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Saturday, March 21, 2020

Las Vegas in the Time of Coronavrius

Normally the Las Vegas Strip would be full of visitors on a Saturday afternoon in March, but nothing about what's happened recently is normal.


With things changing so rapidly, I wanted to get out to see what the deserted Strip looks like before we're all grounded even further. Under non-pandemic conditions, I would have parked somewhere and walked along the Strip for the best pictures, but today I shot everything from a vehicle. My son, who was my driver, was quite adamant about me staying in the car. 

The drive there was sobering. We took Spring Mountain Road through Chinatown, which was largely deserted. We took a right on The Boulevard and were stunned at the sight of abandoned sidewalks and empty roads. "I've had bad dreams that looked like this," my son said.

It was eerie and weird and unsettling to see the Strip so deserted. The largest crowd we saw was at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, where about 20 people were gathered to take photos.

I've always liked taking pictures of abandoned  places. I just never expected the Strip would be one of those places, even temporarily.

If you, too, were wondering what a deserted Las Vegas Strip looks like, here are some photos for you.

Fashion Show Mall
Looking west, up Spring Mountain Road from The Strip

One of the entrances to Caesars Palace, blocked off due to the coronavirus shutdown

The Caesars Palace Fountains are dry

CityCenter

Park MGM

In addition to a lack of people, you'll also find road construction in front of the Luxor and on the northern end of the Strip

Northbound on Las Vegas Boulevard at Harmon

A most unusual sight: a bicyclist not about to be run over while riding on the Strip
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All photos by Terrisa Meeks