Vegas: Summer Nights and nostalgia part 2

 Black and white photos always tend to have a nostalgic sort of feel to them,don't they? Given our technological advancements and high-def camera phones occupying most of our pockets, it's good to remember that we've come quite a long way in the field of photography. Now we have fancy high-definition cameras capable of recreating nostalgic, old-timey portraits through filters and various back-end settings and enhancements! Back in the early days, your ONLY option was to stand in one place grimacing and hoping that you didn't blink and ruin your grainy capture. Given that these months mark the final few we intend to reside here in Las Vegas, Antho's choice to shoot in black and white seems especially fitting given its nostalgic connations. As much as I opine and lament the heat and consumption that rule this city, it will always hold some special sort of place in my heart because it was my home for so much of my life. I was even born here, in this city, one hot fetid night riding the coat-tails at the end of summer. Over the years I've watched the city grow and evolve, and I'm ready to close the book on it. 

Of course, one of the best things about books is that you can always revisit them, and if you're the author or someone who's opinion holds some sort of merit pertinent to the material, you can always add an epilogue, too. I've absolutely no doubts we'll be visiting this place again in the future when the city has evolved further in its endless quest for relevancy and temptation and surprises us with all new growths and developments. One out of the multitudes of reasons why I look to leave this city is this endless pursuit of growth- it's like an amoeba, expanding its feverish flagella into the expanse of desert surrounding it, consuming remorselessly from the fleeting resources nearby. Nevada and surrounding desert communities are already growing perilously close to the edge of our water-reserves, which could lead to pronounced difficulties going forward as the city keeps growing, and growing, and growing. Cost of living is going to soar as more people move from California to support their team (we're getting the Raiders, in case you haven't heard) and the population booms in directly inverse proportions to the resources available...this seems an inherently bad idea, to me. 

But, I digress. I'm no city planner, and as the city grows and expands, so too perhaps will its financial resources and the ability to spread it's tendrils farther to secure its future resources. I don't particularly care to stay and ride out the storm, though, as I expect it won't be easy. Like countless generations before my own, I'm striving out in search of the American dream, opportunity, and better weather.

So, this nostalgia seems fitting. I'm grateful for Antho's foresight to utilise the black and white setting on my camera to capture these, and I hope you enjoy.

Cheers. 

Vegas: Summer nights and nostalgia part 1

It's pretty mind-boggling sometimes to stop and consider the passage of time, how quickly it fades away from the now and slips into the past. Everyone is always in such a hurry to grow up, but then once you're actually an adult it feels like there's never, ever, enough time in any given day and you find yourself missing the easy days of childhood when an hour felt like an interminable eternity of time stretching out endlessly before your impatient eyes. How nice it would be, to be like Kurt Vonnegut's Trafalmadorians, the odd plunger-shaped creatures from his eponymous tome "Slaughter-House Five" (which if you haven't read by now I absolutely recommend) who are capable of viewing all time simultaneously. It's not a difficult read, as his writing style cuts to the point without dithering on about the multitude shades of green in the field of grass ahead, unlike a certain J.R.R. Tolkien who's culturally valuable but extensively and excessively over-verbose books about Hobbits and things could pose a serious health hazard were they to fall off a shelf...but I digress.

