Las Vegas-From a non-gambling point of view

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

For those of you who live there or have lived there-what are the pros & cons compared to other cities that you've been in?

Food-I'd have to think that Vegas has one of the best restaurant selections in the country.

Weather-This one is obvious. Great in the winter, hell in the summer.
Housing-Assuming that the market is similar to Phoenix, it's taken a HUGE dive. Has it hit bottom yet? Close to hitting bottom?

Traffic-I'm talking about the burbs. Is it really a big deal once you get away from Downtown\The Strip? On a somewhat related note, is Vegas as spread out as Phoenix? Phoenix has always seemed like it was built to cover as much ground as possible. It seems that everything is a long ways away from everything else.

Sports-You obviously get a ton of big name fight cards & other events, but of course you pay out the nose for them. $55 for PPV vs. $300 for an "okay" seat seems like a pretty easy decision to me.

Other thoughts?

whalewager · Sep 15, 2008

Massages be good.

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

Forgot one

Airport-McCarran has to be a big plus. Flights to & from pretty much anywhere and a short hop to LA or Phoenix to open up even more destinations.

WorldNumberOne · Sep 15, 2008

excellent questions . i'm hoping you get a lot of replies from people who know.

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

Another one I forgot

Housing-How does the Vegas housing market compare to Phoenix? The drop in prices in Phoenix is amazing-has it been that significant in LV?

Also, any thoughts on whether or not this is the bottom?

:toast:

shdw01 · Sep 15, 2008

You thinking of leaving ski country for the 702?

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

Yep-but a quick flight to Salt Lake City can't cost much from Vegas

(They don't market Utah skiing like Colorado does, but they have some AWESOME skiing.)

I'm in month 2 of checking out Costa Rica, and it's just a bit too third world(and rainy!) for me.

ParanoidAndroid · Sep 15, 2008

Great post, hope this one gets a lot of replies.

I've spent a lot of time in Vegas. Not lived there, but close. One thing I've noticed is that Vegas seems very "kitschy". Just looking around at the stores and restaurants around the place and it has a certain feel that not everyone appreciates.

Also, I can't remember the exact numbers, but Nevada is something like 49 or 50th in the per-capita ranking of citizens with a college degree. Not to offend anyone, but Vegas has some people that are dumber than dirt. Not everyone with a college degree is a genius, I understand that, but once you're there long enough, you realize you're surrounded by a lot of less-than-bright people. Let's face it - if you're 47 and the best job you can get is as a cocktail waitress at the El Cortez, you probably didn't win many "Mother of the Year" awards along the way.

I might get flamed for that last one, but it's an honest assessment.

Phonebook · Sep 15, 2008

you have snow only 30 minutes away in the winter time. thus skiing and snowboarding.

you have the lake only 30 minutes away that makes for a lot of fun 9 months out of the year.

you have desert all around you. that makes for some good 4 wheeling and dirtbiking.

you nailed it with the food call.

if there is anywhere in the world that people understand that time is money it is las vegas. take this however you want but coming from costa rica i would say this is a good thing. i hate it when laid back becomes lazy.

lots of good deals also if you are looking for an angle. as long as you look hard enough you will find a good deal on anything. cars, houses, ladies, food, gaming, est.

parks - there are a ton of them and they are well kept for the most part.

History - if you are into that type of thing there are a ton of stories about this place. virtually every famous person has visited vegas and most have a story to tell. sitting around some old timers is always a treat. you never know what your gonna hear next.

drinking while walking down the street. you have to mention that one.

i will think of more later.

btw TT.....born and raised in colorado. so it looks like i have had a dose of each of your options.

soccerbob · Sep 15, 2008

Las Vegas is a total shithole. I have no idea why on earth anyone would even think of moving here. I also wonder why anyone would even want to visit this dump. I can think of about a hundred places I'd rather go on vacation to. I've been here for 23 years and I'm stuck here but I can warn other people off of moving here and I'll do that whenever I can.

Las Vegas is the filthiest city in America. It's an incredibly dirty city. There's more uneducated, subhuman lowlife here than anywhere in America. The city has been overrun with people that can't speak English and have no intention of learning it. The summers are unbearable and the traffic is a total nightmare. The worst drivers in the world all seem to end up here.

The politicians and judges here are as corrupt as they come. The casinos control everything the government does here. The Metropolitan Police Department is a total farce. They like to roust jaywalkers, hookers and johns but they won't go after any real criminals unless they fall right into their lap. They intentionally keep a low speed limit in some areas where it should be higher and then use it as a speed trap when they need to meet their quota and/or pump up revenue.

There are some good restaurants and buffets that are fairly priced but the celebrity chef type restaurants are way overrated and overpriced. The hotel rooms, shows and sporting events are priced completely out of line for the average person.

The home prices have come down but they're still overpriced for what you get. If you're dumb enough to move here, make sure you buy a home in an area that has an association otherwise you'll end up living next to some dirtbag that has a boat, an RV and five broken down cars on his property. The city and the county don't enforce the ordinances here because they'd actually have to leave their air conditioned offices and go out and work.

If this city was on fire, I wouldn't piss on it but I'd find all the gasoline I could to pour on the fire and hopefully burn the whole fucking city to the ground.

-Slim- · Sep 15, 2008

bob, tell us how you really feel

Phonebook · Sep 15, 2008

tell us how you really feel soccerbob

shdw01 · Sep 15, 2008

I leave for vegas wednesday night....nice to know I may land in a firepit

wilheim · Sep 15, 2008

Light version of Soccerbob's post in his own words.

Las Vegas is a total shithole.

wil..

PS. Seriously, I lived in Las Vegas for 12 years but the town was different then (78-90). Any advice I could offer would be dated and not worth a damm. Given a choice I would consider the San Diego area first before Las Vegas.

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

I was waiting for someone to post what Soccerbob did-and I fully suspect that he's 100% right.

Does this hold true for let's say Henderson and/or the far west side of town?

RobFunk · Sep 15, 2008

Sounds like Vegas was better when the mobsters ran it.

Doug · Sep 15, 2008

San Diego is way better ( if you don't much care about gambling), I've lived in both places. Oceanside ( North of SD, but still SD county)is a great value.

TTinCO · Sep 15, 2008

wilheim said:
Given a choice I would consider the San Diego area first before Las Vegas.

I've spent a fair amount of time in San Diego\Orange County\LA area. As far as I'm concerned, it can fall into the Pacific any time. If anything, I'd look at going inland, but then all you really have is Riverside(California's butthole) and the Palm Springs area which doesn't really have a whole hell of a lot besides a tourism industry and a bunch of rich retired folks.

I'm stuck on the desert southwest. Albequerque is a dump Utah is a um, backasswards-so I think I'm down to Phoenix or LV.

shdw01 · Sep 15, 2008

I would rather watch the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, and AZ Dbacks (and some Pac 10 schools) before watching the Las Vegas......all star game.

SportSavant · Sep 15, 2008

shdw01 said:
I would rather watch the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, and AZ Dbacks (and some Pac 10 schools) before watching the Las Vegas......all star game.

id also rather watch all those teams,

from a comfortable sportsbook in vegs with free drinks!! :toast: