People bask at a pool at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas after it reopened for business.
LAS VEGAS — "Why is he wearing a mask?"
As I walked up to a roulette table at the Cosmopolitan, I couldn't help but hear the young woman ask her friend about my facial covering. I knew she was talking about me because as I scanned the casino floor, I was the only nonemployee wearing a mask.
Welcome to the new Las Vegas, where the coronavirus pandemic is in the mental rear-view mirror of many visitors, and mask shaming is in vogue for some tourists trying to return to normalcy.
Several hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip opened for the first time last week since being closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending on where you went, the new normal may not have looked that much different than the old normal.
MGM Resorts opened the Bellagio, MGM Grand and New York-New York on Thursday. When the doors at the Bellagio opened at 10 a.m., Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts' acting chief executive and president, was there along with hotel staff and executives to applaud their first customers in nearly three months as the fountains outside played "Viva Las Vegas."
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Guests checking into the hotel walked to the left and had their temperatures checked, while patrons looking to gamble and grab a drink at the casino went to the right and didn't have their temperatures checked.
Plexiglas safety shields separated the players and dealers at gaming tables and were placed between every two seats at the bars. There were hand-washing stations on the casino floor and several kiosks with complimentary masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. All employees, including dealers and bartenders, wore masks, while signs on the casino floor "strongly encouraged" guests to wear them. It was hard to forget the pandemic at the Bellagio.
The Cosmopolitan, however, appeared as if it was six months ago when there was no pandemic and social distancing had yet to enter our lexicon. There were signs posted in the casino encouraging guests to wear masks, but they were received as warmly as someone telling you "try not to have too much fun" before your Las Vegas trip.
I posted a video of my walk through the casino floor on Twitter, where it was viewed more than 16 million times.
Las Vegas is officially back. pic.twitter.com/EI3nXs2e5w
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 6, 2020
There wasn't anything extraordinary about it except that it felt ordinary, which perhaps passes for extraordinary during this time.
Nobody seemed to be keeping a 6-foot distance, few outside of employees were wearing masks, and there were no dividers at the gaming tables and bars, which were packed.
The issue in Nevada is that facial coverings are not required for hotel and casino guests, only for employees. Many of those who descended upon Las Vegas to be among the first to check into a hotel, put $20 on black and double down on 11 aren't going to wear a mask because they're not concerned about COVID-19.
COVID-19 warning signs are on display at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas after it reopened for business.
If they cared about it in March, they seemed to have lost interest at some point and are now ready to return to their old way of life regardless of the trajectory of the curve. It's hard to imagine that anyone genuinely worried about the pandemic would wait for the casino doors to open at 10 a.m. to rush to the blackjack table.
In a city built on luxury and indulgence, it was the simple things on this first trip to Las Vegas in three months that prompted me and many others to text pictures to friends and family back home.
I went to the gym. I got a haircut. I laid out by the pool. I ate at a nice restaurant. I placed a bet on a live boxing match.
The photos and videos of these mundane activities, which would have been afterthoughts three months ago, were met by responses ranging from "I'm jealous!" to "Are you crazy?!"
That divide during this pandemic is one reason Las Vegas isn't fully open. Hotels are just dipping their toes into their pools, which were open and surprisingly full over the weekend. Day beds and cabanas at the Cosmopolitan were sold out.
Although the Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah's and Wynn are open, other hotels such as Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, Bally's, Linq, Aria, Mirage, Park MGM, Mandalay Bay and Luxor remain closed.
Hotels can't exceed 50% capacity, and many stores and restaurants inside are either closed or open only during select days and times. Nightclubs and buffets, Vegas staples, are shut for the foreseeable future. Some casino floors may have looked packed over the weekend, but the Strip is still very a much a ghost town with no traffic.
The expectation is that Las Vegas will be fully back by July 4, a Saturday. Most of the aforementioned hotels announced they would reopen by that weekend.
As I said goodbye to a friend, who is a bartender at one of the hotels that opened last week, she discreetly looked to her left and right before briefly removing her mask to blow me a kiss.
"Hopefully the next time I see you we don't have to wear these stupid masks," she said. "I hate it."
