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

Off-Strip Attractions

Helldorado Days

When I first moved to Las Vegas, a new acquaintance described it as “a sweet Western town.” I remember thinking he was nuts, but over the course of the last seven years, I’ve begun to discover what he was talking about. Often completely overshadowed by the glitz of the Strip is a community whose members ride horses, cultivate beards, and reminisce about the good old days when all it took to cause a traffic jam on Las Vegas Boulevard was three Packards and a milk wagon.

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Shark (but not Card) and Lizard (but not Lounge)

It still amazes me that people who don’t live in Las Vegas think that there is nothing here except smoky casinos, feather-twitching showgirls, and the people who inhabit and ogle them. They seem to be perfectly aware that the valley is home to nearly two million people these days, but, like Pittsburgh’s long-outdated reputation as a sooty steel town, the enduring Las Vegas image is a relic from Rat Pack days…

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I’ve Been Euchred!

Here’s the message that started it all:

Hello Megan,

I must say, I bumped into your site by accident, and I love it! I also share your passion for Las Vegas. Gathering that you are not originally from “Euchre Country,” you may not be familiar with my favorite card game, euchre. I would like to invite you to check out one of our games…

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It’s a Show! It’s a Class! It’s…Cheflive!

Las Vegas… the name conjures images of green felt, showgirls, slot machines, and… food! I myself used to think of the jewel of the Eastern Mojave as little more than a great place to stop and eat when I was on a road trip from California. Sure, you had to weave your way through a forest of one-armed bandits to get to the cheap prime rib glowing so alluringly from under a heat lamp, but hey! It would set you back only (pick your decade) $2.99, $4.99, $6.99, $8.99…

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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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