Annual Fall Trip - October 5 - 10

I have been going to Vegas in the Fall for 20+ years with family and friends.  This year was certainly different in many ways but we still had a bunch of fun.   In years gone by, we had 15 people or more in our group, this year it was 3.  Here are a summary with observations / tidbits:

Stayed at Downtown Grand in the Grand Tower - Room was OK on 25th floor with a good view of Circa Construction / Pool.  The Downtown Grand Pool was great with never more than 20 people at the pool when I visited.  Room was OK with no refrigerator / coffee pot.  Casino was empty during the week but hopping on Friday / Saturday.

Golfed three times - Wolf Creek, Reflection Bay, and Coyote Springs - all in great shape.  Bring lots of golf balls!

Gambling was good for the most part.  I returned with $5 less cash in my pocket after gambling and cash expenses.  Played mostly BlackJack, with some Craps, Football bets, Pai Gow, and video poker.  The Plaza had $5 Blackjack paying 3/2.   I found $15 Face Up PaiGow at Flamingo and $10 Craps all over downtown.

Visited the Strip Thursday and it was pretty empty - able to cross Las Vegas Blvd easily without waiting for "Walk" light.  I've never seen that before.  TI was dead as were the Forum shops.  Flamingo and the Linq Promenade were a little more busy.  Ellis Island was pretty busy.

Spent most time downtown and never felt uncomfortable - much better vibe than the strip!  Moderate crowds during the week but really hopping Friday / Saturday night.  

Rules vary widely from place to place.  Masks must be worn pretty much anywhere you cannot socially distance including Freemont Street.  Some nights / entrances to FSE had ID Scans / and Temperature checks and some days not.   The D and Golden Gate ALWAYS had ID scans and Temperature Checks and some places seemingly had nothing.  

Dining experiences varied.  Went to Triple George for the 1st time and it was fantastic - I enjoyed the Chicken Parm / Ox Tail Gnochi and Black Cherry Lemondrop Martini.  Nacho Daddy downtown was disappointing, NO Mexican Beer and Filet Mignon Nachos had far fewer and far smaller pieces of meat than in prior years.  Whiskey Liquor Up had a great chicken sandwich, and the Thai Restauant across the street from El Cortez is a winner.  Front Porch at Ellis Island is good with the flatbread we ordered being very good. Donut Bar near El Cortez has the best donuts I've ever experienced.  

Midway Airport in Chicago was a ghost town with many restaurants / shops closed.   McCarren Airport was busy upon arrival Monday and Departure Saturday.  Southwest Airlines was a good experience with empty middle seats despite a mask being required at all times and minimal snack / water service.

Will I be back?  Absolutely!  I hope to return in January.  I am looking forward to the return of shows (I can't wait to see Opium) and the opening over Circa. 

IMHO, one cannot live in fear forever.  You need to live your life because tomorrow is never guaranteed.  It is no longer March / April where we knew very little about Covid-19 and the survival rate was unknown.  I understand people taking care of the elderly and people over 65 with pre-existing conditions may not want to go to Vegas at this time.  For the rest of us who enjoy Vegas, what are you waiting for?

Nice trip....I love the donut bar downtown too.    I cant imagine I'd bother with the strip as long as shows and retaurants are closed.   I'm told Cosmo is now closing its doors to everyone except hotel guests and those with restaurant reservations.   

I'm going in December when its normally dead anyway.  I might be the only one there this year. 

Wonderful TR!  I must get to that Donut Bar.  And...Black Cherry Lemon Drop Martini?  That sounds like me.   I've had blueberry lemon drops, outstanding at one place but at others they don't know how to make them.  Glad your Black Cherry one was pleaseing.

Outstanding gambling result, a loss of $5 for the trip is a winner.

I don't live in fear, though I wear a mask everywhere without minding it.  I would have been to Vegas X 2 by now if Southwest Airlines hadn't made me crazy "revising" my itineraries.  Fingers crossed for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Again, thanks for the excellent TR.

High-speed 'Vegas trip. You must have rented a car. 

 McCarren Airport was busy upon arrival Monday and Departure Saturday.

You did a lot of activities in those 6 days, or so! Golfed 3 times? Outstanding.

  Wide variety of places to eat and I loved those choices.

  You had time to do some gambling,too? Crazy-busy people.

Donut bar is a MUST-GO place,indeed.

  What a great TR. Thank you. Felt like I was there,following you around.

Dave in Seattle.2021 for me.

Glad you had a nice trip! I'll definitely try some of the food places you mentioned next time I'm in Vegas--which might be quite a while, admittedly.

One gripe I have, though--can we PLEASE stop talking about avoiding crowds, social distancing, mask wearing, and yes, maybe STAYING HOME rather than traveling to a potentially very infectious environment as "living in fear"? How many people have died because their friends and neighbors--or they themselves--decided not to "live in fear" and went out and mingled as if nothing had changed?

Is fastening your seat belt "living in fear"? Is looking both ways before you cross the street "living in fear"? Is thoroughly cleaning the kitchen counter "living in fear"? Is checking to see that your gun isn't loaded before you clean it "living in fear"? Is avoiding large gatherings "living in fear"?

Or is it common sense and common decency?

