A proposed ordinance in the Arts District demonstrates how the city sabotages everything that makes it successful…
Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony Pictures Releasing)
1. Aim at your foot. 2) Pull the trigger. 3) Wonder how you got shot.
– Vegas Logic
In the years leading up to the pandemic, it was common to hear, “Has Vegas reached the tipping point?”. People were fed up with gouging, resort fees, parking charges, and so on. Then COVID-19 pushed the reset button, and corporations guiding Las Vegas tourism started playing the “gouge game” again. “How far can we push them this time?” was the new question.
When ARIA Resort charges $26 for a bottle of water and two fast-food meals cost $82.00, things have moved beyond “absurd” and into “unacceptable”. And yet, people still keep coming. So, don’t expect receipts like the one above to disappear.
On the subject of self-harm, no city leans on “suicidal” like Las Vegas. Whatever you’ve fallen in love with will most likely be gone or priced beyond reach by your next visit.
News 3 Las Vegas, 7/3/25
It wasn’t so long ago that an evening on Fremont Street meant winning at slots in Mermaids Casino, an all-day $12 hard-liquor football slushie from La Bayou, a $9.99 prime rib dinner (including salad bar and Cherries Jubilee) at the ‘Cal’, and 99 cent shrimp cocktails from Golden Gate Casino. They’re all gone.
You want to walk past the Four Queens stage with a can of beer? It’s now against the law. Hoping to stop on the pedestrian bridge to watch Bellagio’s fountain show? Thanks to a new ordinance ushered in by F1 advocates, you’ll get a ticket. Having fun in Las Vegas is restrictive and can turn into a crime.
What about all those free attractions that put Sin City on the map? The gorgeous aquarium at Mandalay Bay? Ripped out. The world-famous Mirage volcano? Torn out. Live entertainers at the Venetian’s St Mark’s Square? All fired. The pirate show at Treasure Island? Replaced by a CVS drugstore.
Don’t you find it ironic that full nudity is prohibited in a place called Sin City? The heavily-hyped new EMPIRE STRIPS BACK burlesque show is particularly prudish. Female entertainers wear body stockings painted with fake nipples! Guys in MAGIC MIKE LIVE rarely remove their jeans. Big promises are made, but the results come up short.
Vegas visitors want to feel pampered, but basic hotel amenities have been stripped away. Daily housekeeping, in-room dining (aka “room service”), and coffee makers are gone. Valets, bellmen, and concierges have been given pink slips. And despite that $55 daily resort fee, you’ll still pay for a lounger at the pool. Most pools close at 6 pm or earlier…no romantic evening swim for you.
It’s 5:45. Everyone out of the water…
There was a time when every Strip resort had 24/7 diners or “coffee shops”. Not anymore. If you get hungry after 9 pm, you’ll be eating a cold sandwich from a plastic box or taking a taxi to the nearest Denny’s. Shows and attractions are closing, free lounge acts are rare, prices at restaurants and concerts have risen astronomically, and everything looks dirty and worn out. Hotels have cut back on casino servers and the free cocktails they used to pass out. So why are people still coming?
After things got out of control on Las Vegas Boulevard, visitors rediscovered Downtown. Value-priced Vegas wasn’t gone…it was always there on Fremont Street. Bolstered by visionaries like Tony Hsieh, the Fremont East area was revitalized. New businesses and Container Park gave the area a stronger heartbeat. Then Derek and Greg Stevens came along and f*cked it all up.
The Stevens brothers purchased old hotels and casinos like Fitzgerald’s, Las Vegas Club, Golden Gate, and Mermaids. They added $40 resort fees and closed restaurants that had been popular for years. In came the wrecking balls and out went Glitter Gulch. In its place rose CIRCA, a super-expensive resort with prices that rival Wynn/Encore. Parking fees spread throughout Downtown, and the former “old Vegas” was now “the new Strip”.
People across the globe hold onto the perception that Las Vegas is a “Value Destination”. That reality disappeared over twenty years ago. Here’s the real truth:
A 2024 study by Forbes Advisor found Las Vegas is one of the most expensive places to visit in the United States. The study said Las Vegas has seen a 47 percent increase in hotel accommodation prices, a 61 percent increase on car rental (costs), and a 14 percent increase in daily meal costs over the last five years. – Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/20/25
Thanks to tariffs, a nervous workforce, and corporations bracing for a recession, 2025 increases are even higher. So what is the old-school Vegas junkie to do?
