Why Las Vegas Locals Hate The Strip

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00:00 Introduction
01:16 Parking Fees
02:52 Food and Drink Prices
03:44 Traffic
04:52 Construction
05:33 Bad Gambling Options
07:05 Too Commercial
08:45 Tax Dollars

[JacobslifeinVegas]

Is there anything I missed?

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[erika]

I avoid the strip because of ridiculous prices, construction, parking issues, too many people, and crime. It makes me feel like I am at work. However, the locals have many options at low-key establishments.

[FroToe]

I used to visit the Strip at least once a week. And then it changed. Prices for food skyrocketed. Services fell off. And then the casinos made it clear locals were not welcome with the parking fees, which the first year were not applied to locals, but then they got greedy or they just got tired of our business. And then I missed by like 2 days gambling with my Caesars Rewards card and they emptied my account of $1200 due to inactivity > 6mo. Oh, I'd used the card regularly, just not gambling, and only gambling counts. ok... I'm done. In the 5 years since, I've been to the strip exactly 0 times. And when they got rid of the parking fees for locals during Covid and were begging us to come help 'em out by doing business there... oh hell no, the parking fee change was not permanent and as soon as the tourists came back, so did the parking fee. They don't want me. I don't want them. This ain't the Vegas Strip of 20 years ago when I moved here.

[maxfit]

It’s the same sentiment that locals in Honolulu have regarding Waikiki.

[bluecanary]

It is not just locals that no longer go to the strip for all these same reasons. Las Vegas has become heartbreak for those of us who used to go regularly. Thank you Corporate America. You ruin everything your greedy fingers touch.

[journmsu]

TBH my sister and I were talking where to go for vaca and we ruled out LV. Why, you may ask? The place is not what it used to be. LV back in the day was about three main things: Shows that had scantily-clad dancers wearing feathers, all-you-can-eat buffets at reasonable prices, and slot machines (one armed bandits). You could spend $20 a night on a room, $20 daily on food, and $20 on a show that included dinner, and it would be fantastic! Restaurants were mostly local owned (even on the strip) and cheap. In decades past casinos were smart enough to recognize that if you want visitors to gamble you have to discount food, rooms, souvenirs, and some shows.

All of that is pretty much gone now. Buffets are almost a thing of the past, replaced with food halls that showcase overpriced, corporate junk food and way overpriced, overhyped "celebrity" restaurants; hotels often charging $200 or more for a standard room, and on top of that a resort fee, plus parking fees (if less than $200, chances are the room hasn't been cleaned properly or is in sad disrepair); and an unhoused issue along with crime that I am not certain is being addressed properly. And, most importantly, questioning how Clark County taxpayer $ is being spent in LV.

There are other places in the U.S. to go to if you wish to gamble, see shows, chow down at a buffet or two, and stay in a well-maintained, clean room that doesn't highjack your wallet. Las Vegas is no longer the cheesy, glitzy fun it used to be. They've forgotten their past and this will, potentially, lead to their ultimate downfall.

[dankernuggets]

I live in Orlando and a LOT of locals feel the same way about Universal and Walt Disney World.

[scottyo]

As a local, my wife and I go to the strip, often. Great food, shopping, and fun to people watch. As for parking you can get it by being a local, 3 hours free. As a local you learn the game.

[beaumac]

The main reason we don’t go to the strip is there are so many incredible restaurants off the strip that are much cheaper. Also, it is just way too crowded all the time. We only go for the occasional concert or sports event.

[CrabbyOldLady]

Nailed it. I've lived here for two decades, and it's been frustrating to see the Strip properties get greedier and more predatory year after year. A lot of the changes originated in the financial crisis of 2008, when the area was devastated. Strip casinos started changing over to 6-5 blackjack, triple zero roulette, and much tighter slots, in a desperate attempt to increase revenue as visitorship waned due to the crash. As the economy recovered, those increased house advantages remained. And then they started charging for parking, inventing new fees like the evil CNF fee, etc. I never go to the Strip anymore. I'll drive 20 miles to the South Point, or visit the Red Rock, the Suncoast, the Orleans, or the Durango and have a much better time for much less money.

[cshubs]

I had a photographer friend who lived in Vegas for a few years. The only time she went to the Strip was for a gig. When I visited, she took me where the locals go, and there was a lot. From what I could tell, locals often can be found in small strip malls that feature the restaurants and clubs that tourists don't know about. The service is better, and the prices aren't a ripoff.

[superbighungry]

The Strip is just so crowded and expensive. It’s fun for specific things but just to go and hang out nah. GVR, Red Rock, Durango, Southpoint, Silverton….less crowded, cheaper, free to park..

[rheamccants]

The fact that free parking becoming unavailable is pure greed……….Another great video Jacob

[william-fla-]

I had a package deal with rental car, hotel, and airfare. We stayed at the Luxor and I couldn’t believe all the hidden fees from the hotel and rental car company. My wife, and I, never gambled, ate off strip most of the time, and we preferred South Point. I did splurge one night at the Bacchanal buffet, which was over priced, not worth the wait, and a big letdown. A lot has changed in Las Vegas over thirty years, but my next time I’ll be staying at South Point.

[gjp]

Same here in Oahu, Hawaii. As a local I absolutely hate and avoid Waikiki.

[tofutuesday]

Definitely parking fees are a huge problem. We park free at Sahara and take the monorail using the $2 locals tickets. We don't really even like to scan our ID to get the free hour of parking because who knows they do with that information.

We go for Vegas Golden Knights games or a concert now and then, that's about it.

[RebelMontana]

I avoided the strip since they added the pay parking. I end up going to south point or station casinos. I’m not even a local but I get more value for my dollar going off strip.

[Floorguy]

Lol ! .. New Yorker We avoid the 42nd street area like the plague! Thanks for the heads up on Vegas!

[jbeckmann]

I reside in Summerlin. I can actually walk to Red Rock Casino if I wanted and to me it’s compatible to any strip resort. I tell my out of town friends and family to stay there vs strip. They all love it

[JayShimoda]

I live on Oahu and I, like many other locals, hate going into Waikiki. Many of the same reasons (inflated prices aimed at tourists, etc.) I used to say the Strip was like going to Waikiki, except they have free parking. Well, that sure isn't true anymore.