This summer has been no less slippery than the last, sliding through my fingers like lubed up grapes. What were you expecting, a metaphor about sand? I'm sorry, but between the heat outside holding pretty steady at around 114 degrees Fahrenheit almost every day straight for the last couple months, and my pets and I suffering from the 90-100 degree heat of our tiny Daewoo airconditioner's failed attempts to cool off our small studio apartment, I've had just about enough of the desert for the time being. Most of my days are spent inside, either in the dark or under bright fluorescents that tinge everything an off-shade of yellow, so the predictably sunny weather has not been something I've gotten much enjoyment out of. If anything, it's predictably unpleasant opening my door to what feels like a hair-dryer stuck blasting its arid wind in my face. Is it possible to get Seasonal Affective Disorder in the summer? I know I'm invariably getting less vitamin D now than I was in the winter, when it was actually enjoyable to go outside. All this complaining having been stated, this should be our last summer in Vegas for some time, so I suppose it's good to get this off my chest and also to record why I feel so thoroughly done with this place for now. Surely, in some cold, distant future I may look back upon this desert town with a glimmering sheen of nostalgia and forget that the heat literally bakes the decency and enjoyment in life out of people. I'm here for you, future Nau. Remember, Vegas is an arid, strange place full of strange, dehydrated people. And when that nostalgia still makes you pine for the city, this post is here, to remind it wasn't always scorched misery. There's actually some beauty to be found here, if you know where to look...and only venture outside in the safe darkness of night, devoid of the sun's merciless glare. 

The photos in this post were kindly provided by Antho,who is more familiar with the city's mercilessly heat than anyone else I know after spending the last year pushing carts in an asphalt paved parking lot. If he's still able to find some beauty after that ordeal, there's surely something redeeming in this city, somewhere, when you take the time to find it.

Vegas: Fourth of July Fireworks

Well, it's only been what, about three weeks now since the Fourth of July?

Better late than never, eh?

If you haven't noticed, I've got quite a backlog of posts I've been churning through trying to get caught up to this whole real-time life thing. When I initially embarked on this "blog-post-a-day" journey, I knew it would take a lot of time and effort to capture and share so much of my life with the world, and I accepted that challenge eagerly. I've been incredibly lucky in my ability to get out and go on some amazing adventures- whether it was living in Japan or eating my way around Seoul, I've been pretty blessed in that regard compared to a lot of my contemporaries from the city of Sin.  In my own estimation of what reality is and the nature of life as such a fleeting venture, I think capturing these moments in blog form is one of the best ways to try to preserve them for the long haul while simultaneously encapsulating and sharing my experiences with the world, and evolving my ability to try to express myself with words. There's a lot I've yet to delve into, from my time in Japan and Korea, but life keeps endlessly plowing forward and we get out and try to take advantage of this when we can, so the backlog stacks ever higher. This might be our last summer living in Vegas, even if only for a few years as this city seems to have a black hole like essence that sucks it's denizens back into its grip, but still, that adds a special gleam of nostalgic importance to the things we accomplish this summer. 

This need to roam, it seems, is an inescapable aspect of my personality... every few years, a deep, painful ache of wanderlust will settle into my chest and grow into a suffocating weight until I shut up and listen. Perhaps it's the city of Las Vegas itself that does this to me, with its oppressive heat, desiccated desert landscape, carnival parade of junkies, and thrill-seekers endlessly rotating through in an endless dirge of human drama padded with generous donations from the stupid and the selfish hoping to make a fortune on a stroke of luck. I've been quite happy with life in other locales, aside from the pointed lack of very certain humans in my proximity. In all earnest truth, I think I could have quite happily stayed over in Seoul if only Antho had been by my side with our squeaks, but the timing didn't pan out. Transporting any form of animal life overseas is a convoluted and potentially dangerous operation, hard enough with a dog but for something as small and short-lived, and undervalued as a pet, as a rat it's nearly insurmountable.  It's not that I'm opposed to America and what it stands for, because the idea of freedom and opportunity appeals to most reasonable humans... I've got some serious qualms with the quality of life here, and what people accept and do in general relations with other humans, though. There are, absolutely, issues in other countries- sexism in South Korea is SO terrible that if I had gotten raped or something god awful like that I genuinely don't think I'd have had any legal representation or recourse. The work culture in Japan is incredibly hardcore and soul-draining, but as an alien resident in Japan and Korea I still had much better access to basic health services than I do as a citizen in my own country, and there's something bitterly ironic about that fact that I find impossible to swallow. Why is it that I could afford to have a family anywhere but in my own country? Not to mention all the awful shit in the news, it's hard to "get" the enthusiastically manic paroxysms of flag-waving "patriotism" that engulf my fellow countrymen... but I digress. 

