The following comes courtesy of John Kelly, who has a monthly column in the Las Vegas Advisor called "Video Poker Lost and Found" and is, along with Max Rubin (Comp City) and Barney Vinson (The Vegas Kid and the upcoming Casino Secrets) one of gambling publishing’s top three humorists.
The Agony of the Feet It’s amazing how many first-timers take a look at the collection of megaresorts and decide to "walk the Strip." It’s about four miles from Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere and your route is cluttered with hordes of other pedestrians, traffic, and detours through the labyrinth-like casinos. And the unworldly scale of the world’s largest hotels will constantly throw off your sense of perspective. Even something "just across the casino" can be a five-minute hike. Allow extra time to get just about anywhere. This is not a good way to spend a 110-degree summer day.
Getting around the Strip on foot isn’t too hard, as long as you’re familiar with the network of monorails, moving sidewalks, buses, and trams. But as a newbie, you’ll spend much of your time and energy in futile searches for these conveniences.
In addition, if you think you’re in shape, think again. I jog 10 miles per week, and I still had to be careful about blisters and leg aches when I visited Vegas (I live here now). If you, like most of us, have a sedentary job, you’ll have to be extra careful. Even if you work out, don’t kid yourself. Jogging isn’t walking. Bicycling isn’t walking. Swimming isn’t walking. Weight-training isn’t walking. Unless you walk a lot, you’re not in shape for taking on Las Vegas on foot.
My advice: Pace yourself; bring two different pairs of comfy shoes (to spread around the blisters); and use transportation whenever possible. This is supposed to be a vacation, not a reenactment of the Bataan Death March.
"No problem," you say. "I’ll just drive!" Well, on the Strip you don’t drive. You idle. Due to the horrendous traffic and distracted drivers (most of whom are rubbernecking, just like you), the Strip is a stressful mix of inattentive, disoriented, and often inebriated visitors, mixed in with aggravated and aggressive cabbies and lumbering buses and trolleys.
The best way to "see the Strip" is to take those lumbering Strip buses and trolleys, at night, when it’s less crowded and the Strip is aglow.
