The Real Vegas
There is a lot of talk here about the "two Las Vegases," the place where the tourists go and then the rest of it, where people live and go about their hum-drum lives. In the seven months I've been here I haven't set foot on the Strip, that stretch of highway that starts at the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign and ends at Circus Circus. Most locals stay away from the Strip. I have been to Downtown, the sort of poor relation to the Strip, where the Fremont Street Experience is. Downtown has had something of a resurgence, and it has a kind of Times Square feel to it, especially on holidays, such as Halloween, where a multitude gathered in costume.
But living here is not a vacation. Las Vegas is a sprawling urban area, with some fancy gated communities and some areas of abject poverty, just like any city. There is beauty if you look to the mountains, which you can see in all directions, but the city itself is just a series of strip malls, four on every intersection, filled with the usual trappings of American commerce, such as fast food joints and auto parts stores, hair salons and gas stations. But there are also differences. Of course, gambling is omnipresent--sports bars are equipped with games of chance, as are supermarkets, which all have a room set aside with video poker and slot machines. There are even chain casinos, one called Dotty's, which are everywhere.
Also ubiquitous, and quite absent in New Jersey, are loan offices. The picture above kind of captures the essence of the place. Every few yards is some sort of payday loan, title loan, or check cashing place. I suppose this might be because of people losing their shirts in the casino, but I also think it has to do with the general economy of the place--people working paycheck to paycheck. There are a large percentage of Mexican immigrants who work here for low-paying jobs--for hotels, mostly, and construction--who may drift from job to job. A lot of business is done in cash, too--many places say no checks allowed, nor even money orders.
Next to the loan office is another thing that I've never seen before moving here--the smoke shop. Smoking is still allowed in casinos here. It was banned almost every place in Jersey and New York City, so to walk into a casino is to go back in time when the smell of cigarette smoke smacks you in the face. I haven't been into one of these shops, but they all advertise "vapes," which I guess is the new e-cigarette, or some such invention. Smoke shops are everywhere, as plentiful as Starbucks if not more. The lung cancer rate here must be off the charts.
A few other observations about Vegas: people can't drive here. They won't let you over if you need to change lanes. Every night there's a story about deadly car accidents, especially drunk drivers smashing into bus stops. Pedestrians are killed at an alarming rate, perhaps because they dash across highways, at night, wearing dark clothing. People especially can't drive in the rain here, probably because they hardly ever have to. I went to the movies one night in the rain and on the way back saw three accidents. If it were to snow it would be a catastrophe. Of course, there are only three snowplows in the whole county.
If this city lacks beauty and culture (they have added an arts center, and most films do end up playing here) it does have a character. The character is one of constant change--nothing is branded a historical building here; everything can be torn down to make way for the new--and there is community. The weathermen have very little to say, since every day is like the last, and after living here for years fifty degrees can feel Arctic, as the blood gets thinned out after all those hundred-plus degree days. And when you drive up into the hills a bit and look down on the Strip and Downtown, the Stratosphere looming like some sort of monolith, there is a beauty there, even if it is built on human vice.
I'll be here in Vegas for at least three years, if I am to complete my teaching license. I can't say that I love it here, for some of the reasons cited, but I am fascinated by it. And fuck the weather is great. While it was snowing on the East coast I was at a water park.
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