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Look I hadn't been to Vegas before. The whole ground floor reeked of tobacco which I haven't been around in years, everywhere else has banned indoor smoking forever. The light fixtures all over were dusty, especially in the elevators. There were ads on the walls in the elevators. The parking lot had some trash. There were very few electrical outlets in the hotel room. The shower head was one of the cheapest I've ever seen in a hotel room. The stuff in the bathroom (shampoo, soap, other random toiletries) was OK but they didn't have things I'd expect from upscale places like mouthwash. They hosed up stocking and gave me two body soaps and no shampoos the first day. They hadn't done a great job cleaning the hotel room before we checked in, we found a bit of trash.
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May 21, 2021 17:03
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I understand what you mean chainclaw, most of Vegas is a bit sloppy, but the Wynn is "upper end" at least compared to the other hotels as you saw with circus circus. I actually embrace the filth and like staying at dumps like the Ellis island hotel and such because of the wild crowds you run into, but if I went to Vegas expecting an upscale experience like nice hotels have abroad I'd also be a little confused and frustrated too. That being said did Ellis island survive the pandemic? That's my favorite spot unironically, to gamble and gently caress around at. (Also the ribs)
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May 21, 2021 18:46
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Yeah once we walked around the strip we had our level set better, it was an initial impression thing, it was the first place we went and our expectations were different. One of the first things I check when staying at a "nice" hotel to see if it's real nice or just a presentation of niceness is how much dust is on the light fixtures in sort of out of site areas. It's not too hard to reach, but most people won't notice, so a lot of places that are fake nice skip on cleaning things in spaces like that. If the hotel pays attention to that detail, then it's probably a very nice place and they're keeping everything else pretty clean. All the lights in the elevators near the ceiling in the Wynn were super dusty.
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May 21, 2021 19:02
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I mean I haven't been to pandemic Vegas, so it's possible they had their poo poo rocked and aren't up to snuff because they probably fired 80% of their staff, but it normal defcon 5 times, I think it's actually a very nice very cool place to be.
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May 23, 2021 16:46
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Wynn is Vegas nice, which is probably near the upper end of hotels in the US but the US hospitality industry is laughable.
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May 23, 2021 21:35
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Chainclaw posted:Look I hadn't been to Vegas before. The whole ground floor reeked of tobacco which I haven't been around in years, everywhere else has banned indoor smoking forever. The light fixtures all over were dusty, especially in the elevators. There were ads on the walls in the elevators. The parking lot had some trash. There were very few electrical outlets in the hotel room. The shower head was one of the cheapest I've ever seen in a hotel room. The stuff in the bathroom (shampoo, soap, other random toiletries) was OK but they didn't have things I'd expect from upscale places like mouthwash. They hosed up stocking and gave me two body soaps and no shampoos the first day. They hadn't done a great job cleaning the hotel room before we checked in, we found a bit of trash. Write a letter and tell them this (address to Marilyn Spiegel, as she's the executive in charge of this sort of thing.) Maybe don't share that you're a little OCD on on light fixture dust (I've seen that on the place in 2006 when it was less than a year old) but particularly the part about trash and the bathroom amenities. Housekeeping staff are overworked, and many people are using the rooms like party flophouses and dodging on tips which in turn has made the problem worse, but Wynn as a company cares about the kind of poo poo like this more than probably any other operator on the Strip, and they're actually in the opening stages of renovating their rooms this year. They might not give you anything, or even reply, but maybe they will. Before he was revealed to be a terrible rapist and kicked out of the company, Steve Wynn was very much a "chew people's asses out because of dirty wall sconce" kind of guy, and sweating small details like that is their calling card in a way. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 00:07 on May 25, 2021 |
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May 25, 2021 00:02
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https://twitter.com/meganmesserly/status/1397630686723395586
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May 26, 2021 21:18
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So I noticed that all hotel casinos in Vegas split the cost of a hotel room into "room fee" and "resort fee" which makes the numbers you see on TripAdvisor completely useless (because they just show the room charge). Any recommendations for a hotel search engine that doesn't lie to you?
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May 26, 2021 23:06
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None of them do, that's why they exist. Some of the smaller downtown operators that are more transparent about their business than the big listed corporations have tried not doing the resort fee thing, and it doesn't work because their hotel is way more expensive than everyone else on travel search engines as a result. Just mentally calculate $30 a night for anything on the Strip, $45 for the five diamond style hotels, and $20-30 for downtown.
