Living Las Vegas

Real Life in the Shadow of the Strip

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Top Vegas Hotels: Bellagio, Luxor, Rio

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

Events in Las Vegas

The Stardust: End of an Era

The Stardust’s days are numbered. In a month, the doors will close, and soon it will vanish in the grand style accorded to such icons. Old Las Vegas casinos never fade away, they go out with a big bang. In the meantime, the Stardust is playing host to many a big bash. I’ve had the pleasure of attending two…

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Lonnie Hammargren’s Yard Sale

You can’t live in Las Vegas for long without finding out about Lonnie Hammargren’s house. I first noticed it while driving by it one day, because most ordinary residences do not have Statue of Liberty arms sticking over their back walls. And I could tell even without stopping that the yard was chock full of other large artifacts, signs, and chunks of architecture…

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Empty Bowls in Las Vegas

At the end of March, I attended one of the most delightful and successful fundraisers I’ve ever been to anywhere. No, I’m not talking about a high-end formal ball with posses of celebrities, a multi-course banquet and lavish decorations. I’m talking about eating chicken noodle soup in a high school cafeteria. It may sound humble, but the Empty Bowls benefit sponsored by the Nevada Clay Guild, Aardvark Clay & Supplies, and Green Valley High School, not only raised nearly $20,000 to fight hunger in the Las Vegas valley, but also gave over a thousand people handmade works of art to take home…

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Farewell to the Castaways

In another city, a hotel like the Castaways (formerly the Showboat) might be a prize landmark, but here in Las Vegas, it was just something to get rid of. Once able to claim “the largest bowling alley in the world,” the Castaways’ glory days ended a few years ago in sudden closure after mismanagement mired it in bankruptcy. The doors shut so fast, they practically slammed in the faces of scores of bowlers arriving for a tournament. But things happen fast in Vegas…

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The South Coast: Baptism by Fire

In Rome, it’s the Spanish Steps or the Pantheon. In San Francisco, it’s the Ferry Building or Coit Tower. But in Las Vegas, it’s always casinos that give you your bearings. The Stratosphere tower and the beam from the Luxor Pyramid anchor the two ends of the Strip, and everybody in the valley identifies neighborhoods by means of the nearest gaming destination…

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