After Downtown became more expensive, those longing for “old Vegas” moved a little south. Suddenly, the mostly overlooked 18b Arts District was a happening place. Nestled between Naked City and the industrial zone, the Arts District grew in popularity thanks to monthly “First Friday” street festivals. Car shows, bicycle parties, and food celebrations took hold.
The Arts District skyline is rapidly transforming into something completely different…
In the past five years, the Arts District has exploded with bars, restaurants, taverns, community theaters, art galleries, and shops. But here’s where success turns sour. Residential towers like the ones above are rising quickly, turning a once-rundown area into a trendy neighborhood. That means new opportunites for Clark County officials (and others with deep pockets) to screw things up for a third time.
Take a look at the photos and video clip above. They demonstrate how the Arts District is a hopping, jamming, live-music destination and outdoor party…even on weeknights. Of course, Clark County can’t allow that without demanding a cut. So in 2022, parking meters were installed:
Just like Downtown and the Strip before it, what was once free now came at a price. The upside to paid parking was that lots and garages would be added to accommodate growth. The downside to growth is that those who moved into the now-gentrified area are suddenly bothered by all the activity. Check out “Karen Calls Cops on Car Show” below:
Now the Arts District is facing a new threat. Here are excerpts from a FOX5 report by Jaclyn Shculz published on 7/3/25:
Small businesses, artists, and community activists are raising their voices against changes to late-night music laws in the Las Vegas Arts District.The Arts District operates under a noise ordinance exemption: outdoor live music can keep going until 2 a.m. on weekends. If a drafted ordinance took effect, it would restrict live music up to 10 p.m.
Numerous small businesses posted an open letter to city officials and community members about any possible changes, stating they’ve invested millions of dollars to build businesses based on current city laws:
“It would completely cripple the ability of the Arts District as a whole to operate as a credible nighttime destination for locals and tourists alike. The obvious catalyst for the proposal is three new condo projects coming up quickly… Without everything this community has built to this point, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t move to Manhattan and expect the quiet of suburbia.”
One “culprit” backing the proposal is English Hotel, a high-end luxury establishment by celebrity chef Todd English. It opened just three years ago, riding on the Arts District’s new popularity. With an adjacent “English Residences” in the works, English Hotel now seeks to dictate the rules. Seems like Chef Todd and company are following the Derek Stevens playbook by forcing out those who made the area desirable in the first place.
Here’s a portion of the English Hotel’s official statement on the noise ordinance:
“We did express concern about specific late-night noise disruptions. Neighborhoods evolve. We believe strongly that bringing more residents into the area is the most sustainable way to support small businesses.”
Other businesses and organizations are pushing back…loudly. Vegas Music Scene Magazine joined DTLV Arts District in the fight with this statement issued on July 2nd, 2025:
Hello Rockstars!
This is a repost from DTLV Arts District, but also an incredibly important issue that affects all the amazing concerts and venues going on in the DTLV area, which is the heart of our music community! We do have a voice, and it deserves to be heard! Please let the City of Las Vegas know how we feel! I have included a link to the proposed amendment:
https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/…/Busine…/Apply-Manage…
and also the link on how to contact the City of Las Vegas: https://lasvegasnevada.az1.qualtrics.com/…/SV…
Remember, there are strengths in numbers and we will not let them get away with this bullshit! Please contact them with how we feel!
Arts District business owners have every reason to be concerned. They only have to look at the millions in lost revenue caused by the massively disruptive Formula One Grand Prix. Protests against that annual event fell on deaf ears while Clark County Commissioners and Board Members of the LVCVA enjoyed their box seats.
Thanks to an inability to look beyond the moment, Las Vegas shoots itself in the foot… over and over, year after year. Bad decisions, never-ending (and unnecessary) road construction, and chaotic city planning (“Hey, let’s put a stadium on the Strip!”) will inevitably drive business owners, tourists, and even residents away.
People are sick of having their Vegas frivolity regulated to death. Many other destinations actually deliver their promises, and you’re less likely to return home with fines, empty pockets, and regret. Will Las Vegas become the “New Atlantic City”? We may find out sooner than you expect.
ATLANTIC CITY photo via atlasobscura.com
