Access Vegas Insider Vibe October 20, 2020

Hello From Las Vegas! – Wow, so much is changing (in the right direction)! Shows are returning, we have directives on crowd allowances at sporting and other events, $1 has returned (hint: in a visitor-friendly area, not at some casino that is on the outskirts of town), The Vegas Loop is the real deal and why you’ll be using it, and plenty more. Let’s dive in!

Why The Escalators Don’t Work – An ongoing pet peeve, both for visitors and those who spend a fair of time in the resort corridor, is the “constantly not working” escalators. Which has never been discussed nor addressed. Not by the county, not by the media.

I’m pleased to report that I lobbied Las Vegas Review-Journal tourism writer Bailey Schulz into looking into this. And, indeed she did! (Yours Truly was quoted in the article): Strip escalators and elevators never seem to work. Here’s why.

This isn’t going to help ease that hike up the stairs when one is out of service, but at least you know why.

This is one of the many reasons we’re asking our Free Subscribers (that would be you), for your support (via becoming a Paid Member to the simple tune of about the price of a cup of coffee each month, for a full year of access).

If myself and our team — which gets absolutely NO funding from the casinos, the convention authority, or anything similar — can “move and shake” on issues like this, imagine the depth of “must know” visitor information which our Supporting (Paid) Members are privy to. Twice per month, every single month.

Not to mention our Your Guy In Vegas feature which insures that any Las Vegas related questions are answered personally and directly. We’ve helped people pick wedding spots, dining spots, other special occasion or trip questions, and much more. With SPECIFIC help tailored to them. As opposed to general internet information which may not remotely be specific to exactly what you desire.

Don’t wait until two weeks before your trip. Every issue you miss is an issue LOADED with vital information you need to know NOW. The real scoop you need so that you can plan your next trip with confidence, KNOWING what is actually happening, what to see, what to miss, and (especially right now), how to navigate during these COVID-19 times. Click on over and SEE what you are MISSING:

Members.AccessVegas.com

Big Events: Don’t Get Too Excited Yet – Current rules allow events and larger gatherings, but the restrictions are still fierce. Our Supporting (Paid) Members get the scoop on how this affects you, and how you can be one of the first to attend an event at Allegiant Stadium even though the Raiders (at this time) have no plans to allow attendance at their game. (And, we tell you why).

More Shows And Restaurants Opening! – MGM Resorts brings back shows Nov. 9. A handful of shows are already open. Next issue, we’ll get you up-to-speed as things won’t quite be normal yet. We continue to strongly urge you to make reservations at any restaurant you really wish to enjoy.

Last minute? You might not be totally out-of-luck. Check out our exclusive report

(Can’t access it? Become a member today for instant access to ALL BENEFITS listed at Members.AccessVegas.com)

$1 Blackjack Is Back – And, our Supporting (Paid) Members know where. You don’t want to walk right by this hotel and not even know!

The Vegas Loop – With the purchase of the monorail by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, there is no more “non-compete” clause with the monorail. Which had exclusive rights to transport visitors in anything that was of a similar fashion.

Thus, Elon Musk’s people mover, which is finishing up tunnels in the area of the Convention Center, is slated to be expanded all the way from Allegiant Stadium to Downtown Las Vegas. This project consists of a “tube” which Telsa electric cars, seating multiple riders, can transverse to get people from one destination to another one. Unlike most crazy ideas and rumors, this has a high probability of completion based on what they have done so far.

However… the elusive airport connection is not part of these plans at this time. Keep that Uber app handy.

Yes, The Governor Is Either Truly Evil, Or Incredibly Incompetent – So… just when I thought we were able to move on from this issue, the following bombshell gets dropped:

The health districts overseeing the state’s two largest counties complained in a letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak that they’ve been shut out of his decision-making process about coronavirus restrictions.

In a scathing joint letter from the Southern Nevada Health District and Washoe County Health District sent to Sisolak’s office Friday, health officials said that not including them in the state’s policy discussions or development of COVID-19 directives has complicated the local response to the virus by forcing them to shift their plans and resources in order to respond to the governor’s changes with little to no notice.

“Since we are not consulted and engaged, we receive little or no advance notice of what these policy changes may be, and we are forced to react after decisions have been made and announcements are occurring,” the letter said.

The letter was signed by SNHD Chief Health Officer Fermin Leguen, Washoe County Health Officer Kevin Dick, Southern Nevada District Board of Health Chairman Scott Black and Washoe County District Board of Health Chairman John Novak.

Source: Clark, Washoe health authorities complain about Sisolak’s directives

Interesting. Lack of communication from the Governor’s office, and lack of clarity on guidelines? That is exactly what those of us in the hotel, gaming, bars, and tourism industry have been complaining about from day one!

For those who have been paying attention the last few month, the Southern Nevada Health District has been my go-to for the stats regarding COVID-19 deaths, cases, and hospitalizations. This long-standing agency wasn’t set up for COVID-19. It has been monitoring all health-related issues for Southern Nevada (the Las Vegas area of Nevada) for longer than I can remember. Handling or tracking everything from Food Safety to Birth/Death Certificates, Restaurant Inspections, illness tracking (whether it be cancer or whatever the current flu is), and more.

We’re not 9 days into this plague. We’re 9 months into it! I have been able to go online and feed you concise, accurate data from the SNHD so that you can make a better-informed decision on whether to visit now, visit soon, or simply hold off. I guess our Governor, who can raise these experts with a single phone call, didn’t even bother?

A couple of days later, Governor Sisolak’s office issued a “mea culpa” press release. Are you kidding me? In the words of Pat Benatar, “It’s a little too little a little too late“.

