Let me start this off with a question, but don't expect an answer!

Unlike years ago, there are now thousands of people walking up and down the southern end of the Strip all day and all night. What percentage of a casino's annual bottom line is attributable to those walk in customers?

OK, no more test questions!

There seems to be some invisible boundary that only my feet are aware of while in Las Vegas. Maybe your feet are the same. Maybe it's some mysterious reality that should be placed under scientific scrutiny in order to get more people into those casinos where most feet refuse to go.

Make sense?! I guess not, but read along and then tell me if you have had similar experiences with your feet in Las Vegas!

Listen to your feet! They may be trying to tell you much more than you really want to know!

If I was a casino big shot, I'd surely listen. There are a lots of tired feet to listen too! All you got to do is put your ears together and listen. You know how to listen, dont you?

No matter when and where you find yourself in Las Vegas, there always seems to be an invisible wall or boundary which your feet refuse to penetrate.

Many, many years ago when the Strip Hotels were placed far apart, that invisible boundary was about 10 yards on the desert side of the casino's front door! You could see the welcome sign of the neighboring hotel down the road and you would bravely start in that direction, but your feet would turn around and you'd be back inside the host casino before the sun traveled 30 seconds worth across the desert sky.

You wern't smart enough to see it but your feet knew all about that invisible boundary and they did just the right thing on your behalf.

Invisible boundaries first became prominant when the Southern Pacific RR sold its first parcel of land on Fremont Street and although invisible boundaries are seldom thought of in this day and age, they are still there nonetheless. Your mind may not pay them too much attention, but they are right up there at the top of the list when it comes to the list that your feet feel is important to maintain.

Each of us has our own invisible boundaries, but I bet ya a dollar to a doughnut most of yours are similar to mine. Almost all feet think alike!

My boundaries have spread out to a large degree (and so have my feet). Way beyond the 10 yard limit from the casino's front door. Now I can walk down the Strip on a real solid sidewalk without getting lost in the desert sand and cross the street without sinking up to my elbows into a tarpit. And if the sun gets too hot and starts to bake my brain I can always take a 30 second detour into the closest air conditioned casino.

If I forced my feet beyond that invisible boundary in the old days, they'd send a possee after me with a pick ax and a shovel and a few words of remembrance.

Today, I find it interesting to tell you that the northern end of my invisible boundary is right about where the Pirates fight their daily battles outside of the Treasure Island and stretches almost due east across the Strip right along side of the newly minted Venetian Hotel Casino.

For some unknown reason my feet never let me cross that invisible line and I couldn't even begin to tell you what is immediately "across the border" so to speak. Someone told me there is a large shopping center on the other side and if your were to offer me a million dollars to guess what's across the Strip from that Shopping Mall, I'd have to go home empty handed.

Meanwhile, on the southern end - my feet tell me that the invisible boundary has made a recent and notable change. That southern boundary now starts at the Tropicana parking lot and shoots across the Strip in a SW direction to the southern side of the Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino.

That is the two mile space along the Strip in which my feet allow me to travel unless they are riding in a car propt up on the dashboard takeing in the sights

I have to admit that my feet have taken a major step since the early 60's!

I have to take another step and tell you where my feet refuse to go within this two mile section of the Las Vegas Strip. This might be something the casino big shots may want to know. Something that may enhance their bottom line.

My feet have never taken me into the Imperial Palace Casino. I have invited them to escort me there on a number of occasions but we never seem to get beyond the hot dog stand near the entrance. They just turn me around and we're back outside again. And they have never told me why.

I had to trick my feet one time to go into Bally's! I told them it would be easier on them for a while if we took the Bally's tram to the MGM Grand and they didn't know any better so they agreed. So we walked and walked and walked some more and eventually found the tram terminal on the Bally's end. I didn't tell my feet, but I think it would have been a shorter walk straight up the Strip to the MGM Grand. Now that I know that, I really have no reason to take a side trip off the Strip into Bally's anymore.
And I should quietly mention that once you get to the MGM teminal, you still have a heck of a long walk to get ouside.

And last but not least, my feet would never let me go into the Venetian Hotel Casino if it wasn't for the people mover that moves people and their feet up to and pass the wax museum and into the casino beyond.

That people mover was closed one day and my feet refused to budge any further. They just turned me around and off we went to the Treasure island across the street.

For some reason my feet are never reluctant to enter any of the hotels on the west side of the Strip. Even Caesars which is set way back there behind the sprouting waters.

I should not complain without offering a solution and here is what I recommend.

There are 1,000's of tired feet walking past people hungry casinos every hour of every single day. You casino owners should have more respect for tired feet and it would be very easy to offer them all the respect that they deserve.

Tired feet love brisk massages! Wouldn't it be an easy thing just to redesign those people movers to provide a simple massage during the brief ride from the Strip to the casino front door. A simple bump or two every foot or so could offer an invigerating massage and welcome relief.

My feet would love that and I guarantee they would be riding to your front door every opportunity they got.

My feet told me to tell you that.

Now, it's time to re-read the question! The one at the top of this page!

Thanks!

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will800

[This message has been edited by will800 (edited December 08, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by will800 (edited December 09, 1999).]

Good story Will800, My feet tell this story.

Long ago, I used to walk up and down the strip. No more. I'll stop short of saying never again, but they won't let me take the walk without a fight. It's a long enough walk from the self park lot in the back, to the casino. My feet have challenged my brain to use good judgement in finding that right parking spot, and weighing the consequences of a faster horizontal walk, or going up another floor or two and getting a parking spot closer to the elevator. I'm not afraid of the valets, but time plays a role in there.

