Wynncore is restricting valet parking, starting tomorrow. It will only be available to Tower Suites guests, Chairman’s Club guests, Private Access guests, VIP/executive guests and guests with mobility issues. Time to get that ‘wheelchair’ placard from the DMV and hang it from your rear-view mirror.
The Strip and Downtown are changing so much during the pandemic that an entire blog has been created to keep tabs on the phenomenon. For instance, Bally’s Las Vegas (now under new management) reopened July 23 but without any Jubilee Tower rooms. No poker, no keno, no BLT Burger and no Nobu. The much-mocked Grand Bazaar Shops are open, however, as are the tennis courts and gym. Ditto putt-putt golf and the creepy Real [Dead] Bodies exhibit. The big remodeling of Indigo Lounge was for naught as it remains closed. Oh, and if you bit on one of those Caesars Entertainment discounted-rooms offers at The Crowmell, Planet Hollywood or The Rio, sorry. They’re all still closed.
Non-Caesars properties still on the ropes are Park MGM (rumored to be reinvented as a smoke-free resort), The Mirage, Oyo Las Vegas (now slated for September 1), Main Street Station, redundant Eastside Cannery (who needs it when you have Sam’s Town next door?), Eldorado (a Boyd Gaming property, despite the name), Fiestas Henderson and Rancho (down for the count for at least a year), the Palms, Rainbow Club (late August), Silver Nugget, Texas Station, Terrible’s (in Jean) and Buffalo Bill’s, a case of one casino too many in Primm. Strange that such a relatively nice property would be closed but creaky Whiskey Pete’s would still be in operation. Good luck to all of them.
So Jacksonville is out as the site for the Republican National Convention, due to health concerns. Since isolated countries with limited access have done best at combating Covid-19 (see Iceland, New Zealand, Taiwan), might we nominate … Singapore? Sure, it’s a bit of a jaunt but it has massive convention space at ready-for-its-closeup Marina Bay Sands. Heck, Sheldon Adelson might comp the whole kit n’ caboodle just for the free media showcase. Think about it, GOP.
Jottings: Although the local U.S. Marshal blanched like an old biddy at the prospect, a peaceful Black Lives Matter march down the Las Vegas Strip went off without a hitch. No need to import federal goon squads to Sin City … Say, whatever happened to Tribal Winds slot parlor near Hartford? We haven’t heard about that in months. Then again, MGM Springfield is struggling so badly, is a tribal countermove really needed anymore? … The timing is odd but the Virgin-branded high-speed-rail project from Los Angeles to Las Vegas just received $750 million bond allocation from the feds. Nevada also chipped in $200 million in bonds. This bears watching … Reopening Aria came too late to save Shawn McClain‘s Sage restaurant, now defunct. Foodies will miss it … Are there any civic “mega-regions” left untapped by Big Gaming? Look at these maps and decide for yourselves … New Orleans bars are being closed, another blow to the Big Easy’s hard-hit casinos when they could afford it least … Just what Vegas needs right now: A dead body washed up in the Bellagio lagoon. Drowning is the suspected cause. Ya think?
