A long time friend and fellow gambler has given up on Vegas

I talked to a friend today who, with his wife, recently returned from LV and he was upset, vowing never to return. He was a long time Vegas person. Apparently, he doesn't like all the changes in recent years, said it was too crowded and too many unruly kids running around the casino floor.

Part of the problem is the places he liked are closed (Westward Ho, etc.). Although he never said where he stayed, he was there over a weekend and I pointed out that was part of the the crowd issue. I avoid weekends there (and at my local ones) for that reason. I don't have the patience for crowds like I did when I was younger.

Although I have never experienced unruly kids on my visits, I can see it being annoying if I ever do. His encounter really upset him.

He and his wife are getting up in years with health problems, and I wonder if that had a bearing on his outlook. He is at least 15 years older than me and I am not young anymore. He said his age many also prevent him from returning. He plans to limit his out of town trips to Tunica or the gulf coast along with using seniors bus trips. I should have told him the joke about having OCD, old, cranky and dangerous.

I just hated to hear him so upset over a place we both enjoy.

 

Yes, it has changed - especially for those that recall Westward Ho. Whole different world. By kids - I assume is talking about those in the 20's or so - not underage?

There are no deals on food or shrimp cocktail like the old days, or even $10 buffets. Just different. And those "kids" seem to be spending lots of money.

 

can't really blame him. I am not there yet, but I can surely relate.

 

Had it been awhile between visits? All these changes didn't happen overnight.

 

Shoot, I'm only 38 and don't care for how the strip has become from just 12 years ago.
I have a fascination with history and the old ways / days before my time.
If I could do it all over again, I would choose the 50's & 60's.
(Not just Vegas) Everything is now... how much $$ can they gouge you while providing as little as possible.
It get's old quick and takes a lot of the fun out of experiences.

 

This.

 

Many geezers haven't liked much since Eisenhower left office. The town has certainly changed and I think in some people's minds "the grass was always greener" or however that saying goes. I'm sorry he's no fan of the current conditions and climate, but at least he knows what doesn't float his boat anymore and now he'll have more time to sit on the front porch and yell at the neighbor kids to stay off his lawn!

I mean no disrespect by my comments, just providing another perspective, as I know from reading many, many threads, there'll be plenty of posters who'll be happy to agree, support and commiserate about the changing Las Vegas. And don't even get me started about those L.A. club kids with their trust funds and the THUMPING BASS emanating from those heathen clubs what with their $3,000 bottle of liquor bottle-service! They've REALLY ruined Vegas!

 

Our next trip is an extended weekend trip arriving on Friday around noon and leaving Monday afternoon and I'm hoping that the crowds don't bother the wife too much. We normally are Sunday through Friday people but I thought we would try a long weekend to save some vacation days to try and sneak in another trip later in the year. Sorry your friend is not feeling the Vegas love anymore.

Mark

 

I took it as underage kids. He made no mention of clubs, but mentioned some places used to have signs saying kids had to stay in the main aisles when passing through the casino.

 

I don't know when his previous visit was.

 

My brother has changed his travelling patterns. Previously he and his wife would go to vegas 2 - 3 times a year but the past few years he instead travels to Japan and elsewhere. From Honolulu the air fare is similar as going to vegas. Hotels are more expensive in Japan but at the same time he doesn't gamble so doesn't spend a lot on his Asian trips versus the vegas trips.

He is in his early 50's and while he misses the gambling he doesn't miss the expenses of going to vegas so he instead goes elsewhere. Good for him, whatever floats his boat.

My mother has also stopped going to vegas but for another reason. She is in her mid 80's and I think she is embarrassed to travel for fear of "accidents" midflight. I told her to just wear depends but guess she is too embarrassed so doesn't want to fly anymore. meh, better for me, she used to probably spend 6 to 10k on her trips but now guess she can save it for me when she passes away.
I did offer to take her to vegas a few years ago but she declined. She hasn't been to vegas in about 4 years so she was in her early 80's when she decided to give up on vegas.

 

Las Vegas has changed more in the last 15-20 years than it changed in the 50 years before that. It's not surprising that 35-50 year olds don't like the new Vegas. If the strip changes drastically the next 10-15 years, then the current Vegas crowd in their 20s will probably end up hating it, too.

 

What else can they do to make worse???

 

To see how the Vegas strip has changed read this new (2017) book entitled "The Strip-Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream". Although the book primarily addresses the building changes on the strip it also covers the thinking of Americans at the time and has much history included. The author, Stefan Al, splits the Vegas growth into 7 periods and named them as following: Wild West 41-46, Sunbelt Modern 46-58, Pop City 58-69, Corporate Modern 69-85, Disneyland 85-95, Sin City 95-01, Starchitecture 01-present.
He has include some drawings that show the differences in building size and heights over time and how the valley grew.
Many good photos included too but the theme is Vegas just reflects the changes of taste within America.

 

I am in my 50's and only go to the strip to see what's new I prefer the Orleans or Gold Coast any of the older places are more my speed

 

I'm 24, and even I've gotten bored of the strip. It's pretty similar to New York - and to an extent, even London. It's a "tourist experience" where first-timers "go through the motions" like cattle, with an onslaught of "super cool gotta try it" attractions/activities that appear as though they're engineered to be "perfect Instagram/Snapchat material", priced just high enough to be outrageously profitable, and just low enough to max out the budget of the average tourist.

I've been a downtown guy since trip #3 out of 6, and my next trip will be to Sam's Town. Between resort fees of nearly $40 per night, needing to spend ~$30 just to have a decent breakfast or lunch without drinks, 6:5 blackjack/Sands roulette/bad VP paytables, and an assault of promotions for insipid tourist traps, there's nothing that gets me excited about spending multiple days at a time on the strip anymore.

So, this isn't isolated to the 50+ crowd. Not for me, at least.

 

56. We stay off-Strip, on-Strip and very occasionally downtown.

 

i am 62 and i stay downtown, I rarely go to the strip. Nothing there for me.

 

We're going to Reno on Saturday. A little quieter, a little cheaper & better gambling.

 

And a mecca for outdoor fun, too!!