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May 27, 2021 16:56
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Well Virgin Atlantic sure made it sound like I'd be able to rebook my Black Friday business class tickets if the US still hadn't reopened, but whoops didn't mention I'd have to make to the price difference to the regular price, which is over seven grand. I was towards the end of the available window so they can't have honoured much if anything from that whole sale.
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Jun 6, 2021 02:30
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I'm hitting Vegas at the end of July for a few days midweek because why not. I haven't been in a couple years and usually I dick around on the strip or downtown. What's new in terms of weird offbeat and off strip stuff? For example I want to check out omegamart and that whole area, is there more stuff like that that's new-ish? Staying at the Cromwell for the first time since they rebuilt it from Bills. Anything of note to know about the pool or drais? Worth getting a table or cabana or nah? Thanks in advance fellas.
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Jun 30, 2021 02:34
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Meow wolf was pretty cool but not as cool as I thought it would be. Lotus of Siam's Khao Soi is still delicious, and the valley of fire state park is beautiful, even when it was so dang hot out. The pinball hall of fame's new location is impressive, congrats to them. Hope I can come back soon!
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Aug 2, 2021 22:24
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Minty Swagger posted:The pinball hall of fame's new location is impressive, congrats to them. Really want to hit that whenever travel is a good idea again in 2026.
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Aug 3, 2021 00:37
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With COVID looking not so great, is there any discussion around vaccine requirements for anything in Vegas? I'll be in Vegas Sept 17-20 for Friday night of Life is Beautiful & the UNLV-ISU football game, and would love to do some pool or night clubbing but not willing to play the odds if they aren't checking vaccine status.
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Aug 27, 2021 19:30
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MGM resorts aren't doing poo poo as of Aug 24th. Masking is insanely common (good job yall) at least, so you'll easily be able to spot the chuds, to steer clear. It's still not super crowded.
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Aug 28, 2021 04:37
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resident posted:With COVID looking not so great, is there any discussion around vaccine requirements for anything in Vegas? I'll be in Vegas Sept 17-20 for Friday night of Life is Beautiful & the UNLV-ISU football game, and would love to do some pool or night clubbing but not willing to play the odds if they aren't checking vaccine status. So far vaccination is only required for Raiders games (and maybe some conventions.) Large event operators (more than 4000 people) have the option to drop mask mandates if they require proof of vaccination but the Raiders are AFAIK the only ones that have done this, other events at Allegiant (so far) require masks but not tests or vaccination.
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Aug 28, 2021 14:41
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I'm not sure I understand, resident are you coming here unvaccinated? Life is Beautiful will require a vaccine card or negative test taken in the last 72 hours. People are required to wear a mask anywhere mixed parties exist in indoor climates (including casinos, shows, etc) but as the vaccine drive goes aside from really large events of 10,000+ people there's no verifying health documents. You can show up, gamble, pool, club, whatever as long as you wear a mask when you're inside except when you're eating a meal at a restaurant. Nevada is culturally not a state warm to the idea of forced identification, if you got rid of the undocumented immigrants who have had trouble getting a vaccine and the libertarian assholes who would both feel oppressed by such rules for different reasons there would not be many Nevadans left. I wouldn't worry too much about casino workers, MGM is already demanding public-facing workers be vaccinated by October. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Aug 30, 2021 |
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Aug 29, 2021 20:54
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I’m vaxed and prefer to stay clear of those who aren’t, especially in an indoor club environment. I’m from Seattle and we’ve got a pretty good thing going here where 50-75% of restaurants and bars are doing vax card checks at the door.
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Sep 1, 2021 04:06
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So in the past week, Caesars just cancelled a (no poo poo) QAnon "Great Awakening" convention which will probably just move down-market, Raiders fans are forfeiting their season tickets due to a policy requiring vaccination to go inside, and you can't hold a local government meeting of any kind right now without a line out the building of people waiting to scream anti-doing-anything rhetoric. State directive is "do what the CDC says" which is why the masks are enforced. A few concert venues and special events like LiB have vax card checks, but yeah, the general Strip is viewed as impossible to do that with unless you've got Disneyland-style screening at every entryway making going into each casino a hassle.
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Sep 3, 2021 06:19
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I am staying at Harrah's in mid-November (conference, so went with the not-leaving-the-hotel option), and my flight in got changed by the airline from a 6:30PM arrival to an 8:40PM arrival. I figure there's no way I'm getting actually to the hotel before 9:30PM -- other places I would be concerned about having to notify for a late checkin, is a place like Harrah's going to be an issue with arriving that time of night? I realize that 9:30PM is early for Vegas overall, just concerned about losing my room reservation. Could I check in on the app as soon as I land?
