Several days after Las Vegas experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, hotels and casinos there are back in business. But the mood there among locals and tourists is very different, according to WGBH News and NPR correspondent Arun Rath.
"It's kind of a great cognitive dissonance because it is Las Vegas — everything is happening, the lights are flashing, there are all those signals and signs of the festivity and the entertainment. But you can see on people's faces that it's a very different sort of feeling," said Rath. "It's a very somber feeling."
Rath visited the Mandalay Bay hotel, where Stephen Paddock fired multiple rounds onto a crowd of thousands of festival-goers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival Sunday night. At least 59 people died and more than 500 others were injured. Mandalay Bay has resumed operation but the front entrance facing the strip has restricted access.
Rath described the scene across the street as a "scene frozen in time." Items are strewn across the field, left by concert-goers as they fled the scene. The stage and concession stands are still in place, cordoned off by police caution tape as officials continue to investigate.
And although the strip continues to attract tourists, Rath says crowds seem thinner than expected for this time of year.
