Jun 12, 2021Liked by Nick Cole, Single White Medusa
I think Las Vegas is like most things, it was once something that was pretty special and interesting.. And now it's just another generic destination for the consumer culture. Las Vegas was once a really unique place, its history is something else, there were so many unique personalities that inhabited that city over the years. Whether we're talking about Bugsy, Howard Hughes, the rat packers or when Elvis dominated it from the late sixties till his death. It was a strange, wonderful place. That was the Las Vegas I wanted to see as a kid, I'd heard the stories, seen the movies, and.. None of that exists anymore. The old Las Vegas died when the Stardust was imploded for a super mega resort that ran into money problems before it was even half finished.
I feel about Las Vegas now the way I do about Disney World, and most of pop culture, its all crap designed to drain my pockets for cheap thrills. I'll pass on that. I think Vegas started changing when the corporations started gobbling up real estate, and shifting things towards a tourist resort kind of thing. Howard Hughes swore that Las Vegas went to hell with the opening of Circus Circus, from Gambling Paradise to Tourist mecca. My girlfriend who's from Las Vegas, who's family lives here in Arkansas, share similar stories of its past glory, and its rotten state today.
It's kind of like malls today, some are thriving, but they're not the malls we grew up with you know? 28 years ago Jurassic Park premiered, and I realized the mall we saw it at, has long since been demolished. But it got me to thinking about my last visit to a mall a few years ago in Little Rock. It was bustling, no empty stores, but it wasn't anything like the malls I remembered in the late 80s/early 90s. It was a hallowed out husk, I think that is true of Las Vegas. It once was something to behold, but.. That's in the past.
As for writers.. Yeah, I've had encounters as a reader with a few well known authors ((saw the sister of one get hit by a car at the pool, but that's another story)) and most are well.. kind of dicks. They're not people I'd want to hang out with, or be friends with. And Lord, their world views are usually so far removed from mine.. They'd happily light the bonfire I was on if they knew what kind of heathen I was.
I enjoy interacting with you not because you're an author who's work I enjoy, I enjoy interacting with you because you're a decent guy, with a similar worldview, and our interactions provoke meaningful thoughts on things. Same with Nicole, though I've not had the honor of interacting with her like I have you. Same for certain authors in certain groups we're both in. Talking shop is fun, but the deep dives into current events, history, religion and other things are what drives me as a person. I rather ram a pineapple into my earhole than discuss any of those things with many authors today. Ha.
Jun 11, 2021Liked by Nick Cole, Single White Medusa
I do not like Vegas.
December of 2019 I flew in to Vegas to drive to our plant in Arizona. The flight in was filled with excited people. I remember a young couple, newly married, all excited about the weekend in Vegas. The older gentlemen from Chicago who sat next to me and was talking about his yearly "boys trip" to "unwind" in Vegas.
The oddity started when I got on the bus for the rental car office. The promo videos in the bus were all about how sexy and glamourous the city was. Talking with the driver (he say me wearing my work uniform and started talking to me as a "real person" not a partier), he was down because his best friend had ran up $50,000 worth debt to a casino, went home and killed his wife and then himself. Seems it wasn't unheard of to have that town chew people up.
After a few days at the plant in Arizona, I drove back to Vegas. My company put me up in the Hampton Inn on Tropicana, mainly because they thought I would like being down town. Driving through downtown Vegas at 10 PM was like driving into some sort of 80's dystopian flick. Again, since had my work uniform on, the staff at the hotel were extra helpful (they have a policy to treat people who appear to keep the lights on differently than those who pay for the lights).
Went to watch the water show, but like you mentioned it was all a façade. I am an engineer, so I look for the underlying supports and infrastructure. Everything is built to look nice, but be able to be torn quickly. Like an old school parade float.
But the kicker was the flight out. I had a 5 AM flight, and left the hotel at 3. Walking into the rental car return, people were down, hung over, or still drunk. One guy on the airport tram was on the floor crying that he had to go back to Delaware and tell his wife and kids that he lost the house. Another tried to open the doors the the tracks, maybe to jump in front of the train. If everyone was happy coming into Vegas, no one was coming out.
For my part, it felt like I was leaving a seedy club after a long night of drinking (when I did such things). You feel dirty, soiled, and filled with regret. And all I did was drive in and out.
Jun 12, 2021Liked by Nick Cole, Single White Medusa
Many years ago (80s) we were fortunate enough to go on a family vacation in the western US. It was a very memorable experience, one that I remember well and treasure to this day. One of our excursions was traveling to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on mule back and spending the night at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. The scene at the ranch was serene and peaceful. I remember a stream running through the camp and deer wandering throughout the area. One of the best cold beers I've ever had (a Coors no less) after 8 hot dusty hours in a saddle. Anyway, the next day after riding back up to the rim of the Canyon, we traveled to Vegas. This was the older gambling Vegas, not Fremont Street old, but kind of in the middle of that era and today. None of the mega casinos had been built yet. The shock of Vegas less than 24 hours after the serenity of nature in the Grand Canyon was jarring to say the least. I was around 18 years old and didn't know much but I remember thinking Vegas was kind of crappy.
