

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Originally posted by: Kevin Lewis

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To answer your questions in order:

 

1. There are good reasons to wear a mask in addition to protecting yourself. You could still easily carry the virus even when fully vaccinated. It probably won't make you sick, but you could still transmit it to others. As far as putting others at ease, yes, but I also wish to follow the rules and recommendations of the CDC. Wearing masks indoors will continue to be the responsible thing to do for some time, regardless of what the Vegas casino establishment says.

 

2. Why do I still go to Vegas? Well, one, I go a LOT less than I used to, and two, there are still pockets of value to be found and places to stay, eat, and gamble that don't gouge the everlovin' shit out of you--though their number is small and continues to diminish. See my latest trip report for examples of what I usually do. Plus, the LVA coupon book is a big help, as is ACG.

 

3. You mischaracterize what I've been saying. The vast majority of gamblers are suckers; if not, every 6:5 blackjack table would be empty and every slot machine seat would be vacant. Plus, people don't bother to learn the best ways to play games where there are decisions to be made, or which bets are better than others.

 

4. Vegas is a physically ugly place and the weather is wretched half the year. So no, I don't go there for that.

 

FYI, I used to live in Vegas, for eight years spanning 1997-2005, and it was a fantastic place to live and have fun. IMHO, everything's gone to hell. I made a decent living from gambling and had a great time. That's not possible any longer, and the place is getting ridiculously crowded. Plus, it's noticeably hotter, and for longer.

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Originally posted by: ksouth165

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I'm curious, in your opinion was Vegas physically ugly when you were living there and enjoying it?

Or has it become that way over the subsequent years?

 

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Originally posted by: Kevin Lewis

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I refer more to the physical landscape than the urban areas. It's a parched, brown, mostly treeless wasteland. And it's always been that way. I think that if it had been a beautiful place, like where I am now--Portland--, I might still be there now. But I found the lack of greenery kind of depressing after a while.

 

I think the big garish casinos, the endless cookie-cutter housing developments, and the suburban snarl don't do anything to enhance Vegas's appearance, but neither do they degrade it very much. Cities are inherently unattractive. Those cities that are pleasing in appearance have nice architecture and/or a lot of greenery (parks, trees, etc.). Vegas has neither. In fact, for a city its size, it has the least green space I've ever seen. And lest you think that's because it's in a desert, Tucson has LOTS of green space.

 

I did enjoy my time there, but I did find it necessary to flee to the mountains--Tahoe, Utah, etc.--every so often. The artificiality of Vegas can get to you.

 

There are other things that Vegas lacks that are directly related to the presence of the casinos, such as entertainment venues and performances outside the casinos, culture, museums (what exists is stuff about atomic bombs and the Mafia), music and the arts, etc. The one university is a sick joke. It's a company town through and through. That doesn't mean you can't have fun there, but basically, if you don't marry yourself to the casinos in some way, there's really not much point in being there at all.

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