Sobering read: "Why Re-open the Las Vegas Strip?"

[Pluvious]

Interesting and in depth piece on the sobering outlook for the Vegas Strip reopening.

Given that the Strip is 100% dependent on air travel, by people with money to lose.

As is the case everywhere else, the question on everybody's mind here in Las Vegas is: When do things start returning to normal? When can we start returning to work, mingle with others at the restaurants and bars and casinos, hit the gym again, and get a proper hair cut?
...
The reality is that the Las Vegas economy is largely dependent on air travel, and almost entirely dependent on tourism. The reality is that every year, Las Vegas sees 42 million of the most geographically diverse visitors on the planet, all concentrated onto a 4-mile Strip; the Strip is a Petri dish for a virus, and little different from a cruise ship.

And the reality is that the coronavirus is not going to be a short-term problem, but one with lingering effects. Where the post-9/11 recovery was almost purely a psychological problem ( "Is it safe to travel?" ), coronavirus is not ( "No, it's not safe to travel, and it won't be for a very long time." ).

And unfortunately, the Las Vegas economy is not going to simply snap back:

People have to want to travel and have the means (income) to travel.
People have to feel safe coming to Las Vegas.
We have to feel safe having people come to Las Vegas.

https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/2020/04/09/why-re-open-the-las-vegas-strip.aspx

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Maybe a city in a desert wasn't a great idea to begin with?

[malchickiwick]

5. Las Vegas -- the meadows -- is actually on an oasis in the desert of many natural springs ...

... so it actually makes for a perfect location for human habitation. Which is why the Southern Paiute tried to keep its existence unknown to the Spanish.

[captain queeg]

10. I didn't know that. Where I went to school, WSU, is out in the middle of the prairie

I always wondered why they put it there other than cheap land at the time. One day I wandered thru the student union and there was a display of pictures from the late 1800s. The whole area had been dotted by many very active artesian wells. Thousands of gpm. Of course they aren't there any more since so many people moved in. But the area is also one of the most productive dry land farming areas in the world.

[cojoel]

13. Washington State University is a land grant institution

The founding language of these institutions were to support teaching of "practical" fields in areas like agriculture and technology (which is rather that technology today). In exchange Congressional funding was available. Because of the agricultural orientation many such institutions were created in areas dominant by agriculture. Low cost of land was surely a benefit then also.

Today most such institutions offer a broad range of programs but are still in the same locations.

Oh for a day when we invested in the future of our country and our people instead of tax cuts for those that least need them and bail-outs for large corporations who don't pay taxes and still cannot manage themselves well-enough to stay afloat for even a few weeks in crisis without one.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Every thing to do with leisure activity in this country will have difficulty, I think...

perhaps world wide. Far too many people acting like they are part of the "leisure class" and going into debt to follow frivolous jaunts where they pretend they are part of the 1% over the last few decades, and getting worse.

We, as a people, should probably re-examine that.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Very good point. And probably lots of other things that we do, as part of the leisure class will...

probably be examined in detail, over the months to come.

[rufus dog]

6. Good point

but it isn't even a matter of going in to debt!!! I don't go into debt for vacations, not a big fan of Vegas for many reasons so they really never get my $. Nor due cruise lines, could never figure out why anyone would want to be confined to a ship, confined to a predetermined schedule as part of vacation. (FFS we have a predetermined schedule at work, why the hell would I want that on vacation) Went to Cancun with the family once, never again, for basically the same reasons, lack of freedom to go when and where I wanted due to security concerns.

Here is where you are spot on, I have a ton of places I can go within one or two days drive. With the airfare savings, I can afford much better lodging. I don't want to be seen with some posers, I want so see some cool places. When people are looking at spending the vacation budget many will feel the same.

[uponit7771]

7. +1, look at where Wuhan citizens went after jail break; THE HOSPITALS !! They want to make sure they

... are not asymptomatic

[Texaswitchy]

3. The Stand had the bad guy in Las Vegas.

Trump could go there

[Baclava]

9. They could start atomic bomb testing in Yucca flats again, that was a big hit in Vegas

[Texaswitchy]

11. Las Vegas was blown up in the Stand.

They crazy guy brought in a atomic bomb.

