Las Vegas is Closed for Business
I haven't posted anything in quite some time. But, it turns out I have some free time these days.
Like everyone else in America - and it seems the world - we are affected by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. Last night, Nevada followed the examples of New York, New Jersey, Washington, and other states announcing immediate closure of all non-essential businesses for the next 30 days. Prior to that, some businesses had voluntarily closed or reduced hours, including some of the largest casinos in the world - all MGM properties on the Las Vegas Strip.
So, this is weird. I mean, it is weird everywhere, but it particularly weird in Las Vegas. We are literally the city that never closes. Before today (or maybe more accurately, before Sunday when things started shutting down), I could go out at any time of the day or night and find someone to serve me a five-star meal, find a shop that would sell me a Rolex, or purchase a luxury car. Some might argue that you could do that in any large city if you had the money or knew the right people, but Las Vegas has always been unique in that anyone could do a little high-end retail therapy, or even just window shop, at any time.
Now, all of that has changed. Las Vegas is closed. I mean CLOSED. Yes, there are some things that are still open - grocery stores, pharmacies, a few big box stores, etc. But for the most part, everything is closed. And let me tell you, it is weird. Modern Las Vegas casinos have never closed before. EVER. They are always open - that's what they are famous for. Well, that and boobs. But seriously, nothing has triggered the closure of Las Vegas casinos. Not 9/11, not even the October 1 shooting. No matter what has happened in the world, Las Vegas has always continued its facade as a fantasy island where the real world does not exist. Step into a casino and nothing else matters. The news is not playing on an endless loop, there are no clocks, and people can just forget all of their troubles - at least for a little while. But now, that is gone. Las Vegas as people know it is closed for business.
There aren't many people out and traffic is almost nothing. I don't spend much time in the resort corridor aside from the occasional concert or dinner out, but it is clearly there. My house is in a typical residential neighborhood a few miles away and from my upstairs windows I have a clear view of the "High Roller" - the giant Ferris wheel in the middle of the Strip.
So, now what? That appears to be the question that everyone is asking right now. My husband and I are both fortunate in that we have jobs that will continue forward, at least for the foreseeable future. He is a teacher - school has been cancelled for the next month or so with re-evaluation in April. I am an attorney and can work remotely as long as we continue to have work.
Once again, not terrible. I've had the ability to work from home intermittently for the past two years. Attorneys are increasingly able to navigate the world of the virtual office and few things require physical presence, with the exception of court hearings/trials, client meetings, and depositions. But despite what TV tells you, those things are such a small part of an attorney's job. Mostly, attorneys like me write things. We write a lot of things. I'd be willing to bet I generate between 100 - 200 pages of written material every week in the form of motions, e-mails, reports to clients, and other internal documents. Some weeks more, some weeks less, but it is probably a good average.
So, for the time being, I'll just continue on.
However, there are thousands of people in Las Vegas that do not have a job that translates so easily to a work-from-home environment. Casino workers, entertainers, day laborers, and even those annoying guys handing out cards with pictures of escorts are all out of work for an undetermined amount of time. I do not know when we will be back to normal, or whether the future "normal" will be the same as our past normal.
And right now, I don't have any predictions. I don't have any answers. I don't know what anything will look like a day from now or a week from now, or in 30 days when everything is (in theory) going to open back up. In the meantime, I will do my part. I will stay home, social-distance, and (probably) get a lot of reading done.
Like everyone else in America - and it seems the world - we are affected by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. Last night, Nevada followed the examples of New York, New Jersey, Washington, and other states announcing immediate closure of all non-essential businesses for the next 30 days. Prior to that, some businesses had voluntarily closed or reduced hours, including some of the largest casinos in the world - all MGM properties on the Las Vegas Strip.
So, this is weird. I mean, it is weird everywhere, but it particularly weird in Las Vegas. We are literally the city that never closes. Before today (or maybe more accurately, before Sunday when things started shutting down), I could go out at any time of the day or night and find someone to serve me a five-star meal, find a shop that would sell me a Rolex, or purchase a luxury car. Some might argue that you could do that in any large city if you had the money or knew the right people, but Las Vegas has always been unique in that anyone could do a little high-end retail therapy, or even just window shop, at any time.
Now, all of that has changed. Las Vegas is closed. I mean CLOSED. Yes, there are some things that are still open - grocery stores, pharmacies, a few big box stores, etc. But for the most part, everything is closed. And let me tell you, it is weird. Modern Las Vegas casinos have never closed before. EVER. They are always open - that's what they are famous for. Well, that and boobs. But seriously, nothing has triggered the closure of Las Vegas casinos. Not 9/11, not even the October 1 shooting. No matter what has happened in the world, Las Vegas has always continued its facade as a fantasy island where the real world does not exist. Step into a casino and nothing else matters. The news is not playing on an endless loop, there are no clocks, and people can just forget all of their troubles - at least for a little while. But now, that is gone. Las Vegas as people know it is closed for business.
There aren't many people out and traffic is almost nothing. I don't spend much time in the resort corridor aside from the occasional concert or dinner out, but it is clearly there. My house is in a typical residential neighborhood a few miles away and from my upstairs windows I have a clear view of the "High Roller" - the giant Ferris wheel in the middle of the Strip.
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| Not a view from my house |
Once again, not terrible. I've had the ability to work from home intermittently for the past two years. Attorneys are increasingly able to navigate the world of the virtual office and few things require physical presence, with the exception of court hearings/trials, client meetings, and depositions. But despite what TV tells you, those things are such a small part of an attorney's job. Mostly, attorneys like me write things. We write a lot of things. I'd be willing to bet I generate between 100 - 200 pages of written material every week in the form of motions, e-mails, reports to clients, and other internal documents. Some weeks more, some weeks less, but it is probably a good average.
So, for the time being, I'll just continue on.
However, there are thousands of people in Las Vegas that do not have a job that translates so easily to a work-from-home environment. Casino workers, entertainers, day laborers, and even those annoying guys handing out cards with pictures of escorts are all out of work for an undetermined amount of time. I do not know when we will be back to normal, or whether the future "normal" will be the same as our past normal.
And right now, I don't have any predictions. I don't have any answers. I don't know what anything will look like a day from now or a week from now, or in 30 days when everything is (in theory) going to open back up. In the meantime, I will do my part. I will stay home, social-distance, and (probably) get a lot of reading done.
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