Yes, people pay a lot to park in the French Quarter or downtown New Orleans. Yeah, it costs money to park in downtown Chicago. Yes, it costs money to mark many places in Washington, D.C.
Where does it not cost to park? Last time I checked it was the suburban malls of Chicago, Cleveland and Seattle. Also, last time I checked, the casinos in Laughlin, Toledo and Iowa.
Yes, a billion people visit Vegas, yes, casinos and malls in downtown New Orleans and San Antonio charge for parking. Downtowns are different. And the strip casinos aren’t a downtown. They are big, sprawling properties that gobble up smaller properties for expansion, and they aren’t land locked like downtown districts are.
I get why casinos are charging for parking. They can. It hurts the bottom line at places like Miracle Mile and Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips. Maybe not substantially, but you won’t convince me that restaurants at Miracle Mile are going to see an increase in revenue thanks to parking fees.
Businesses can do whatever they want. If Sam’s Town wants to charge for parking, go for it. If Ellis Island wants to charge for parking, go for it. I won’t stop at either place if I have to pay an extra $8 or $10 for the privilege of doing so for an hour, but it’s a free country, do what makes financial sense for your business.
But you wouldn’t simply dismiss parking fees at the Primm outlet malls as a deal compared to what people in New York or L.A. pay to park. The foot traffic at strip casinos and malls is exponentially higher, of course, but it’s a flawed comparison.
You miss the mark on this one when you make the comparison, Scott.
]]>I live in LV and my friends, neighbors and pretty much most of the locals avoid the strip at all costs. Most only visit the area if you guests from out of town you want to hang out with, or unfortunately work there.
That being said I do have a fantastic view of the strip from my backyard, it’s 20 miles away and I prefer to keep it that way.
]]>I sometimes eat at the restaurant cluster in the back of Miracle Mile (Flights, Blondies, Cantina, etc). They don’t get a ton of strip Passeggiata customers the way Cabo does. And they are not $100 a plate destination restaurants. They will suffer from the paid parking like the casual Miracle Mile shops will. I’ll bet on complaints from the tenants.
Paid parking everywhere does testify to the prevailing rumor that the Strip has completely given up on attracting locals. All their eggs are in the tourism basket.
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