Trip to NV at Trump's Time (8): Las Vegas is Safe

The United States has changed a lot in the past decade or so. Homelessness and drug addiction is a problem in everywhere and not just the major cities, although some of the main cities are considered dangerous in a way that led the President to deploy the National Guard despite the fact the city authorities didn't like it. The last city that I traveled to before this recent Nevada trip was Austin and it seemed peaceful and clean but perhaps the areas that I had been to and I didn't spend much time driving around. 
Las Vegas, like most American cities, has homeless, drug-addict and criminals but they're pushed back from the main entertainment area to the other neighbourhoods. I watched a clip a few months ago which was referring to them living in a sort of underground area of the city. I guess what the authorities wanted to do is to make the city safe so the people can come and spend their money. The presence of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police was quite obvious on the boulevard and I've already written about their reaction to what seemed to be a threat to the public safety.  

I've read, several times, the Government of Canada Travel Advisory about different cities and countries around the world but never felt they could be applicable to Las Vegas at least until now. The other thing is since there are not many restrictions in the city, the police would not intervene, until something serious happens. For example you can have alcoholic beverages in public, something which is considered unlawful in other jurisdictions. For that, a homeless man who is sitting on the side of a sidewalk and drinking beer would not be a target for the police. With that said while I'm sure I will have trips to the US in the near future, there will not be many major cities that I will visit. My goal would mostly be national parks and mountains but for that I need to use the major airports of course. 

The only time I felt a little uncomfortable was the time that I wanted to gas up the rental before returning it. I drove to a Chevron outside the boulevard area. Before going in to pay, as I was using cash, I saw a Black fella coming out of the building, talking to a couple who were sitting on the curb. When I got closer, I realized the poor homeless couple were about to leave, simply listening to the Black fella. I was confident that there would be no issue inside considering the way that the gas station attendant has dealt with those two. I handed him a $50 bill and told him I needed $30 worth of gasoline. He seemed to hesitate to give me my $20. He took two $10 bills and put them back in and then said that he had made a mistake. Did something on his machine and it got opened and he handed me the bills. That was when I realized that I had made a mistake which had not ended badly: If you use a card, there's barely anything they can do. If you use cash, they can always deny the amount you have handed them. For example he could've simply said I had given him $40 and would return me a $10. In that case there would be no easy solution to that but I narrowly skipped an issue.

In the end, Las Vegas is a safe place and the fact that less visitors have been coming to the city in the past few years, has nothing to do with public safety. It has other reasons which are not the subject of this post. I'm sure I will visit Nevada again but I'm not sure I will be in Vegas again. I have seen enough! 

(Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police had a heavy presence in the boulevard during the Labour Day long weekend)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (7): I Love Nevada Desert!

 A vast majority of the State of Nevada is desert but this area is not a barren land. There is so much into it. First of all the state has used portions of the land to generate electricity using solar panels. The new area that I saw on a recent trip was the road to Valley of Fire State Park. A good portion of the land is covered with panels and the area is fenced. Why miles and miles of the area is not used for the same reason, I can't answer. Secondly there are lots of mines across the state. In fact the company I work for just received an order of a sort of piece of machinery, that we are expert on, for a mining project in that state. Driving across the desert is such a relaxing experience! I didn't have a very good vehicle and it was quite hot at the time but still enjoyed my drive and might do that again, to reach other destinations, perhaps Reno and Carson City or any other major town. For someone who is into brothels, you can drive to one in a small town and stay there. 

The White Sand Dune or Amargosa Valley Sand Dunes is what I would like to see in my next trip to Nevada, if I'm going again. The dunes are seen almost in the middle of the picture with the mountains in the background

The desert also gives good opportunities for photography, if you know how to use a camera. There are also lots of opportunities for hiking. You just need to know where to go and when to go it. Not to mention to have proper gear, food and water. I have had other road trips across the US and I enjoyed them all. I have driven around the State of Arizona and I have crossed the State of Texas from east to west and back. I'm looking for another opportunity to do something similar in the US again and also hopefully Europe, also the latter would be a nit more difficult because many European countries do not have the great highway system the US has. Even Canada does not. There are still places in Canada which I would like to drive to but I have to be careful with the damn trucks. 

