Vegas Took Her Pants: The Monorail Story

The last 2 weeks have been crazy in the lives of the SJ’s. Life happened and our normal routines are off course, so I missed posting last week. Unfortunately, we are still wheels off at the moment as we walk through these trying times, but I wanted to re-visit a crazy Vegas moment and get a post for the week. Life is hard (and it’s REAL hard right now) and a good laugh can help pull us through the moments we want to cry.

Throughout our Vegas adventures, we have been slow to embrace public transportation. We are complete ride share people now (thanks to our friends the Suitors), but we were reluctant to change. The first trip we were cheap and chose to walk everywhere (mistake). The next few trips we embraced riding the buses because a 3 day bus pass is economical and efficient enough between casinos. And then we discovered the monorail and by using the MyVegas app we scored several passes for free.  

The Monorail begins at the south end of The Strip at the MGM Grand and runs parallel to The Strip on its east side. The track is 3.9 miles (6.3 km) and takes about 15 minutes to ride from the MGM Grand to the Sahara hotel. The monorail is often forgotten because you do have to walk through a casino (remember this post) to the backside to find it and it has a limited number of stops making it a less attractive travel choice. But if you are in Vegas for business it is the BEST option for access to the Convention Center and Sands Expo. Single rides cost $5 but 24Hr and 3-day pass options are available. Chasing Note: The monorail has been closed due to Covid-19.

It was a hot night in Vegas with temperatures lingering around 99F even though the sun had set hours ago. We were leaving the Grand Garden Arena at the MGM after watching a spectacular Aerosmith concert. Let me just say, Steven Tyler can still put on a phenomenal show!! Anyway, we were staying at Caesar’s and it was 4^th of July weekend, so we used our monorail passes to beat the heat and the crowds. In Vegas, some people never break from drinking and you’d be wrong to think that it’s just the young, party crowd who over indulge. We scan our ticket and board the train, followed by a group of half a dozen dudes headed out to the bars. As we are all waiting for the train to leave, we see a group of tipsy, slightly passed middle age women running towards the monorail. They are dressed in their most comfortable stretchy shorts and flip flops carrying giant frozen drinks and purses. “Wait! Hold the door!!” the dark haired lady cries as she and her squad round the corner. Side note… she wasn’t really in danger of missing the train. But as she rounds the corner the unthinkable happens… those extra comfy, stretchy shorts betray her. To everyone’s horror (not really hers) we watch as she jiggles right out of her shorts. Around the ankles her grey shorts fall exposing her beige panties to her friends and everyone on the monorail. BUT! Slightly red faced with embarrassment, she continues her sprint as she pulls up her pants and never drops her drink or purse. Bravo ma’am… Bravo. She was a great sport and everyone on the train got a good laugh at her expense with one guy saying  “I have seen this happen on YouTube, but never in person!” and “You can see anything in Vegas.”

The old saying goes “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” … unless someone has a camera on and then that mess is all over the internet! But for real, if you are traveling end to end on The Strip and don’t mind some walking the monorail is an excellent choice of travel. It’s clean, fast, and runs a regular schedule, and hey you may get to experience one of those “only in Vegas” moments. This week’s Chasing tip: Make sure the elastic in your shorts is tight and never sacrifice a drink! In flip flops or high heels, just keep your pants on and #chaseme to the next monorail stop…