[MSchu]

this last first friday was the second in the new series of first fridays... so far it seems nice.
they have multiple areas going simultaneously.

[von949]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

The Western closed and the El Cortez is just barely east ...but I'd think any expansion downtown would mean more casinos east of 5th St. eventually. Too bad the Showboat is gone, huh?

So they are talking about a specific area on Fremont, not just general east. Because if you get technical, Boulder Station is far east Fremont. And the Western just closed.

[demoknite]

I believe that freight has the right of way on existing rail infrastructure and have heard stories of people on Amtrak being delayed for hours while waiting for freight trains to pass. Also, I believe that the tracks can only take up to a certain speed which would not be competitive with driving as mentioned above. Until someone in LA can get off of work at 5 and be in any casino before 10 the train is not viable, IMO.

And Im still not clear on what zappos is exactly trying to do.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by demoknite

I believe that freight has the right of way on existing rail infrastructure and have heard stories of people on Amtrak being delayed for hours while waiting for freight trains to pass. Also, I believe that the tracks can only take up to a certain speed which would not be competitive with driving as mentioned above. Until someone in LA can get off of work at 5 and be in any casino before 10 the train is not viable, IMO.

And Im still not clear on what zappos is exactly trying to do.

What you say is absolutely true. I love trains and take them all the time in other countries, but here it's a no-go for the exact reason you describe. When the train from NYC to Chicago arrives, they consider it "on-time" if it's within a six-hour stretch of time. I've sat on tracks in the middle of Ohio and Indiana for hours at a time looking at fields (or more often just the dark).

Now high-speed trains on the other hand are a wonder. I've been on them in Germany and Japan and you just sit there saying, WHY can't we have this? Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Cleveland to Chicago. Tucson to Phoenix to Las Vegas. San Francisco to LA to Vegas. But they have to be really fast, reasonably priced, and clean for the passengers and the environment. And of course they can be all of those things.

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I'm no expert on the subject, but I think travel time may be a factor. That's why they wanted a fast train. By the time a guy in La drives to the Amtrack station, jumps through some hoops there, rides the train to Las Vegas, finds his luggage ...several more hours than it takes to drive have passed and he's tarred and grumpy at the 21 table. "Normal" trains are slow and boring to ride.

Solution: bar-car with free or $1 drinks or something. The crowd of jackasses from LA would love getting pre-wasted for their arrival in Vegas. That does indeed beat driving, even if it's an hour or two longer. Heck, they could even open a slot-machine or blackjack car when the train crosses into NV.

[von949]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

What you say is absolutely true. I love trains and take them all the time in other countries, but here it's a no-go for the exact reason you describe. When the train from NYC to Chicago arrives, they consider it "on-time" if it's within a six-hour stretch of time. I've sat on tracks in the middle of Ohio and Indiana for hours at a time looking at fields (or more often just the dark).

Now high-speed trains on the other hand are a wonder. I've been on them in Germany and Japan and you just sit there saying, WHY can't we have this? Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Cleveland to Chicago. Tucson to Phoenix to Las Vegas. San Francisco to LA to Vegas. But they have to be really fast, reasonably priced, and clean for the passengers and the environment. And of course they can be all of those things.

Europe as a whole had the best public train transportation that I have experienced. It was relatively cheap, reliable, very common and just made sense. I would park my car at the station and hop on any chance I got. My friends and myself would ride from Italy through Austria-Slovakia to Germany every couple of months. I always wished the US would have something similar.

Japan on the other hand...that bullet train made me a little sick. Probably because I was drunk that one time...

I think now its just too late for this country. Our current infrastructure and habits just dont support the need/want for an national connecting train service.

[von949]

Originally Posted by demoknite

I believe that freight has the right of way on existing rail infrastructure and have heard stories of people on Amtrak being delayed for hours while waiting for freight trains to pass. Also, I believe that the tracks can only take up to a certain speed which would not be competitive with driving as mentioned above. Until someone in LA can get off of work at 5 and be in any casino before 10 the train is not viable, IMO.

And Im still not clear on what zappos is exactly trying to do.

Turn Las Vegas into San Fran.

[demoknite]

Originally Posted by von949

Europe as a whole had the best public train transportation that I have experienced. It was relatively cheap, reliable, very common and just made sense. I would park my car at the station and hop on any chance I got. My friends and myself would ride from Italy through Austria-Slovakia to Germany every couple of months. I always wished the US would have something similar.

Japan on the other hand...that bullet train made me a little sick. Probably because I was drunk that one time...

I think now its just too late for this country. Our current infrastructure and habits just dont support the need/want for an national connecting train service.

Ive had similar experiences. What I loved was going to a bar in a small town in Europe with 10,000 or so people, relatively in the middle of nowhere, getting wasted and walking out to find a row of taxis waiting to take people home. You can hardly get that in Vegas outside of the strip, much less in a rural American town. Yeh, I think we are too far gone. If we had done it post war like everyone (same with health care ) then we'd have a decent regional system.

[Buzz123]

So if this security breach, or maybe one in the future, brings Zappos down, how will it affect Las Vegas?

About.com: http://www.lvrj.com/

[von949]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

So if this security breach, or maybe one in the future, brings Zappos down, how will it affect Las Vegas?

About.com: http://www.lvrj.com/

Got caught slipping already.