Now, yes, this is my personal POV--but I, like everyone else here, really want to return to Vegas (though that desire is somewhat diminished by how diminished the experience is now). I, like you, have rationalized that the risk to me isn't all that great and I "deserve" to have some fun. But you know what stops me? All the other people I might endanger.

I succumbed to the urge last month. I visited South Point for four days. I had fun. I had wonderful meals. I won $1100. And my stay was comped.

I consider it one of the most stupid and thoughtless things I've ever done.

Kevin - I appreciate your viewpoint and I love a country where we can pursue our passions.

Is fastening your seatbelt living in fear?  No.  But staying home because you "might" get into a car accident IS living in fear.

My brother died of a heart attack at age 42 without any warning.  If nothing else, this taught me that tomorrow is not guaranteed.  I also have a friend who passed away this year and he was ~70 years old.  His death was not Covid related, but his last days were Covid constrained and I'm sure there are things he would have done before his death, if he could have.

As for "common decency", isn't that why masks are required, so we DON'T infect others?  If masks don't protect others we pass in the street, why the heck are we wearing them? 

IMHO, most folks want to live with no regrets.  You seem to be more concerned about the regrets you would have from contracting Covid which has a survival rate of 99.5% for people 50 - 69 years old.  Or infecting others - somehow magically while wearing a mask.  I am in that age group and concerned with living my life and making my choices in as safe a manner as possible while enjoying my life as much as possible.  Any of us could have a heart attack tomorrow, but at least I can say I had a great time in Vegas in October 2020.

And as for thinking of others, this pandemic has hit Vegas especially hard and many people are out of work and struggling.  I take pride in taking a calculated risk in going to Vegas, Tipping well and helping people to make a living.  In some ways, the people staying home unnecessarily are the selfish ones.  

To each his/her own....and that's one of the things that makes America great.

Forgive this sad personal story about taking risks, though not related to Covid. 

My mom's parents came over from Wales, through Ellis Island (not the one in Vegas..LOL).  Hard working people from whom Mom probably got her aversion to spending money, especially on herself, if not an absolute necessity.

Mom had just one personal desire, to one day visit Wales, see where her parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents had lived and worked and died.  She talked of it often, but it would "cost too much" to travel there, in her mind.  

Finally us kids were up and gone and making our own ways just fine.   And Mom and Dad were doing fine.

Mom's brother called one day, he and the other sibs were pulling a trip to Wales together.  Please come with us, got some good rates, etc.  Dad said yes, of course.  Perfect opportunity, others doing the itinerary, no worries when and where, etc. 

Well, guess what, Mom decided  "we shouldn't spend the money right now", maybe later.  That was her mantra always, but also was crap.  They had enough by then. 

Of course later never came.  The rest went, had a great time.  Mom never saw Wales.

I'll share another story.

A college acquaintance--friend of a friend--loved to go hiking. She was pursuing a medical degree, so even her summers were busy. She had always wanted to climb Half Dome in Yosemite. She had a week available in August and decided to go camping there and summit Half Dome. I had made the climb the previous year and had told her what a fantastic experience it was.

It's not a technical rock climb. The route is 4x4s bolted into the rock and cables for handholds. Any person in good shape can make it. It's pretty goddamn scary, though.

The trouble with making the ascent in August is thunderstorms. You MUST be completely back down off the Dome by 2 pm. There's no place to hide from lightning strikes. And the climb is preceded by a 5-mile hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain from Little Yosemite Valley, the closest place to camp.

She arrived at the base of the cables with her three friends at about 1 o'clock. The sky was clear, but there was a warning sign about the likelihood of thunderstorms. She said, "It was a lot of trouble to get here, I may never have another chance." So, with misgivings, they went upward.

The view from the top was spectacular. However, there were now indeed thunderclouds gathering. They decided to start back down immediately. Unfortunately, that idea occured to everyone else who was up there. A long line soon formed at the top of the cables. As descents are, and have to be, very slow and careful, an hour later, she and her friends were still waiting. It began to rain. Then it began to pour.

They debated waiting at the top until the storm passed. But lightning strikes could be seen hitting adjacent peaks. If one hit the Dome, the charge could be carried through the cables--or through the water now sheeting down the Dome. They started a quick descent when it was their turn.

She apparently slipped on a patch of slick, wet rock between the 4x4s. She briefly caught the cable but couldn't hold on. She fell 3,000 feet to her death. She was one of two people killed on Half Dome that day; several others were seriously injured, including one woman who fell from the cables but was lucky enough to have the zipper of her parka catch in a crack in the rock.

Arriving that late in the day, she--and everyone else--should NEVER have made the climb. But she told herself that it was worth the risk.

It wasn't.

Sorry to hear about her friend........It is sure better to "go" doing something you love rather than going with something like dimentia where your mind is gone, or ALS where your mind is fine but your body shuts down more and more each day, or many others circumstances.

My point is we live in a country with freedom, make your choices wisely and don't let fear or politics get in the way of enjoying something you love.

Enjoyed your report jphelan.

I have had cocktails at Triple George but not tried the food yet.

I also want to try their chicken parm and the Black Cherry Lemondrop Martini because Scott Roeben is always raving about them.