I’m getting ready to update Simplifying Las Vegas for 2021. This will be difficult, to say the least. First of all, 2020 will be the first year I haven’t visited Las Vegas since…. Well, I can’t remember when. So I don’t have the same frame of reference that I usually do. I also really don’t know what’s coming up in 2021, so to publish a “travel guide” is not easy when you don’t know how to help people get the most out of their vacations. Still, as I get ready to publish my yearly travel guide, I have a lot to reflect on from this past year and to look forward to next year.
My wife and I have been quarantined since March. Jennifer has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, so when COVID-19 hit, we had to be extra-cautious. The medication she takes to keep the tumors in her liver at bay, it makes her blood counts really low, so although the medication is working and she feels good, she is very, very susceptible to things COVID-19, the flu, etc. Her doctor has warned her that if she ever gets a fever, she will need to go to the emergency room because her body cannot fight infection with such low blood counts. COVID-19 would likely be fatal for Jennifer.
I mention all of this because there is no question for us – we are not traveling, or even seeing people who have not quarantined for two weeks – because it is not worth the risk for us. As much as I love Las Vegas, I love my life, my wife and my dog more, so we are all staying put.
We take in all of this day-by-day so that we don’t go crazy thinking that it will be forever until we are able to travel again or even see other human beings more than 6 feet from us. We continue to look on the bright side, which is somewhere in 2021 when we feel there is a reliable, safe vaccine to take and there is relatively no risk in getting the disease. Once that happens, you can guarantee that I’ll be looking at flights, places to stay, shows, restaurants and which of my favorite sports teams will be playing during my planned stay in Las Vegas. I would say “I can’t wait” but the truth is I have to wait.
I’ve always said that Las Vegas is like a state of mind for me. When I’m there, it’s an escape from the everyday, and when I’m not there I’m thinking about what my next trip there will be like. So although I haven’t visited Las Vegas in 2020, I still have an imagine in my mind of what it will be like when I return. I’ll have to rely on that image for Simplifying Las Vegas 2021. Until then, I’m relying on you, readers, to give me your thoughts and experiences. Have you been to Las Vegas in 2020? Did you enjoy your trip? What do you think will happen once the pandemic is over? Give the rest of us a glimpse into your version of Las Vegas.
Viva,
Mike