Las Vegas Trip Report Part 2

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I had an especially fine one, just thankful to be alive — especially since my Facebook Messenger account was hacked and contained a notice of my death. It caused a lot of consternation in the Frugal kingdom, but didn’t upset me, except for one detail: The announcement said I was 84. If you’re going to write my obituary, at least get the details right. I won’t be 84 for another month!

I’m not only not dead; I seem to be as busy in “retirement” as I ever was, which has forced to me delay writing projects. But I must get back to talking about Kaitlynn’s and my mid-October trip to Las Vegas. So many of you are requesting more details, especially about the changes I noticed from the pre-pandemic time when we were locals. Of course, the whole advantage-play situation has changed drastically and I’ve written about that here for the last few years; I’ll write more about it specific to this trip in a future post. But right now I want to concentrate on the more general changes.

First, many of the major negative changes are not unique to Vegas. COVID-mitigation measures are still sticking around, whether from continuing health concerns, an uncertain economy, or just cost-cutting measures that don’t seem to be hurting the casinos’ bottom line. Most hotels no longer offer daily housekeeping, although you might be able to request it at some. You can always ask for clean towels and needed supplies to be delivered to your room.

The nationwide employee shortage is extra frustrating for Vegas visitors who are dependent on food outlets and so many are cutting serving hours or completely closing for entire days. That means long lines and slow service at those that are open.  We were meeting a friend at 6 p.m. for a casual dinner at Bellagio where she was treating us from her large comp bank. We checked the buffet; it had closed at 3 p.m. Then to Sadella’s Café and it was the same story: closed at 3. Jasmine was closed on Tuesdays, even though the city was teeming with visitors and many casinos were heavily booked. Other restaurants either had long lines or full reservations. We finally found immediate seating at the upscale Mayfair Supper Club, which is nice, but the loud entertainment made the catch-up conversation we were looking forward to almost impossible.

I missed the personal service I appreciated in past years when there were more employees around to help or answer questions. Kiosks are taking over the hotels and casinos. Yes, a kiosk is better than a long line at a desk, but often there was a long line at the kiosk, while many were out of service. I don’t know what the concierge does, if there even is one still available at some casinos. At Paris where we were staying, someone wanted to deliver me a small package earlier than our check-in time and the concierge said they weren’t allowed to accept that. Why not? Company policy, they said. Maybe new security rules? They wouldn’t say.

However, Kaitlynn and I didn’t let such negatives ruin our visit. For one, we kept busy sightseeing. Some were “oldies” we never tire of re-visiting: The Bellagio Conservatory, always changing, and the fountains that always create a happy feeling. We’d ridden the High Roller observation wheel before in the daytime, but doing it at night was magical.

However, the number-one adventure planned was to visit Area 15. I’d watched this large multi-building place being built near Palace Station for the couple years just before we left Vegas and I’d read much about it. The descriptions were full of words like “otherworldly,” “eye-opening,” “mind-altering,” “psychedelic,” “experiential,” and always “immersive.”  But I never really understood what it was. I just called it weird and I knew that I probably wouldn’t ever visit, unless I was with a young person who could show it to me and explain everything. Now I had Kaitlynn to lead me on this adventure.

We spent four hours in just one part of Area 15, ‎Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. And I still can’t explain it. Here is how it is described on their website: Omega Mart sends participants of all ages on a journey through surreal worlds, immersive storytelling, and playful nuggets of the imagination. There is that word again, “immersive.” You’re not looking at the work of artists; you’re actually in and part of it.

Here are a few of the hundreds of photos Kaitlynn took of our adventure. (More on my Jean Scott FB page.) I’m glad I had her as my shepherd through the weird and helping me understand that weird can also be wonderful.

Grandma to Kaitlynn:  Take a picture of me like this.

K: Okay, here is how you get here.

Immersive Art

More Vegas trip details coming up in next blog.