So many Vegas visits, still so few for fun

Landing at Dulles Wednesday evening closed out my 45th work trip to Las Vegas. That number alone is not something to take pride in and probably constitutes evidence of some character defect, but what’s even more disturbing is that since my first trip to Vegas in 1998–for CES, of course–I have still only been there three times for fun.

This lifestyle long ago rendered me incapable of dealing with that city however normal people do. Instead, having the event formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show dominate my experience of Vegas–I’m now at 28 trips there just for the Consumer Technology Association’s convention, still one of the most important events on my work calendar–keeps subjecting me to the place at its most expensive and least efficient.

Even smaller-scale conferences like Black Hat (with six trips so far, it’s become about as essential as CES but easier to monetize) and the NAB Show (where I moderated a panel this week, with the National Association of Broadcasters covering airfare and lodging) leave me happier to take off from LAS than to land there.

It’s not that I can’t enjoy a little time in the glitziest corner of Nevada. You can eat exceedingly well there, and Vegas service-industry folks are some of the best in the world. Blackjack can be fun, as long as you remember that you should at least try to lose slowly.

If you drive far enough off the Strip, you can see some striking natural scenery. It took CES to remind me of that last bit, in the form of an outing in 2025 to Lake Mead to experience an electric sport boat.

And there is some exceptional lodging in Vegas, although I’ve also stayed at some of the crummier ones. I started trying to inventory the hotels I’ve stayed at from the Strip up to the convention center (thus excluding off-strip properties like the Palms and a few places in downtown Las Vegas as well as two Airbnbs) and quickly realized they exceed the number of ballparks I’ve visited.

From south to north: Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo (today Park MGM), Cosmopolitan, Hilton Grand Vacations, Bally’s (now the Horseshoe), Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood), Palms, Flamingo, Westin, Imperial Palace (the worst among the lot, fortunately now the Linq), Harrah’s, Mirage (demolished, being replaced by a Hard Rock Hotel in the shape of a guitar), Treasure Island, Wynn, Renaissance, Westgate, Fontainebleau (I’d rank that the best). 

But however nice the hotel may have been, there’s no getting around how much I dislike the auto-centric, pedestrian-hostile nature of the streets outside. Unless you can start and end a conference commute on the monorail–this week’s trip, unlike most, allowed that–you will sit in traffic.

The only improvements to Vegas transportation since 1998 have been on the margins: the monorail, Uber and Lyft liberating visitors from taxis that charge $3 extra for credit-card payment, the Vegas Loop’s tunnels, and the advent of autonomous vehicles from Zoox and, soon, Waymo.

Even walking up and down the Strip is less efficient than it should be once you enter a building, since casino floors are where readable layouts and clear signage go to die.

I grew up someplace where you had to drive everywhere; I never want to live like that again and don’t enjoy visiting places that seem intent on making that a perpetual default. I am much happier to have my travel destination be a more human-scaled city where it’s normal and enjoyable to get around by walking and transit; the contrast between CES in Vegas and MWC in Barcelona is glaring and entirely in Spain’s favor.

I think of that every time one industry-analyst friend who moved from the Bay Area to a Vegas suburb tries to sell me on the same move. My response is always some version of “there is nothing you could say to make me ever want to do that.”

And yet work keeps pulling me to Vegas anyway. This week’s trip was my third this year, with one more planned, and I already know next year will feature at least three. I should probably seek treatment for this condition at some point.

My Airbnb in #phoenix was 100ft (30 meters) from a convenience store/gas station.

But in typical Phoenix urbanism form, there was a huge wall and no sidewalks so 100ft ended up being 7 minute suburban walk along a 50mph stroad.

#urbanism #stroad #pedestrian

A Bridge Too Far

Yesterday I walked to a Coop shop in Nyon by foot, to shop for a day. Rather than taking the car I chose to walk down from Eysins, across the narrow, really dangerous road and bridge to get to the other side. Along the way I saw two dog walkers question whether to walk along the glissière or whether to cross. They crossed the dangerous road and walked with their backs to traffic.

It’s a few minutes later that I thought, “If they built a pedestrian platform on the side of the bridge, as they did in Geneva, for the Pont Du Mont Blanc, then people could walk along that path safely.

It seems ironic that they’re spending millions on rebuilding urban roads to encourage people to walk more, when most of them already have pavements and the issue is traffic density, not infrastructure. Traffic density is resolved by buses, and trains, and safe spaces to park bikes, without fearing bike theft.

Voi Bike Share

I noticed new bikes being ridden around by people without helmets, and without the elegance of experienced cyclists. It’s because Publibike, that quit Nyon, has been replaced by VOI, another bike sharing company. From what I see they will make it possible to rent bikes from Eysins which is great. I noticed that they have a “Buy minutes for this quantity, rather than paying per ride, which I think is great, because then you can ride for five minutes and deposit the bike, and then ride it back for ten minutes and deposit the bike again.