Here's a bunch of fireworks.

Boom boom!

Try not to focus on how the empire is crumbling around you. 

Or the oligarchy that has predominated throughout America since (at least) the industrial age, and the growing chasm that separates the 1% from the rest of humanity as the class divide grows ever more insurmountable. 

Taxation is theft.

Vegas: Sunset Drive up Las Vegas Boulevard

Being born and raised in Las Vegas, I've seen the city grow and change so incredibly much over the years. Some of the most iconic hotels I knew as a kid have been dramatically imploded into their own footprint, while others have grown and risen up from the ashes like a phoenix. As a city, it's a constantly evolving amoeba, stretching it's tendrils out to the outskirts of the valley as it consumes the desert landscape around it and incorporates new acts and entertainments in it's never-ending quest for cultural relevance. It's a strange thing- this relentless pursuit of growth while interior areas of the city fall by the wayside.  Cul de sacs with blockhouses pop up like zits on a teenager's grease-riddled face, with all the creative ingenuity and diversity of those same pustules forming into their angry red whiteheads.  While the endless pursuit of growth is great for the construction industry, pockets of decay linger like abscesses through the meat of the city, festering into crime and desperation. This, unsurprisingly, leads the lovely city of Las Vegas to rank as the 4th worst city to live in, in the USA, for 2018. That's right, the glistening city of Sin, where "What happens here, stays here", nestles in right behind Detroit, Michigan, at number 1, Flint (also Michigan) at number 2, and St. Louis, Missouri, at number 3. That's right- between a city decimated by the dissolution of the automotive industry, a city made uninhabitable due to the toxic water contamination caused by fracking and humiliatingly long-standing inactivity or resolution to the issue as it lingers on, and St. Louis, where roughly a quarter of the entire city's population lives below the poverty line and the state's name speaks for itself... Las Vegas finds itself ranking so high due to the sheer volume of violent crime it experiences- 2,136 crimes for every 100,000 residents. While, thankfully, I myself have avoided any major incidents thus far, I have had encounters with crime that left a bad taste in my mouth. Whether it was the teenager who smashed my windshield in with a cinderblock, and tried to blame it on "marijuana withdrawals", or any given night on Fremont street that involves a police presence being needed, it shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone that a city that builds glistening monuments to the winners relentlessly upon the suffering backs of the losers would be full of such poor unfortunate souls lashing out. 

This post is going to show a bit of that decay, along with some of the glistening monuments. This is Vegas, my Vegas. It's not always glamorous. 

Vegas: Top Golf

I've got to admit, I've never been much for golfing. I've always associated the sport with rich old men,  Adam Sandler, and day drinking, so it's just never really spoken to me as an accessible or especially enjoyable sport for a young, female starving artist. Top Golf is here to help change that perception, kind of. The venue is located right off the Las Vegas strip, behind some of the major casinos, making it extremely convenient to visit, and it has so much neon and glossy linoleum and glass that you feel like you're in a club, almost. 

If you're not big on golf, there's more to do here than just swinging your putter so don't worry. There's a pool, a sports bar, several actual alcohol bars, and lots of surprisingly good food. I was surprised, at least, though I was getting lots of e-mails (I'm looking at you, Thrillist) about their "chef-inspired" menu for a week or two prior to actually going. The food was good. Was it worth going for, on it's own merit? Depends how much you like the food, I guess. I had the fish tacos with poke and enjoyed them, though they were a bit small and overpriced you kind of have to expect as much. Similar to going to any venue here in Vegas, you're going to be paying an entertainment/tourist tax with higher prices than would otherwise be justifiable. 

