(6 min read)

I have always hated Vegas…

I flew here on and off for a decade or two during my corporate career – always for conferences with fancy hotel stays on the strip. Most of the other career people I worked with seemed to relish the experience, but I dreaded it. The endless walks through the MGM or Bellagio’s smoky casino floors full of weathered creatures pulling levers with plastic cups and ashtrays by their side. All I could feel was sadness and a vague tug of depression. In contrast, were the occasional groups of 20-somethings seen late at night heading to the clubs in various states of undress and intoxication. None of this scene appealed to me and I wrote off Vegas as perhaps my least favorite place to visit in the world.

So, how in the world did I end up choosing to live here?

The answer is simply that the Strip Is not Las Vegas even if it is the primary revenue generator for the whole state. 3 million people live in Nevada, 2 million live in the Las Vegas metropolis.

Las Vegs is more than the strip – the casinos are just the fuel for the local economy. Just miles away are burgeoning planned suburbs, dramatic and expensive gated mansion communities, and, astonishingly, gorgeous untouched preserves of nature. Yes, Vegas is a central hub for all kinds of natural escapes: National Parks like Red Rocks, Zion, Bryce, Moab, the Grand Canyon, as well as the Colorado River, Lake Havasu, Lake Powell, Sedona, Lake Meade, Death Valley and the Mojave Desert are all proximate - there is even a ski area 45 mins away - I’ll cover those in part 2. For now, let us assume that living in the suburbs of Vegas is very unlike the strip. Where I live – in South Summerlin – is very much like Scottsdale – without the traffic. And just a mile ride away is some of the best mountain biking in the country. For now, here are the city-mouse advantages of living in Las Vegas:

View of the strip from my balcony in Summerlin

There is little to no traffic – except on the strip. Getting around is so fast and easy that the downside is that we burn of a lot of fuel. 20 mins away often means 21 miles. Our fast 12 minute trip to Costco is a 22 mile round-trip. The airport is 15 miles and 15 minutes away.
The communities are (mostly) new and planned – so the roads are wide, the lights are timed, and there is nearly always a wide sidewalk or bike lane or both. Parks and walking and hiking and biking paths abound.
There is no state income tax. Rents, and home prices, while increasing, are about 1/2 to 2/3rds that of Los Angeles.
And then there are the shows, concerts and restaurants…

Most of the shows are now re-emerging post-COVID and we will eventually see many of them. My favorite to-date has been the grand Cirque production “Ka.” Concerts abound and on any given night there is nearly always a big name in town. Pretty much every musical act will pass through Las Vegas, sometimes staying multiple nights or even for months in a “residency.” Ticket prices are exorbitant and designed for the tourists that have planned vacations, but last-minute deals often emerge, and we’ve been able to secure near-front-row seats at 1/2 or even ¼ of face value by just showing up 30 mins prior to the concert. We’ve recently seen Lady Gaga, Guns and Roses, Gwen Stefani, Usher, and on NYE – Lizzo. There are some excellent restaurants out in the Summerlin area (Marche Bacchus is a favorite) but downtown has a superlative offering of restaurants including Bouchon at the Venetian, Mon Ami Gabi at Paris, Lago and Picasso at the Bellagio, and Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan. The strip is jammed on the long weekends, but Monday and Tuesday nights can be pretty light, and we usually get free parking for locals.

Another unexpected amenity is the airport: LAS caters primarily to tourists, so 9 out of 10 times when I arrive there are exactly zero people in the CLEAR or TSA Pre lines – even if regular security lines are snaking outside well beyond the turnstile maze. LAS is the least expensive airport to fly into/out of in the country and has a LOT of direct flights to most cities. LAX is 50 mins, PHX one hour, Los Cabos, Mexico, 2 hours 15 mins. We are, however, oddly far from New Orleans (4 hours) or Miami (5 hours). At the moment of writing this, I am on a direct flight to HNL (Honolulu) which is a 5.5-hour flight.

Will I stay here? I don’t know. The biggest downside is I only have a few friends in Las Vegas – I probably have 30 friends in Los Angeles so perhaps that is where I’ll end up but… it is a short flight or a 4.5-hour drive so… we will see. For now, Las Vegas is home.

Why I live in Vegas – Part 1