Pre F1 Vegas visit

Normally, I personally wouldn't consider a Vegas visit around / near the F1 race even with a gun to my head. For those who might be fans of it , more power to ya. We're flying to Vegas tonight with the main reason being my grandson's birthday and his first ever Vegas visit and an interest in the racing event. We'll attend a heavily discounted package offer to view practice sessions ( won't be there for the race per se for ridiculous pricing reasons). Arrive Wed. PM and back out Fri PM..hoping for survival.

We were able to secure free rooms and resort credits from past gambling exploits at CET, MGM, and Fontainebleau; thankfully, those will defray the cash outlay thing

 I'm anticipating a generalized clusterfork ( logistics of getting around, multiple restrictions, prices, etc.) but my son and grandson have planned this trip long in advance. All the women are staying at home for this so that removes some stress on some level ( they're smarter than we are?). So this is about father / son/ grandson bonding of some sort. I'll report back upon return about the "conditions"... We'll see.

Reports from last year were that it could take as much as two hours to get from one side of I-15 to the other (say, Decatur to Maryland Parkway)--for the entirety of the F-U festivities (all day, every day). So my first suggestion is: don't even try it. Don't go anywhere other than where you have to go to watch the zoom zoom. My second suggestion, I don't even know if it will work, but: the Desert Inn Road "flyover" and Russell Road are two ways to do-si-do around Strip traffic. If you need to.

My third suggestion would be to never bother to attend an auto race, and for God's sake, don't pay for it. It's the most boring spectator sport in the world, and what you'll quickly notice is, from any vantage point, you can only see about one-fiftieth of the race, and you only see the cars for a half-second each time around. But hey, I realize, this is the family equivalent of a diplomatic mission. Pick a couple of nice places to eat, far away from the "action" if you can manage it (unfortunately, Lyft and Uber will be horribly expensive), and try to arrange some way to "tour" the Strip for your grandson's benefit.

Actually, there's a cheapo option for that! Take the Deuce bus and get a very slow $5 tour of the Strip. Sit in the upper deck. It's actually a great way to see Vegas. When you get on at first, upper deck seats may not be available, but you can "migrate" upwards as the bus stops and people get off.

My fourth suggestion would be to not go. Break a leg. Contract a severe cold. Get arrested. Anything.

Good luck 😛🤮😂👍

   I have visited Vegas during the F-1 farce the past 2 years. I have no interest in seeing vehicles going in a loop and only seeing the cars whiz by briefly. The rerouting of traffic is a pain when trying to get around. To me, the whole concept is a joke. Any future trips I plan will not include the period when the F-1 is happening. 

Yes, I'm fully expecting one of those "Trail of Tears Family Sacrifice" things, but I can't find a decent building to jump off of . It'll be like going to war in some respects...like the Cherokee when they left Georgia. But, the things we do for / with family can often be painfully worth it when viewed through the right lens.  You know .."he's a good boy and I haven't had to get him out of jail yet"..and an entire plethora listing of justifications / reasons. And both son and grandson are pretty good company ( as might be expected from a biased dad/ grand dad).

I rented a car, btw..just so we can GET OFF the Strip if/when the insanity meter pegs out. Thirty bucks a day deal on that car..like one Uber / Lyft fare. In the end, it's "No balls, no babies"..we'll see.

Have a fun time,  and good luck. 

Thanks Edso..we'll need it I'm sure.

Hope you make the best of your trip and enjoy the family time. We'll expect a trip report....

black jack..Assuming survival and returning in an intact state, will do..thanks.

As you said, "The Things We Do for Love."  Y'all going stag can't hurt.

You are making a memory.  Plenty of laughs, at the least.  And good for  you, doing it for your grandson's special birthday trip.

Candy

The only trouble with doing it now is that his grandson's memories might wind up being of sitting in traffic for hours and a Coke costing $16. They'll probably have fun-ish (that is so a word), but if he wants to see/experience Vegas, this would be one of the worst times to do it.

Though come to think of it...if the result of the trip is that his grandson thinks, "Jesus, I'm never coming back here!," that might be highly beneficial to him, in financial and other ways.