My feet won't let me in Treasure Island without a fuss either. We see enough children in everyday life without having to deal with them at TI. Both my brain and my feet don't have any special love affair with Steve Wynn's brainstorms, so the Mirage is no place to stroll into without a clearly defined mission.

Street sidewalk into Caesars is a foot lovers dream. Those moving sidewalks have that special cushion effect. Talk about Happy Feet!!! They love going into Caesars.

As for your question, take a look at those people blocking the entrance to Fatburger because they want to walk across the Fatburger driveway entrance on their way from Paris to MGM or vice-vera. Take a close look. Those casinos weren't built with their money. Their money doesn't pay the maids salary. Look at what's between Flamingo Road and Trop other than the big casinos. Why are there so many souvenier shops, and why are they open today? Because the people that make that walk are buying stuff there. These folks aren't whales. They are tourist that are out sightseeing. They are NOT looking for a good Baccarrat room. They aren't stupid either. They are somewhat frugal, and if they weren't, they would take a cab or rental car, or bus, etc. I'm sure the casinos would like to empty their pockets, and while some of these folks may be packing sizeable bankrolls, I'm guessing the bulk of them do not. I'm guessing the casinos are not brainstorming on how to grab these folks and drag them in.

Consider this scenerio. Why walk south of Ballys/Bellagio anyway? MGM & NYNY are both zoo's. Excalibur and Luxor are kiddielands. Tropicana is lost in the 80's. I'm still learning about Mandalay Bay.

Cross that street past TI for a change. Check out the mall. That's the only way to see it, because their self park area(underground) was designed by someone on an acid trip. The mall has things to do, food to eat, and places to throw away money...just like the casinos. And there's fewer kids in the mall than the southern end of the strip. Pass the mall and meet the Frontier. Old, New or Plain, it's still the Frontier, and you oughta catch a new glance before it becomes a permanent part of the history books. Cross the street and catch a little class at the DI, or keep going north to the Stardust. The Stardust is like the Tropicana, in that it resembles the old Las Vegas, but it has fewer kids. There are some interesting places across the street from the Stardust, but you don't need to go north from there, 'cause Westward Ho, Slots-A-Fun, Circus, etc will ruin your walk. Now were getting to someplace that depends on foot traffic, and anyone with a pulse and a wallet is a target customer.

For a final thought, have your feet consider this. You got a Mega-resort with 4-5 thousand rooms, over 95% full. Why would you need walk-ins? Some of your customers see the big green monster with the lion out front and walk over there, but an equal number see your big fake castle and walk over to see it. Surely it balances out.

Thanks for another great subject. oops, Topic.

Cool Subject!

We used to walk the intire strip when we where a novice in LV. Heck, we even walked downtown from the Flamingo ONE TIME. Had to make a promiss to my feet that I would never ever do something that stupid again!
But things have changed, I use valet almost al the time, That is untill late in the evening when I have been drinking all those free cocktails that end up costing me $20 each! <S>
My feet draw the line at Paris and Venetian, and the only Casino's they'll venture into on the other side of the strip is Caesars, providing i promiss them a cab ride out of the place and on the last trip spent a little time in Treasure Island, for the first time in years. It may be just as long till I go back too.
I drive every where else, valet where pick-up doesn't go slower then a slug when you pick up the car. Even at my host hotel, I won't use Valet. Flamingo, MGM, NY NY, Sams Town, Gold Coast, are some of the worst. Better Valets in LV, Sahara (both front & Back valet), MSS, Riviera, Boulder Station, Palace Station (side valet only), Jerry's Nugget (only used it one time, but was excelent).
I must agree with JMT, Will, you got to try some other places past the Venetian & Treasure Island. Splurge for a cab or hop a bus. Your missing some of the things LV has to offer if you don't.



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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Even tho' I've been visiting the Strip off and on for nigh unto 44 years, I still like
to get out early in the morning and walk just to enjoy the day and to look over what's new. (and there almost always is a
new hotel or some other attraction that's gone up since my last visit.) Getting out early (by 'early', I mean about 7-8am),
the air is still reasonably unpolluted, the
crowds are minimal, and the sun is not yet beating you into the pavement.

Now that so many trams and moving sidewalks have been installed, it's possible to go from
Treasure Island to Monte Carlo, and Bally's to MGM without doing a whole lot of walking.

One big plus is the overhead bridges at two busy intersections. Using those means you don't have to stand on tired feet and wait for the signal to change.

Dick - So. Calif.

I am 72 now and I jog 2-4 miles each morning. A walk up and down the strip is just a little work out.

This is a great subject for someone who's 7 days away from Las Vegas (who's counting?) and thinking of spending a good part of one day walking from Caesars down to the Luxor ...and back, if I still have the energy<g>. I don't really go to Vegas to exercise, but there are just lots of things I've put off seeing the last few trips, and walking just seems the best way to travel this time. I have the darndest feeling that I'm going to exit Paris thinking "it's just another casino"...but I still have to experience it....and check out the construction at the Alladin, maybe the Coke thingy, definitely the casino museum at the Trop, and the IMAX ride at Luxor is calling my name<g>. My feet may hate me at the end of the day, but I'll have a satisfied mind...and I can pamper my feet in that jacuzzi at Caesars. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img]