Rants, raves judge casino garages
I asked and you delivered.
The faithful and loyal Road Warrior readers have awarded a “Parkee” — designed and drawn by esteemed Las Vegas Review-Journal artist David Stroud — to the following casino parking garages in categories such as “dirtiest” and “worst.”
I’ve listened to your phone calls and read through e-mails and here is what you think. (The winner in each category is decided by simple majority vote. I’ve chosen the best comment from voters and updated the categories to gibe with your opinions.)
DIRTIEST PARKING GARAGE
Your pick: Binion’s
Right off the bat, we’re in agreement. Even if Fred Hinshaw notes that after paying $12 to park while visiting the IRS downtown, “I’ll take Binion’s filthy … but free garage over (paying) any old day.”
Runner-up: Las Vegas Club
Ted Tanna — “I don’t believe its been cleaned since it was built.”
My pick: Binion’s
HARDEST GARAGE TO GET TO
Your pick: Caesars Palace
Marilyn — “Maybe someday Frank Sinatra Drive will be OK again when City Center is finished, but not now.”
Bryan Ross — “I’d say at least two times a day I have to dodge idiot pedestrians that are not paying attention.”
My pick: Bellagio
EASIEST GARAGE TO GET TO
Your pick: Mandalay Bay
Phyllis Torrey — “Mandalay Bay can be easily reached from Russell Road turning onto Frank Sinatra Drive.”
My pick: Caesars Palace
WORST CASINO ACCESS FROM A GARAGE
Your pick: Planet Hollywood Resort
Len S. — “It’s exactly half a mile from the casino entrance whether you go right or left! The obvious purpose was to make you spend money in that circular mall, but in reality it stops you from going to that casino.”
My pick: The Palms (The west side garage for all you nitpickers).
BEST CASINO ACCESS FROM A GARAGE
Your pick: The Palms (the east side garage).
Neil G. — “It’s direct access. You drive right into the garage and park and walk right into the casino.”
My pick: Red Rock Resort
SAFEST FEELING
Las Vegas Hilton
Jason B. Clark — “The first floor is tarped and fenced. At night, security restricts access to one way in and out. It is well lit and patrolled 24/7 by either bike or van.”
Runner-up: Aliante Station
Jeannette Williams — “It is very well lit. It’s like going into daylight at night. I feel very safe as I can see all areas in the garage, especially when leaving the casino alone at night.”
BEST HANDICAPPED PARKING
Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin
Chuck Crawford — “They have an entire indoor parking structure (bottom floor) for the handicap parking, over 50 spaces, and easy access to the casino.”
HARDEST TO NAVIGATE
Your pick: Fitzgeralds
Pierre Coste — “Treacherous to navigate; tiny spaces; absolutely filthy — it’s the worst, scary.”
My pick: Hooters Hotel
WORST OVERALL
Your pick: The Venetian
By overwhelming response The Venetian is considered by you, the reader, to be the worst casino parking garage in Las Vegas. Every garage received some votes as the worst, especially downtown casinos, Flamingo Las Vegas and Imperial Palace, but there’s no doubt The Venetian gets this Parkee.
Russ Morgan — “It feels like it is half finished with all the green mesh fencing around. You feel like eventually they are going to finish it, then you realize it is already done … just done badly. Also, if you park too high, you have to take one elevator down to a lower level, then get off, walk to another elevator, and take that all the way down.”
Runner-up: Fitzgeralds
My pick: The Venetian
BEST OVERALL
Your pick: Wynn Las Vegas
Readers like quite a few different parking garages including South Point, Mandalay Bay, Palazzo, the Palms, M Resort, Silverton, Treasure Island and The Mirage.
But it was the Wynn parking garage that came out on top (and not by much), for many of the same reasons I cited last week: easy access to the casino, cleanliness and the electronic counters showing space availability.
Joe McKinney — “Wynn resorts have always been the very best in seeming to give consideration to what happens to you after you park.”
From a caller — “I couldn’t agree more. Wynn is the easiest to get in and out of.”
Runner-up: South Point
My Pick: Wynn Las Vegas
And finally …
BEST READER RANT
Gary Luther on the Imperial Palace garage: “One almost has to bend their car in half just to approach the entrance ramp, then once you’re up there, you wonder why it is so darn dark. Then attempting to find a parking place, good luck with that, you will meet yourself coming around the corner, and if you’re really lucky, you will find yourself at a dead end. Of course by then, there will be three or four other autos behind you doing the same thing. Now, if only the drivers could figure out that they must back up to get out of the way, but no, they just (sit) there. After I approach them and tell them what they must do, they finally move. Now I’m just a little annoyed, but I continue forward, finally, I find a parking place, guess what, there is a pole in front of it and I can only get about two thirds of my truck in the space. You have got to be kidding me!”
If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 387-2904, or e-mail him at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com or fmccabe@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.
The Nevada Department of Transportation announced the following updates to the Interstate 15 north widening project:• Bonanza Road at Interstate 15 will be closed from 11:30 p.m. June 1 through 5 a.m. June 6 for girder placement and from 9 p.m. June 25 to 5 a.m. June 26 for a deck pour.
• D Street at Interstate 15 will be closed from 11:30 p.m. June 17 to 5 a.m. June 23 for girder placement.
• Washington Avenue at Interstate 15 will be closed in each direction from 11:30 p.m. June 18 to 5 a.m. June 24 for girder placement.
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The offramp for U.S. 95 southbound at Charleston Boulevard and the northbound onramp at Casino Center Drive will be closed from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday for paving, the Transportation Department announced. Motorists should use the interchanges at Boulder Highway or Eastern Avenue as alternate routes.
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Utility line installation work being done by the Clark County Department of Aviation on Tropicana Avenue has moved to the intersection with Las Vegas Boulevard. Through Thursday, traffic on Tropicana and the Strip will be reduced to two through-lanes and one turn lane in all directions at the intersection, said Chris Jones, a spokesman for McCarran International Airport. Work will be done around the clock. On top of that, a second crew has begun working on the utility project on Tropicana, just east of Koval Lane.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
