Local Looking to Take in New Year on LV Strip
December 30, 2009 4:44 PM Subscribe
I'm staying in the Las Vegas area and want to drive to the strip to ring in the new year. I thought this would be easy and I would do the usual thing of driving up I15 to Russell and parking around the Luxor. But, I just saw that all exits along the strip will be closed. Yikes! Is it that crowded on the strip that I will hate it and will just be stuck in traffic all evening? Where would be best to park to get on around 9pm and off the strip after midnight? Maybe the by pass over to the MGM? Any thoughts or descriptions about what it will be like is appreciated.
Best answer: The Strip itself is closed to traffic tomorrow night. From Russell to Sahara. They shut down the entrances to the hotels as well as the escalators and people movers.
Strip to be closed New Year's Eve
So if you want to be on the strip walking around you'll need to get there before 6pm. Probably earlier if you want to find a place to park you'll need to be there earlier. Most hotels will only allow parking for guests or will charge you for the privilege. You might find a place to park on the streets off of the strip and Russell sort of by the executive airport. Buses are free so you might want to do that too.
posted by birdherder at 6:07 PM on December 30, 2009
Strip to be closed New Year's Eve
So if you want to be on the strip walking around you'll need to get there before 6pm. Probably earlier if you want to find a place to park you'll need to be there earlier. Most hotels will only allow parking for guests or will charge you for the privilege. You might find a place to park on the streets off of the strip and Russell sort of by the executive airport. Buses are free so you might want to do that too.
posted by birdherder at 6:07 PM on December 30, 2009
Best answer: There's always free transportation in Vegas for New Year's. Trust me, you do not want to fight the traffic near the Strip...
In addition to the Designated Driver program, the Regional Transportation Commission will be offering free bus service throughout the valley from 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 9 a.m. New Years Day.
And a special free bus service will run from the Centennial Hills Transit Center – which will be open for the holiday in advance of its official opening later – to downtown and the Strip.
That service will run every 20 minutes from 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 4 a.m. the next day.
Centennial Hills (US 95 and Durango Drive) will have lots of parking, so it should be a good place to leave your car.
If you do drive, and you have too much to drink, don't forget you can call 702 456-RIDE for a free ride -- they will drive you and your car home for free.
posted by vorfeed at 6:12 PM on December 30, 2009
In addition to the Designated Driver program, the Regional Transportation Commission will be offering free bus service throughout the valley from 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 9 a.m. New Years Day.
And a special free bus service will run from the Centennial Hills Transit Center – which will be open for the holiday in advance of its official opening later – to downtown and the Strip.
That service will run every 20 minutes from 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 4 a.m. the next day.
Centennial Hills (US 95 and Durango Drive) will have lots of parking, so it should be a good place to leave your car.
If you do drive, and you have too much to drink, don't forget you can call 702 456-RIDE for a free ride -- they will drive you and your car home for free.
posted by vorfeed at 6:12 PM on December 30, 2009
I'd park at Mandalay and take the shuttle over to MGM, then the monorail. Unless you want to go downtown. I'd drive and park at the big parking building there.
Or get a room at teh Orleans, you can see the whole Strip from the east windows!
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 7:27 PM on December 30, 2009
Or get a room at teh Orleans, you can see the whole Strip from the east windows!
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 7:27 PM on December 30, 2009
"Is it that crowded on the strip that I will hate it and will just be stuck in traffic all evening?"
The strip becomes a sea of humanity on New Year's Eve. I was on the strip for the stroke of midnight on 2001/2002, and I hated it. We generally had a great time through the evening until we made the mistake of heading out to the street for the stroke of midnight. We didn't even make it far from the entry of whichever casino we were in at the time before we found ourselves stuck. There was a sea of people blocking us from going any further forward onto the strip, and waves of people emptying all of the casinos trying to get onto the strip, blocking us from going back inside. We were stuck. It was kind of scary, to be honest.
No. Thanks.
Be careful not to get stuck in or near any of it. On the other hand, inside the casinos is fine, so if that's your thing, go for it. It gets crazy, but still quite fun.
posted by 2oh1 at 8:56 PM on December 30, 2009
The strip becomes a sea of humanity on New Year's Eve. I was on the strip for the stroke of midnight on 2001/2002, and I hated it. We generally had a great time through the evening until we made the mistake of heading out to the street for the stroke of midnight. We didn't even make it far from the entry of whichever casino we were in at the time before we found ourselves stuck. There was a sea of people blocking us from going any further forward onto the strip, and waves of people emptying all of the casinos trying to get onto the strip, blocking us from going back inside. We were stuck. It was kind of scary, to be honest.
No. Thanks.
