Living Las Vegas

Real Life in the Shadow of the Strip

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Top Vegas Hotels: Bellagio, Luxor, Rio

Buffalo Jim Won’t Come Out Tonight

News of the death of James “Buffalo Jim” Barrier first came to me by email. I’ve long been a subscriber to former Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Miller’s e-zine, a rambling missive he sends out to what I imagine is an enormous mailing list whenever he has news or opinions about one of his pet topics…

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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…

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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…

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Pinball Wizards

I stopped by the Pinball Hall of Fame this evening. Okay, come on! Tell me you aren’t envious that I live in a city that has a freakin’ PINBALL HALL OF FAME! Unless you live here, too, I’m willing to bet you can’t just casually drop into an ordinary-looking strip mall and find 200 pinball machines from every decade since their invention, all in working order and waiting for you to drop in a quarter (well, sometimes a couple more) and start the ball bouncing…

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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…

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Living in Las Vegas -- what's it really like? Ten local writers share news & views from Southern Nevada.