There's a lot of food options, though, from sweets like the tasty little donuts that you inject a sweet syrupy filling into before popping into your mouth,  to meaty sliders, to a fruit cup, so there's something for everyone, for sure. There's also an extensive drink menu, as one would hope and expect from the large, well-stocked bars available. This is Vegas, after all, and if you can't get ridiculously drunk and risk toppling off the ledge onto the safety net here then you're not living your best #VegasLife, right? Pro-tip: staff members told us that they're not actually allowed to go over and pull you out of the net, due to safety concerns (like trying to save a drowning person and ending up drowning yourself), so if you do topple into the safety net you'll need to be capable of climbing back out, alright? 

And if golfing actually IS your bag, this is definitely the place to get your fix! There are so many different games to play, and the menu is really easy to use. It's set up similar to a bowling alley's menu, so if you're familiar with that you'll be good to go. The staff will explain everything to you when you get set up, though, so don't worry. The pay structure is such that you rent out a booth for a pre-selected block of time, and the rates vary wildly depending on the time of day you go... Personally, I'd shoot for a brunch session as it's much cheaper and I don't need much of an excuse to enjoy a bloody mary, but if you want to get more of a nightlife vibe then the evening is the time to be here. There's a lot of shuttles, buses and rideshares coming and going frequently so you won't have any trouble finding the place.  

And the view?

So worth it.

Vegas: Dive-in movie at the Boulevard Pool

Visiting Las Vegas in the summer season seems like the right thing to do for most visitors, as with the kids out of school it's easier to send them off to grandma's or drag them along for a family vacation, and after a hard slog of work the previous half of the year it's certainly about time for a well-deserved rest. Whether you can escape for only a couple of days or weeks at a time, Vegas in the summer is one happening place to be. It's definitely the busy time for the city, outside of major party holidays like Halloween and New Year's Eve... oh, New Year's Eve in Vegas is epic, believe me... but the peak of summer, when the sun hangs high in the sky cascading it's brilliant beams down to bake and sizzle all that summer skin on display is the main peak time to visit Vegas. Naturally, when it's well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or around 40-ish Celsius) you're going to need ways to cool off. While out walking the strip you'll find a lot of streetside bars and venues blast cooling mists and fans, and there's a lot of air conditioned shops and areas inside the casinos and walkways connecting them to help, but nothing compares (to you) to swimming, dunking yourself heartily and bodily into a crisp, cool pool of glistening water. Never fear, my dears, because Vegas most definitely has you covered in that regard. Whether you're into dancing in the water, to EDM, reggae, R&B, whatever- or would prefer to lean back and relax while watching a movie, options abound. 

On this particular instance, my friend Blaze joined me to dunk our toes in the Boulevard pool at the Cosmopolitan for the Dive-in Movie showing of Ferris Bueller. Having already sipped on some seriously strong drinks from Fat Tuesdays, we were happy to kick back and put our feet up for the movie. We learned the hard way that it pays to get there early, as the Dive-in movie event is very affordable (and free to hotel guests, I believe) so it was very popular. The ideal seating, with waves gently licking your toes, was full-up when we arrived and we found ourselves some of the very laST remaining seating upon a top balcony with an awkward view of the movie screen. These things. We still had a lot of fun and enjoyed the night out and excuse to go swimming in a pool we might not otherwise have ever gone to. The Cosmopolitan itself is one of the newer casinos here in Vegas and one I hadn't been to prior to this evening, so it was a lot of fun for me to explore and I enjoyed spending time with Blaze, who I've known for ages. We went to high school together back in the day, and Ferris Bueller was a fittingly nostalgic film to watch with him. Good times! There's going to be several more movies showing throughout the remaining summer months, so it's definitely worth scoping out if you find yourself overheating and in need of a refreshing but relaxing form of entertainment.  

