To the editor:

The problem with the Las Vegas Monorail is getting to the monorail from the Strip.

My wife and I spent four days in Las Vegas in October, and we each got a one-day pass. We never did so much walking -- just to get to the monorail. With bad legs, we walked from New York-New York through the MGM Grand to get to the monorail. We had to get off at Harrah's and walk through its casino to get to the Strip and go to the gondolas at The Venetian.

Had the monorail been located on the Strip, there would be lines to get on. But with all the walking and wasted time to where it is now, we will never use it again.

Whatever its merits and profit potential, the route of this monorail is boneheaded! To get from my room at Circus Circus to the deluxe sandy-beached wave pool at Mandalay Bay, from the northern to the southern extremes of the Mandalay Resort Group, this is what I would have to do: 1. Take the Circus Circus tram from the back to the front of the property. 2. Walk north to Sahara Avenue. 3. Cross Las Vegas Boulevard to the Sahara. 4. Walk though the Sahara to the monorail station at the back of the property. 5. Take the monorail to the MGM Grand. 6. Walk from the back to the front of the MGM Grand. 7. Take the walkway across Las Vegas Boulevard to New York-New York. 8. Walk through New York-New York. 9. Take the walkway across Tropicana Avenue to Excalibur. 10. Take the Excalibur slidewalk to the Mandalay tram. 11. Take the Mandalay tram to Mandalay Bay. It would probably be faster just to walk directly from Circus Circus. It might even require less total walking.