A few years ago my wife and I went back to Vegas and I can say for sure that the new Vegas was even worse than the 80s Vegas. Sure the Bellagio was kind of cool, the atrium with all the stained glass and stuff, but everywhere outside was hotter than blazes and dirty. Douche bags hanging out in party pools working on their tans and flexing for the chicks. Reminded me of Jersey Shore or something. Trash was everywhere. Those cards with hookers on them that people hand out to the crowds were blowing all over the place. Tons of people walking around or riding those people movers, just immense crowds. Insanely overpriced food. Since neither of us are gamblers I can say "been there done that" for sure. I have no desire to ever go back.
Jun 13, 2021Liked by Nick Cole, Single White Medusa
Fact Check: the greatest State in America is Florida, because . . . SCIENCE!!!
I don't know if you've ever seen the show "Murder She Wrote," but quite a few of the episodes involved writer's conventions and the glamorous lives of authors. Granted, this show was made in the 80's, but it still came across as very elitist. No normal would want to hang out with those people.
Last, when Single White Medusa said that the outside of the casino was cute, but the interior was depressing, I had only one thought: "Ye are like whited sepulchres filled with dead men's bones."
Jun 12, 2021Liked by Nick Cole, Single White Medusa
Visited Vegas with Mrs Fiend way back in about 2004. My main memory is of walking arm in arm along the Strip together, and at every intersection without fail, somebody tried to hand us a card advertising the services of, uh, ladies of the night. Every. Single. Time.
And I agree with J Bohling: everything looked impressive from a distance, but close up you can see that it's all cheap materials. Style over substance for sure.
That said, the indoor canal in the Venice-themed hotel was kinda cool. And the Luxor pyramid is certainly eye-catching, in an "Bond villain's lair" kind of way. Which maybe it is.
You're wrong when you say innocent people don't need to scream that they are. In our corrupt system, those are the ones more likely to end up in jail. If you're innocent, just start sharpening your shanks because nobody cares. And if you defend yourself, people will say it is proof of your guilt. ;) After watching the Chauvin trial, I no longer think it matters what REALLY happened in our courts, it only matters what the mob of drooling rioters want. Oh, and what political party and racial group you affiliate with.
In Virginia we say "it's not so much the heat, it's the humidity." I'm sure tourists hated hearing that, but it is true. The steamy heat is more miserable, but the dry heat is more dangerous. You don't FEEL as hot, the sweat dries so quickly you don't get the damp and clingy clothing so you're more likely to end up as a heat casualty. And I said it once, I'll say it again. Vegas is the epicenter of hopelessness and despair.
I think Las Vegas is like most things, it was once something that was pretty special and interesting.. And now it's just another generic destination for the consumer culture. Las Vegas was once a really unique place, its history is something else, there were so many unique personalities that inhabited that city over the years. Whether we're talking about Bugsy, Howard Hughes, the rat packers or when Elvis dominated it from the late sixties till his death. It was a strange, wonderful place. That was the Las Vegas I wanted to see as a kid, I'd heard the stories, seen the movies, and.. None of that exists anymore. The old Las Vegas died when the Stardust was imploded for a super mega resort that ran into money problems before it was even half finished.
I feel about Las Vegas now the way I do about Disney World, and most of pop culture, its all crap designed to drain my pockets for cheap thrills. I'll pass on that. I think Vegas started changing when the corporations started gobbling up real estate, and shifting things towards a tourist resort kind of thing. Howard Hughes swore that Las Vegas went to hell with the opening of Circus Circus, from Gambling Paradise to Tourist mecca. My girlfriend who's from Las Vegas, who's family lives here in Arkansas, share similar stories of its past glory, and its rotten state today.
It's kind of like malls today, some are thriving, but they're not the malls we grew up with you know? 28 years ago Jurassic Park premiered, and I realized the mall we saw it at, has long since been demolished. But it got me to thinking about my last visit to a mall a few years ago in Little Rock. It was bustling, no empty stores, but it wasn't anything like the malls I remembered in the late 80s/early 90s. It was a hallowed out husk, I think that is true of Las Vegas. It once was something to behold, but.. That's in the past.
As for writers.. Yeah, I've had encounters as a reader with a few well known authors ((saw the sister of one get hit by a car at the pool, but that's another story)) and most are well.. kind of dicks. They're not people I'd want to hang out with, or be friends with. And Lord, their world views are usually so far removed from mine.. They'd happily light the bonfire I was on if they knew what kind of heathen I was.
I enjoy interacting with you not because you're an author who's work I enjoy, I enjoy interacting with you because you're a decent guy, with a similar worldview, and our interactions provoke meaningful thoughts on things. Same with Nicole, though I've not had the honor of interacting with her like I have you. Same for certain authors in certain groups we're both in. Talking shop is fun, but the deep dives into current events, history, religion and other things are what drives me as a person. I rather ram a pineapple into my earhole than discuss any of those things with many authors today. Ha.
Wouldn't it be amazing to get mugged in the middle of a casino by a granny with the O2 bottle? That would be a story for the ages...
