Vegas: Skaters and Squab

On the city streets of Las Vegas, Nevada, you'll encounter all sorts of life as it, uh, finds a way- whether it's the homeless caravans gathered in scruffy shambled assemblages clustered around and in nooks and crannies, not unlike sea urchins or coral on a reef, or the pigeons proudly strutting across the cobblestones with little to no concern for the humans towering alongside, or even the occasional skater kid clacking their wheels over the pavement. Tourists, wildlife and extreme sports side by side, in an extremely photogenic locale none-the-less! Oh my. Just another day in Vegas, though. 

Most major cities will eventually play host to some form of film, and Las Vegas has certainly had it's share of cinematic homages, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with its peak drug mania, or Con-Air when Nicolas Cage and company crash-land the plane on our eponymous strip, though to any local who was living in the city at the time the scenes here make little to no sense geographically speaking...but I digress. That's the nature of film- taking the reality of a place and glamming it up, shooting it at it's most flattering (or nonsensible) angles to maximize the impact of the scene, and splicing in scenes shot at any possible location, so long as they keep the narrative cohesion going. 

Cohesion is not an easy thing to find in a city like Las Vegas, where rich and poor rub elbows with disdain and greasy glares. You can walk down our prestigious Las Vegas Boulevard, home to all our newest glittering casinos,  and hear any language imaginable being batted back and forth in casual conversation, from Urdu to creole. Sweaty chefs leaving work in their stained coats wiping their brow next to a coifed and powdered beauty queen, precision nails and hair kept a safe distance away. A veritable cross-section of the human experience gathered for your consideration, ambling along taking photos. Needless to say, Las Vegas is certainly a primo-destination if people watching is something you like to do for fun, as Antho and I obviously do. 

Photos in this post were provided by Antho Jay~

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: 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.  

10 Things to do in Vegas this summer (part one)

If you're in Vegas this summer (you lucky thing) you'll surely be in need of some forms of recreational fun between benders at the buffets and endless rounds at the tables. Our summer months here are especially toasty and the sun shines bright with little obstruction throughout most of the season. Given our sunny disposition, you might want to get outside and soak up some of that free-flowing vitamin D that proliferates here! 

1. Dive-in movies at the Cosmopolitan 

Like movies? Like swimming? How about floating in the cool, crisp water while classic films play at the Cosmopolitan hotel? Win-win, guys! There's a range of movies playing throughout the summer months, from a Star Wars triple feature (heck yes) to Ferris Bueller, Forrest Gump and other sentimental or cult classics. There will invariably be movie-themed beverages at the ready for your boozing up, along with lots of cool water to dip in should you find yourself growing warm. Isn't this what summer nights were made for?

2. Intergalactic Art Car festival

If you're into fancy vehicles and fantastic creations, but don't want to deal with the crowds, travel or cost of Burning man to see their freaky art cars, you're in luck! The giant flame-throwing Preying Mantis (doesn't every city have one?) at Downtown Container Park is teaming up with Lyft for this psychedelic festival. They'll do a parade down Las Vegas boulevard (aka the Strip) to show off for everyone, before returning to downtown for the festivities at 8pm. 

3. Stop in at the Springs Preserve

Get away from all the hedonism and debauchery of the strip and breathe in some fresh air and floral scents at this lovely oasis of natural beauty in the city. Only a short drive from Las Vegas boulevard, all the major casinos AND downtown, there's no reason to miss out! Much more open and less crowded than the Bellagio's conservatory gardens, you can check out their butterfly habitat (for a limited time) or check out the rotating exhibits in their museum! 

4. Catch a 51's game during their last season at Cashman field

After this season wraps up, Las Vegas's own minor-league baseball team will be moving to new grounds for their games, retiring the historic Cashman field. While all good things do have to come to an end, you'd definitely be missing out if you didn't try to catch one last game at this classic field before they move on to newer grounds. You can find their schedule here. Get you a helmet full of nachos while you're there, because you deserve it.

5. Ditch the city for the mountains, like Mount Charleston

If you enjoyed getting away from the tourist centers of the Strip by going to the Springs Preserve and are willing to go a little further out of the way, hop into your car (or rental, Uber, Lyft, or even a bus) and head out for the mountains. There's a lot of them to choose from, and while snow may be a rare sight during the summer months it'll still be many degrees cooler than the city itself. There are log cabins you can rent for an extra-special get away. They're only about a 40 minute drive from the heart of the city, and well worth the journey if you enjoy the outdoors!

Stay tuned for the second half of the list, dolls.

Thanks for stopping by!

💕

XOXO,

NAU

Boulder Beach campout 2015-10-01

Back in Nevada, we set up base on Boulder Beach!

We were able to park reasonably close to the water, which was lovely.

While we stayed up for a few hours after leaving Willow Beach it was simply too dark for photos...

 Sunrise, however, was a whole different story.

A shame, too, because we witnessed a coyote prowling the beach a stone's throw away!

Louie had played his guitar for us, which seemed to incite the coyotes into yipping. 

I thought that was pretty neat, but our neighbors down the beach packed up and were gone within moments! Scaredy cats. :P Coyotes shouldn't be brazen enough to attack humans unless extremely desperate. There should be plenty of bunnies for them to enjoy by the lake!

More photos after the cut~

Vegas: June 14th, Freak hail storm

So, this just happened.

I thought I heard thunder grumbling in the distance and stepped outside only to have hail start pouring down moments later. 

It's still sunny out. 

Japan: 浦安の夏 2012 June 23-25th Urayasu Summer

lazy days

     Summer in Japan is a bit different than what I'm acclimated to, to say the least. The cold, dry winters melt into a soggy spring which then slowly turns into a steamy summer with scattered storms. The four seasons make themselves proudly known.

     Summers in Tokyo; humid, damp sweaty…but also lovely.