Monorail busted, 301 still running

Once again, I stepped into the middle (well, the periphery) of a major news story. The quick news is that the oft-injured Las Vegas monorail broke. From the LVRJ:

The Las Vegas Monorail took a pratfall on its biggest stage to date Wednesday when a tire fell from one of its trains, leading to a systemwide shutdown during one of the valley's largest annual conventions.
Monorail officials were waiting until today to decide when to reopen the 4.4-mile system, after getting a second opinion on why a 20-inch, 60-pound rubber tire broke off a train around 8 a.m.
Monorail officials say they doubt it's related to a January incident in which a drive shaft fell from one of its trains during testing.

"It appears these are isolated incidents," said Todd Walker, a monorail spokesman. "One of the reasons we have safety investigations is to reaffirm that. We want to ensure that this doesn't happen again, and it's not associated with anything that's taken place before."

The northbound train was between Flamingo Road and Sands Avenue at the time the tire fell, landing in an unoccupied parking spot in a lot owed by Harrah's. No one was hurt, monorail officials said.

The shutdown forced thousands of conventioneers to find alternate ways to and from the Men's Apparel Guild in California -- or MAGIC -- trade show, which ends today at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

LV monorail shuts down in midst of trade show hubbub

Here's my personal connection:

Yesterday, I budgeted some time to do some photography on the Strip. This is for a major project that I think will change the way people appreciate the casino experience. This is one of the reasons I haven't been posting as much here this week: I'm working on launching a new website that will feature this project. I can't reveal too much, but I'll just say that the die has been cast.

Anyway, I had a simple plan: Start at the MGM, cycle around to the Mandalay mile and back up through the Monte Carlo, cross over to hit the Aladdin, Paris, and Bally's, cross back over to get Bellagio, then work my way up the Strip until Circus Circus, where I would cross over and get the Riveria and Sahara. Because I had parked at the MGM Grand, I would then ride the monorail back there.

I figured it was a good way to get my photo work done and ride the monorail, which has been tremendously hyped. But, I ran into two big problems.

Problem #1: the digital camera battery dies, even though it had been charging for a month, just as I was about to enter Circus Circus.

So, I thought, I would just take the monorail from the Riviera to MGM and call it a night.

Problem #2: there is no monorail stop at the Riviera, so I had to walk all the way through the property and parking lot, cross Paradise Rd, and get to the station at the Hilton. Of course, the people at the Riviera who I asked just said vaguely that it was "in the back," not that it was actually a few blocks away, but I like a nice walk as much as anyone.

Problem #3: After dodging taxis and crawling all over the landscaping (the Hilton's owners are apparently not expecting much pedestrian traffic from Paradise), I found that the exterior entrance to the monorail was closed. Since no one, in any of my travels, responded to my queries about the monorail with, "I'm sorry, the monorail is broken), I assumed that you had to enter from inside. So I jogged down to the Hilton's north tower entrance, through the Spacequest casino, and to the monorail station, only to find that IT WASN'T RUNNING.

No one had any clue as to why it was down. One employee suggested I take a cab. I just stared blankly and said, "Isn't there a bus?" She responded that the trolley would take "two hours" to get to the MGM. Still, I didn't jump at the cab. Here's why:

Taxi test rides yield long-hauls, prostitution offers

Check that story out. Actually, once when I took a cab from the airport to UNLV, the driver (totally unsolicited--I literally didn't say a word before this) attempted to steer me to a club where he said that I could "get laid, no problem." When I told him that a) it wasn't usually a problem for me and b) my then-girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it, he still didn't back off. So when I got to UNLV I reported it to the campus police. If you are so stupid as to solicit complete strangers to break the law, and so obnoxious that you refuse to stop, you deserve whatever you get.

Back to the current tale of frustration. I didn't feel the need to tour the airport tunnel or get introduced to a prostitute, and even if I had wanted a taxi, there was a huge line. A helpful steerer told me I could get "a limo, with no waiting," to which I audibly snorted.

So it was back to the Strip. I've got to confess that I've never used public transportation in Las Vegas. Now, when I'm on the east coast, it's a totally different thing: my research trip to DC a few weeks ago wouldn't have been possible without the Metro, and whenever I go back to AC I fly into Philly, take the R-1 to Market Station East, then hop on the NJ Transit 551, which deposits me in the Atlantic City bus station. To get up to New York, I take the NJ Transit 312. So I'm no stranger to busses and trains, I just haven't used them in Vegas.

I had rather vague knowledge of a bus that ran up and down the Strip. I found a bus stop in front of the Stardust and, just as the bus pulled up, I learned it was $2 (exact change of course, which I didn't have). So I ran to the Stardust valet, got change, and hurried back just as the bus was pulling away. The driver couldn't stop to admit passengers in the middle of the street, so I mimed to him that I would board at the next stop (actually, I just pointed down the street while moving in that direction). He seemed to nod.

So I flat out sprinted (in shoes, not sneakers) from Stardust to the Frontier. It was actually pretty tiring. I could see that the bus had stopped, but had no guarantee it would stay there. So I ran hard, finally getting to the door just as it was about to close. Though the bus was full, the driver, recognizing my vigilant efforts, allowed me on.

From there, it was no problem at all. The bus number, if you're curious is "301." Nice smooth ride right down the Strip. For $5, you can get an all-day pass.

The upshot on the 301: it's much more convenient than the monorail, marginally less expensive, and apparently far more reliable than the monorail.

Can someone explain to me, using small words if necessary, why the monorail was needed, when a bus route already exists to serve the Strip? Sure, it doesn't go to the convention center, but that's what transers are for. Let's say someone is staying at Luxor. By the time they crossed the Strip, walked to the depths of MGM to catch the train, then rode the train to the convention center, I think they could have caught the 301 to convention center drive then just walked down.

Anyway, the monorail actually wasted a lot of my time last night, though I'd love to be persuaded of its efficacy.

posted by Dave at 2:09 PM

8 Comments:

Very interested in your new project...

If we can help in any way, let us know.

Hunter/RateVegas.com
hunter@ratevegas.com

WOW. That must've been quite a sight, a 60 freakin' pound tire falling from the sky.
By the way, the 301 route (though different number probably) was being ridden by a friend of mine when he saw the MGM Grand engulfed in smoke and flames on that tragic day in November, 1980. How's that for co-inkydink?
Much sympathy is extended to you for your troubles.
You should buy CAT coins online--it is cheaper to ride when you use them, and they will send them ANYWHERE you want them to, and they look great glued onto a belt as a fashion statement, with the little prowling cat and all.
Please don't work too hard, Dr. S! You can go nuts, you know.

By the way, no clue why that posted twice. Now people can read my brilliance and be astounded two-fold.

Hmm, I'd have to say that monorails have that certain quaint je ne sais pas if you know what I mean, which you might not, since I don't, and I even admit it-twofold, to quote a good friend of mine. Anyway, as I was saying, monorails are somehow more picturesque than BUSes. Buses conjure to mind smog and crowds--the monorail, however--fast, efficient, modern! The monorail exists for image--the bus for function, ne?

Monorails for Vorstellung, busses for Wille, and free casino shuttles to the airport for c'est la vie.
You really hit the nail on the head, there, kamitwi... twofold. Cejas would be proud.

Once a famous professor said that when casinos are not geared toward high-end customers, their patrons are "locals who take the bus to the casino and gamble with their welfare money."

That explains everything.

♥ HB