Anybody been to Vegas recently

No. We were supposed to go last week for the Saints game (even with no fans in the stands) but ended up not going. Probably a good thing considering the outcome of the game. I have several friends who have gone in recent weeks and their reports indicate that it is a mixed bag. No shows. The bars just opened the day of the Saints game. Casinos going strong. Some restaurants closed, but plenty enough good ones open. They had a good time in spite of the restrictions. Go have a good time.

Went last week. Shocked by the shear amount of people out and about. My wife and I went downtown on a whim after our Saturday night dinner at the Cosmo... it was a shitshow - casinos were packed, street was packed - aside from the masks it didn't feel like Covid affected that at all.

Most table games were at half capacity (so typically 3 seats for card games, maybe 6 people playing craps). There were some spots where there were clear dividers up between the players so that you could sit a full table (want to say this was definitely the case at Bellagio, at least for blackjack). Some casinos allowed you to touch the cards, others the dealer was the only one handling. I think most table games are running at a minimum a solid $10 higher than normal. Hard to find any blackjack (that wasn't 6/5) under $25/hand. Same with craps. Most tables on the strip were $25 minimum (a few $15 here and there but seemed kind of random).

Bars had reopened the Sunday before we went so things were pretty lively at the places we visited. I made reservations at this speak easy called the Laundry Room because I had heard good things. It's downtown and there's a rooftop setting there that's really kind of fun. Good vibe but it's definitely a place where all the bartenders prefer to be called mixologists (and they are very proud of their drinks). Definitely had to have a reservations to go.

Other bars were pretty easy to hop into and were definitely open in the casinos themselves.

Didn't go to the pools, but they weren't really doing the club thing there. Most hotels, you had to call ahead to reserve day beds or cabanas. Had to wear masks if you weren't in the pool itself (at least at the Palazzo) so we just didn't partake. Still seemed to be a good crowd going to and from throughout the weekend. Not sure about clubs -think they're mostly shutdown but did see some restuarants/clubby bars (not the big ones) with lines outside at night so maybe some of the restaurant/bars in the casino are filling that void?

I would heavily recommend Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan. Had this one tuna/ foie gras dish that was the best bite of anything on the trip (and I'm not a foie gras fan typically).



This is a truffle ramen dish that just tasted like a punch of mushroom to the mouth. It was great too.



Rest of that meal was very enjoyable... but those two dishes stood out.

Another great meal was at Chica in the Venetian. It's a Latin restaurant where we had a really satisfying brunch on Sunday. Nothing too fancy, just flavorful and delicious. Includes probably the best guacamole I ever had (so good my wife now claims to love guacamole having never enjoyed it for the first thirty years of her life). Was served with tortilla chips, plantain chips and arepas.



Also returned to Lago in the Bellagio for a great meal to wrap up our visit. Biggest selling point is probably the seating right behind the fountains, but the food here is always really tasty as well. Highlight was probably the lobster gnocchi.



Definitely missed being able to catch a show or two, but all told it was a fun trip.

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lobster gnocchi with lobster meat in lobster bisque? omg that sounds rich!

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The gnocchi itself had no lobster in it. Surprisingly not as rich as you'd think. The bisque was a bit more subtle in flavor. In the past they've had a blue cheese gnocchi dish that is outstanding. Figure the gnocchi is a go to there regardless of what it's cooked with.

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How was the strip at night? I’ve read pretty bad things from locals and tourists about the undesirable crowd chilling on the strip at dark

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I was trying to keep an eye out, but I didn't find the evening to be that much different than normal. During the day, however, there definitely were lots of scooters out and about for people that really didn't need scooters to get around. Also noticed a few more of the crazy homeless types wandering than I was used to.

I do know there was a shooting right outside the Flamingo around 3/4 on the Saturday we were there. That was definitely unusual. Noticed heavy increase in police presence not only on the strip but in the casinos themselves. Never went further south than the Cosmo or north than the Wynn on the strip though so can't speak towards other areas. Figure having the bars open helped thin the congestion I had been reading about some.

Downtown was a bit more of a shitshow, but I had never been out downtown on a weekend night before so I'm not sure if that was really unique to my visit.

Got back today and got there Friday.
Stayed at Paris. Masks inside for the most part. The strip was busy. Never felt unsafe even walking , for exercise, at 5am, on the Strip. There were some shootings, however.
No one made us put masks back on when we were only drinking.
Strip got busy after 5pm.
Absolutely happy we decided to go and not back out.
Would love to give food recommendation but it seems alcohol came ahead of food.
Unless you only go for the shows I would recommend. Have fun.

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Many more heavier and out of shape people then ever before.

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Nothing new in my experiences. The nicer hotel, the less fat gross people

Hot and ugly, hoover dam was closed to the public. As of the end of August.

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My SIL works for the police and gets all of the reports. It is worse than usual right now

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Does she have a theory on why? That’s sad to see. It’s been several years since I was out there, but definitely noticed more of a certain element loitering around.

The "value crowd"