Race makes folks go nowhere fast

Michelle Smith said she could describe what it was like Friday getting around downtown Las Vegas in one word. Instead, she needed two.

"It sucks," the St. Paul, Minn., woman said while dragging her rolling suitcase around street closures related to this weekend's inaugural Vegas Grand Prix.

That was a common lament heard from tourists who had to negotiate detours ringing the race's 2.4-mile course, which has been overlayed atop existing city streets. That has resulted in a maze of barricaded byways in the city's center.

"We had to park about six blocks away" to avoid street shutdowns, said Ross Feezor, 43, of Green Bay, Wis., who was staying with his wife at the Golden Nugget inside the track perimeter.

"We asked three people, who gave us three different places to park," two of which would have trapped his car inside the closure area, he said. "It's been really bad. It's turned us off on downtown."

But the hassle was worth it for other visitors, who said they wouldn't be downtown if not for the grand prix.

"I think it's great to have a street race. Lots of places do it," said Deb Thomas, who flew in Friday from Peoria, Ill. "The big deal is it's money for the area. I'm only here now because of the race."

As many as 150,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event, which ends with the main race Sunday.

To allow racing, parts of streets making up the course -- including Main Street, Bonneville Avenue, Grand Central Parkway, Ogden Avenue and Fourth Street -- have been closed off during the daytime, with limited access at night.

That has led to parking and cab pickup restrictions at many downtown hotels; the setup of temporary cab stands, hotel check-in tents, satellite parking lots and pedestrian bridges around the track's perimeter; detours on many central city bus routes; and busier traffic on nearby streets still open.

Capt. Tom Conlin, who heads traffic enforcement for Las Vegas police, said that streets around downtown were significantly congested during Friday morning's rush hour, but that traffic slacked off by midday. He cautioned commuters to expect delays this weekend.

"Plan as though there will be a lot of people downtown," Conlin said. "Don't be in a hurry."

About 20 traffic officers on motorcycles are expected to be downtown to regulate traffic at any given time, in addition to other patrol officers and event staff, Conlin said.

Though most downtown businesses were open as usual, the race forced the temporary closure of the Greyhound bus depot at 200 S. Main St. along the course. Through Sunday, intercity bus operations have been moved to Citizens Area Transit's Downtown Transportation Center at 300 N. Casino Center Boulevard.

Not all bus riders knew of the switch. Zoltan Dennis, 23, of Australia showed up at the Greyhound station early Friday to find it closed. "It was a bit of a surprise," he said, adding that a depot worker hesitantly pointed him to the DTC.

"She wasn't sure, either," said Dennis, who was headed to Los Angeles after staying at a Strip hotel.

But few may have had a tougher time getting out of town than Gloria Lopez, 60, of Merced, Calif., who was winding up a stay on the Strip with her 88-year-old mother and 79-year-old aunt, both of whom use a wheeled walker.

They planned to catch an Amtrak shuttle bus Thursday and then connect with a train in Bakersfield, Calif. Normally, the shuttle leaves town from the Greyhound depot, which is where a cabdriver left them.

"We had to walk all the way" to the DTC, about a half-mile away, Lopez said, but their bus left without them.

After spending a night at Binion's hotel, the trio tried to catch an early Friday bus to their train. But Lopez said they missed that bus, too, after a walk slowed by a search for handicapped-accessible routes around the street closures.

"We were locked in," Lopez said. But by midmorning Friday, they had made their way to the DTC and were awaiting a midday bus to Bakersfield.

It wasn't just tourists flummoxed by the closures. Some cabdrivers were having a tough time, too.

"Every way (around downtown) is busy or closed," Hakim Abass, 58, a driver with Whittlesea Cab Co., said while picking up passengers at a temporary cab stand set up at Third Street and Carson Avenue.

Larry Hart, a driver for Nellis Cab Co., also was confused. "Right now, none of the cabdrivers have got a clue" on how to detour around the shutdowns, he said, adding that his managers were distributing detour maps to drivers.

Some drivers read the maps, Hart said. "But you have a lot of guys who don't pay any attention."

The street closures didn't appear to deter shoppers from the Fremont Street Experience, which was buzzing with people by midmorning Friday.

"We were slammed" on Thursday, said Cathy Blevins, a cashier at Tiffany's Souvenir and Gifts at 317 Fremont St.

Blevins said she didn't have a problem getting to work. Then again, she didn't need a car. "I walked to work," she said.

Also hoofing it Friday was Kenneth Couch of Brooklyn, N.Y. He was searching for a cab after his stay at the Golden Nugget.

Was it a hassle? Yes, Couch said, but not a big one.

"I'm from New York," he said. "I'm used to walking."