The Week
The Week
January Blues
January 5th, 2012
I drove down a residential street in the south Valley and found a private home with a decorated mailbox where kids could put their letters to Santa. (No word yet on the response.) I went to UNLV’s basketball game against the University of California at 2 p.m. on a Friday and found more than 15,000 fellow fans in a festive holiday mood, which the Rebels’ stellar performance only intensified. Afterward, I took my son on a long walk on the UNLV campus, culminating at Einstein Bros. Bagels on Maryland Parkway. On our way back, the sky had gone deep purple behind the Lied Library, and for a moment I was sure that there wasn’t a more beautiful place in the world. For those of us who long to believe, the holiday soil is rich indeed. Read more »
The Year
The Real Las Vegas
December 22nd, 2011
We’ve spent a year relishing what we were and defining who we are. Now it’s time to gather whatever wisdom we’ve gained, take a hard look at the present and get to work. Read more »
The Week
The Flight Goes On
December 15th, 2011
It was sunset. Ahead of us, the Las Vegas Strip shimmered. Beyond that, the sky was an unusual pink and purple. The ride was smooth; it was surreal to be close enough to the Stratosphere tower to see the deck, to see my own feet hovering above the MGM, to watch the moon rise out the window. The feeling wasn’t so much adrenaline rush as awe. The city below was tiny, but vibrant. Still vibrant. Read more »
The Week
Run, Sweat, Gasp, Survive
December 8th, 2011
I’m sorry to report that, on the night of the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, the smell of the Las Vegas Strip, at pavement level, was of raw sewage. Either that, or 43,999 people were expressing digestive freedom very near me. This was how my first half-marathon started: intimately. It was extremely crowded, the kind of crowded that usually calls for a panic attack. But I decided at the start that I would push through the pain, perfumes, discarded tutus, bouncing asses and flying elbows, Elvises and showgirls without panicking. I had panicked the day before when I realized I hadn’t trained for this little affair. Read more »
The Week
The Rebel Rise
December 1st, 2011
The night of Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Orleans Arena, where the survivors of Boomageddon huddled together and greeted the dawn. Sports do not heal socioeconomic distress, and even their emotional salve can be overrated—we all have to come home from the stadium at some point. But when UNLV’s basketball team defeated the top-ranked squad in the nation, something enduring was afoot. Read more »
The Week
The Vegas Odds
November 24th, 2011
Welcome to the Vegas Seven Race, Sports, Politics and Culture Book, where we’ve posted fresh odds for your civic reality one year from today. UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice appears courtside in a shirt that is not white. 1,000-1. Read more »
The Week
Thank This!
November 17th, 2011
I love this city. Never mind the never-ending recession and the blah-blah-blah of bad news; ’tis the season to be thankful. I’m thankful I’m a Las Vegan this morning. I’m thankful to wake up and see snow on Mount Charleston. I’m thankful for that billboard on Interstate 15 that says “GOD” and has an arrow pointing upward, and for the split second when you drive under it when that arrow points directly to the word “TRUMP” on the mammoth gold hotel behind it. Read more »
The Week
The Power of Ones
November 10th, 2011
Las Vegas has a fascination with numbers, especially when they seem to be lucky ones. Witness the barrage of 11-11-11 specials designed to cash in on the once-in-a-century numeric convergence this Nov. 11—$11.11 show tickets, 11-times point multipliers at locals casinos, $1,111 prizes and even $11,111 long-shot jackpots. Read more »
The Week
What Happens in the Suburbs
November 3rd, 2011
I am pleased to announce that Tony Hsieh and the owners of downtown’s Golden Gate have joined forces to buy my home. The bottom floor will be transformed into a youth-oriented “block-party zone." The second floor of my home, which is currently nonexistent, will be designed with an “old Vegas boudoir” theme. Read more »
The Week
You Know What’s Scary?
October 27th, 2011
What’s scary is the future of the Harmon. What’s scary is the future of North Las Vegas. What’s scary is the possibility that the latter might have no more future than the former. Read more »
