Cabin Fever

              Like most of the country, the State of Nevada has a Stay-At-Home guideline in place.  Here in Las Vegas that advice is strikingly evident in the closure of all casinos gaming, concerts and eating establishments, the life-blood of our tourist driven economy. 

              Staying-at-home allows for focused family time, and the completion of a long list of overdue projects.  But it also leads to a certain amount of Cabin-Fever.  So, last Saturday Beth and I decided to take a little drive just to get out of the house.  We drove to the southern end of the Strip, just beyond Mandalay Bay Casino, and then headed north toward the Stratosphere and the Downtown area.

              The Strip wasn’t quite the ghost town we had imagined. There were a number of cars on the road.  We suspect that, like us, they were just trying to get out of the house for a bit. 

              What is new and unsettling are the heavily blockaded casino entrances, and the numerous Metro patrol cars, with lights flashing, parked conspicuously up and down the Strip. 

              A few people were out walking, and we even saw a family bicycling through an empty parking lot.  It was nice to see everyone maintaining their space, and abiding by the distancing guidelines.

              I have been coming to Vegas since the early 1950’s, and I don’t remember a time when the Strip was this empty.  It is an eerie feeling.  Buildings and storefronts that are normally hidden by massive crowds loom up and change the whole panorama of the Strip.

              As our journey down the Strip continued, the only activity we detect is around the open CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, the McDonald's and Jack-in-the Box take-out areas.  The Downtown (Old Town) area is much the same until we are about to enter the freeway.  Over to our left we notice a long queue of cars.  Straining to see what the congestion is all about, we finally realize that the procession is for the drive-up window at the local marijuana apothecary.  If all else fails…

              As of now, it looks like Vegas will be shut down until the end of April.  Our Governor Sisolak is taking a pro-active stance, and will reevaluate the situation as the month rolls on. 

In the meantime, please be smart, be safe and be healthy.

Beau, the Dice Coach March 28^th. 2020