[Baclava]

12. The Trashcan Man was one of my absolute favorites, such purity, for a pyro

[Texaswitchy]

16. That's him.

I think.he blew up some stuff before that.

Gasoline I think.

Been awhile since I read the book.

[Iggo]

19. He liked to burn things.

[Texaswitchy]

23. It was gas storage tanks I think.

He liked to burn things.

[dustyscamp]

18. We have a healthy Dem population here and most of our local government officials are Dems

If he wanted to do what the bad guy in The Stand did, he won't have an easy time.

[brooklynite]

8. Ironically, an opportunity for those who want to gamble...

[Wellstone ruled]

14. This whole reopening of the Stripe Idea

comes from our Visitor Convention Bureau. Which is funded by Taxes on local Hotel Rooms. First off,the folks,and there are a ton,who are members of this Bureau,will be loosing their mega pay checks,and I mean mega. Secondly,this is Politics of a ultra conservative nature.

Sheldon Adelson is losing booco millions daily with his Sands Corp shut down pretty much world wide. Next we have his Political affiliation with Trump which is a driving force behind the local Politics.

We live by the Tourist and Convention Trade,and we die by the same. Yes,couple months down the road,we will open maybe at 20% of usage. But,it will take years before we experience the Levels of 2019.

And now we are here about a effort by the Hospitality Industry to break the Culinary and Bartenders Unions by not taking Federal Stimulus Dollars which require you keep your labor force intact for a period of time.

Our next nightmare we are facing is,our Housing Market is on the verge of Collapse once again.

[MurrayDelph]

17. That which originally created Vegas is gone forever.

Vegas was created by a desire for entertainment fueled by gambling. Everything else was a loss-leader. The deluxe rooms were for the high-rollers. The general rooms were low-priced to bring people in. The 24-hour coffee shops had great prices during the day (steak and lobster for $10) and ridiculously low prices late at night (eggs, potatoes, and ham-steak, chicken-fried steak, or t-bone steak for under $3). The buffets were great, and only a couple of dollars.

And the shows. It was not unusual to have headliners like Jack Benny or Sammy Davis in the main room Duke Ellington in the lounge.

My parents honeymooned there in 1948. Years later, the whole family would go and we'd all enjoy the shows, food, and pools and my parents would play in the casino. From the 80's on, I would go there occasionally with girlfriend, and several times a year with a friend. The friend and I would take advantage of low-stakes games and abundance of food.

Then the MBAs took over. They started building mega-resorts: places so big that once you got to their hotel you'd stay the rest of your vacation at the one place. Suddenly, everything had to be a profit-center: super-star shows at super-prices. Star chefs with celebrity restaurants. Buffets began being priced as if they were haute cuisine. And table stakes were increased to shoo away the low-rollers.

Finally, they introduced the last two insults: Resort Fees (an extra, non-negotiable charge for things that should be included in the room rate, but this way they can advertise prices lower than they actually charge and stiff the travel agents on what their commission should actually have been), and charging for parking (so you can pay $20 for the honor of losing money inside).

All of this is why, when I lived in Los Angeles, I went from going there several times a year, to once a year, to once every few years, to not at all. Now, when I travel from Oregon to LA, I stay in Reno, which for the moment at least, still has some low-stakes games, reasonably-priced rooms and free parking. They still have the bogus resort fee scam, though.

We'll see which way they play it when the stay-at-home is over. If they try to bring back customers by returning to their roots, I think it'll work out better in the long run. If they try to resume where they left off (or worse, make up for lost revenue all at once), then Trump won't be the only one who killed a casino.

[Pluvious]

21. If you've not yet watched this season's Mrs. Maisel ...

They did a bang up job of depicting Vegas 1960.

I'm Los Angeles born too, and my parents had a history with LV as have myself.

So can relate to your shared reminiscing

Cheers friend.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

20. Why Trump wants Vegas reopened:

[Pluvious]

22. Ugh !

My last trip there, I had a prime centered view of that triggering eyesore.

[Texaswitchy]

24. Who would want to stay there.

The germs.