I do not like Vegas.
December of 2019 I flew in to Vegas to drive to our plant in Arizona. The flight in was filled with excited people. I remember a young couple, newly married, all excited about the weekend in Vegas. The older gentlemen from Chicago who sat next to me and was talking about his yearly "boys trip" to "unwind" in Vegas.
The oddity started when I got on the bus for the rental car office. The promo videos in the bus were all about how sexy and glamourous the city was. Talking with the driver (he say me wearing my work uniform and started talking to me as a "real person" not a partier), he was down because his best friend had ran up $50,000 worth debt to a casino, went home and killed his wife and then himself. Seems it wasn't unheard of to have that town chew people up.
After a few days at the plant in Arizona, I drove back to Vegas. My company put me up in the Hampton Inn on Tropicana, mainly because they thought I would like being down town. Driving through downtown Vegas at 10 PM was like driving into some sort of 80's dystopian flick. Again, since had my work uniform on, the staff at the hotel were extra helpful (they have a policy to treat people who appear to keep the lights on differently than those who pay for the lights).
Went to watch the water show, but like you mentioned it was all a façade. I am an engineer, so I look for the underlying supports and infrastructure. Everything is built to look nice, but be able to be torn quickly. Like an old school parade float.
But the kicker was the flight out. I had a 5 AM flight, and left the hotel at 3. Walking into the rental car return, people were down, hung over, or still drunk. One guy on the airport tram was on the floor crying that he had to go back to Delaware and tell his wife and kids that he lost the house. Another tried to open the doors the the tracks, maybe to jump in front of the train. If everyone was happy coming into Vegas, no one was coming out.
For my part, it felt like I was leaving a seedy club after a long night of drinking (when I did such things). You feel dirty, soiled, and filled with regret. And all I did was drive in and out.
Sorry for the wall of text. Vegas was just.. odd
Many years ago (80s) we were fortunate enough to go on a family vacation in the western US. It was a very memorable experience, one that I remember well and treasure to this day. One of our excursions was traveling to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on mule back and spending the night at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. The scene at the ranch was serene and peaceful. I remember a stream running through the camp and deer wandering throughout the area. One of the best cold beers I've ever had (a Coors no less) after 8 hot dusty hours in a saddle. Anyway, the next day after riding back up to the rim of the Canyon, we traveled to Vegas. This was the older gambling Vegas, not Fremont Street old, but kind of in the middle of that era and today. None of the mega casinos had been built yet. The shock of Vegas less than 24 hours after the serenity of nature in the Grand Canyon was jarring to say the least. I was around 18 years old and didn't know much but I remember thinking Vegas was kind of crappy.
A few years ago my wife and I went back to Vegas and I can say for sure that the new Vegas was even worse than the 80s Vegas. Sure the Bellagio was kind of cool, the atrium with all the stained glass and stuff, but everywhere outside was hotter than blazes and dirty. Douche bags hanging out in party pools working on their tans and flexing for the chicks. Reminded me of Jersey Shore or something. Trash was everywhere. Those cards with hookers on them that people hand out to the crowds were blowing all over the place. Tons of people walking around or riding those people movers, just immense crowds. Insanely overpriced food. Since neither of us are gamblers I can say "been there done that" for sure. I have no desire to ever go back.
The house always wins... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zshYe6Agzk
Fact Check: the greatest State in America is Florida, because . . . SCIENCE!!!
I don't know if you've ever seen the show "Murder She Wrote," but quite a few of the episodes involved writer's conventions and the glamorous lives of authors. Granted, this show was made in the 80's, but it still came across as very elitist. No normal would want to hang out with those people.
Last, when Single White Medusa said that the outside of the casino was cute, but the interior was depressing, I had only one thought: "Ye are like whited sepulchres filled with dead men's bones."
Visited Vegas with Mrs Fiend way back in about 2004. My main memory is of walking arm in arm along the Strip together, and at every intersection without fail, somebody tried to hand us a card advertising the services of, uh, ladies of the night. Every. Single. Time.
And I agree with J Bohling: everything looked impressive from a distance, but close up you can see that it's all cheap materials. Style over substance for sure.
That said, the indoor canal in the Venice-themed hotel was kinda cool. And the Luxor pyramid is certainly eye-catching, in an "Bond villain's lair" kind of way. Which maybe it is.
You're wrong when you say innocent people don't need to scream that they are. In our corrupt system, those are the ones more likely to end up in jail. If you're innocent, just start sharpening your shanks because nobody cares. And if you defend yourself, people will say it is proof of your guilt. ;) After watching the Chauvin trial, I no longer think it matters what REALLY happened in our courts, it only matters what the mob of drooling rioters want. Oh, and what political party and racial group you affiliate with.
In Virginia we say "it's not so much the heat, it's the humidity." I'm sure tourists hated hearing that, but it is true. The steamy heat is more miserable, but the dry heat is more dangerous. You don't FEEL as hot, the sweat dries so quickly you don't get the damp and clingy clothing so you're more likely to end up as a heat casualty. And I said it once, I'll say it again. Vegas is the epicenter of hopelessness and despair.