Be careful not to get stuck in or near any of it. On the other hand, inside the casinos is fine, so if that's your thing, go for it. It gets crazy, but still quite fun.
posted by 2oh1 at 8:56 PM on December 30, 2009
I've also been on the strip on New Year's Eve. I can say with complete certainty: Avoid at all costs. The entire city empties into those few blocks and for a few hours before and after midnight, if you're in the street you can't move, can't see anything, and can't do anything.
posted by junesix at 9:42 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by junesix at 9:42 PM on December 30, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks for these responses, they are chilling! Even though I would like to try it once, to be honest, I'd now like to skip it. But, our daughter is here with us and she really want to do it. I'm especially worried about being stuck in a crowd.
I think we will try parking at the SSTT and taking the bus to just west of the strip and walking the rest of the way. If we do go, I will post about it.
If you have more comments, please share them!
posted by GregWithLime at 10:11 PM on December 30, 2009
I think we will try parking at the SSTT and taking the bus to just west of the strip and walking the rest of the way. If we do go, I will post about it.
If you have more comments, please share them!
posted by GregWithLime at 10:11 PM on December 30, 2009
It's like a giant, drunken moshpit. I.E., it's fun if you're wasted and 18. Less so if you're not.
Inside is better---but they generally won't let you in without a room key after a certain time.
You won't see any fireworks, just the backs of heads. If there is something fun about it, it's the mob mentality---i.e., 'Well, seeing as we're all (thousands of us) stuck here together, we might as well be friends for the night." But as you can imagine, you also run the small risk of fights, drunken verbal abuse, and gropings if you are female. In the middle of a giant sea of people, you lose accountability. As a doubting Dostoevsky would say, 'Everything is allowed.'
For better or for worse.
It's a spectacle. I did a few times when I was of the age where drunker was better, and 'getting crazy' sounded like a worthy goal. As an adult, I wouldn't go back.
posted by Darth Fedor at 7:51 AM on December 31, 2009
Inside is better---but they generally won't let you in without a room key after a certain time.
You won't see any fireworks, just the backs of heads. If there is something fun about it, it's the mob mentality---i.e., 'Well, seeing as we're all (thousands of us) stuck here together, we might as well be friends for the night." But as you can imagine, you also run the small risk of fights, drunken verbal abuse, and gropings if you are female. In the middle of a giant sea of people, you lose accountability. As a doubting Dostoevsky would say, 'Everything is allowed.'
For better or for worse.
It's a spectacle. I did a few times when I was of the age where drunker was better, and 'getting crazy' sounded like a worthy goal. As an adult, I wouldn't go back.
posted by Darth Fedor at 7:51 AM on December 31, 2009
Response by poster: We did go, had a very nice time and would do it again. But, that was thanks to the advise and warnings above.
We approached the strip on Las Vegas Blvd from the south and parked at Town Square. That's just north of I-215. I thought the parking lot would be packed with others doing that. But the traffic getting there and parking was not a problem at all. We were even able to park in the north-west corner of the lot, reducing our distance to the strip.
We then walked the 1.2 miles to get to Mandalay Bay and entered through the Shark Reef entrance. We walked through Mandalay, which was somewhat crowded and over to the entertainment level of the Luxor. We sat in the food court there until about 11:30 and headed out on to LV Blvd in front of there.
The crowd there was not bad at all. We weren't pressed against each other nor were we trapped. Plus, we had a great view of the fireworks. We could actually easily see three hotels shooting off fireworks from our position: MGM, TI and a third that looked to be around Paris. Once the fireworks were over, we easily headed back south down LV Blvd to our car.
Clearly, we had a different experience than other posters. It seems like the key difference was being on the edge of festivities.
posted by GregWithLime at 8:33 AM on January 1, 2010
We approached the strip on Las Vegas Blvd from the south and parked at Town Square. That's just north of I-215. I thought the parking lot would be packed with others doing that. But the traffic getting there and parking was not a problem at all. We were even able to park in the north-west corner of the lot, reducing our distance to the strip.
We then walked the 1.2 miles to get to Mandalay Bay and entered through the Shark Reef entrance. We walked through Mandalay, which was somewhat crowded and over to the entertainment level of the Luxor. We sat in the food court there until about 11:30 and headed out on to LV Blvd in front of there.
The crowd there was not bad at all. We weren't pressed against each other nor were we trapped. Plus, we had a great view of the fireworks. We could actually easily see three hotels shooting off fireworks from our position: MGM, TI and a third that looked to be around Paris. Once the fireworks were over, we easily headed back south down LV Blvd to our car.
Clearly, we had a different experience than other posters. It seems like the key difference was being on the edge of festivities.
posted by GregWithLime at 8:33 AM on January 1, 2010
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You'll probably want to just take the bus (they'll be free here the 31st and 1st) or cabs, and avoid driving entirely.
posted by Rendus at 5:05 PM on December 30, 2009