(Photo: A shot showing part of the desert close to the city of Las Vegas when flying out of Harry Reid. This is looking west with US 95 visibly seen)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (6): Caesars Palace Hotel

I would like to clarify here that I'm neither a gambler nor a drinker or smoker and the only reason I selected Las Vegas for my recent trip was that I needed to use that as a hob to do my hike. The plan was a total failure with lost of waste which was due to lack of confidence and poor planning but still have to tell the story of staying at Caesars Palace hotel where people think is the ultimate hotel experience. It is not! 
After my miserable attempt to hike Boundary Peak, I drove nearly 5 hours to get to Vegas but I had to plan carefully because the hotel does not let you in before 16:00! I parked the rental in their lot which later was known to be a mistake(!) and went in to register. The process was fast as the hotel had not yet reached the crazy Labour Day peak! I was given a room on level 14 with a view of the pools which are located in the back of the property. It was a very large and nice room and clean too. However it had issues. 
I realized that when I was going to sleep. The bed was awful. The side of the bed was completely damaged. It was like that the side because of being used repeatedly has used its firmness and I felt like I was sleeping on a steep cliff! I don't know if hotels can fix mattresses or not bad that was very inconvenient. 
The other issue, which is not as important but you see in most or perhaps or perhaps I shall say I have seen in most Vegas hotels is their snack/drink trap program! They put a collection of snacks and drinks in a box and you are charged if you use them. It's fine but I've heard that the prices are extraordinarily high. I didn't even bother scanning the QR code to find out but I know how it is. You will be penalized if you replace the items, as well, meaning if you, for instance, use a chocolate bar and then purchase one and put it where the original one was, you would be charged on the card you have provided at the time of registration. They claim they have a motion sensor which I believe is bologna but I didn't risk the US$ 75 penalty! 

View from my room on the 14th floor shows the back of the property and one of the other towers of the hotel. 

The lighting in the room was not sufficient either. I don't think anyone goes to Vegas to stay in a hotel at night but still you need proper lighting when you get in. The bathroom is awesome with shower, hot tub and double faucets but I didn't use the tub, of course. Elevators are old and one was out-of-service at the time without any sign. The door had just been left open! I don't think any of these hotels would want to replace their elevators. I didn't eat at the hotel but there were lines at some restaurants and some others You could be seated shortly after arrival. It is not a 5-star or even a 4-star hotel and it gets very crowded, unless you go during the week. The pools are nice. I think there are as many as three but they're, of course, not for swimming. They're for wading and sun bathing. Overall Caesars Palace is not my kind of hotel but it doesn't mean that I hate it. It's located at a very busy spot and there're lots of lowlife miserable people who try to show off(!) but that's me. You could stay there as long as you want and you might even enjoy it. For me the bed issue was the biggest one. 

(Photo, top: The main entrance to the hotel where you have one of the main restaurants/bars on your left and the registration desk in front of you. This is a very rare glimpse! I think I took it around 07:30 or something otherwise you'd see all sorts of losers with their phones taking pictures for their social media profiles!)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (5): What happened in Vegas on Sun. Night?

Labour Day long weekend is a crazy time in Las Vegas. There are so many people that some services would not be available unless you have booked them much earlier. However most of the action is in the boulevard. You go two blocks away, everything is normal. I was not aware of this much crowd. However, I had booked everything in advance. The crowd was overwhelming at points but again, it was only on the boulevard, I would imagine. People were out in heat and talking pictures or going to business such as bars and restaurants. I was not much far away from my hotel. I had done a small purchase from a CSV and I was at the corner of the boulevard and Flamingo Road, on the overpass pedestrian going back to the hotel when I heard sirens blaring and all of a sudden saw people are running toward me! I stopped and saw that security forces has somebody on the ground and are pointing their service guns at him! I stopped. More police vehicles were coming to the scene and access to the hotel was blocked. 

I had to go north and turn to Caesars Palace Dr. to get to the hotel but everything was normal later. I read on the news that there were acts of violence and brawls but I personally didn't see anything. The only thing I saw was the guy on the ground, surrounded by the cops. After all I'm not surprised if there were assholes beating on each other because who else goes to Las Vegas anyways?! Rather than a bunch of families who want to take pictures with water fountains and statues(!), cheapskates, drunkards, gambling addicts, the other people who go there are young couples who tend to enjoy their youth and of course there always be fights between this group! For me, I'm sure I will go to Nevada again but I won't go to Las Vegas unless my brother wants to and I will take him. He told me he wanted to see Madame Tussaud's, the main one in London, a few years ago and I haven't had time to take him. Besides no one is comfortable sitting on a plane for 10 hours. So I thought I might take him to this one nearby in Las Vegas and then take him to other places and perhaps have a nice meal in Hell's Kitchen as well but I will have to talk to him about it, first to see if he likes that. I personally have no issue going to London. Nevertheless that would be the only reason for me for going back to Las Vegas and that would definitely not be during a major holiday!

