Living Las Vegas

At Home in the City of Lights

sponsored resources

Top Vegas Hotels: Bellagio, Luxor, Rio

Roads from the Ashes: An Odyssey in Real Life on the Virtual Frontier, by Megan Edwards

Books & Movies

What Happens in Vegas

Not surprisingly, several theaters in Las Vegas hosted “sneak previews” of “What Happens in Vegas” tonight. I couldn’t resist, partly because it’s my self-appointed duty to report on movies with “Vegas” in the title, and partly because I was curious to see how many people would turn up to see it in a neighborhood cineplex.

Continue reading...

Book Review - Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue

“It’s difficult to avoid Howard Hughes in Las Vegas.” So writes Geoff Schumacher in his new book, Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia, and Palace Intrigue. Even without reading this fact-packed volume, anybody who spends any time here will begin to notice Hughes’ lasting impact on Las Vegas. You visit Spring Mountain Ranch State Park and find that the eccentric gazillionaire once owned it. You have coffee at a Starbucks on Howard Hughes Center Drive…

Continue reading...

Chips and Fish

I’d been looking forward to seeing 21, the film based on Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, Ben Mezrich’s best-selling tale of beating Vegas casinos at blackjack. I make a point of seeing every new film about my favorite city, and my interest increased when I met Mike Aponte the other day at the airport…

Continue reading...

Book Review: Double or Nothing

The books I always remember the longest are those in which the author shares a story about a place or event that draws me into the narrative in a personal way. Whether it’s about battling a white whale or taking a road trip with a poodle named Charley, a great story pulls readers in and takes them on a virtual journey that leaves them wanting more at the end. Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos, a new book by Tom Breitling and Cal Fussman, is one of these marvelous books…

Continue reading...

Book Review: Breaking My Silence

Breaking My Silence: Confessions of a Rat Pack Party Girl and Sex Trade Survivor, by Jane McCormick and Patti Wicklund
I just finished reading this disarming and painfully revealing memoir of a high-end Vegas callgirl. I followed Jane McCormick, ably assisted by the writing talents of Patti Wicklund, through her childhood, which was marred by her stepfather’s horrible abuse. It’s difficult to read about a full-grown Marine molesting a three-year-old, and even more depressing to follow along as the sexual mistreatment continued over a period of years. Sadder yet is the…

Continue reading...

Planning | Advice | Tips | Routes | Books | Fun!