10 spectacular sights for your travel dreams
10 spectacular world sights for your travel dreams
Fjords, Norway
A fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides created by a glacier. They’re found throughout the world, including in New Zealand, Alaska and Chile, but some of the most extensive and breathtaking are the fjords located in Norway. The Norwegian fjords are one of the country’s biggest draws, and they can be explored via hiking trails, on boat cruises or from above in a helicopter. While you probably can’t see all 1,190 fjords in Norway, travel companies have tours that showcase the most popular.
Cappadocia, Turkey
Located in central Turkey, Cappadocia is a region known for its “fairy chimneys,” which are towering rock formations created by volcanic eruptions and erosion. Today, visitors often take advantage of the region in two ways: by spending a night in one of the many cave hotels and by taking a sunrise hot-air-balloon ride over the dreamy landscape.
Atolls, Maldives
In the Maldives, the view of crystal-clear water filled with sea life from a luxury overwater bungalow is a knockout, but it’s not the island nation’s best vista. That superlative belongs to the stunning scene visible when travelers are in a sea plane heading to their resort, overlooking the atolls — ring-shaped coral reefs that encircle lagoons. There are 26 atolls making up the Maldives, including Ari Atoll, home to five-star resort Constance Moofushi, and North Male Atoll, where the stellar Gili Lankanfushi resort is located.
Waimea Canyon, Hawaii
Known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon is a large canyon located on the western side of the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The canyon is a whopping 10 miles long, 1 mile wide and 3,600 feet deep. Visitors can opt to do a strenuous hike down into the canyon or make their way to several lookout points dotted around the rim of the canyon for pretty views. Travelers looking to see this Jurassic Park-like landscape from above can also book a helicopter tour that combines Waimea Canyon and the Napali Coast.
Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia
You’ve probably seen of a photo of Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats on Instagram, which at certain times acts as a mirror due to nearby lakes overflowing and leaving a thin layer of water that provides a reflection of the sky. Situated in the Andes and measuring 4,086 square miles, it’s the world’s largest salt flat, and it was created from a prehistoric lake that went dry and left behind a thick crust of salt. Although the salt flat is still a worthwhile sight when dry, it’s worth visiting in the rainy season — December through April — to secure the magical mirror effect.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
Located in southeastern China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is also reminiscent of the movie “Avatar” due to its quartz-sandstone formations that jut into the air — made even more ethereal when fog rolls through the pillars. More than 3,000 quartzite-sandstone pillars and peaks dominate the landscape, and the park was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. One of the pillars, the 3,540-foot Southern Sky Column, was officially renamed “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain,” and it’s reportedly the most popular sight within the park.
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
Situated along the north coast of Northern Ireland, Giant’s Causeway is a mesmerizing collection of 40,000 massive black basalt columns — most hexagonal-shaped — that stick out of the sea. It was created by volcanic activity some 50 million to 60 million years ago and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. However, legend has it that it was actually formed when there was a fight between Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) and Scottish giant Benandonner — hence the landmark’s name. Regardless, it’s a gorgeous sight that can be climbed.
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
The 73,000-acre Plitvice Lakes National Park is a well-known park in Croatia, located close to the country’s border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s most famous for its 16 lakes — some with beautiful emerald-green and turquoise waters — that are interconnected by a series of waterfalls. Swimming is not permitted in the lakes, but visitors can hike, walk along the boardwalks or take a boat between sections. Don’t miss the Veliki Slap, which at 256 feet is the tallest waterfall in Croatia.
Northern Lights, Iceland
While the Blue Lagoon and numerous waterfalls are a major lure to Iceland, it’s the country’s designation as one of the top places in the world to see the Northern Lights that earns it a spot on this list. The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are bright dancing lights created from collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere and charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Iceland’s high latitude allows for stellar views of the lights, primarily between the months of September through March.
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
This Southeast Asia destination is a stunner. Ha Long Bay is located off the coast of northern Vietnam, near its border with China. An extremely popular tourist attraction, the bay is made up of more than 1,600 limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes, which many travelers liken to the landscape of “Avatar.” The greenery-covered karsts set in emerald waters make for a beautiful scene that’s best experienced on a group boat tour or via a sea-plane excursion.