Vegas: Cosmopolitan and Aria

Given that summertime temperatures in Vegas are regularly soaring well over 105 degrees Fahrenheit (or a cool 40 degrees Celsius), it should come as no surprise that one of our city's largest attractions are the obligatory hotel pools at each resort. There are more pools than there are casinos, by far, as most have multiple places to swim or play with beach and pool clubs running alongside their usual family-friendly offerings all along the Strip, not to mention our suburban waterparks like Cowabunga Bay. Each pool is going to invariably be as unique as the individual casino hosting it, and it's well worth staying at different hotels or paying for a day pass to explore the different offerings available all throughout the city! Another way to keep cool, between relaxing swims, is to explore the nicely air-conditioned interiors of the hotels themselves and dabble in some real or window shopping. There's a lot of connections and bridges making it exceptionally easy to get from one to the next without having to risk traffic, though you might get accosted by a "monk" who demands a donation in exchange for a cheap bracelet or fancy golden card they try to push on you. Don't let them dupe you, though- they aren't allowed to demand money from you, no matter how aggressive they get. They make me really mad and I've shouted obscene things to them in the past when they tried to get hands on. There's a lot of buskers and hecklers out there on the public streets, but they're kept out of casinos due to private property laws and security, so don't worry. 

My good friend Blaze and I found ourselves here to see a movie. Originally Antho had gotten tickets to the event for us to go, but he ended up having to work, so I invited Blaze out in his stead and we had a blast! We spent most of the early evening sipping on Fat Tuesday drinks and exploring the Cosmopolitan and the Aria. I'd never really been to either resort before, so it was a lot of fun to see how extravagant and fancy they are! We'll be going to at least a couple more movies throughout the summer, so hopefully I'll get to make a side quest to try the Secret Pizza restaurant, or Momofuku and Milk Bar. If the inclusion of options like Michelin-star award winner Momofuku don't clue you in, the Cosmopolitan fancies itself one bougie bitch. She's not wrong, mind you. The air is pumped full of a dense rich vanilla scent that made me feel a bit like I was trying to snort vanilla pudding. For someone who's not used to smelling much of anything at all, I found the smell cloying and overwhelming and was really relieved to get up to the roof and into the fresh air.   

Vegas: Intergalactic Art Car Festival

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to roll up on an intergalactic convention for artsy minded extraterrestrials? Well, wonder no more, because the Intergalactic Art Car Festival, hosted by Lyft and Zappos, is here to answer that question by gathering some of the most outlandish art cars that could be found this side of the milky way. Las Vegas is a city that is no stranger to the weird, after all, and plays home to many of the people who make Burning Man into the event it is every year. Many, if not all of the cars featured here, were at a Burning Man at some point in their lives, or are affiliated with the event in a very 6-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sort of manner. The friends I have who volunteered their time to help set it up were, naturally, Burners, as the tribe of annual devotees are called. Personally, I've never been. Something about paying several hundred bucks, plus transportation and all that, to go do drugs in the desert rubs me the wrong way. I've gone to smaller, regional events with a similar mentality behind them that were free to attend and had an absolutely stellar time with many of the same folks who attend the more expensive party every year. To each their own, though, and I'm sure that for the people who have gone it's absolutely the life-changing illuminating event that many people make it out to be!  

And if there's one thing you can say for certain about burners, it's that they're pyrotechnic lust rings true to their name. I was pretty thoroughly amused by how many of the art cars had some form of flame-throwing capabilities, but given that Burning Man is an event that literally culminates in the burning of a giant hominid effigy, it makes sense that Burners would like to play with fire. This could be a side benefit of living in an entertainment-oriented city like Las Vegas, because there are plenty of jobs for pyrotechnicians who surely like to experiment in their free time. Not all of the vehicles were solely flame-throwers in fancy garb, though, some were psychedelic light shows on wheels and other's cozy beds. There was even the Flintstones' vehicle making the rounds!  And to top it all off, this event was absolutely free to the public! I'm not kidding, it was 100% free to go! You were more than welcome to donate, with proceeds going towards funding education in the Arts here in Nevada, but admission was free!

While we missed the initial parade, we were able to see most if not all of the vehicles during our explorations! Naturally, plenty of photos to follow.