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Sep 16, 2021 22:24
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I’ve arrived at 1AM and not have an issue. Just call them and see what they say.
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Sep 16, 2021 22:40
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The MGM Signature condos are so drat mediocre. I can’t imagine parking like $650k on such a bland vacation home.
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Sep 20, 2021 23:56
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Broadly speaking, how is Vegas in mid November? I'm contemplating visiting for the big MTG event, it sounds like being double vaxxed, in good health and still wearing masks I shouldn't be too concerned? Are the buffets still gone? Is the general Vegas experience compromised still? And I'm thinking of hopping on from there to somewhere like Seattle, is it much trouble for a visiting tourist (UK) to hop on a domestic flight like that?
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Sep 26, 2021 23:45
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Having just been to Vegas for labor day week. Masks are mandatory everywhere. Being vaccinated helps. It's not packed to the gills like if it were in prime but there is liveliness, some hotel casinos more packed than others. I got a good deal at the Venetian/Palazzo. I did have an event canceled on me, it was Wynn's Beach Party on a Thursday morning and they refunded me instantly. Wynn's XS interior is also undergoing some renovation. Most everything was open, I did everything else I wanted to and took Uber's off strip to good places. I can't say for everywhere but the Wynn's buffet at least looked closed. Despite being in Vegas, I didn't feel like I was at risk. In my opinion November would be good because going in Sept the temp was 110 degrees and I couldn't even enjoy pool time. I would think if you've already got visa or authorization to come to the US and if you're vaxxed and mask up, you should be good for domestic flights. Probably just need to show your passport as ID.
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Sep 27, 2021 02:46
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I've just realized that going for time I'm looking at I might be in Vegas for US Thanksgiving, should I look to avoid that? Do things shut down?
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Oct 1, 2021 01:28
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BizarroAzrael posted:I've just realized that going for time I'm looking at I might be in Vegas for US Thanksgiving, should I look to avoid that? Do things shut down? Not in Vegas. It’s business as normal.
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Oct 1, 2021 01:46
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BizarroAzrael posted:I've just realized that going for time I'm looking at I might be in Vegas for US Thanksgiving, should I look to avoid that? Do things shut down? Las Vegas casinos never stop though shows may be dark and stores will be closed in the morning. The Christmas shopping season in the US usually gets started Thanksgiving afternoon.
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Oct 1, 2021 01:46
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Lots of the casinos do really great Thanksgiving dinner. We went to the Wynn one year and it was baller.
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Oct 1, 2021 03:37
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Only indirectly Vegas related, but where would be another good location in the US for solo travel? I'm thinking Seattle right now, I think it should be fine to fly to one, then the next a few days later on a domestic flight and back home from the second?
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Oct 6, 2021 02:43
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First time. Search button in this thread says the best hotels for a first-timer are: Aria, Wynn, Cosmo, Venetian, Palazzo, Bellagio, and Caesar. What's the best experience for ~$500/night (excl. resort fees)? Best options I can find is Venetian's "Prestige Club"; Wynn's "Panoramic View"; Palazzo's "With Views". However, some of the "tier 2" hotels seem to offer their "best" rooms around that price point.
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Oct 6, 2021 05:19
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Love Stole the Day posted:First time. How old are you and what kind of vibe do you want? The cosmo wraparound terraces are around 350 per night and gorgeous.
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Oct 6, 2021 14:26
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GrandmaParty posted:How old are you and what kind of vibe do you want? This is the right answer regardless of anything else. I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t loved the wraparound terrace at Cosmo.
