Letter: Tourist has advice for South Shore

Publisher’s note: This letter was sent to South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman JoAnn Conner and is reprinted with permission.

Hello JoAnn,

I read with interest your recent editorial in the Lake Tahoe News regarding improvements to the SLT area and comparisons with Stateline.

I was looking for a place to express my opinion as a first time visitor to the area. Honestly, many of our friends told us to avoid the South Shore, and I have seen descriptions of it as a “tourist ghetto”. We are staying at Marriott’s Timber Lodge.

We were, therefore, surprised and pleased when we set out on foot from the Marriott. We can see the new sidewalk construction will be a huge plus for tourists like ourselves who like to get out and see the neighborhood. We have been to other ski areas that are as tidy as a Disney movie, and we like the mix of new and vintage that we see here. The combination of sports activities, water fun, backcountry experience, and downtown casinos seems to us to offer something for everyone and every taste. Yes, the highway is crowded, but it’s fairly easy to find seclusion when you want it.

Here’s where I think you need improvement: the pedestrian sidewalk in Stateline is just filthy and unattractive. Of course you can’t widen it, but does that mean it has to be so dirty? Why can’t it be pressured-hosed daily (as they are doing at Edgewood)? Why don’t Harrah’s and Harveys take a little more care to landscape and better maintain the scarce planters that border the main drag? Why aren’t there butt containers to accommodate the smokers who hang out near the exit doors? Why can’t the Horizon do a better job with their grounds and sidewalk entrances, which are the shabbiest and messiest on the strip?

I realize you are a council member for SLT and I’m guessing you have no control over these areas which are in NV, but I was hoping you’d pass on my comments to someone who has the influence.

These are very inexpensive details, which would go a long way toward assuring the visitor that one is in a tourist area that really cares about appearances. These little things — and especially cleanliness — means a great deal to a visitor.

I think it’s simply ridiculous that casino management is so careless about the pedestrian avenue.

Yours truly,

Barbara Johns, Palm Desert