The short coming I see, is that it’s valid for a set amount of time that is too short to be interesting. If I could pay ten francs for 30 minutes over a week, it would be more interesting than 10 CHF for 3 days. My need is for a 4-6 minute ride rather than longer. It’s to get from home to Nyon without worrying about bicycle theft.

The Walk Along Trees and Fields

Now back to the nice walk. There are three walks to get to Nyon. The first is to walk via Route Du Stand but there are planned disruptions along that route as they experimented with new pedestrian and cyclist friendly infrastructure, that will disrupt the appeal of walking, if recent changes are any indication.

When I walk by petite Prairie, I used to walk by the cycle path, towards Porte De Nyon. In their infinite wisdom Nyon have decided, that, for nine months they will have road works to encourage cycling, and walking, by making walking and cycling by that route more dangerous first. For 9 months if you cycle along the road with works you’re blocking cars, without them being able to overtake. That is not comfortable for cyclists. This brings me back, once again to the other route.

The road bridge from Eysins, towards Crans. There are actually two of them. The first one is the one that cars, and pedestrians, and cars currently share. The second one is blocked by a chain, to discourage pedestrians and cyclists. The second is a solid, beautiful bridge that would be fantastic if it was made pedestrian and cyclist friendly because it diverts pedestrians, and cyclists away from the main road, onto farming roads where cars used to be banned, until the pandemic saw people acquire the habit of using them. That bridge is pre-existing. A gravel path reserved for cyclists, and pedestrians would then get people to bypass the car bridge entirely. I used it regularly before they put up the chain.

You might say “but no one walks there”. I see clear evidence that people do. What used to be perfect grass is now a hiking/walking trail like you see in the mountains. Such a path is created by hundreds of people walking along the verge, to avoid walking on the road. This is where they should optimise the road to make it safe for walkers. If they flattened it, and put a gravel path then pedestrians could, run, and cycle safely from Eysins to either the road bridge, or the agricultural bridge. They could then connect with agricultural roads to walk either to Nyon or Crans. The path on the other side of the Boiron is open fields with three routes. One is along the woods, the second is along the fields, and the third requires you to cross to the other roads.

It is a beautiful walk with great views of Nyon and the Alps. It’s also part of the Via Rhona cycling route. With this path you can walk to Colovray, without driving the car, to run on the track, or swim in the pool. You can also head to the Plage de Nyon, and the tennis club. You also have three or four routes into Nyon. One along the wooded path, the second along the train tracks, the third bisects the wood to get to the Plage, and the third takes you towards La Combe.

The Benefit

With this walking route you’re away from cars. You’re in nature. You can see the majestic old tree cross seasons. It is now vibrant with Summer leaves. You can see corn coming up, and other fields covered in fertiliser, impatiently waiting for rain. You can also pickup tulips for 1.20 CHF per tulip. By changing a few meters of grassy verge you promote “mobilité douce” with a minimal investment.

The Forgotten Path

There is another path that goes under the road bridge. It goes from the bridge to Nyon. When I walked along it last there were trees marked to be cut down, and others blocking the path. If this path was cleared up, then it would allow people to walk to the dangerous road bridge, but rather than walk across the bridge, they could cross to the other side, and walk to the path that goes under the bridge and walk to Nyon.

If that path was made more accessible, for walkers then it would provide for a nice safe route, away from traffic, once again. It would also provide a nice loop for people living close to the river.

My Concern

My concern is that the good intentions, that see infrastructure being optimised for cycling, and walking, don’t take into account traffic density. They don’t resolve that issue. I get the impression that those in charge of road works aren’t hikers/avid walkers. They often block cycling, and hiking routes, without considering their disruptive effect. If they walked the routes they force people to shift to, they would see their miscalculation. The clearest example is by the école St-éxupery. This was a quiet secondary road, until traffic was deflected along it. Cars don’t slow down. Now, because it feels safer. I move to the opposite side of the road, so that I face traffic coming towards me. I feel too exposed walking with my back to cars that skim the bollards as if they were a wall keeping me safe. It doesn’t help that the Merck building blocked their escape, just at the most dangerous time for pedestrians.

Mobilité Douce Should Be Optimised During Road Works

For me road works that aim to encourage mobilité douce should optimise walking routes during the road works, not just afterwards, especially when they take months, rather than weeks. 9 months of road works affect three seasons of walking and cycling. On a bike a kilometre is nothing, but on foot a km is ten minutes extra at my walking pace.

In the end, if road works that are meant to encourage walking and cycling, expose me to more traffic, then I could walk into the countryside, rather than Nyon. The exposure is the same but the landscape is beautiful and seasonal. It changes with the seasons.

And For the Skimmers

Ideologically road works to making walking and cycling safer are fantastic and we can’t fault them. What I fault is road works that expose me to more danger, when walking. I also think that with minor changes such as making it safe to walk from Eysins to Nyon, via the rural route, then with minimal changes, you make it pleasant for dog walkers, people with prams, runners, and hikers to walk from Eysins to Nyon and vice versa, without using Route Du Stand and other busier roads, especially at rush hour.

Road works that are meant to encourage walking and cycling should encourage walking and cycling, while they are in progress, not just after they’re done.