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Oct 9, 2021 02:04
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Love Stole the Day posted:First time. You want a really big suite or a really expensive gadget-laden suite that's half the size? Assuming midweek because it sounds like that's what you're talking about : The really big suite: Mirage Tower Suite The really swank suite: Aria Corner Suite A Suite With A Really Nice View: Cosmopolitan Wraparound Venetian/Palazzo are okay hotels but I think they're better if you're familiar with Vegas (especially Palazzo). Depending on what you're doing in Vegas, you may want to also look at the Delano penthouse. People give Mandalay Bay flack for being far from the five-star hotels of the late 2000s "nightclub era" of Vegas like Encore and Cosmo, marooned amidst a bunch of themed 90s casinos remaining from the family-friendly boom. But with the sports arenas nearby there's more activity on the corner of Tropicana again, and Mandalay keeps the transportation options and elevator cores pretty close together while still having quite a bit under it's own roof. So if you're going to an event at T-Mobile or Allegiant those hotels will be more attractive than they were back in the days the OP was written. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Oct 12, 2021 |
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Oct 12, 2021 01:22
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Thanks! All of this is very helpful
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Oct 15, 2021 19:33
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I think I've got the outline of a plan together, would like to put it out there for people more familiar with things like US domestic flying. I'll fly into I think either Seattle or San Francisco on a Wednesday, stay the night, do a little there and fly to Vegas the next day for the MTG event Friday-Sunday, and remain in Vegas until Wednesday-Thursday or so. Then back to Seattle/SF, see the sights and so on until flying back to London at the weekend. Sound okay? It's cheaper getting a return flight to the same place than two singles, and there aren't many direct flights to Vegas, to answer the obvious questions. Any comments on the other destinations welcome, wanted to go to Seattle for a while, but I know it's the worst weather of the year in November.
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Oct 18, 2021 01:42
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Sorry to bump, I know this forum is understandably quiet these days, but if like to know how easy it is to get a domestic flight? Can I just rock up to the airport and get on the next one to where I'm going? Do I pay a premium ordering on short notice? I'm considering playing things by ear, maybe be open to extending in Vegas or whatever.
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Oct 20, 2021 01:12
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BizarroAzrael posted:Sorry to bump, I know this forum is understandably quiet these days, but if like to know how easy it is to get a domestic flight? Can I just rock up to the airport and get on the next one to where I'm going? Do I pay a premium ordering on short notice? I'm considering playing things by ear, maybe be open to extending in Vegas or whatever. It's possible but not recommended due to cost. In general, walk up fares are going to be the most expensive and you're assuming that seats are available which is regularly not the case given the capacity discipline that is operated by most domestic carriers these days. It will vary widely based on market, day, and time. Culturally, leisure travel is booked well in advance and so the system is setup to facilitate that. Most airlines in the US have removed change fees, so you could theoretically decide to change your flight and extend your stay in Vegas but you'll be responsible for the difference in fare between what you originally purchased and the current price of the ticket at the time of change which, as noted above, can be significant. No real way to predict with any accuracy. As far as your ticket ex-London, it's unlikely that you could book all of this as a single ticket that prices reasonably so having your TATL segments and then your domestic flying ticketed separately probably makes the most sense, or possibly your TATL leg + a domestic leg, then your return with you buying a one-way between the domestic leg destination and your return gateway. Usually a domestic round trip is the same price as two one-ways but there are exceptions to that as well. You may be sensing a theme here.  If you care to join us over here and provide a few details, I'm happy to take a look for you.
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Oct 20, 2021 02:34
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Thanks! Nice to know the option to walk up is there but I should probably just try to nail down an itinerary.
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Oct 20, 2021 13:12
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Man, I have a massive pile of Radisson points from work but it's about the same or cheaper to book through one of the comparison sites than use points with them! And I'd have to go through the bullshit of transferring points to a US account now! I may actually go to the MGM Grand, except it's a bit further from the Convention Centre than TI. Is the monorail any good? I gather it's actually quite new so maybe it's managed to stay Goon-free so far? I notice Sahara also has it's own stop and that's another one on my radar, plus looks pretty walkable to the Convention center. Might be worth it just to save $13 per day I'm going there.
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Oct 21, 2021 10:54
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Neither MGM Grand or Treasure Island are close enough to the convention center to skip paying anything for transportation and go walk. You want the Westgate, Encore, or maybe Resorts World for that. Convention Center to Sahara is walkable on foot except at the worst of times, though their rooms last I saw are pretty small and garish and not for everybody. The Monorail is locally a joke but moving people to the convention center is the one thing it does very well. No idea what frequency is like during the pandemic, as it used to have a line going out the station at big conventions with people packed in like sardines that you wouldn't do now. The city also has a bus system that services the convention center, with a route that passes right in front of it that connects between the airport on the extreme south end and downtown on the north. Most people coming to Vegas are splurging cash and don't mind being overcharged for taxis or reserving limos because they're there to live beyond their means and pretend they're in a higher tax bracket than reality. If you're interested in doing Vegas cheap, just let me know what you're trying to accomplish because god knows locals are accustomed to pinching pennies and finding value. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Oct 21, 2021 |
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Oct 21, 2021 22:03
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