Well, I thought it would be empty... today was the 19th run of my 10k a day challenge (just a solo challenge for the sake of challenging myself...). I decided today would be the day that I ran down the Las Vegas Strip. Finally! Now, I have run down the strip several times (I'm a born and raised Vegas girl). But, this time would be different because of Covid-19... All of the hotels, casinos and shops are closed. When the strip first closed down back in March I was planning on either running or riding my bike down the deserted street and sidewalks. I wanted to do it but I felt very uneasy... I needed to either #stayhome or just stick to my desert trails. I don't know... I just felt weird about it. So, for the past several weeks I've stayed home, enjoyed my desert trails and spent a few weeks in the Redwoods. Now, as we enter Phase I of re-opening I realized that the days of the "closed"strip would soon be over. So, it was now or never! In my mind the Strip was going to be an empty ghost town. We would be running on empty streets with blowing newspapers and lonely pigeons... I set up a meeting time at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign of 6:45am with a couple of socially responsible running buddies. I was excited! When we arrived and started running I quickly realized... the strip is NOT empty. Cars, bikes and pedestrians are trying to experience the last few days of the closed strip. It was cool, it was weird, it was eerie...but a little anti-climactic for me. I don't know, maybe it's been too long? Maybe if I would've gone out that first week I would have gotten that "just me and the pigeons" feeling... And why would newspapers be blowing around? Does anybody even get the newspaper anymore? Maybe I should've imagined pamphlets of "Straight to you" nudie girls blowing around... I don't know. But I DO know that I REALLY want our city to open back up. In a responsible and safe way. The run was fun, it was good to see my buddies again, I peed in some bushes that I probably would've been arrested for (the last time I did that on the strip was New Years 1998)... It was an experience. If you live in Vegas, go see the strip. It won't be empty but it will be cool.