(Photo: Multiple police vehicles are seen on Flamingo Road. It seems they have responded to something. I took this from the pedestrian overpass on the northeastern corner of the intersection. A suspect was on the ground just less than 50 m. from me with the officers pointing their guns at him)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (4): Drinking Water in Las Vegas

Most of the things you need during a Las Vegas Trip are expensive and people try to cut all the possible corners during such a trip. Something that I never understood, at first: If you can't afford a trip why the hell start in the first place?! The answer came to me quickly: Where do you think all these photos people take with their phones are going? Social media profiles! I saw people who were taking pictures from the hotel lobby's ceiling!
For me the only issue, at first was water. Not many people drink water when they go to Las Vegas. They go to Las Vegas because they don't drink water! There're so many different alcoholic beverages! I never bought $7 or $20 bottles of water but I paid nearly $4 for one until I checked the net and realized that the water in the city of Las Vegas is totally safe to drink. So if you're at a hotel all you need to do is turn a tap on and fill up your glass and if you need ice, every hotel provides that for free. 

A Pack six water bottle is sold for US$ 8.99 in a local store on Las Vegas Boulevard and it's not drinkable yet. You need to keep it in the fridge for quite a while and I don't know if many hotels have refrigerators or not. I don't think mine had

I'm not being a cheapskate. I'm saying the hotels hike the price of everything to compensate for the slow season and selling a bottle of water for an unjustified price pushed me and many more toward the local businesses within walking distance. I paid US $35 for parking my rental in Caesar Palace parking! Am I allowed to walk for 10 min. to a CVS Pharmacy to get a bottle of water or a chocolate bar for a reasonable price?! I will mention about the hotel in a separate post. 

(Photo: Disgusting cheapskate in Wal-Mart and Salvation Army attire carrying a case of Soda Pops in Caesar Palace Hotel. His daily lunch would not cost more than McDonald's and supermarket frozen meals. I really hope he sees this picture so later he has something to discuss with the ugly animal who is with him!)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (3): Boundary Peak Attempt

Sleeping in Mizpah Hotel was not too bad but I didn't have enough stimulation the morning I woke up! I made myself a cup of coffee in the room before checking out and headed west. I took US 95, a major highway in Nevada which although goes from south (Las Vegas and before) to north (Reno and beyond), runs from east to west when you exit Tonopah and aim for Boundary Peak. 

It was a bit scary but not a kind of fear that a coward feels. A fear that someone who is alone and suspects they will be in a hole, feels. I continued on US 95 until I reached US 6 which continues to the west and then turns south. This time the number of vehicles on the road decreased even more! 

I drove until I reached Queen Canyon Road, a gravel narrow pass which takes you to an abandoned mine. It took painfully long. Both because I was by myself and it was hot. I started going up. Nissan Kicks is a sort of small SUV which does not have much clearance and it was then where I realized that I had made a mistake! I had selected the wrong time of the year and going there alone was a very hick risk especially when you drive a tiny little car. If the vehicle breaks down or you get injured the chances you come out alive are next to zero! One might ask why there's a road there? The answer can be seen at the end of the very same road: There used to be an active mine there. We saw the mine the last time I was there with Alphonse a few years ago. This time, though, I didn't even make it to the mine entrance! I was terrified that something might happen to the damn car and that would be the start of a very miserable day!

I don't know how far I was from the sort of parking area in front of one of the entrances to the mine but I found somewhere that I could turn and headed back. 

I know this is so stupid and idiotic but there was a huge risk involved and that would not have been even because of the climb! I felt very bad but while I was going back to Las Vegas, I planned for another trip, hopefully next year, to do the hike but this time from the California side. Here's one plan:

1) Fly to Sacramento.

2) Drive to Hawthorne, NV. It's longer than driving from Las Vegas to Tonopah but the drive will be a new one for me and I won't get bored.

3) Drive to Queen Canyon Road.

4) Do the hike.

5) Buy a reliable Satellite Phone, obviously before the trip starts! In case something happens you can contact an emergency, unless the incident is so bad that you can't use the phone! 

This hike would be perfect, if combined with a trip to Japan because there're flights from San Francisco but I think my next year long trip plan is set for Europe, not Japan. So unless there's another opportunity to make the trip to northern California happen, the hike cannot be done.

