Intersection

[On the scene] The low-key return of the Monte Carlo

What happens after the fire is out and the water damage is fixed?

Julie Seabaugh

10:30 a.m. “Hello, welcome back,” says the man in the yellow vest and white plastic hat. “Can I have you use the covered walkway, please, for safety reasons?”

Eleven a.m. was the scheduled “working time” of when the Monte Carlo, the top six of 32 floors of which were damaged in a fire three weeks ago, would reopen this past Friday. But apparently things are ahead of schedule, and though a dozen valets, bellhops and greeters don’t have much to do, they are all smiles nonetheless. Hearing one’s solo footsteps echo down the Street of Dreams promenade is both odd and a bit underwhelming, so when a tight pack of security guards speeds toward the entrance, the immediate instinct is to follow. Another fire? Unruly guest? Underwhelming again, the problem turns out to be a malfunctioning handicapped ramp.

3:15 p.m. Things are noticeably picking up in the lobby and hallways, though casino action is a bit slow. Clevelander Donna Rees is actually staying down at New York-New York, but she’s playing the slots here this afternoon because, “I figured the odds would be better.” New Orleans, take note: Catastrophe Tourism is on the rise.

9 p.m. Twelve hundred of the 3,000 rooms are functional, and outside the Brew Pub, it’s business as usual. A group of women compare their shopping finds; three young men weigh tonight’s nightlife options. But it’s not until a 20-something couple walks by, the woman repeating variations on, “What fire? I never heard about a fire,” that it’s clear things are getting back to normal.

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