Dark and empty, yes. Dangerous … not so much. We walked the north Strip (because we care) and can safely say that you would find it much as you did before. Speaking of safety, we didn’t see a single cop and never felt remotely in peril. Mothers were even out, pushing their babies around in prams.
We’ve got a soft spot for the Riviera and all its neon and thought it glittered in the dark like a jewel. Well, except for the southwest corner – the one pedestrians are likeliest to pass – where the food court is dim and dingy, and much of the exterior lighting has been removed. (Why?)
Across the street, Slots-A-Fun was ablaze with light and business. It’s everything around the Riv, Slots-A-Fun and Circus Circus that is the problem. True, there’s nothing daunting about the walk up from Encore to the Riv, which passes a strip mall and one of our favorite restaurants, the legendary Peppermill. But once you head north from the Riviera you hit Fontainebleau -- and that is one long and lonely stretch of sidewalk, a trudge that allows you to view Fontainebleau’s continuing decay at leisure. Then you have to pass the old Wet n’ Wild site, where former NBA player Jackie Robinson is scheduled to break ground on his All-Net Arena this week. You don’t reach civilization again until you hit SLS Las Vegas at Sahara Avenue – a half-mile walk. We think SLS owner Sam Nazarian is being optimistic about the number of people who will hoof it to his new casino.
Heading back south on the west side of the Strip, you pass several timeshares but the feeling of solitude is only alleviated by a CVS Pharmacy about halfway back to civilization. Amazingly, we encountered just one panhandler. He had a carefully hand-lettered sign that read "Girlfriend locked herself in pay toilet. Need 50 cents." (Yeah, whatever, although we did get a distinct whiff of fecal matter.)
Passing Slots-A-Fun and heading south, we encountered something that really is new. Resorts World, which hopes to redevelop the abandoned Echelon project, has erected a colorful, multi-block mural, with tableaux depicting all of Genting’s markets (Malaysia, Singapore, London, etc.). Some of the trees that Steve Wynn bought to dress up and disguise Echelon look brown and not long for this world, but the Resorts World mural is a pleasant and imaginative distraction. It’s nice to see somebody finally taking a creative approach to the urban blight that has afflicted the north Strip for so many years now. Plus, the new 33-acre City of Rock outdoor stadium will be coming any day now to the block north of Circus Circus, ahead of May's inaugural North American Rock in Rio festival.
By the way, we can report that the Riviera, despite a change in management, has retained the Strip branch of the Pinball Hall of Fame, one of Vegas’ most evocative attractions. Bless them for that.