Icing on the cake? His minion Caleb Cage, the COVID-19 task force leader who kept your casino bars unnecessarily shut down for an extended time based on the complete lie that our hospitals were about to be over-run (which we detailed last issue)? He caught COVID-19. Because, of course he was following all of his own guidelines, right?

We have been seeing a minor COVID-19 surge the past couple of weeks. Minor is the operative word here. Hospitalizations and deaths are NOT spiking. Hence, the Governor came out and said that if we were all good little boys and girls, he would not start shutting things down again. Which has been his tone since day one.

And, I truly hope this is the last we have to talk about this. But, it is affecting your pending visits, so we can’t just let it go. Plus, this is why previous visits have had restrictions which probably were not necessary. (Closing the bars which serve booze and gambling, but not closing breakfast bars at restaurants, for example).

Hope You Are Enjoying This Issue!

Ted Newkirk
Founder/Managing Editor
AccessVegas.com

I was wondering… do you post these Foodies – “Got to try it” posts because YOU have been there and think its good/great place to eat or are they just randomized info links you think would be of interest to Access Vegas members?

From our Membership Facebook Page

Ted Responds:

We once did the math, and if we dined at every restaurant just on the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street Experience/East Fremont, we’d be eating out every day for a little over one year straight!

On top of that, everyone has their faves, and my faves might not be your faves. Food is specific to the individual.

Fortunately:

– Between myself, team members, colleagues and similar, plenty of places DO get checked out.

– We get significant feedback from members about how their trips went, what they did, what they enjoyed, and similar.

– We spend countless hours a week bathed in various internet groups, boards, and similar (so you don’t have to). Getting mounds of further opinions and thoughts from real visitors.

– Fortunately, very little in Las Vegas is truly lousy. Honestly, even the local restaurants — and I mean the mom-and-pop strip mall and corner block and along those lines — are well above the quality you’ll find in most cities. 

Why? When your clients are from the hospitality industry, or locals who know the standards of the casino restaurants, you must step it up to survive.

So, to even be thought of for a spot in a hotel casino, chefs and restaurateurs are bringing their A-game. In fact, much fanfare went into how the new Circa decided on their dining choices. There is a history and loads of experience and a unique angle to pretty much every choice they made. Hence, very little is lousy.

When someone uses our Your Guy In Vegas Membership Feature to ask us a dining question, we don’t just toss a couple of thoughts out there. We first find out exactly the occasion. What they are looking for. Price range. For example: Big difference in the price of Wolfgang Puck’s CUT at The Palazzo, and the Redwood Steakhouse at The Cal, no question. However, both are highly unlikely to disappoint.

When we see an online story or review of a restaurant that has a location accessible to visitors, and we feel it lines up with our experience or feedback, and the odds are highly likely someone will have a pleasant dining experience, we’ll go ahead and link to it. If we have any qualms about it, we won’t.

Simple as that!

I know Hoover Dam is closed to tourists. But is there a place to stop and see it from a distance on the way to West Rim Grand Canyon?

Thanks,

Vaughn Sutton

Ted Responds:

We asked our tour expert Mark Anthony on this one, who has given countless tours of everything from Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon to everything in our region ranging from San Francisco to Utah’s Zion National Park. His answer:

Sorry, Dam closed, bridge walkway closed. No plans or dates of when it will open.

Coming back to Las Vegas…. get in right lane before the bridge. Slow down along the wall on bridge and depending on height of vehicle you can see top of the dam.

No other spot on highway to see the dam.

Mark is available for personal and group tours. Whether it be you and a traveling companion, or a group of people, whether you just want to spend 1/2 day seeing certain sites (of your choice) while getting the true inside knowledge and history, or spend a week visiting every spectacular national and state park in our region, Mark is the man:

• • Mark Anthony’s The Vegas Tourist
• • The Vegas Tourist YouTube Channel

Your other option is to do a Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour which flies over the Grand Canyon as part of the flight. I realize many may think “I’ve seen it from the airplane flying in”, but you are truly talking two different things. Slowly flying in an arch around Hoover Dam at low levels, and with the helicopter tours actually flying INTO the canyon — engulfing you in its magnificence — has no comparison.

Plus, you get to see absolutely everything while only taking a very few hours of your vacation time. And, prices include hotel transfer.

We only recommend and fly Maverick Helicopter Tours. Period. I’ve been in their maintenance facility. You could literally eat off the gleaming white floor. Unlike companies who change out parts when it is mandated by regulations, Maverick mechanics are instructed “when in doubt, throw it out”. IE, replace parts if any concern whatsoever.

You can go to their Maverick Tours Comparison Page and get a quick overview of which tours cover what. Hint: Don’t overlook clicking on the tours which leave from Henderson Executive Airport. Hotel transfer is free for those as well, and the airport is only 12 freeway miles from Center Strip.

Plus, regardless of departure point, Maverick has their OWN private terminal. No lines, no TSA, no hassles!

Late Breaking: We’re pleased to report that Hoover Dam has indeed JUST reopened to the public! Kind of:

The visitors center, dam tours (insert your own joke), indoor exhibits, cafe, and gift stores are still CLOSED. This may include restrooms! You can walk/drive across the dam, park at the Memorial Bridge parking lot and walk up to (and across) the bridge, and the paid parking lots are happy to take your money.

Hint: If you are thrifty and in good shape, which means you don’t mind a fair amount of stairs and a 10+ minute walk, you can continue driving on the Arizona Side until you come to the three free parking areas. (Two more exist up by the Arizona Lookout gift shop and road turnaround, but… you are talking about one mile back to the Dam, and the return hike is ALL UPHILL).

We have answers to your Vegas questions!

But, you have to ask the questions.

Email us at AccessVegas@AccessVegas.com, and let us know, what YOU want to know!