Vegas: Visit from Kelly and wandering The Strip at night

I've written about the incredibly talented Kelly O'Brien before, and when she messaged me one day to let me know she'd spontaneously found herself Vegas bound I was super excited to show her around! We'd met up before in Seoul, South Korea, and had dinner together but she'd never been to Vegas before this so we felt duty-bound to show her some of our favorite spots. We made sure to hit up the Flamingo's hidden garden, the Linq Promenade, the Venetian, and Caesar's palace before eventually making our way back to the Linq Promenade and topping the night off with cupcakes from the 24-hour cupcake ATM at Sprinkles. What, your city doesn't have a 24-hour cupcake ATM? Huh. 

Kelly was rocking one of our tie-dyes, too, which made me so happy! There's always the initial thrill and pride of selling one of our creations, but to see them actually being worn and enjoyed is kind of like what a bird must feel seeing it's little ones take flight for the first time. In the end, we had a lot of fun and some memorable moments, though after drinking a Fat Tuesday it's questionable how much will actually be remembered! Lol. If you've never had one, those drinks are seriously strong but also seriously tasty, and they're available all over the Vegas strip. You can get vessels shaped like bongos, guitars, rubber duckies, any number of silly novelty shapes to tote your booze slushy around in. They're perfect for this summer heat, but because they're so sweet and tasty it's easy to slurp it down before realizing how strong it is. When it was time to take her back to her temporary home for the evening, we let Kelly sprawl out on the bed in the back of the van since the drink had gotten the best of her, and we made sure to provide a big bottle of cold water to try to fight the hangover. Hydration is extremely important, kids, especially in the heat we get here in Vegas! 

And this was an overcast week, guys. Ugh. One reason, out of many, that I refuse to die in Vegas is that of our summers. Despite this city being my home, and birthplace, thus having a special place in my heart, every summer I vow to be my last summer living in this infernal desert. I know that for many this is ideal, a dry, hot heat that makes it an inhospitable climate for many types of pesky insects (but not for scorpions or centipedes and other creepy crawlies) with predictably sunny weather all year long...  but I like having seasons and weather! When we got hit by typhoons in Japan I was so excited to experience such extreme rains and wind, because it's something that never happens here. I don't mind the rain, I actually quite enjoy it. But I digress... while here in Vegas, it's best to make the best of my location and enjoy the privilege of being able to play host to my friend during her stay! 

Vegas: Venetian wanderings

I'm not sure what this lovely young lady was celebrating on this particular day, but given the time of year it may have been prom? Graduation? Maybe her coming of age? Like I said, that's something I do not know, but I absolutely applaud her composure and grace! Not only did she look absolutely stunning, but when tourists started flocking around her for photos, interrupting her own photo shoot, she graciously waved for them to step in closer and posed with them for round after round of photos as different people switched places for their turn with her. She handled it like a true princess, and I'm sure those people who got photos with her will forever remember this moment in front of the Venetian! What happens in Vegas, right?

If you're going to plan for a royalty-ready photo shoot here in Vegas, the Venetian is a pretty good choice of location. It's not as cartoonish as the Excalibur, and it's location makes it easy to get to from most other top touristy spots. You can easily watch the Mirage Volcano from here, then walk down the street to the Bellagio fountains, before returning to the Venetian for a meal and a gondola ride. That's right- inside the casino is an extensive network of canals that genuine singing gondoliers will maneuver lucky riders through, crooning for them along the way. It's definitely got a high romance factor for those who want to wow their partner and take in a different view of Las Vegas. I've yet to do the gondola ride myself, so there's something for my bucket list to try to do in the future. 

There's certainly more to do in the Venetian than just ride through the canals, though! There's tons of shopping, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment like Madame Tussauds wax museum. The wax museum is another of those things I've yet to try! To be fair, though, I've never been much for following celebrities and the figures would likely creep me out more than anything else. There's something so unnerving and just inherently creepy to a room full of unmoving human figurines, especially coated in wax in an effort to mimic a lifelike quality to their skin that falls just short enough to land in the uncanny valley. Makes me shudder just thinking about it.  

Anyway, lots of non-wax figure photos below!