(Photo: Boundary Peak, the third one from right, not seen the tallest, from the intersection of US 6 and Queen Canyon Road)

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (2): Valley of Fire State Park

I walked to an Enterprise location in Flamingo from MGM Grand and rented a small SUV, if I can call that vehicle. A Nissan Kicks. I drove it back. Went up. Got my stuff, checked out and drove north. My destination was Valley of Fire State Park.

You need to understand when the term park is used, it does not necessarily mean a place with lots of trees, shrubs and grass, especially in NV. The other thing is visiting NV in early Sep. is not such a good idea for outdoor enthusiasts! I'm sitting in a hotel room (I'll write what hotel it is later) and turned the AC off and it's not too bad while outside is 100 ℉ (38 ℃). Roaming around a park in such a temperature would not be very pleasant after a night of complete awaken! Admission to the park is $15 and surprisingly there were people there in the heat but while the park offers good hikes, not in extreme heat of course, most of people get out of their vehicle, take a few pictures, go back in and that would repeat until they cover every corner. 

What you should not do is combining it with another plan of the day. Something I did and I realized later that it was a mistake! The park is located northeast of Las Vegas and Tonopah, my next destination is located at the almost northwestern side of the city. So I had to basically drive back to the Las Vegas area and then take a highway to the north and drive 3 freaking hours in heat! That became very tiring.

A Small herd of goats got the attention of the park's visitors. Here you see two of them going on the top of this big rock. I don't know how these poor animals survive in this hot and dry condition.

The interesting thing about this state park (remember it's not a national park so the related pass would not be helpful here) is its visitor center. I got a big bottle of water for only $2, even cheaper than most stores in the city. If you're there, make sure you make a purchase. 

I have to say that for someone who has been to several parks and areas in the States with the same geology nature, I was not so impressed but still enjoyed it and would have injured, had I made it part of a one day trip and a had done a full hike. I believe the entire State of Nevada is the valley of file in late Aug./early Sep. but the park would be such a great place to visit in cooler months. I also didn't go to the end of a road which starts from the visitor center and leads to sand dunes. That shall be considered.

(Photo: The terrain and geology of the park reminds me of other places I've visited including the ones in Arizona and Utah) 

Trip to NV at Trump's Time (1): MGM Grand

I had another miserable failure! I'm sure there're people who like to laugh. Make sure you read this to the end! Here you go: I had to cancel my second consecutive year's trip to Japan and since the airlines do not refund, I got some penalty for cancellation and some refund. I used part of the refund and booked a flight to Harry Reid with the hope that I can do the Boundary Peak hike. 

Bad Idea! 
Everything went well as far as the flight and passing the US Custom and Border Protection in YYC, as I wrote, earlier. I got a cab to MGM Grand and checked in easily. The hotel's check-in was easy and the price was what I had thought and read. The room: Not too satisfactory. These hotels in Las Vegas charge excessively and have ridiculous rules. No wonder why the visits are dropping every year, in the fast few years. They have a section in the room like a snack bar where they stock some snacks and drinks. They are very overpriced and according to a sign, touching and switching would result in a fine! I heard bottles of water would go as high as $20! I had no intention to even check the prices but down in the lobby a small bottle of water goes as much as $7! The same bottle could be purchased from a local shop for as low as $3! 

This kind of service is not new to me. You'd be surprised to say that I saw this first almost 30 years ago when I and A. J. traveled to Damascus. We stayed at a 2 or maximum 3-star hotel and they had a fridge full of snacks and beverages. We were hungry or thirsty at night and instead of going out, we'd simply get everything we wanted and then the next day on our way back to the hotel we would restock! 

Then also when we were staying at Conrad with Alphonse a few years ago, we saw the same thing. I really don't know why the hotels do that. I think people are mostly able to resist them but I could be wrong.
I think these hotels try to charge as much as they can, for everything, as their season is limited. Nothing, basically, nothing, is included. You only pay for the room, which in this case was not too impressive. The hotel is old and there's noise from the gamblers and drunkard all night long! I know I was at the wrong place at the wrong time but the hotel, obviously, does as little as possible. What do they do? They offer you ear plugs! 😄😄. 

As someone who has to use ear plugs for almost half of the time at work, every day, I'm not going to wear them when I'm on vacation too! So I barely slept that night! Probably half an hour! Unless you're a night owl who goes to bed at 04:00, I wouldn't recommend MGM Grand. Someone who prepares to hit the sack at that time is either dead tired or too drunk to understand what's happening. They would be okay with the hotel and their features! That's probably the whole Las Vegas business work! 

(Photo: The view from my MGM Grand hotel window. You can see the Strat Tower)